10:39am | The issue of Spending v. Revenue is square on the minds of every politician from Sacramento to Long Beach, and with dwindling coffers but increased demand for services, many elected officials are unsure how to proceed in serving their constituents.
This was one of the topics addressed at a forum on the state budget crisis last week on the campus of UCLA, with Governor-Elect Jerry Brown available to take questions from education leaders. Long Beach City Councilmember James Johnson was in attendance and asked Brown about the complexities of delivering services with little money.
Johnson (at 1:37:02 on the video below): “It sounds to me that the core question is this: You have a public that wants fundamentally more services and wants to pay less. So my question to you is as leaders, how do we work to find a solution given that public attitude?”
Brown’s quick answer?
“That’s why we’re here. We’re hoping one of you people will come up with it.”
Jokes aside, Brown explained that the issue is that everyone sees the financial problem through different eyes, with different views and opinions, and it will be very important to understand varying viewpoints to collaborate to find solutions. Perhaps not the concrete answer that Johnson was seeking, but the presentation and the video are worth a look as it provides insight into the budget proposal and plan of the man who will soon lead our financially-strapped state.
Johnson sent out an e-mail earlier this week linking to the video, and pledging to address some of these issues head-on.
“If we avoid addressing this imbalance, at the state or local level, we will simply resort to budget gimmicks, borrowing, and other “solutions” that simply exacerbate the problem,” he wrote. “Here in Long Beach we have made progress honestly addressing our financial challenges–beginning a long-term financial plan, coming to grips with our pension deficits, and planning for infrastructure more efficiently–and I will continue to seek ways to address such challenges forthrightly, to serve us in the long term.”
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