Alexander: California Budget Needs More for Education, Less for Prisons

Stewart A. Alexander
California Governor for 2010
Peace and Freedom Party

January 17, 2009

It has been less than six years since Californians went to the polls to recall former California Governor Gray Davis, now Californians are faced with a budget crisis that is quickly going from bad to worse under the leadership of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. With a ballooning California deficit and weak economy, Peace and Freedom Party and Stewart A. Alexander continues to call for more state funding for education and less funding for California prisons.

The Associated Press reports that “The governor asked the Legislature to cut $400 million from schools immediately and take away $4.4 billion beginning in July.” Further more, the AP reports “Schwarzenegger also asked for the early release of more than 22,000 state prison inmates over the next two years.” Sacramento Democrats have called for deeper cuts in education along with regressive measures that will hit low-income and working families the hardest.

Alexander and the Peace and Freedom Party are rejecting the proposals of the Democrats and Governor Schwarzenegger to cut funding for education and are calling for much deeper cuts in prison funding. While running as a candidate for California lieutenant governor in 2006, Alexander proposed a prison population reduction of 50,000 non-violent inmates to ease the over crowded prison system. Alexander says “The governor’s proposal to release 22,000 inmates does not go far enough; greater cuts in prison funding are necessary and it will help avoid making unnecessary cuts in education.”

Due to the California budget crisis, that is projected to swell to $41.6 billion by 2010, education will take big hits from kindergarten through university level. Wednesday of this week, the University of California Board of Regents voted to cut freshman enrollment this fall by 6 percent and will immediately freeze the pay of top administrators. School districts statewide will be making cut-backs, laying off teachers and staff members to cut cost.

Alexander says, “Governor Schwarzenegger and Sacramento Democrats should not punish our children due to their poor leadership as public administrators.” Peace and Freedom Party and Alexander support free education from kindergarten through university level.

On March 16, 2009, thousands of students will gather in Sacramento at the Capitol Building for a march and rally to protest the budget cuts to education and cuts to community colleges. Stewart Alexander is encouraging students to join the march and rally to keep the community colleges open. For more information regarding the time, location and date for the Mass Community College March/Rally in Sacramento, call (415) 585-2121.

For more information search the web for: Stewart A. Alexander

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/01/10/financial/f180541S65.DTL

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/22665
http://www.stewartalexandercares.com/free-education.php

http://StewartAlexanderCares.com
http://peaceandfreedom-sjv.org/home/
http://www.sp-usa.org/