Brown To Introduce 2017 Spending Plan

The upcoming year will bring many variables for the California budget, including the possibility of economic slowdown and federal funding changes.

Governor Jerry Brown will give his first look Monday at how he plans to deal with that uncertainty, when he presents his spending priorities Tuesday morning.

That will kick-start months of wrangling with state lawmakers over the budget.

The Democratic leaders in the state Senate and Assembly have again called for more money for affordable housing, after a deal with the governor fell through last year. And they want Brown to push for a higher gas tax to fund road and bridge repairs.

The governor usually warns against overspending in his new budgets, citing the possibility of recession. Brown could play this year’s proposal extra cautiously, as the economic recovery has continued longer than usual and how federal funding in the state will change under the Trump Administration remains uncertain.