DAVIS DEFENDS HIS BUDGET.Byline: Steven Maviglio ASSEMBLYMAN as·sem·bly·man n. A man who is a member of a legislative assembly. assemblyman Noun pl -men a member of a legislative assembly Noun 1. Keith Richman Dr. Keith S. Richman is a California, United States, Republican politician. From 2001 to 2007, he served in the California State Assembly representing the 38th Assembly District based in Northwest Los Angeles County. (``Big buck blunder,'' Oct. 30) ought to try a little fiscal discipline himself before he plays the big-spender blame game. Legislation that Richman, R-Granada Hills, authored this session would have put the state treasury in hock hock: see wine. for more than $2.2 billion a year. (His Assembly Bill 32 would have created a $1.5 billion a year state health program, and his AB 1043 would have cost the state $664 million a year in increased Medi-Cal reimbursement Reimbursement Payment made to someone for out-of-pocket expenses has incurred. rates). Neither bill made it out of committee. Gov. Davis' budgets over the last three years have prudently relied in large part on onetime expenditures that would not put continuing pressure on the budget during lean years. And with those lean times in view, Davis insisted that the current budget contain a $2.6 billion reserve to cushion Cushion In the context of project financing, the extra amount of net cash flow remaining after expected debt service. cushion See call protection. the state from downturns in revenues. Richman is just plain wrong to say that Davis put the state treasury at risk by purchasing electricity on behalf of the troubled utilities. The treasury will be fully reimbursed by sale of bonds to be repaid largely by industrial ratepayers. Republican legislators held up the budget and the sale of these bonds last summer by demanding that the state write off $5 billion of those costs. In effect, the Republicans tried to drop $5 billion of power costs onto the backs of the state's taxpayers. Had they been successful, the budget hole would have been $5 billion larger. The Daily News was rightly outraged at this blatant attempt at budget busting, saying in a scathing editorial that the Republican plan: ``(C)an be summed up in one sentence: Rip off rip 1 v. ripped, rip·ping, rips v.tr. 1. To cut, tear apart, or tear away roughly or energetically. See Synonyms at tear1. 2. the people of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , Burbank, Glendale and other cities with their own power utilities.'' Finally, Richman makes much of the fact that Davis has increased state general fund spending by 36 percent. He neglects to mention that, by the same measure, Ronald Reagan's general fund spending grew by 72 percent in his second term, and by 61 percent in his first term. Budget growth in Pete Wilson's second term also exceeded that under Davis. Even when adjusted for inflation, the budget growth during the Reagan and Wilson terms is greater than under Davis. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) RICHMAN (2) DAVIS |
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