Governor Schwarzenegger recently released his 2010-11 budget proposal that would seek to correct the $19.9 billion deficit. The recession has hit California hard, but I would like to commend the governor for making education and job creation his top priorities in the upcoming year. This year, the UC and CSU systems will receive more funding—we can’t afford to balance yet another budget on the backs of our students. The governor has also set out to create a constitutional amendment that would ensure California never spends more on its prisoners than it does on its students. The governor has always been one of education’s strongest allies and he and I understand firsthand the opportunities a free and competitive education can provide.

The governor clearly has made job creation and economic recovery his top priority for the New Year. The Governor will introduce a package of five bills for legislative approval, called the California Jobs Initiative, which will create or retain at least 100,000 jobs. The Governor’s initiative provides up to $200 million to employers to pay for training new employees or retraining an existing employee for a new job. An additional $300 million will be available to employers for every individual they train who was previously unemployed. With this new investment in both job creation and training, California will rise out of the recession with a brighter future.

Senator Abel Maldonado urged members of the State Senate to work together on a compromise to solve the state budget shortfall.

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State Senator Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria) cast the deciding vote on the state budget solution. The final budget, which was passed February 19, was vital in ensuring the state continued to function. As part of the final budget solution, the senator negotiated the elimination of the gasoline tax increase as well as other reform proposals.