Torrance, CA –Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, a member of the Assembly Budget Committee and Subcommittee on Education Finance, issued the following statement on Governor Edmund G. Brown’s 2018 – 2019 state budget proposal:
“Education is my top budget priority. As a longtime advocate for our schools and our children, I am pleased to see the Governor begin budget negotiations with a proposal to fully fund his K-12 education plan, the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). At the same time, I am working on legislation with local South Bay and state education leaders to increase the base grant portion of the LCFF, so that school districts throughout the state will have adequate funding to meet their basic operational costs. I look forward to working with the Governor and the Legislature toward the goal of restoring California’s per pupil funding to rank among the top ten states in the nation.
“Moreover, as a former Torrance School Board member and former trustee with the Southern California Regional Occupational Center (SCROC), I will continue to fight for funding for career technical education and workforce development programs. Last year I was able to deliver $10 million in additional funding for SCROC. I will continue to support successful career technical education programs like SCROC so that we can prepare our students for good paying jobs.
“Finally, I fully support the Governor’s fiscal prudence in socking away an additional $5 billion in the state rainy day fund. Common sense dictates that we continue to tuck away a rainy day fund during good economic times, to prepare for inevitable downturns. I voted for the creation of the state rainy day fund in 2014, and I continue to support a fiscally responsible state budget that will help sustain vital programs and services in good times and bad.”
Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi represents California’s 66th Assembly District, which includes El Camino Village, Gardena, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Torrance, and West Carson. He serves as Chairman of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and the Assembly Select Committee on Aerospace. Muratsuchi is a member of the Assembly Committees on Budget, Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance, Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials, Natural Resources, Utilities and Energy, and Veterans Affairs.