Written by Andrew Morris
Last Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom displayed a combined budget of $100 billion to be used in the next fiscal year. This comes from a projected $75 billion in surplus tax income during the pandemic, in addition to $26 billion in relief and stimulus funds from President Joe Biden.
From the $26 billion in funds, Newsom has allocated $8 billion to $600 stimulus packages, $5.2 billion in rent relief, $2 billion for utility payments, and $5.1 billion for drought relief projects.
And though Democrats are calling on Newsom as a visionary, Republicans are unimpressed. “It’s amazing what a looming recall will do, as Gavin Newsom prioritizes his political career over addressing the problems that will put California back on track,” states California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Millian Patterson on Twitter.
Indeed, Newsom’s impending recall due to his impudence in office has driven him to pay Californians as a means of winning them back. “While it’s nice to see Newsom acknowledge that people are struggling under his incompetence, a one-time payment does not make a permanent recovery,” Patterson added.
As unemployment is at an all-time high in the last several years, the rising gas crisis is taking hold, and inflation is looming on the horizon, this payment is a little too late. “Other states don’t need a $100 billion ‘Comeback Plan’ because they’ve been back for some time while also having better health outcomes than California,” assemblyman Kevin Kiley tweeted.
Later he added, “Massively overtax people, squander the proceeds through graft, and return small sums as a ‘gift’ at opportune times. It’s the playbook of corrupt regimes.”
Another state assemblyman James Gallagher voiced his own opinions on the matter, “The California government has surplus revenue and putting this money back into the hands of taxpayers is the right thing to do. It’s really the least Newsom could do considering the devastation caused to jobs and small businesses, the failure to provide timely unemployment assistance and the release of dangerous prisoners who are going to plague our communities for years to come. Actually, this one-time refund seems pretty small when you consider the totality of his mismanagement.”
As a new fiscal year approaches, Newsom intends to pay his way out of a situation disastrous for his career.
Photo via Associated Press
