June 21, 2011
Dear Assemblymember Gatto,
In a recent article I read that you recently gave up your private sector position for a life in the public one and have been quoted as saying “I now have to explain to my wife and daughter that we won‘t be able to pay the bills because a politician chose to grandstand at our expense“.
As per Proposition 25, you and your fellow lawmakers are required by our state constitution to pass a balanced budget before June 15th. I understand that you have a wife and child to feed, but so do many other Californians; and some are in a worse position than yourself. There are those that are without a job and wondering HOW they are feeding their family tonight and every night since they’ve been unemployed. Your paycheck is merely being withheld, and with a salary between $95,000 and $110,000, I assure you, your “dire straits” fare much better than MANY Californians. It is your responsibility as an elected official to make your constituent’s voices heard. While many want to see the proverbial Benjamin’s, there is just simply not enough to go around.
Finger pointing and demonizing your fellow lawmakers is not the solution, nor is fostering animosity toward our elected state controller who is simply doing the job “we the people” elected him to do. I applaud John Chiang for his unwavering rigidity and strength while faced with upset lawmakers. Chiang is merely the one who signs your paycheck, but the people are your employer and you have failed us. By not passing a balanced budget and instead passing a budget full of anticipated revenue and false cuts, you have only failed yourself and your family.
The penalty for failure is steep, but rest assured that you still have a job tomorrow. We elected you to lead and we expect nothing less. Yes there are those to whom you owe your position, and there are those who would love to see you fail. I write this letter to you and say “lead”. Show your constituents that you ARE strong and you ARE going to lead in the face of adversity. Come across the aisle and meet with your counterparts.
One never stops learning and perhaps the republicans see something that you may be missing. You will never know if you don’t ask the question or even begin the conversation. As I’m sure you know, just like a marriage, the best solutions are a compromise away.
Show the people of California and the people of Los Angeles that we did not elect a man who will spout rhetoric, but a man who will stand strong and accept the consequences of his actions and the consequences of failure as laid out by Californians.
Sincerely,
Mario A Estrada
