Bigelow: More For State Agencies, Less For Californians
Sacramento, CA — Local 5th District Assemblymember Frank Bigelow calls for a reevaluation of laws limiting greenhouse gas emissions stating that California families and businesses aren’t doing better, but the state agencies are. Citing a proposed budget increase for the Air Resources Board (ARB) from $240 million in 2005-2006 to nearly $1 billion Bigelow asks “shouldn’t we know what the ARB is achieving and why the drastic growth of the agency is necessary?”
Assemblymember Bigelow asks, “How much will all the new climate programs add to the increasing burden on California families?” He says, “California has a poverty rate of 23.5 percent, the highest in the nation.” The high poverty rate reflects a supplemental poverty rate calculated based on individual cost of living estimates by the Census Bureau. The rate is higher than American Community Survey currently reporting a 5 year average estimate of Tuolumne County’s poverty rate at 14.3 percent, Calaveras 13.7 percent and 16.4 percent for the state. Recent news about the observed local poverty level in the news story “Help Still Needed To Nourish Mother Lode” here.
Read Assemblymember Bigelow’s full blog “Economy: Families Vs. State Agencies” here. Bigelow was also interviewed about other topics on Mother Lode Views In April, listen online here.
