So far, most of the reporting on my Assemblyman, Mike Villines (R) Clovis, has been a joke. The new Assembly Minority leader, described by some in the media as some kind of over the top conservative, is a Pete Wilson alumnus with a keen eye toward fixing California’s budget catastrophe. It is not hard to see this mess coming – $73 billion in bonds, mixed with a structural (and illegal) state budget deficit of $4-6 billion, and a Governor who wants to insure 6 million Californians without cutting any other programs – is a roiling recipe for the biggest fiscal train wreck in California history.
There are only 46 people in California that can stop this mess from happening – 32 Assembly Republicans and 14 Senate Republicans. It is Villines job to literally save California from this financial meltdown – and keep his Assembly caucus unified.
There are only two conservative principles at work here – and they both have the coveted "centrist" appeal. First is a balanced budget, and second is a firm line against tax increases. Villines and most other elected Republican leaders rightfully understand that California’s revenue base has exploded in recent years and there is an inevitable soft or hard landing coming in the near future.
The Governor, with the help of all the Democrats and just enough Republicans, has spent all the increased tax revenue and is continuing to borrow. Someone has to draw a line in the sand and it is Villines and his team. Past caucuses allowed themselves to be used by this Governor and Villines should make it known that those days are over.
Call him a partisan warrior if you will, but the meltdown California is facing due to the irresponsibility in Sacramento demands tough leadership. Call it partisan if you will – but in reality, Mike Villines is simply doing what is right and necessary for these troubling times.