SACRAMENTO – At a time when Californians are struggling with skyrocketing costs and the state faces massive structural deficits, Governor Newsom failed to appear today to present his own state budget – leaving staff to defend a plan shaped by years of his fiscal mismanagement.
“As families are drowning in higher gas prices, utility bills, grocery costs, and housing they simply can’t afford, the Governor couldn’t even be bothered to show up and explain his own budget,” said Assemblymember Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale). “That’s not leadership – it is simply avoidance.”
Newsom’s absence mirrors his tone-deaf budget: increased spending, prolonged structural deficits, and no real answers for Californians being priced out of their own state.
“When the numbers don’t add up and families are paying the price, the Governor disappears,” Lackey concluded. “Californians are tired of the spin and the political ambitions. We need a governor who’s willing to stand at the podium, own the mess, and fix it.”
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