Priorities for the future

As the constitutionally mandated June 15 deadline for passing a balanced budget nears, discussions in Sacramento about spending priorities are ramping up.

California is facing a variety of challenges. First of all, we must get the economy up and running again, and we can use our budget surplus to help bring back jobs. Through additional investments in the Small Business Grant Program, and by targeting surplus revenues to reduce unemployment insurance debt for employers, we can get people back to work.

Our streets and roads are increasingly inadequate – we have a $6.1 billion annual shortfall t...