Following Governor Gavin Newsom’s State of the State address, Senator Kelly Seyarto (R-Murrieta) responded with criticism of the state’s current direction and management.
“Today, the Governor delivered a lot of confident words, but Californians are looking for something simpler: results. Families are dealing with the consequences of years of mismanagement under one party rule resulting in higher costs, broken promises, and billions in spending with little to show for it.
“The Governor can celebrate his agenda all he wants, but you can’t spin away what people see every day. Homelessness is worsening after tens of billions spent, small businesses are still paying for government overregulation, and the affordability crisis keeps pushing families to the edge.
“California has swung from a historic surplus to an $18 billion budget deficit. That didn’t happen by accident. Years of unchecked spending, borrowing, and budget gimmicks have caught up to us, and Californians are once again being asked to pay the price. The are paying more, getting less, and they’re tired of being told everything is fine.
“We should be focusing on what actually improves quality of life: lowering the cost of living, reducing housing costs, addressing the insurance crisis that’s pricing families out of their homes, improving public safety, and demanding real oversight so taxpayer dollars aren’t wasted. Californians don’t need another glossy narrative, they need accountability.”
Senator Seyarto highlighted several ongoing issues facing California residents. He pointed out that despite more than $37 billion spent over six years on homelessness programs statewide—a figure echoed by recent reports—homelessness continues to increase across California without clear accountability or transparency regarding how funds were used or whether efforts were effective.
He also criticized unmet housing goals set by Governor Newsom. While 3.5 million new homes had been promised as part of efforts to tackle affordability challenges in housing markets throughout California https://www.latimes.com/homeless-housing/story/2023-09-20/california-housing-shortage-new-homes-construction-slows-newsom-promise , construction rates have fallen short and homeownership remains difficult for many working families.
Seyarto noted that California currently has some of the highest gasoline prices in the country https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/14/gas-prices-california.html , averaging about $4.25 per gallon—approximately $1.40 above national averages—due largely to state taxes and regulatory policies.
Addressing concerns about property insurance availability https://calmatters.org/economy/2024/01/california-home-insurance-market-crisis-legislation-solutions/ , he said policy decisions and limited wildfire prevention measures have led major insurers to leave California markets since 2019; as a result more homeowners now rely on last-resort coverage options with rising premiums or face canceled policies.
Seyarto also stated that Proposition 36—which aimed at reforming certain sentencing laws—remains unfunded despite significant voter support close to 70%, undermining both voter intent and public safety initiatives statewide.
Finally, he discussed economic pressures faced by small businesses due to pandemic-era fiscal decisions made when California had a record budget surplus but did not use those funds to pay down federal unemployment insurance debt https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article278336319.html . This led instead to an additional $20 billion debt burden repaid through increased business taxes and fees.