Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) has proposed defunding police and prisons to shift funds in an effort to meet climate goals.
The move comes as the state wrestles with its estimated $27.6 billion deficit.
The state will cut $97 million to trial court operations, $10 million to the Department of Justice’s Division of Law Enforcement, and $80 million to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
A spokesperson for Newsom told Fox News Digital that the budget proposes “numerous ways” to promote government efficiency 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.
As the governor is removing funding for law enforcement, he has also offered $1.7 billion to support the state’s climate agenda.
Last month, a reporter asked Newsom, “Can we explain to Californians how we moved from a $100 billion surplus to such a significant deficit in just a matter of a few years?”
Newsom blamed “climate change.”
The governor said the state did not anticipate “rain bombs” that “led to federal declaration, that led to FEMA and the IRS moving in a direction that we couldn’t collect our taxes in time.”
He added that “weather events” and “climate change” have “impacts well beyond those that are often promoted. I would consider our financial delays as just another example of why we need to tackle them.”
