Your eyes on California Government

Katy Grimes: Sen. Bob Dutton showed an appropriate level of impatience with the continuing spending bills in the Budget Conference committee today. He unleashed a polite barrage about the state continuing to spend excessively, even in a deficit, as well as the apparent lack of urgency within the legislature to wrap up the budget.

Discussing proposed spending by the Department of Public Health on children’s programs, to the tune of $80 million each quarter, Sen. Bob Bloomenfield, D-Van Nuys, said that the spending would not take place until the California economy was healthy again.

Dutton asked, “Why are we working on something that goes into effect a couple of years from now? I can’t even fund what we’ve got now.”

Dutton reminded the committee that everyday the budget is not approved beyond the July 1st deadline, costs the state taxpayers $50 million. In apparent exasperation, Dutton said, “We are at $350 million today, and tomorrow it will be $400 million. We could pay for the program with that.”