Governor's Budget Proposal Slashes Debt, Fails to Restore Service Cuts

Governor Jerry Brown has unveiled his budget proposal, a 107 billion dollar spending plan that includes hikes for public schools and higher education, as well as health care and prisons. The budget avoids the deep cuts the state has seen in recent years, mainly because of an improving economy, the voter-approved proposition 30 taxes, and a four billion dollar windfall from capital gains. Brown’s budget plan has garnered cautious support from Republican lawmakers, but some critics say the state should spend more on restoring past cuts to health and welfare safety-net programs. Christopher Martinez files this report from the State Capitol.