Senator George Runner
Serving the 17th District which incorporates portions of the Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura and Kern counties.

SACRAMENTO – Sen. George Runner (R-Antelope Valley) today issued the following statements in response to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s annual State of the State address:

On Job creation:
“The Governor hit the nail on the head when he said job creation is California’s number one priority. Unfortunately, he rests too much hope on creating ‘green’ jobs, which do nothing to help the majority of employers or the unemployed. He should focus more on removing the burdensome hurdles created by government.

“The Governor must keep in mind that government does not create jobs; small business owners and entrepreneurs do.”

On Prison spending:
“When the Governor compared prison spending to higher education spending, he fudged the numbers. California budgeted $9.8 billion on prisons this year, while budgeting $13 billion on higher education – a figure that does not include private grant funds. Furthermore, if we really want to significantly reduce prison spending, removing the federal receiver is the first step we should take.”

On seeking federal aide:
“It’s no secret that California taxpayers receive a poor return on investment from the billions of dollars we send to Washington DC. So we are not asking for a federal handout as much as we are seeking a more equitable redistribution of taxpayers’ dollars.”

“I would be encouraged to see an easing of federal payroll tax rules to encourage job growth in California.”

On the Governor’s Tax Commission:
“The Legislature needs to examine the tax structure, but creating a hidden tax on businesses is not the answer. In fact, creating more hurdles for California business and entrepreneurs would be a death knell to our already ailing economy. Whatever we do, we must avoid creating more obstacles for job creation.”

On pension reform:
“We should honor the pension programs we have in place but we should reform the plans of future state employees – keeping in mind that people live and work longer. If we don’t work together now, California is going to be in a world of hurt in the next decade.”