LEGAL NEWSLINE

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline) -- California Attorney General Kamala Harris seems to approve of Gov. Jerry Brown's recently proposed budget.

In a statement Tuesday, Harris said Brown has proposed a balanced budget that "avoids the deep cuts the state has suffered for many years."

"Voters placed their trust in state government by approving Proposition 30 and it is important that their trust is honored and their money is spent wisely," she said.

"This includes smart investments that benefit Californians, such as restoring funding for the state's prescription-drug monitoring program and support for law enforcement programs that reduce the number of illegal firearms on our streets. It also means sending resources to our schools in a way that ensures all children, especially those in our poorest communities, receive a quality education."

On Thursday, Brown -- Harris' predecessor -- proposed what he described as a "balanced" budget that boosts investment in education and keeps the state on a long-term path to "fiscal stability."

The budget, he said, builds on the work of the last two years to eliminate the ongoing deficit.

"The budget cuts made in the last two years and the passage of Proposition 30 make it possible to both live within our means and to increase funding for education," Brown said in a statement.

Proposition 30, a sales and income tax increase initiative, was approved by voters in November. It was a merger of two previously competing initiatives.

When Brown took office in 2010, the state faced a $26.6 billion budget deficit and estimated annual gaps of roughly $20 billion.

The first two state budgets under his watch eliminated these deficits with billions of dollars in cuts, as well as temporary revenues. The 2011-12 and 2012-13 budgets provided three dollars of spending cuts for every dollar in temporary tax revenues approved by the voters.

To maintain the fiscal stability that has been achieved, the newest proposed budget reflects the continuation of spending cuts made in the last two years, continues to pay down the "wall of debt" and recognizes risks that remain, Brown said.

"Fiscal discipline is not the enemy of democratic governance, but rather its fundamental predicate. In fact, it is through fiscal discipline that this budget can invest in education, expand health care and provide a safety net for the most vulnerable," he said.

Brown's proposed budget also implements the federal health care law.

In a news release last week, the governor said given promised federal funding, the budget outlines two alternative pathways.

However, implementation of the law will require changes in the respective responsibilities of the state and the counties, Brown noted.

The full budget document can be found here.

From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by email at jessica@legalnewsline.com.