A Democratic legislator in California said in a Los Angeles Times op-ed that his own party’s big spending is not solving the state’s problems.
"As many Californians know, we’ve already spent billions of dollars on the same problems—with very little to show for it," state senator Steve Glazer wrote in the Times earlier this month. "Our failures are evidence that good intentions and lots of money are not enough to fix what ails the Golden State."
Glazer voted for California’s $310 billion annual budget bill, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D.) last month. He said he supports initiatives funded by the bill but called for better methods to check whether the loads of cash are actually improving education, homelessness, and mental health services in the state.
His comments come as California continues to lose residents and businesses to other states while suffering rampant crime and rising homelessness. More than 350 companies left California between 2018 and 2021, according to the California Globe. Homicides rose in San Francisco for the fourth year in a row last year, and over half a million residents fled California in the two years after the pandemic’s start, according to the New York Post.
Glazer pointed to spending on affordable housing, public transit, and mental health services, saying that while investment in the areas was important, the state was not giving legislators the ability to evaluate results.
"To make our progressive beliefs mean anything, the Legislature must ensure that the money we spend is actually improving the lives of the people we say we are committed to helping," Glazer warned.