Orange County Register

Each week, The Watchdog asks this question of one elected official:

If you could cut one thing from the budget, what would it be and why?

OUR DISCLAIMER: The Watchdog does not agree or disagree with the opinions expressed by said elected officials; we simply serve as the conduit between you, the people, and the folks you have elected to represent you. As the saying goes, the people get the government they deserve!

Background on state Sen. Tom Harman:

• Republican representing the 35th Senate District (Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Irvine, Cypress, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Laguna Beach, Dana Point; parts of Buena Park, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, and Westminster; and unincorporated Rossmoor and Sunset Beach)
• “Harman, a conservationist, is an enthusiastic and avid outdoorsman who enjoys flyfishing.”
• Married, wife Dianne, more than 40 years
• Two children, Michael and Michelle
• Bachelor of Science in business administration from Kansas State University
• Lieutenant, 4th Infantry Division, United States Army
• Graduated Loyola Law School in 1968
• Served nerly six years in state Assembly, and six years on the Huntington Beach City Council

WATCHDOG: Sen. Tom Harman, if you could cut one thing from the budget, what would it be and why?

HARMAN: While every line of the budget could possibly withstand some reduction - the need for major CALWORKS reform, holding off on almost $1 million worth of new furniture for the Controller’s office and refusing to provide $3 million in acupuncture services for those on MediCal, just to name a few - what we really need is long-lasting reform.

As we have too often seen, a cut to one area doesn’t mean that money will go toward paying down our debt but rather to another pet project. I could very easily rattle off a list of 100 cuts much like those mentioned previously, but in the end we must ask ourselves - will any of these cuts really solve our budget mess? Unlikely. But there are key reforms that can be done to avoid the chronic budget crisis that our state experiences each and every year.

To that end, Senator Tom McClintock and I jointly authored Senate Constitutional Amendment 8, which would re-enact the Gann Spending Limit and essentially prevent the state from spending more than it takes in.

If SCA 8 were in effect now, we would have all of our bills paid and a healthy reserve to draw from in the event that revenues declined. As we all know, over 70 percent of the state budget relies on the healthy incomes of just the top 5 percent income earners. This means that if the financial portfolios of these top earners takes a down-turn, the state’s revenues do as well. Yet, the Democrats have proposed increasing taxes on this small group to help bail out years of over-spending. What we need is greater stability and reliability for our state budget, not more volatility.

Another key reform I have consistently heralded is the need for zero-based budgeting. Over the years, some departments and programs have been consolidated or eliminated, yet these funds continue to be allocated without anyone batting an eye.

This needs to stop. If invoked, zero-based budgeting would require that every dollar that every agency requests must be accounted for and justified each year. Remember the old adage: the best disinfectant is sunshine. I think it is about time the “Golden State” live up to its name and let some sunshine in.

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