Assm. Danny Gilmore (R) Hanford said, "I love it, I love it, again that is going to put people back to work, and my home town of Hanford, we're seeing some slow building again on housing. We need to put people back to work."
Assemblyman Juan Arambula said he also likes the idea of increasing funding for job training, but with certain stipulations.
Assm. Juan Arambula (I) Fresno said, "I favor training programs, but I also know we've cut some money out of CalWorks to train people to get off of welfare, so I hope that the governor looks at what we need for training not only in the private sector but also for cuts that have already been made."
And at a time when students at U.C. Merced and Fresno State are both dealing with major tuition hikes, Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani said she supports the governor's pledge to stop making cuts to higher education.
Assm. Cathleen Galgiani (D) Livingston said, "Absolutely, that's very good, and I was pleased that he talked about the fact that we should be spending more on higher education than we are on prisons."
But State Senator Jeff Denham admits passing the governor's proposals while the state is facing a projected $20-billion dollar deficit won't be easy. And he said there is still some unfinished business from last year.
St. Sen. Jeff Denham (R) Merced said, "Water by far is the most critical issue, and we're not done there yet."
The Valley lawmakers Action News spoke with all agree on one thing ... they like the Governor's optimistic tone as we head into the New Year.
