Do blue counties in California provide a so-called “revenue lifeline” for rural and red counties that rely much more considerably upon state aid? According to a report by the Legislative Analyst's Office, which was prepared for the office of Assemblywoman Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, there is a bit of a disparity between the spenders and providers of California's public dollars. Based on the data’s breakdown, it appears that in weighing budget cuts, the residents of rural areas would possibly suffer the most if there are severe cuts to health and human services programs, as the report indicates that it is “red counties” that receive the most state aid, despite having representatives that argue for the implementation of cuts to such services. Mercury News reports:
“According to the snapshot provided by Evans' office — which compares per capita income taxes and sales taxes with spending on programs like in-home care for seniors, parole services, welfare, MediCal and others — seven of the top 10 contributors of tax revenue to Sacramento are Bay Area counties — all of which lean heavily Democratic. Marin County is No. 1, measured per capita, and Santa Clara County is fourth.”In contrast, northern rural counties that lean Republican receive the most cash from the state, such as “Del Norte and Yuba counties, and especially in the agrarian Central Valley, including Tulare County.” Sparsely populated inland counties undoubtedly have fewer high-paying job opportunities and agriculture figures heavily in the local economies as opposed to the entertainment, technology and tourism that funds larger coastal counties. Read more about the report here.
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