Representing the 21st District

(Sacramento) –  Closing California’s 9.1 billion dollar budget gap seems like an impossible task.  But the Governor laid out some bold and responsible proposals in his State of the State Address.  California State Assemblymember Rich Gordon (D-Menlo Park) says he is ready to work long and hard to get a balanced, on-time budget.  Assemblymember Gordon vowed to help balance the books, while trying to protect our state’s schools.  Learn more in this Assembly Access

Sacramento - Assemblyman Rich Gordon (Menlo Park) issued the following statement following Governor Brown's State of the State address.

"I believe Governor Brown gave an honest and transparent outlook for the future of the State. It is of no surprise that he focused on his proposed budget and his solutions. I agree with the Governor that California is on the mend. He's right to point to the successes of the past year: the shrinking of state government, reduction of borrowing costs, and the start of a fundamental shift in California of bringing government closer to the people.

The fiscally sound approach laid out in the Governor's budget, of cuts and new revenues may not be the most popular message, but the vision of Governor Brown in his State of the State was both broad and ambitious. If our State is to continue to recover, we must make investments in our future.

Importantly and inherently related to the budget, the Governor's address today devoted significant attention to our schools. Education is the single largest category of funding in the budget, and yet California still ranks near the bottom among all states in per pupil funding. In the coming months, I am particularly interested in learning more about the Governor's plan to streamline state educational standards and testing, and replace categorical funding with a structure that gives local schools greater control and flexibility.

Our ability to fund schools, save the Delta, build renewable energy projects, and more – will hinge our State's fiscal health, and this vision of the future may be tempered by fiscal realities. Over the coming months our budget committees will be facing difficult decisions and I look forward to diving into the details."