Governor Brown is expected to present the May Revise to the state budget on Friday. While we all eagerly await its unveiling, let’s take a look at what one of the state’s most controversial agencies is requesting: Caltrans.
FACT: Caltrans has requested an additional $155.5 million in this year’s budget to create 877 new positions.
FACT: Caltrans justifies the need for those positions based only on Governor Brown’s proposal to increase transportation taxes. While a number of officials pointed fingers at Republicans for opposing new taxes in a recent Los Angeles Times article, the fact is that the plan does not have full support of the Democrats and no Democratic member of the Legislature has even been willing to introduce it as a bill.
FACT: The non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) has recommended that the state remove redundant positions at Caltrans to save the state $500 million.
Assembly Republicans included the LAO recommendation to eliminate 3,500 redundant positions at Caltrans in our transportation plan, unveiled last summer. The LAO report analyzed this recommendation and found that it would not negatively impact any construction projects while freeing up a half million dollars for transportation investments.
California’s transportation infrastructure is crumbling and needs help, but adding a few hundred new employees to an already bloated and inefficient bureaucracy is not the answer.
Instead, we hope Governor Brown’s budget follows the recommendation of the LAO and creates a more efficient and results focused system for investing in our transportation.
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