California Governor Jerry Brown is known as a “liberal.” Is that an accurate appraisal of his views?
He was California’s governor from 1975 to 1983. After taking office, Brown gained a reputation as a fiscal conservative. The American Conservative later noted he was “much more of a fiscal conservative than Governor Reagan . His fiscal restraint resulted in one of the biggest budget surpluses in state history, roughly $5 billion. For his personal life, Brown refused many of the privileges and perks of the office, forgoing the newly constructed governor’s residence and instead renting a modest apartment at the corner of 14th and N Streets, adjacent to Capitol Park in downtown Sacramento. Instead of riding as a passenger in a chauffeured limousine as previous governors had done, Brown drove to work in a Plymouth Satellite sedan.
So it is no surpise that he still has that conservative streak. Look at what he has done or wants to do in the current and subsequent years.
1. Stopped funding of community redevelopment agencies throughout the state to provide more funding for public schools.
2. The governor wants the federal government to let him make more cuts in the Medi-Cal program that serves the poorest people and exempt state schools from new sanctions that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
3. The governor wants higher sales tax and increased income tax rates for the wealthiest in the state.
It is a wonder to me that he has not proposed reductions in retirement benefits that are obviously unaffordable. This man doe not follow a logical path. Perhaps that is what makes him the right man for the job.
Coast Contact 