SACRAMENTO, CA – George Runner issued the following statement today in response the Legislature’s completion of the budget process:

“If the Governor had the courage, he would send this budget back and demand the Legislature send him a fully vetted plan that is truly balanced, contains real reform and spurs job creation in our state.

“The truth is that California won’t have a real budget until November. That’s when voters will decide whether to embrace or reject the billions in higher taxes assumed in this budget.

“Should taxes fail, the budget calls for billions in ‘trigger cuts’ to education funding. I suspect these ‘trigger cuts’ are little more than a head fake aimed at scaring overtaxed Californians into taxing themselves even more.”

Elected in November 2010, George Runner represents more than nine million Californians as a member of the State Board of Equalization. For more information, visit www.boe.ca.gov/Runner.