CA to SLASH public safety while spending $3-$6 billion on illegal alien healthcare, yet facing a $27.6 billion deficit

SACRAMENTO, CA- It’s all a matter of priorities. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) is proposing a series of draconian cuts to the state’s budget as it deals with a projected $27.6 billion deficit, Fox News Digital reports. This comes after a newly enacted state law providing health care for all illegal aliens is projected to cost the state between $3 billion and $6 billion. 

Newsom, who fancies himself a one-day presidential candidate, is proposing to slash budgets related to public safety, including prisons and law enforcement at the same time doubling down on climate goals related to “equity.”

Newsom’s budget, released last month, says that “difficult decisions” must be made to address the budget deficit, which is projected to continue for years. The proposed cuts include $97 million to trial court operations, $10 million to the Department of Justice’s Division of Law Enforcement, and over $80 million to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

A Newsom spokesperson told Fox News Digital originally that there were “no cuts to law enforcement.” 

“The budget proposes numerous ways to make government more efficient and reduce costs for taxpayers, including cuts on inmate spending. SInce Governor Newsom took office in 2019, the state has made record investments in law enforcement, including $1.1 billion to tackle crime, support police, and hold criminals accountable,” the spokesperson said. 

Despite insisting there were no cuts to law enforcement, an official with the Department of Finance said there would be a 1.6% reduction in the state’s Department of Justice overall proposed budget. 

In 2023, the San Francisco Chronicle reported California’s violent crime rate increased for the second year in a row in 2022, while violence in the United States overall declined. 

Those findings come from the FBI’s annual release of crime data collected via its Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. California’s homicide rates skyrocketed by 39% from 2019 to 2021 thanks to the George Floyd “peaceful” riots, however they declined by 5% in 2022. 

California’s violent crime rate increased 24% between 2019 and 2022, including a spike in aggravated assault. California is also dealing with an enormous invasion of illegal aliens. As of January, the state was home to 10.4 million immigrants, 23% of the foreign-born population nationwide. A report from the Migrant Policy Institute put the unauthorized population in California at 2.739 million. 

Speaking of Newsom’s proposed cuts, Florida’s chief financial officer Jimmy Patronis weighed in. 

“What’s happening in California is just the greatest disrespect of taxpayer’s resources in the history of America,” Patronis told Fox News Digital. “They’re in a panic. They’re in a free fall. They’re looking for money to make up this enormous budget deficit they’ve got right now.” 

A mass exodus from the Golden State, Patronis argues, is helping to fuel the state’s budget deficit. According to a United Van Lines study published earlier this year, California experienced the largest net loss of one-way movers in the country. 

California is also all-in on “climate change,” with a Chapman University study published in April suggesting the state’s green energy policies have caused blue-collar businesses to stagnate and decline. In addition, soaring home prices in California which are exacerbated by environmental regulations are encouraging white middle-class residents to flee the state. .

Despite the fiscal crunch facing the state, Newsom has suggested moving money from the general fund, including $1.7 billion for climate goals in particular those related to so-called “equity programs.” 

The state’s crime problem has also contributed to the exodus, Patronis suggested, noting that Newsom’s proposal to slash public safety funds will contribute to a “vicious cycle. He contrasted that with Florida, which has had budget surpluses. 

“Ultimately this vicious cycle where you’ve got a weaker prison system” will lead to “weaker incarceration, which has been kind of the narrative that’s been coming out of California now,” he said. “San Francisco has been kind of like the poster child for businesses fleeing a once-prosperous city.” 

According to the latest available crime statistics, there have been 8,686 thefts in San Francisco year-to-date, plus 1,962 burglaries and 2,298 auto thefts. 

A number of retailers have announced plans to flee the city, among them Aldo, J. Crew and Madewell who are closing their stores at San Francisco Centre. That follows a trend of major retailers leaving the city, which has left malls and shopping centers with major vacancies, according to reports. North Face and Macy’s closed down in the beginning of this year, with Zara expected to follow next year. 

Newsom’s office has dismissed the crime problem, noting that violent and property crime was down in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period last year. 

If implemented, the cut to the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation would eliminate 4,600 beds among thirteen facilities. Newsom’s office claims those cuts are “population-driven,” which makes sense since radical DAs in some of the state’s largest cities refuse to prosecute most crimes. Newsom has also proposed cutting law enforcement training and cutting $4.4 million from county probation departments. 

Cutting police training has been a sore spot for pro-law enforcement advocates, who criticize governments for putting training, which is an important tool for police officers, first on the chopping block. 

Meanwhile, the California legislature is pushing against some of Newsom’s proposed cuts, in particular a $15 million from the Department of Justice, according to Department of Finance Deputy Director of External Affairs, H.D. Palmer in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

‘These proposed reductions are unallocated reductions, meaning that it would be up to the department as to how they would be implemented,” Palmer said. 

The legislature must approve a budget by June 15 and it would go into effect in July. 

Patronis credited Newsom’s failure as governor to Florida’s financial success. 

“The one that you have to hold responsible is Gavin Newsom,” he said. “When you create a safe environment, people want to relocate their businesses.” 

He continued, “You created an environment [in California] where…you are defunding the police and defunding law enforcement. So look, in the state of Florida, we’ve taken advantage of their poor governance.” 

Patronis highlighted programs such as incentive bonuses given to certified law enforcement officers in other states. That $5,000 recruitment bonus, he said, has resulted in “law enforcement officers from all 50 states” relocating to the Sunshine State. 

Patronis then addressed the elephant in the room–Newsom’s future political ambitions. 

“I think he would love to be president one day…He could just lie straight through his teeth like nobody I’ve ever seen on camera,” Patronis said. “I would hate to ever see somebody with that type of a deliberate mindset to be in charge of our country’s economy.”