Brown wants budget surplus to help with homelessness
By John Myers and Liam Dillon, Los Angeles Times
Even in the wake of previous tax windfalls, Gov. Jerry Brown’s announcement on Friday was breathtaking: The state has collected an unexpected $9 billion in tax revenue in recent months, $3 billion more in cash than projected in January.
The money is the latest installment in a fiscal winning streak of historic proportions in California. And, as in previous years, the governor’s newly revised budget seeks to divvy it up on either short-term spending or long-term savings by putting it into government reserves.
“This is a time to save for our future, not to make pricey promises we can’t keep,” Brown said. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Let’s not blow it now.”