Juvenile Justice Program :: Reports
Reports | About The Juvenile Justice Program
California Budget Bulletin:
Governor's May Revision Protects Youth Crime And Violence Programs (Preliminary Report)
By David Steinhart (5/14/03)
Today at noon, Governor Gray Davis released his May Budget revision. This revision contained good news for youth crime and violence prevention programs. The Schiff Cardenas Crime Prevention Act, targeted earlier for elimination by Assembly Republicans, was fully protected in the May Revise, with a proposed funding level of $ 116 million (same as January Budget). After school program funding was actually increased slightly over the January Budget amount (to approximately $ 120 million). News on other programs will be communicated as we learn it.
Highlighting the Governor's press conference was his tax increase plan to erase the current year (2002-03) deficit and to reduce the projected $ 38 billion budget year (2003-04) deficit. These include a bump in the sales tax, income tax and VLF tax. Higher proposed tax revenues, as proposed, helped the Governor hold or raise January spending levels for various programs, especially education programs. The Governor was somber in his declaration of the need to produce an on-time budget this year, in order to preserve California's credit rating and to underwrite the bond package which he proposes in order to alleviate the current year deficit.
Lawmakers must now weigh the Governor's proposals and produce a budget. Republicans still favor deeper spending cuts and are opposed to tax increases, and they may or may not go along with the Governor's new tax plan. The pressure will be on lawmakers from both parties to act quickly (i.e., to agree on a budget by June 15) to avoid further deterioration in the state's credit standing. We will post a more complete report when we have had time for a more detailed review of the May Revision.