Sacramento, CA…Board of Equalization Member George Runner today issued the following statement in response to Governor Jerry Brown’s 2017-18 January budget proposal:

“The governor’s continued call for fiscal restraint makes sense. The state is still vulnerable to the boom-and-bust dangers of the past, especially since California voters chose to extend tax increases on high-income earners.

“A real threat to Governor Brown’s desired legacy of fiscal conservatism will be legislative Democrats who wish to spend more money on government programs, now that they command a super-majority in both houses.

“That’s why it’s disappointing to see Brown use his final years as governor to call for a gas tax hike, especially at a time when fuel prices are on the rise. A better plan to fix our roads would be to cut government waste, eliminate the bloated high-speed rail project, and better prioritize existing dollars.”

“Rather than add new programs, we should use the additional revenue to correct mistakes of the past such as the illegal fire fee and the state’s confusing fuel tax swap.”