Public Invited to State Budget Forum Tonight in Union City

With California facing a $25 billion budget deficit, Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing a radical .

Brown’s plan consists of making a combination of cuts, restructuring local governments and asking voters to extend three tax increases in June.

How exactly will this affect you?

That’s the question California Assemblymember Bob Wieckowski aims to answer tonight.

Wieckowski will lead a public forum – – tonight, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the , 34009 Alvarado Niles Blvd.

“I want to give people in my district the opportunity to learn more about the issues surrounding the state budget,” Weickowski said in a press release. Weickowski, a former Fremont City Council member, serves the state’s 20th district, which includes all of Union City, Fremont, Newark and Milpitas, along with parts of Pleasanton, Castro Valley and San Jose.

Tonight’s community forum will feature guest speaker Jean Ross, executive director of the California Budget Project, a non-profit organization that conducts non-partisan fiscal and policy analysis.

Brown’s proposal requires quick action by the state legislature, who will vote on a budget deal in early March, Wieckowski said. The budget is currently before a committee comprised of assemblymembers and senators, according to the press release.

In his plan, Brown calls for cuts in social services and other programs, including the .

Among the reductions are a $1.6 billion cut to Medi-Cal services; a $1.5 billion cut to CalWorks, a welfare-to-work program; $500 million each to the University of California and California State University systems; and $300 million to primary education. The budget also proposes to cut community college budgets by $400 million, and to increase tuition by $10 a unit to $36.

For a more thorough breakdown of the governor’s proposal, click .