Just-elected John Laird came to town in December to talk with
the City Council and senior staff, about the fierce state budget
cuts ahead and his new life as an assemblyman. Naturally, the
growing state budget deficit – $21 billion then, $34.8 billion over
18 months now – was prominent on the agenda.
Just-elected John Laird came to town in December to talk with the City Council and senior staff, about the fierce state budget cuts ahead and his new life as an assemblyman. Naturally, the growing state budget deficit – $21 billion then, $34.8 billion over 18 months now – was prominent on the agenda.
He spoke with understanding about the smaller, but still painful, deficits that the city and the school district will have to contend with as a result. He spoke of learning his way around Sacramento and beginning to build the relationships he will need as the legislature faces the need to reduce spending and talk about increasing revenues – also known as tax increases.
Morgan Hill is new to Laird’s 27th Assembly District; all legislative boundaries were redrawn after the 2000 census, placing the city with the coastal towns of Monterey and Santa Cruz. In the past, Morgan Hill, along with Gilroy, was represented in the 28th Assembly District by Simon Salinas. Laird was elected in November 2002.
“People are getting used to the fact that there is a south Santa Clara County component to the district,” Laird said. He was having a busy week during the legislature’s holiday hiatus, talking to Santa Clara County’s Valley Transportation Authority, county officials, MHSD Superintendent Carolyn McKennan about schools and Councilman Steve Tate about the library. And now Morgan Hill’s council and staff.
The council talked easily with the assemblyman and appeared pleased with his grasp of impending issues and his efforts to get to know the district.
“John is the most responsive elected representative we’ve had in some time,” said Mayor Dennis Kennedy.
Laird is one of 18 new Democrats (there are also 14 new Republicans) in the Assembly. He has been getting to know the other legislators, getting clued in on details – how to use the voting machine on his desk in the Assembly chamber – and setting up a capitol office and others around the district.
Referring to a brouhaha in Sacramento over representatives’ choosing expensive, state-supplied cars, Laird said he had chosen a middle-of-the-road Buick. Several other governmental officials attracted criticism recently for ordering Cadillacs and other large, expensive cars at taxpayer expense.
“I’m sorry to give up my beat up old pickup,” Laird said, but he needed something newer because of all the traveling he will have to do. While in the capitol parking lot, the old pickup attracted a note from an assemblyman Laird described as being a Republican from a rural, rice-growing part of the state.
“This truck belongs in my district,” the note said.
Laird said he was pleased to be meeting representatives from other, often different, parts of the state.
“Making unusual alliances (as with the rice farmer) that might be useful in the future,” he said, is important to his effectiveness as a legislator. With no one party having a two-thirds majority in the Assembly, the parties must work together to get legislation passed.
Another legislator from Southern California camps at Big Sur,” Laird said. Big Sur is in his district.
Laird, and the rest of state government gathered in Sacramento this week for inaugural activities – scaled back because of the huge deficit; they get down to real business Friday.
Since he met with the council the state budget deficit, reported then at $21 billion, is now said to be $34.8 billion over the next 18 months. At $34.8 billion, California’s deficit is larger than the entire operating budgets of every other state in the union except for New York.
“This is just monumental,” Laird said. He reported that the governor had proposed very deep cuts to community colleges – Gavilan College’s cuts may be $850,000.
MediCal is recommended for a 10 percent drop, he said.
Cities may lose the replacement funds lost from the lowered Vehicle License Fee, he said, which would have a devastating effect on their budgets. Since those fees were reduced, the state has made up the difference of the amount lost to city budgets. Morgan Hill’s budget for 2002-03 includes $1,965,000 in such fees, a significant part of its operating revenues.
Laird told the council he was aware of the need for cuts and possibly for higher revenues, as well.
Other side of the aisle
State Sen. Bruce McPherson represents Morgan Hill in the state Senate.
“It’s going to be as bad as it was 10 years ago,” he said about the impending cuts. “We have a huge correction to make from irresponsible spending during the past four years.”
He said he thought it was a mistake two years ago when revenues were hundreds of millions of dollars below estimations and there was a huge run of increased spending at the same time.
“The handwriting was on the wall,” he said, “but we didn’t want to read it.” McPherson said the legislature must start with reductions in government spending, “not equally, but across the board,” he said. “It will be painful for everyone.”
Government jobs and business regulations are two areas he sees as problems.
“They added 44,000 new state jobs in the last four years,” he said. “And we must roll back some of the (recent) onerous business bills that thwart job opportunities.”
McPherson sees a need to freeze spending for two years.
“We’re all going to be part of it,” he said.
Would he entertain new taxes?
“Not until I see spending cuts,” he said. “Not until we get serious about spending.”
San Martin redistricting
San Martin is with Morgan Hill in the 15th State Senate district represented by McPherson. It is with Gilroy in the 16th Congressional district represented by Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, and remains with Morgan Hill in Laird’s 27th Assembly district.
