California lawmakers are moving ahead with a $356 billion state budget plan that would spend more on schools, child care and homelessness programs than Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed, setting up continued negotiations before the new fiscal year begins July 1.
The Legislature is expected to approve a budget to meet its constitutional deadline and ensure lawmakers continue to be paid. But the spending plan passed by lawmakers is not expected to be the final version. Newsom and legislative leaders still must resolve major differences over education, health care, homelessness and county-administered benefits.
For Inland Empire families, school districts and county agencies, the outcome could affect everything from classroom funding and subsidized child care to in-home care services and public assistance eligibility reviews.
One of the sharpest divides is over education. Newsom has proposed reducing the number of state-supported child care slots by 6,800. Democratic lawmakers instead want to expand subsidized child care by 22,000 slots over the next several years. They also are seeking $2.7 billion more than the governor’s plan for transitional kindergarten through 12th grade schools and community colleges.
Health care is another major sticking point. Lawmakers from both parties oppose Newsom’s proposed reductions to the In-Home Supportive Services program, which helps older adults and people with disabilities remain in their homes with assistance from caregivers.
Democratic leaders also want to delay by one year Newsom’s proposed restrictions on health coverage for undocumented immigrants. In addition, lawmakers are looking to postpone a decision on increasing the monthly Medi-Cal premium paid by undocumented immigrants, effectively leaving that issue for the next governor.
State Sen. John Laird, a Santa Cruz Democrat who chairs the Senate budget committee, said the dispute is less about challenging Newsom than trying to avoid cuts where possible.
“I don’t think it’s about Gavin Newsom,” Laird said. “It’s really about trying to stretch as far as we can in the hope that we don’t have to make those cuts.”
Democrats hold supermajorities in both the Assembly and Senate, meaning they do not need Republican votes to approve a budget. Still, Newsom’s approval is required for the final spending plan.
The Legislature’s proposal also would increase homelessness funding. Lawmakers want to set aside $900 million for the state’s homelessness fund, compared with $500 million in Newsom’s proposal.
Counties also would receive additional funding under the legislative plan to carry out new federally required eligibility checks for Californians applying for food assistance and health care benefits. That issue could be significant for large counties such as Riverside and San Bernardino, where public assistance caseloads are substantial.
There are some areas of agreement. Newsom and lawmakers both support setting aside $300 million to help subsidize private health coverage for low-income Californians. Lawmakers also appear to be backing the governor’s proposal for three new tax measures.
Another budget-related dispute involves the California Department of Motor Vehicles. Lawmakers want to withhold $55 million from the DMV over concerns about a planned database that would handle information requests involving California drivers and drivers from other states.
Newsom’s office and the DMV say the data-sharing system is necessary to comply with the federal Real ID Act of 2005 and would involve a nonprofit organization made up of motor vehicle administrators from across the country. Immigration advocates, however, have raised concerns that the information could put undocumented Californians at risk if federal immigration enforcement agencies obtained access to it.
The budget negotiations come as other state races and policy debates continue to unfold. Campaigns for California’s Board of Equalization, the nation’s only elected tax board, have drawn more than $3.3 million in donations to three state lawmakers who advanced to the November ballot: Assemblymember Mike Gipson and state Sens. Tom Umberg and Shannon Grove. The board has far less authority than it once did, but donors and analysts say contributions may reflect attempts to influence sitting lawmakers or reward them for past positions.
Environmental officials also are weighing changes to protections intended to keep invasive golden mussels out of Lake Oroville, one of California’s largest reservoirs, prompting concern from some experts.
For now, the immediate focus in Sacramento remains the state budget. Lawmakers are expected to meet their deadline, but the final decisions — including how much California will spend on schools, child care, health care and homelessness programs — remain subject to negotiations with the governor.
Original source: CalMatters
