Chris Ferrill

There's no doubt that Trump's budget cuts are hurting California families. The question is not if we respond, but how. Our families already face one of the highest state tax burdens in the country. Now, @TomSteyer wants to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on another special election to raise taxes even more. I believe that's the wrong approach. First, the money we spend on special elections would be better used on the things our families need--like healthcare, schools and housing. And I think we need to make government work better before we ask families and small businesses to pay more. California today spends nearly $150 billion more per year than we did just six years ago without delivering better outcomes. We need to go line by line through our budget, measure what works and eliminate what doesn't. We need to root out the fraud, waste and duplication that's built-up in our bureaucracy over decades and hold public agencies accountable for results. And we need to demand real transparency at every step in the process, so we can win back the trust of taxpayers. We clearly need to close tax loopholes, including those that allow the ultra-wealthy to evade taxes at the federal level and loopholes and inequities at the state level. But we need to do it in the right way at the right time. California is facing an affordability crisis. We are competing against 49 other states for economic investment and the workers we need to win the future. Higher state taxes--especially without better results or more transparency from the politicians levying them--only make us more likely to lose. There's no doubt that California's next Governor will need to take action to protect our families from the reckless cruelty coming out of Washington. Where Mr. Steyer and I disagree is that I don't think increasing our already high state tax burden should be our first instinct. Instead, I think it should be our last resort.