Over the past few days, mayors and local leaders across California have fought against an unjust and unacceptable budget deal.
We demanded that our state's leaders go back to the drawing board and rethink their priorities. We urged them to stop resorting to the tired practice of balancing our books on the backs of cities, counties, and school districts.
We showed them the real-life impact their actions would have on local households, the direct hit to our economic recovery efforts, to infrastructure improvements, to road repair, and to the basic services our residents pay for and our cities provide.
And today, our state assembly saw the error of their ways and restored gas tax funding to the cities and workers that need it most.
Because of what happened today in Sacramento, the president's stimulus package will hit the streets on schedule. Voter-approved Measure R dollars will hit the ground this year -- not in the distant future.
Roads will be repaired and resurfaced, potholes will be filled, and good-paying green jobs will be created. And most importantly, we'll be able to keep our promise to the commuters of Los Angeles, clearing the way to shorter commute times, less congestion, and the world-class public transit system our families deserve.
This is a defining moment for the State of California. It's an opportunity to commend our state's leaders for taking the responsible course and doing the right thing. They chose our residents' future over the tired solutions of the past, rejecting a narrow-minded approach to our problems and upholding their obligation to the people and the families they represent.
I'm pleased to hear that the governor has decided to keep faith with California's commuters, but this budget is still far from perfect. The legislature's decision to take funding from the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is deeply troubling and we are exploring all legal options to repeal this.
But for today, the voices of reason in the halls of our state capitol have prevailed.
cross-posted at www.mayor.lacity.org