California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has proposed cuts to the state’s Department of Justice and Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation as the state faces a massive deficit — after enjoying a massive $100 billion surplus.
Fox News reported Thursday:
Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., proposed slashing budgets regarding public safety, such as prisons and law enforcement, as the state simultaneously grapples with a crippling deficit and doubles down on climate goals relating to equity.
The California Democrat’s proposed budget, released in May, notes that “difficult decisions” are necessary to address the estimated $27.6 billion deficit, which is projected to continue for years to come. It includes a $97 million cut to trial court operations, $10 million to the Department of Justice’s Division of Law Enforcement and more than $80 million to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Newsom’s office pushed back against Fox News, saying that there were no cuts to law enforcement, but “an official from the Department of Finance acknowledged a 1.6% reduction in the state’s Department of Justice’s overall proposed budget.”
California had a massive surplus as the state emerged from the coronavirus pandemic, thanks to soaring Silicon Valley stocks and an glut of federal cash from the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan and other laws.
But overspending, stagnation in the tech sector, and delayed tax receipts took their toll, forcing the state to scramble to make ends meet. (Newsom partly blamed climate change.) Lawmakers still have not agreed on a budget.
Crime has become a major issue in California, with many residents of Los Angeles and San Francisco complaining about a wave of violent crime and retail theft that the state government claims it has been bringing under control.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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