Happening in California 31.22
Welcome to Happening in California, a brief look at political news, insights, and analysis of the world’s fifth-largest economy.
On Friday, Governor Newsom will release the May revision of his proposed $286 billion 2022-23 state budget. Since he first released his proposed spending plan in January, California’s budget surplus has soared to $68 billion.
To put this into perspective, California’s budget has increased more than 100% in just 10 years. With that kind of cash, one would expect California to have top tier infrastructure and services … but it doesn’t.
California suffers from a severe lack of fiscal oversight — and that is just one reason voters could make Lanhee Chen the first Republican elected statewide in 16 years.
Here is what you need to know about Lanhee Chen and his campaign for state controller ...
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Tom Ross | President and CEO | Swing Strategies
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The Big Picture: Californians need an independent fiscal watchdog to protect their tax dollars.
After paying some of the highest taxes in the nation, California taxpayers are often left wondering, “where does all the money go?”
California’s infrastructure is crumbling;
Its public schools are ranked near the bottom;
The homelessness crisis is getting worse;
Crime is on the rise;
Public officials are already warning of power blackouts this summer;
The state lost as much as $31 billion in fraudulent unemployment payments in just one year; and the list goes on.
Voters (47% of which are Democrats in California) are showing signs of openness toward breaking California’s one-party rule — and the office of Controller is the logical choice.
The controller is the chief fiscal officer of California. And as controller, Lanhee Chen would be able to:
Independently audit government agencies that spend state funds;
Provide oversight to the approximately 49 million payments annually including state payroll, retirement rolls, Medi-Cal, personal income tax refunds, and payments to vendors; and
Demand more transparency from the nation’s largest pension funds, CalPERS and CalSTRS.
In other words, Lanhee Chen would have the power to answer, “where do all the tax dollars go?”
In a rare endorsement of a Republican candidate, the Los Angeles Times opined:
“Among this strong field, we believe Chen is the best choice for this position. Why? Because he is a sharp thinker with experience analyzing large financial systems, and because the controller should be as independent from the party in power as possible.” ~ Los Angeles Times, 4/21/22
The Bottom Line: Lanhee Chen is a Republican, but he also served in the Obama administration. The son of immigrants, Lanhee earned four degrees from Harvard University, teaches at Stanford University, is a small business owner, and serves as the board chair of his local community healthcare district.
Lanhee Chen is not only the champion for taxpayers that Californians desperately need, but he is also the future of the California Republican Party.