Question about the Governator... (San Diego, Sacramento: sales, unemployment, salary)

[wburg]

Originally Posted by MisterDuke

As I recall he was promoting California tourism. Tourists pay a lot of taxes during their stays and require very few government services in return. There are some cities, such as Anaheim, that pull in considerable tax revenue off tourists renting hotel rooms. If tourists were to stay away from California during this fiscal crisis it would add to the devastating impact we are already facing. We should be encouraging MORE people to visit California right now... not telling them to stay away.

That's a problem--millions of people come to California to visit our state parks and historic sites, and Arnold wants to close 220 of them! Despite the fact that this would save less than 1% of the budget gap (I think on the order of $150 million in a $25 billion deficit) and would be disastrous to communities throughout California whose restaurants, hotels, gift shops and other businesses will be direly short of tourists if the parks aren't open to visit! Parks operations generate $2.35 in tax revenue per dollar spent (due to people spending money on food, hotels, trinkets, T-shirts, gasoline, parking, etc.) so by cutting out that $150 million he's actually going to shrink REVENUE by more than $200 million!

[BayAreaHillbilly]

(E) RINO married to the Kennedy clan / mob.

[sav858]

CA had all these fundamental problems BEFORE Arnold was ever governor and unless something changes will CONTINUE to have them. I don't get how people are so short sighted that they automatically put most of the blame on the governor when its the legislature that's been there the longest, is the most partisan, and are the ones who always hold up the budget process. Pete Wilson and Gray Davis had to deal with the same BS and so will the next governor.

I feel Arnold has tried to enact needed fundamental reforms and change but the legislature doesn't want change obviously since they benefit from the status quo. Thank god we finally got that redistricting measure passed and hopefully it will lead to a more moderate legislature instead of the partisan idiots in there now.

It's so easy to pick on one guy but the blame falls mostly on the legislature and the VOTERS themselves. Some people need to look in the mirror if they want to find someone to blame then look at who they keep reelecting to the legislature year after year.

Same sh*t, different governor basically. Nothing in this state changes b/c Californians don't actually like fundamental change but continue to b*tch and complain about how things are but refuse to change the way things work. Keep electing the same politicians, keep approving costly programs w/o finding a way to pay for them, and keep opposing fundamental changes needed......Arnold is far from perfect but to put most of the blame on CA's current situation on him is completely BS.

[LQQKOUT]

Someone has got to blame someone..you don't like whats going on you blame them, you like whats going on your praise them. Instead of posting about it in here do something in your community to change it. You might not reach the government but you'll reach people in your community far and wide and most likely make a differance in something.

[hoffdano]

California needs to trim more than $20 billion dollars, right?

Stepping up enforcement of traffic offenses will hardly make a dent in that. Most of the traffic enforcement fines are probably collected by municipal police units, not the state cops. So the revenue generated will go to the cities first.

And do the police have the capacity to do this? Even if the police could be 10% more efficient with their daily tasks - would this be enough? I doubt it.

The reason the cuts proposed are to education, health care, etc. is because that is where the big bucks are. I can't say if the governor is correct or not. But the shortfall is many billions. That means go for programs that have many more billions to give.

[vfrpilot]

How about an 'Entrance Fee'. Charge everyone entering the state without proof of CA residency 10 bucks. The money would go to the state instead of local hotel taxes that go to local government. Kinda like going to Disneyland. If you want to go, you have to pay. No more freebees

[vdy1985]

Dude, the voters said no more new taxes or anything. So what can you do besides trim the fat off the budget? If CA wanted it so bad, they would have to pony up more cash. Sorry, but don't hate the player, hate the game.

[RobE]

We need more housing construction so California can get out of its economic funk with more property tax revenue!

Oops, sorry. Gotta stop posting after I scratch my frontal lobe with an ice pick.

[revelated]

Originally Posted by wburg

That's a problem--millions of people come to California to visit our state parks and historic sites, and Arnold wants to close 220 of them! Despite the fact that this would save less than 1% of the budget gap (I think on the order of $150 million in a $25 billion deficit) and would be disastrous to communities throughout California whose restaurants, hotels, gift shops and other businesses will be direly short of tourists if the parks aren't open to visit! Parks operations generate $2.35 in tax revenue per dollar spent (due to people spending money on food, hotels, trinkets, T-shirts, gasoline, parking, etc.) so by cutting out that $150 million he's actually going to shrink REVENUE by more than $200 million!

I'm not saying to discourage tourism. I'm saying he doesn't need to be up in the commercials pitching it. Get Billy Mays if you have to - but the Governator has a job to do damnit.

Originally Posted by hoffdano

California needs to trim more than $20 billion dollars, right?

Stepping up enforcement of traffic offenses will hardly make a dent in that. Most of the traffic enforcement fines are probably collected by municipal police units, not the state cops. So the revenue generated will go to the cities first.

And do the police have the capacity to do this? Even if the police could be 10% more efficient with their daily tasks - would this be enough? I doubt it.

I did the math in another thread. It's quite logical if you think about it - which is why they won't do it, it makes too much sense.

//www.city-data.com/forum/calif...ml#post7691398

It boils down to one thing - enforce the laws that are already there, more forcefully. Stop giving people a free pass. The soft numbers I provided are way under what the potential is. San Diego has over a million citizens alone; just 1% of residents in each city getting a $300+ ticket would close the gap almost immediately.

About the whole "goes to the states" argument, the Governator has already put a thing in place where the state has the right to borrow from the cities whenever it needs to, which solves that issue.

[MisterDuke]

Originally Posted by wburg

That's a problem--millions of people come to California to visit our state parks and historic sites, and Arnold wants to close 220 of them! Despite the fact that this would save less than 1% of the budget gap (I think on the order of $150 million in a $25 billion deficit) and would be disastrous to communities throughout California whose restaurants, hotels, gift shops and other businesses will be direly short of tourists if the parks aren't open to visit! Parks operations generate $2.35 in tax revenue per dollar spent (due to people spending money on food, hotels, trinkets, T-shirts, gasoline, parking, etc.) so by cutting out that $150 million he's actually going to shrink REVENUE by more than $200 million!

I remember reading there was one poll a day or two after the election asking Californians what their priorities were for cuts. Prisons and parks were the top two. So it could be the governor is just responding to polls and giving Californians what they want.