Our View: Democrats finally see cuts needed

Stop the presses! Six Democrats joined four Republicans this week to unanimously call for eliminating several state agencies.

Could they finally be getting it right in Sacramento?

What would Ronald Reagan think of such a proposal from the state government he once administered? It was Reagan who said: “No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. So, governments’ programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth.”

State government has grown at a cancerous rate, relentlessly expanding into areas it has no legitimate authority to go, doing things it is unsuited to do while adding to its payroll even as regular Californians lose their jobs. While unemployment in California increased from 10.1 percent to 11.2 percent the first three months this year, state government’s payroll added 1,362 full-time jobs.

Perhaps Reagan didn’t foresee a condition as incredible as the one the Legislature faces – a $24 billion budget deficit likely to get larger, and taxpayers unwilling to pay another nickel.

The huge deficit prompted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger earlier to propose elimination or consolidation of at least a dozen boards and commissions, citing their staffs’ inflated salaries and duplicated services. As if in response, a legislative budget committee voted Wednesday to dismantle at least eight offices, including the Environmental Protection Agency, and eliminate duplicative administrative jobs. The number of jobs and dollars saved are yet to be calculated.

The hit list also includes the State and Consumer Services Agency; Business, Transportation and Housing Agency; Health and Human Services Agency; Resources Agency; the Labor and Workforce Agency; the Office of the Secretary of Education; and the Office of Planning and Research. The plan also would eliminate the Department of Conservation and the Department of Toxics Control, which are under the governor’s authority. Some of the functions, such as the Secretary of Education, are duplicated by other state agencies, such as the Department of Education.

We will see how these proposals play out as those affected and their constituencies make their cases for saving pet programs and job titles. But for now we’re almost persuaded to take Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield, D-Woodland Hills, at his word: “It sounds like what we’re talking about is changing the shape of government.”

A change from bloated to lean would be good, even if these dollar savings run only into the tens of millions, when tens of billions are what’s needed. It is time to trim government’s size and scope, and starting at the top sets the right example.