With the release of California’s 2025-26 budget last month, it’s crucial to prioritize the immediate needs of our residents over costly projects and political endeavors. The state’s fiscal health is at a critical juncture, and our decisions today will shape the future for millions of Californians.
For years, Sacramento has designated funds to programs that don’t address our state’s most pressing concerns. While families grapple with rising living costs, deteriorating infrastructure, and increased wildfire risks, the state continues to invest in projects that offer little improvement to the everyday lives of working Californians. It’s time for a budget that reflects the true priorities of the people, not partisan agendas.
Consider the California High-Speed Rail project. Initially estimated to cost $33 billion and be completed by 2020, the project has yet to see a single segment finished, with costs now projected between $89 billion and $128 billion, with no clear completion date in sight. Instead of continuing to fund this over-budget project, we should invest in infrastructure that benefits all Californians, such as improving roads, bridges, and water systems that are essential to daily life.
At a time when California faces a $2 billion deficit, Gov. Newsom is pushing forward with taxpayer-funded health care for undocumented residents—a program expected to cost taxpayers $2.6 billion annually. This expansion is unfair, especially when so many working families already struggle with skyrocketing health care costs. Our focus should be on making health care more affordable for Californians who have paid into the system, rather than expanding coverage in a way that deepens the state’s financial crisis.
Meanwhile, wildfires continue to devastate communities, yet funding for prevention efforts has not been prioritized in the General Fund. Despite California experiencing some of the most destructive fires in history, the state’s focus has been on reaction, rather than prevention. We need to increase investments in firebreaks, controlled burns, and forest management strategies that reduce fuel loads and mitigate risks before disaster strikes.
Access to clean water is a fundamental need, yet California’s aging water infrastructure leaves many communities vulnerable. Prolonged droughts have only worsened the situation, and the state’s current approach is unsustainable. Investing in water storage, conservation efforts, and modernizing delivery systems will help secure California’s water future.
California’s sky-high cost of living continues to drive residents out of the state. Gas prices remain among the highest in the nation, driven up by excessive regulations and environmental mandates. Instead of offering relief, Sacramento imposes policies that increase costs. We need to cut unnecessary regulations, suspend the gas tax in times of economic hardship, and promote domestic energy production to ease the financial burden on families.
Housing is another crisis that lawmakers have failed to address effectively. Onerous regulations and bureaucratic red tape have made it nearly impossible to build new homes quickly and affordably. By streamlining the permitting process and cutting unnecessary regulations, we can increase the housing supply and make homeownership a reality for more Californians.
Education is another area where Sacramento’s spending decisions have failed our communities. The Nation’s Report Card recently came out, and it shows California’s K-12 education system is failing its students. Despite California spending $126.8 billion on education (almost $24,000 per student), an astounding 46% of 8th-graders don’t meet basic math standards, and 37% of them don’t meet basic reading standards. California’s children deserve much better than this.
Many of our schools are underfunded and overcrowded. Instead of prioritizing special interests, we should direct funds toward improving public schools, increasing teacher retention, and expanding career technical education programs that prepare students for the workforce. Every child deserves access to a high-quality education, regardless of their zip code.
It’s time for a reset—one that puts everyday Californians first. The governor’s budget continues a pattern of wasteful spending and missed opportunities. We must fund core priorities like public safety, schools, wildfire prevention, water access, and infrastructure while cutting back on projects that drain taxpayer dollars with little return.
This budget cycle presents an opportunity to correct course and focus on what truly matters. We cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past. I’m committed to working in a bipartisan manner to ensure that we pass a responsible, common-sense budget that reflects the needs of our communities. Californians deserve a government that focuses on solutions, not distractions. That’s what I’ll keep fighting for.
Laurie Davies is a small business owner and former mayor who was elected to the State Assembly in 2020 and reelected in 2022 and 2024. She represents the 74th Assembly District, which includes San Clemente, Dana Point, Laguna Niguel, and San Juan Capistrano in South Orange County—down through Camp Pendleton, and Oceanside, Vista and part of Fallbrook in North San Diego County.
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