Senator Jim Nielsen (R-Tehama), Senate Budget Vice Chair, issued the following statement regarding the passage of the state’s spending plan:

“Survivors of Camp Fire will receive much-needed monies to rebuild Paradise and the Ridge in this year’s state budget.

“The Town of Paradise and surrounding communities will receive funding for clean water, $800,000 to begin the environmental review process for a treatment plant for a sewer system and $2 million to adequately staff fire stations in Butte County. Our community will also receive $10 million for other recovery efforts.

“Funding for much-needed infrastructure, debt reduction and life-saving programs like the wildfire mitigation measures are appropriate uses of the taxpayers’ monies.

“However, this budget raises taxes on Californians despite a $22 billion surplus. It funds healthcare for undocumented immigrants by a whopping $100 million. It offers no accountability for the chronic mismanagement at the Department of Motor Vehicles. It commits to permanent spending that will take the state back to the deficits of the Davis Administration. Therefore, I cannot support it.”