Local reaction to Arnold's speech: wait and see

Observers of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's last State of the State speech Wednesday welcomed many of the themes as a vision for 2010, but also said they wanted to know more details.

Yuba and Sutter county officials said they weren't surprised to hear more cuts are on the way, while area legislators liked Schwarzenegger's emphasis on job creation, but said reality must match rhetoric.

Stan Cleveland, the new Sutter County Board of Supervisors chairman, said he would expect less money for such programs as mental health and in-home supportive services, but exact details await the governor's 2010-11 budget proposal on Friday.

"He pretty much stated the truth that's out there," Cleveland said. "When the budget proposal is released, that's going to be the crucial time."

Yuba County spokesman Russ Brown said more cuts from health and human services were possible, an area where counties get most of their funding from the state and are mandated to provide certain levels of care.

With several cuts already in those areas in the last two years, Brown said, more funding cuts will create a hardship.

While describing cuts as a necessary part of filling a nearly $21 billion state deficit, Schwarzenegger also emphasized a need for job creation and tax reform as long-term solutions to restore the state's economy.

GOP legislators who represent the Mid-Valley welcomed such an emphasis, but like county officials wanted to see more details, and offered their own ideas. Assembly members Dan Logue, R-Linda, and Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber, applauded the governor's proposal to spend $500 million on a jobs package and streamline permitting for construction projects.

"But the job training means nothing if there's not jobs to transition into," Nielsen said. "This is also about ridding ourselves of over-regulation by government entities."

Logue said Schwarzenegger's words match what he and other GOP legislators have said for months: The state can't recover from recession without economic development.

Logue said he was skeptical about the governor's call for tax and budget reform if they resulted in making it easier for the Legislature to raise taxes.

"I think reform's going to be very important to people this year," he said. "But if people don't get the reform they want from the Legislature, they'll get a Legislature that will get them what they want."

State Sen. Sam Aanestad, R-Penn Valley, said the governor's priorities were right, but didn't agree with him on details, particularly a push to privatize more prison services and pass a constitutional amendment to ensure the state spends more on higher education than prisons.

"The major responsibility of the state is public safety," Aanestad said. "The state has got to be in control and take ownership of prisons," though he added some privatization made sense.

Nielsen agreed with Aanestad, adding a push to emphasize higher education will take longer than the year left in Schwarzenegger's term.

The governor's vow to keep education funding intact pleased educators in the Mid-Valley, though they also acknowledged much can and will change before the state adopts a budget.

"We're already pretty bare bones with our budget," said Gay Todd, superintendent of the Marysville Joint Unified School District. "We hold our breath waiting to see what happens."

A spokesman for the Yuba Community College District said the higher education/prisons amendment reflects what many have long observed about the state's funding priorities, where prisons are often near the top.

Still, given the strong support among many in Sacramento for public safety, such an amendment will be tough to pass, said Adrian Lopez.

"I think everybody, Democrat or Republican, agrees education is important," Lopez added.

Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Ben van der Meer at 749-4709 or bvandermeer@appealdemocrat.com.