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 released the following statements in response to Governor Schwarzenegger’s May Revise:

On Taxes:
“The governor’s plan does not create or raise taxes. That’s good news for working Californians. The administration figured out that raising taxes is not the answer. For proof look no further at the effect last year’s $13 billion tax increase had on California’s economy: Revenues are down.

On Reduced Spending:
“This is a tough time for all Californians including state government. The difference is, California families have made sacrifices in the past few years; state government has continued to spend beyond its means. It’s time for California Legislature and Governor to pass a budget that’s balanced and realistic.

On Jobs:
“Californians are eager to get back to work, and reducing the unemployment rolls is the path to economic recovery. State Government must get out of private sector’s way if we are to achieve this goal.

On Prison transfer:
“Moving non-violent inmates from state prison to county jails is not necessarily bad policy. The question is: How will public safety be affected in our local communities? How will local government handle the influx of prisoners? What kinds of alternative custody will local law enforcement provide that ensures safety for families? How will these inmates be selected and how many will be transferred? And what method will the state use to reimburse counties?

“If a thousand state prisoners are moved to a county jail, we want to make sure they serve their full terms and that the move doesn’t bump another thousand local inmates completely out of the system. We want to make certain the lesser offenders are strapped to GPS or other means of custodial oversight.

“The concept deserves a great deal of scrutiny for the sake of public safety in our neighborhoods.”