Alquist Adds $1.3 Billion to State Budget

SACRAMENTO — The chairman of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee added $1.3 billion in spending to Gov. George Deukmejian’s proposed $39-billion budget Tuesday to finance legally required education, welfare and other programs.

Sen. Alfred E. Alquist (D-San Jose) said in an announcement that the action “puts the governor on notice that we will not stand by quietly while he plays endless shell games with his budget numbers.”

The veteran Democrat said that if his amendments are adopted, the governor’s proposed $1-billion budget reserve would shrink to $324 million.

Alquist this year is carrying the governor’s budget bill in keeping with a longstanding tradition in which the heads of the Senate and Assembly fiscal committees trade off responsibility for carrying the governor’s annual appropriations bill.

Fixed Level of Support

Alquist said state law requires continued support of certain education, public health, welfare, Medi-Cal and worker safety programs at fixed levels.

His amendments would add $579.3 million for health care programs; $543.4 million to education programs; $113.5 million in monthly financial assistance payments to needy families; $60.1 million for local government and transportation programs; $8 million to restore state funding for the California Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) program, and $5 million to environmental programs.