For more than 30 years the Democrat controlled California legislature has been spending money with careless abandon. Republicans tried with little success to limit the spending. Now the bill has come due. An analysis by the bipartisan California Budget Project shows what a travesty the recently passed budget is.

Gone is more than $8 Billion in K-14 education funds. All county First Five funding for preschoolers have been pulled back to the state for other uses through 2014. For those receiving SSI/SSP, the federal Cost of Living Allowance increase passed through by the state will be suspended and checks will drop from $907 to $870/month. Property tax assistance for seniors, the blind and disabled will be reduced by $6.5 million. The list goes on and on.

There are increases in sales tax, car registration and personal income tax and some tax credits for which few in Mendocino County will qualify. But the most outrageous tax credit is the $500 million Democrat payback to their wealthy friends in Hollywood for movie and television production in the form of tax credits – not deductions – tax credits.

So while the taxpayers in Mendocino County, the seniors, poor, disabled, school children, teachers, business owners and many others are scraping by, the Democrats and their Hollywood friends will be partying away with our tax money. Our Democrat legislature has turned Sacramento into ‘Wall Street West”.

Aren’t our elected representatives in Sacramento supposed to watch out for, not sell out, their constituents? How many Mendocino County movies did Mr. Chesbro and Senator Wiggins get in return for their votes? Don’t hold your breath waiting for the movie crews to roll in to the county. Hollywood $500 million, Mendocino County $0.

The sad thing is that the taxpayers of Mendocino County didn’t even get any free movie tickets.

Stan Anderson
Fort Bragg