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Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to slash 10,000 jobs, reduce state deficit

May 10, 2024

Gov. Gavin Newsom

By KAREN VELIE

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans Friday to reduce the state’s budget deficit by slashing 10,000 vacant jobs and cutting spending.

Through his revised budget proposal, Newsom plans to close both this year’s remaining $27.6 billion budget shortfall and next year’s projected $28.4 billion deficit while preserving key services, including education, housing, health care and food assistance. Newsom plans to tighten the state’s belt by eliminating state jobs and cutting spending across 260 state programs.

Newsom’s revised balanced state budget cuts one-time spending by $19.1 billion and ongoing spending by $13.7 billion through 2025-26. Newsom plans to reduce costs by streamlining procurement, cutting bureaucratic red tape, and reducing redundancies.

Because of a revenue spike from fiscal year 2019-2020 to fiscal year 2021-2022, the Budget Acts of 2021 and 2022 were based on inaccurate forecasts.

“Difficult decisions regarding spending reductions are necessary to create a path for long-term fiscal sustainability,” according to Gov. Newsom. “Making these decisions now will significantly reduce the risk of more difficult decisions in the months and years ahead that could have substantial effects on core state programs and services.”

 


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The two largest items in the California budget revolve around healthcare and education. Rather than spend ALL his time campaigning for a “just in case” candidacy should Biden fail, he should convene the stakeholders to reveal that he has over-promised healthcare and education for all, regardless of immigration status. That political “gift” to a class of future voters is backfiring. The math doesn’t work.


5

Don’t get rid of the people doing the work; get rid of bloated bean counting positions and reduce salaries of the bean counting positions you don’t get rid of. Start the process at the UCs and CSUs.


6

A small fraction of what’s needed.


11

Wow. I can only surmise that a substantial segment of the frequent commenters on this site are appreciably more interested in condemning anyone they perceive as “left”, or “blue” than they are about actual budget reduction. If this move were being undertaken by a so called “conservative”, the praises would be flowing like a never-ending stream.


I guess this is just like when a “conservative” gives a massive tax cut to the class that already has more money than god, which causes a deficit. Not a problem. Just blame the “libs”.


I am not a big fan of everything either side does, especially letting a handful of individuals hoard half a trillion dollars whilst we have vets in tents by the creek, but I at least give credit where it is due. Newsom is a flawed guy, no doubt, but he is acting in a timely manner here. And in case you haven’t noticed, the so called “conservatives” are usually the ones who run us into record debt and the “libs” who bring the budget back into shape, especially on the federal level. But who’s counting?


-63

So just how does eliminating jobs that currently do not have anyone in them and are not drawing any compensation helps with the deficit? Now reducing redundancies is a good thing but we should be doing that every year, not just when their is a budget crisis.


44

Hmm..well, that’s a how a budget works. When you have a budget deficit, and you have budgeted for those jobs, and you cut them, that reduces the budget.


9

So when government departments award bonuses because the stayed under budget it not because they saved us taxpayers money its because they didnt fill positions that were budgeted, and clearly were not needed, and it made the department come in under budget, on paper at least. More government smoke and mirrors.


3

The fact that he can eliminate 10,000 positions and still plan on meeting the needs of the citizens says everything!!


“Newsom plans to reduce costs by streamlining procurement, cutting bureaucratic red tape, and reducing redundancies.”


AND he is only doing that now because he wants to eventually run for president and it would not be a good look for him.


The acid test of how far down the rabbit hole this state has gone is demonstrated by Newsom not being recalled and he still having any credibility in california.


41

I’m not too up on leftist math, but is cutting no-money-paid-to-employees VACANT jobs, really cutting the budget? Cutting out vacant slots, is NOT the same as cutting the budget.


Yes, I know the money is in the budget, but it’s not being spent. How about, you simply return that portion of unspent tax dollars, back to the tax paying citizens?


44

A vacant job is still in the budget. Goodness, do none of you understand how a budget works? It’s a BUDGET deficit, not an ACTUAL deficit.


9

Thats government for you


-4

Why do I suspect that the jobs cut will be those that most impacts the public so that a new tax hike looks more necessary?


31

That’s exactly how it works. The jobs to be cut (if any) will be the lower-level employees who actually serve the public, not management; when the public can’t interact with these employees, there will be a big cry to raise taxes to restore these positions. The upper level bureaucrats making six figures will never be cut.


Ronald Reagan’s Treasurer had a great idea to deal with this at the federal level. He figured out the average GS position out of all the positions and determined to lower that number. The way he did it was to cut those redundancies at the top. But don’t hold your breath for this to happen here!


2

How does slashing vacant jobs save any money? Dump the “Bullet Train”, fire all the people working on it, and sell all the assets, land, equipment, etc. Please stop voting for these morons.


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