It must be an Election Year, because Barbara Boxer has come to town. Today, Boxer kicked off her “Jobs for California Tour” leapfrogging around the state in a private jet to San Francisco, Sylmar, San Diego and Santa Barbara. But with 2.27 million Californians unemployed, our state’s unemployment rate at 12.4 percent and our underemployment rate at 21.7 percent, we think Boxer might want to consider renaming her swing through the Golden State the “Broken Promises Tour.” Lest you have forgotten, here’s what Californians were promised would result from the passage of the economic “stimulus” plan:

Boxer Said The “Stimulus” Legislation Offered “Help And Hope.” “Senator Boxer said, ‘In the face of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the Congress has acted today to save or create jobs in California and across the nation. With so many Californians anxious about the economy, this legislation offers help and hope. This bill will put Californians to work now building the highways, bridges, transit and rail systems, and renewable energy sources of the 21st century.’” (“Boxer Praises Passage Of Economic Recovery Legislation,” Press Release, 2/13/09)

Boxer Said The Plan Would “Save Or Create” 400,000 Jobs In California. (“Boxer Praises Passage Of Economic Recovery Legislation,” Press Release, 2/13/09)

The Obama Administration Predicted The Stimulus Plan Would Keep Unemployment Below 8 Percent. “Back in early January, when Barack Obama was still President-elect, two of his chief economic advisers — leading proponents of a stimulus bill — predicted that the passage of a large economic-aid package would boost the economy and keep the unemployment rate below 8%.” (Stephen Gandel, “Obama’s Stimulus Plan: Failing by Its Own Measure,” Time, 7/14/09)

Here’s what we have gotten instead:

Unemployment In California Has Risen To 12.4 Percent In May 2010 From 10.2 Percent In February 2009; 2.27 Million Californians Are Now Unemployed (Source: California Employment Development Department)

11 Of The 13 Metropolitan Areas In The Country With Jobless Rates Above 15 Percent Are In California. (“Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment Summary,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, 6/30/10)

Private-Sector Job Growth Disappointing. “Private employers added only 83,000 jobs in June, the government said Friday, too few to keep up with growth in the working-age population. The unemployment rate fell to 9.5 percent from 9.7 percent, but only because hundreds of thousands of Americans dropped out of the labor force entirely. Combined with other recent data, the numbers depict a sluggish economy in which nearly 15 million people are out of work and job growth is mediocre.” (Neil Irwin and Lori Montgomery, “Economy lags as job growth remains weak,” Washington Post, 7/3/10)

Where’s the help and hope in that?