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California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger gave his final State of the State address yesterday before lawmakers in Sacramento. In setting an agenda for his last year in office, the Governor outlined job creation as his number one priority. In a state where unemployment continues to hover above twelve percent, Schwarzenegger outlined a five hundred million dollar plan including funding job training, construction projects and giving tax credits for first-time homebuyers. In his address, the Governor called for further changes in the state’s budget, pension and tax system. In taking an argument from progressives, Schwarzenegger also proposed a constitutional amendment to ensure that California would spend more on higher education than prisons asking, “What does it say about any state that focuses more on prison uniforms than on caps and gowns?” Currently, California dedicates 11 percent of its budget spending for prisons as opposed to 7.5 percent for education. The Governor’s plans for his final year in office are tempered by the fact that the state will face yet another major budget deficit crisis. With deep cuts having already been made in California’s social safety net, lawmakers will face the difficulty of addressing a twenty billion dollar deficit. Critics of the Governor’s State of the State address say that his agenda fails to adequately prepare California for the assured budgetary woes in the years to come.

GUEST: Anthony Wright, Executive Director of Health Access California and Regular Columnist for California Progress Report.

For more information visit www.health-access.org, www.twitter.com/healthaccess and www.facebook.com/healthaccess.