Governor Brown signed a record setting budget - $183 billion – that Sacramento Democrats packed with pork and pet projects. Senate Budget Vice Chairman, Senator Jim Nielsen (R-Tehama), issued the following statement:

“Negotiated behind closed doors, this budget shows the Democrats’ priorities, and clearly, the taxpayers of California are not high on that list.

“Money promised to voters to improve healthcare and increase access to doctors is being diverted to fund other priorities.

“The California state budget, funded by hardworking taxpayers, commits $50 million to pay for free legal services to individuals who are in the United States illegally, including those who have committed violent felonies.

“This budget is filled with broken promises made by Sacramento Democrats when they passed the massive new $52 BILLION gas and car tax; it takes gas and car tax money that they promised would go to roads, highways and bridges and uses it to fund lifeguard and park ranger recruitment, state park maintenance, and local park operations, to name just a few examples.

“Nowhere in this budget is any money to repair our levees that were damaged as a result of the Oroville Dam spillway failure. Our people and economy depend on reliable water infrastructure; we must have continuous funding in the state budget.”