Hello! Thank you for taking the time to visit MikeVillines.org. On this site, you can find out about the issues I am fighting for in the California State Assembly. As a husband and father of three, I know the issues important to many Central Valley families, such as clean air, good schools, less crime and low taxes. I want to ensure these issues are at the forefront of the debate at the State Capitol. Feel free to click around, and read more about me and find out where I stand on the issues important to you and your family.

It's Time to Move Forward and Focus on Reform

February 26, 2009

In passing a budget compromise, Democrats and Republicans set aside our differences to save our state from a looming disaster that would have caused Californians significant, lasting pain and cost billions of dollars more.

Though agreeing to this compromise has been viewed as an inconceivable move by some, I believe it is time to move past the controversy and start looking forward to the many challenges facing California in the months ahead.

There's no doubt about it - the budget we passed was a compromise in every sense of the word. It included many things that were abhorrent to Democrats and Republicans. For me, I profoundly disagreed with the taxes.

But the consequences of not passing this budget compromise were significant. Californians would go without over a billion dollars in tax refunds for the foreseeable future, our credit rating would drop to junk bond status increasing borrowing costs, counties and small businesses that work for the state would go unpaid, forcing many to declare bankruptcy and triggering mass layoffs. Not to mention the loss of services to seniors, children and those with special needs.

Worse, we were faced with the real prospect of a majority vote budget being passed. That would have guaranteed us a budget with no Republican input, permanent tax increases, no reform, and no real cuts.

So we came together to do the best we could to be fiscally responsible in midst of a $42 billion crisis. The result was a compromise that includes some things we don't like but it also includes many things that Republicans have been advocating for years.

It includes a strong spending limit and strengthened rainy day fund that Republicans believe is essential to forcing the Legislature to only spend what the state takes in each year while saving for the future. This is the only way to stop the Legislature from overspending and growing government at an unsustainable rate.

The budget plan will also take a significant step forward to reduce the size of government. It includes $15 billion in real spending cuts over the next 18 months. Spending will fall from $104.5 billion in the adopted 2008-09 budget to $92.2 billion in 2009-10.

We also helped secure an economic recovery plan, including $1 billion in tax incentives, to lower business costs and entice more businesses to stay and expand in our state and create jobs. The compromise also removes red tape holding up infrastructure projects and reforms education to let local school spend more in the classroom and less on bureaucracy.

On balance, I believe this compromise reflects many of the priorities of Republicans. But now it's time to move the debate forward and turn our attention to the many, other serious problems that have gone neglected for too long thanks to our budget mess.

In the coming months, Republicans will continue to push for further reform of our broken system.

With our state facing severe water shortages and mandatory rationing, we will be fighting to build the additional water storage required to meet our needs.

Most importantly, we want to provide effective oversight of the dollars the state receives under the Federal Stimulus Bill, to ensure they are spent on critical needs that benefit Californians. We should not accept federal monies that would expand programs and boost the state's costs in future years since federal dollars will disappear and leave the state with unfunded mandates.

It is time that we move beyond the budget and show Californians that their government has common-sense solutions on all of the issues affecting their quality of life. That's what Assembly Republicans will be doing in the coming months - promoting the reforms necessary to end business as usual in state government, protect taxpayers and put Californians first again.

Budget compromise tough, but it will get California back on track

February 19, 2009

Today, the Legislature sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a long-overdue budget compromise that will allow the state to pay its bills again, including tax refunds and funding for local transportation projects, and makes significant progress in eliminating the deficit once and for all.

To be sure, the budget the Legislature passed was very difficult to negotiate and includes some items we strongly disagree with, particularly taxes. If Republicans were the majority party and could control the budget, there would be no talk about raising taxes, period. Republicans would be working to lessen the tax burden on hard-working Californians. But Republicans don't control the budget process; Democrats do.

So we had a choice. We could continue to say no and refuse to negotiate, facing the real prospect of enough lawmakers agreeing to pass a budget without Republican input. That budget would have surely included massive tax increases and overspending, with no reform.

Or we could negotiate a budget compromise with Democrats on a budget that saves California from the brink of insolvency, gets hard-working taxpayers their long overdue tax refunds, helps to get our economy growing again and includes long-term fixes to our budget problems. We chose the latter course.

A core principle for Republicans is smaller government. One of the main reasons why we are facing a budget crisis today is because government has grown far too much in recent years, ignoring the reality that the spending could not be sustained over time.

This budget compromise will finally put California government on a much-needed diet. It includes $15 billion in permanent cuts to big government programs adopted in recent years, and a strict spending limit that will force the Legislature to live within its means.

Without the spending limit, we would still be facing multibillion-dollar budget deficits for years to come. By passing a spending limit and $15 billion in real cuts, we are making significant progress to reduce the size of government and prioritize your tax dollars. If the budget reform we proposed had been in place 10 years ago, we would have $12 billion in the reserve today to cushion the $14 billion drop in revenues that has occurred in 2008-09.

While the budget includes some tough choices, it also protects public safety in the Central Valley and communities across California by rejecting dangerous plans to grant the early release of tens of thousands of serious and repeat criminals before they have paid their debt to society. This compromise also includes common-sense reforms long championed by Republicans to reform state government and ensure our tax dollars are spent as wisely as possible. More importantly, it includes education reforms that will give local schools the ability to spend categorical dollars on the needs of their students, not on one-size-fits-all mandates imposed by the Legislature.

The budget compromise also addresses the most critical issue facing California today - an economy that is in turmoil and bleeding jobs. With the unemployment rate in Fresno now at 13%, we made it clear that jobs are a top budget priority for us. We successfully negotiated measures to help improve California's job environment, such as a new-hire tax credit for small business that create a new jobs over the next two years.

It also helps Californians buy a new home for their families with up to a $10,000 non-refundable tax credit for home purchases. This will help stabilize California's housing market, help families afford the American dream of home ownership and motivate builders to construct more new more in the state and create jobs.

It also eliminates unnecessary government restrictions that have held up infrastructure projects so these projects could get moving again and put people back to work on the construction of new highways, levees, schools and affordable housing. We will also pave the way for the greater use of design-build and public-private partnerships for infrastructure. This will help us stretch infrastructure dollars further, while creating new private-sector jobs.

There is no doubt that this budget is a true compromise. No one got everything they wanted and everyone will have to sacrifice to get us back on track. In the end, Democrats and Republicans came together to do what's right and finally get California on the road to recovery.

Issue: Prison Reform

Bipartisan Reforms Will Increase Prison Capacity, Protect California Families

California’s prison system is dangerously overcrowded and on the verge of collapse

Demanding solutions to prison problems that have only grown worse over the years, federal courts have now threatened to take control over the entire prison system. To avoid this nightmare scenario, California must clearly demonstrate that we have a responsible plan to solve these severe problems and the necessary financing in place to satisfy the concerns of the courts.   {read more}

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Issue: Legislative Redistricting

The Time Is Now For Redistricting Reform

As the legislative calendar comes to an end we must not lose sight of the tremendous opportunity before us. It’s time for Republicans and Democrats to rise to the occasion and come together to craft bipartisan redistricting reforms to restore the voice of the people to their government.

From the moment we began this year’s legislative session, Governor Schwarzenegger and the Republican and Democrat leaders in both houses of the Legislature have each publicly stated their desire to pass redistricting reforms this year. The time to act is now since the Legislature is set to adjourn next month.  {read more}

>> More information on Legislative Redistricting