O’Connell to Chair State Budget Panel

Praising his experience with education issues, state Senate President Pro Tem Bill Lockyer (D-Hayward) announced Friday that Sen. Jack O’Connell (D-Santa Barbara) has been appointed chairman of the Senate Budget Subcommittee, which oversees education spending.

“No one has the history and knows education budgets like Jack O’Connell, so I have confidence his subcommittee will craft a responsible and creative spending plan for next year,” Lockyer said. Nearly half of the state’s budget is devoted to education, from kindergarten through the university systems.

O’Connell, who sits on the Senate Education Committee, has authored numerous bills aimed at improving schools in the state, said Lockyer. O’Connell’s district includes parts of Ventura County.

This year, the education subcommittee will be working to reduce class size with additional spending, and O’Connell cited providing additional funding for the proposed Cal State Channel Islands campus among his priorities.