Today, California Senate Republicans responded to Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposed $322 billion state budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
"The governor only measures success in dollars spent, rather than how well those dollars were spent to improve the lives of Californians,” said Sen. Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks) who serves as vice-chair of the Senate Committee on Budget. “If the state does not make changes to spending this year, our deficit will balloon from the projected $2 billion to ten or more times that amount in the coming years.”
“Only Gavin Newsom could raid over $7 billion from our Rainy Day savings and have the audacity to call it a ‘surplus,’” said Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego). “This is not a budget proposal, it is a spending plan. The term ‘budget’ implies a careful assessment of what we can and can’t afford, which clearly this proposal did not include. We’re going to have to rebuild major parts of LA infrastructure from the fires, so when we should be tightening the belt on new spending, the governor is doing the opposite to cover up his complete financial mismanagement.”
The proposal includes $18 billion in additional spending compared to the enacted 2024-25 budget, and Senate Republicans are urging the governor to instead heed the warnings of the nonpartisan legislative analyst who has advised that the state is likely facing double-digit deficits in the coming fiscal years if spending is not reined in.
While the governor claims the budget is balanced, he is also proposing the state withdraw $7.1 billion from the Rainy Day Fund to cover spending.
The governor’s proposal is not the final version of the state budget but represents a starting point for deliberations that will be ongoing through the spring. The Legislature must pass a state budget by June 15.