Newsom has promoted his revised budget as a step toward restoring California’s fiscal footing before he leaves office, saying his administration has produced “a balanced budget structurally for 18 months.” The word “structurally” has become central to the debate because California has faced a continuing mismatch between spending commitments and ongoing revenue.

According to Legislative Analyst Gabe Petek, state budgets over the past four years have spent a combined $125 billion more than California actually brought in, after Newsom and the Legislature expanded programs based on revenue projections that proved too optimistic. Budget analysts commonly refer to that kind of ongoing imbalance as a structural deficit.

Newsom’s proposed $349.4 billion budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year, which begins July 1, estimates $226.5 billion in general fund tax revenue. But planned general fund spending would total $246.6 billion, leaving a roughly $20 billion gap. The shortfall is smaller than in some recent years, but it continues to raise questions about whether the state has truly solved its underlying budget problem.

The administration would close the gap through a combination of higher-than-expected short-term revenue, spending reductions, borrowing and other budget maneuvers. Still, the budget documents acknowledge that deficits are expected to continue in future years, though they may be smaller than earlier projections.

Petek has cautioned that the proposal still leaves California “ill-prepared” for even a modest downturn in revenue.

Newsom has defended the plan, saying, “We’re cutting deficits but not cutting corners.” But as the June 15 deadline approaches, advocates for schools, health care and social services are pressing legislators to reject cuts or funding delays affecting programs for low-income residents, children and people with disabilities.

At the Capitol, rallies and press events have become frequent as organizations seek to protect their funding. Education groups are especially critical of Newsom’s proposal because they say it withholds money that schools are entitled to receive under Proposition 98, the constitutional formula that sets minimum funding levels for K-12 schools and community colleges.

Last week, the California School Boards Association joined school unions and other education organizations at a rally outside the Capitol, calling on Newsom and legislators to provide the funding they say schools are owed.

Debra Schade, president of the school boards association, said Proposition 98 is “a matter of law, not a suggestion that can be discarded when it becomes inconvenient for policymakers.”

She criticized the administration for what she described as a third straight year of attempts to alter the minimum school funding guarantee. “Once we open the door to the idea that Proposition 98 can be manipulated whenever the state faces fiscal pressure, we fundamentally weaken the protections voters deliberately put in place for California students,” Schade said.

Health care advocates are also pushing back. Supporters of dental care for children in Medi-Cal released a report warning that more than 1.2 million low-income California children could lose access to dental services if Newsom’s proposed Medi-Cal dental reductions are approved.

Child care and early education advocates have objected as well, saying the governor’s plan would reduce all child care and pre-kindergarten programs by 2% in real spending. They argued that the proposal marks a reversal for a governor who has previously emphasized early childhood programs and family support.

The Legislature’s Democratic supermajority has historically supported many of the programs now at risk, and some lawmakers are expected to be sympathetic to advocates’ concerns. Raising taxes could be one way to avoid deeper reductions, but Newsom has shown little interest in ending his governorship with a major tax increase.

That sets up a difficult choice for Democratic legislators: accept reductions to programs they have championed, or challenge the governor’s budget framework in the final weeks of negotiations. The outcome will determine not only how the state closes its immediate deficit, but how much strain schools, health care providers and social service programs may face in the year ahead.

Original source: CalMatters

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Survivors have been given the opportunity to share their experiences to help others understand the true history of the boarding school experience. Through a cooperative agreement with the Department of the Interior, this unprecedented effort is a crucial part of the DOI’s Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative.

As Co-Directors of the Oral History Project, Kinnart and Brissette lead the strategic direction, implementation, and oversight of a national initiative to document Indian boarding school survivor histories. They manage monthly, week-long site visits across the country, each including an Opening Ceremony, an average of 24 survivor interviews, and a Closing Ceremony.

 Their responsibilities include national outreach and partnership development, coordination with Tribal Nations and federal partners, staff, and logistics management, and ensuring all work is conducted in a culturally grounded, healing-informed, and survivor-centered manner. They also oversee interview protocols, consent processes, and post-production efforts, including transcript review, video editing, and archival preparation for permanent collections.

“All interviews we received were a gift – Indian boarding school survivors and alumni do not owe their stories to anyone; however, our Oral History Project team provides a safe and sacred space to share their stories,” Brissette said. “We hear from relatives that have dealt with extreme trauma, and we hear stories of profound resilience and hope. We know and honor that ALL stories deserve to be heard. All our elders have stories to share.”

“There were counselors on hand to debrief, crafts, a quiet room and finished up with a glamor photo shoot for the participants to cherish,” Silvas said. “They took what might have been a tragic situation and gave them hope for healing. Seeing pictures on a slideshow and hearing actual stories through the eyes of those that attended these boarding schools was very heartfelt. I pray these families can start to heal.”

“Although she didn’t share many stories with us about her time there, she did tell us that her roommate was Sophie ‘Cuca’ Salazar of Soboba,” she said.

Mike Madrigal from the Cahuilla Band of Indians provided the opening and closing prayers for the week-long project. He thought it was nice that the opportunity was offered to those who wanted to share so they could process their experiences.

“Because of our Native ways, we know that gathering has a spiritual impact for everybody. It’s up to Creator to give people insight into whether they were going to participate and find a healing journey,” he said. “It’s about both healing and celebrating positive experiences; they can share all sides.”

Soboba Tribal Council Vice Chairwoman Geneva Mojado said although both of her parents attended boarding school at Sherman Indian School, her mother was too young to give testimony and her father did not want to participate.

“Both had good experiences though; they have built relationships with other Natives across the United States,” she said. “It’s important to tell the true history of what occurred at boarding schools. Sometimes sharing helps with the trauma. It’s time we tell our own stories and not let Hollywood or anyone for that matter speak on our behalf.”

Mojado said the project representatives shared a map of all the boarding schools in California, and she was shocked about how many there were. NABS created a first-of-its-kind interactive digital map that shows all the Indian boarding schools in the United States as well as all the residential schools in Canada. This major project took many years and was in partnership with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

“The work they are doing is really leading the movement for truth, justice and healing!” she said. “THE NABS crew mentioned that Soboba was one of the best hosts; Soboba Casino Resort staff and the facility were top notch.”

Each team member at the Coalition is connected to Indian boarding schools. Charlee Brissette’s mother, uncles, and cousins attended the boarding school in Harbor Springs, Michigan, known as Holy Childhood of Jesus School. That school ran until it was finally closed in 1983. Charlee, who started working with NABS as an Oral Historian, was fortunate enough to interview her mother for the Oral History Project.

Lacey Kinnart’s grandmother, great aunts and uncles, and cousins attended Indian boarding schools including Holy Childhood of Jesus School, Mt. Pleasant Industrial School, Flandreau Indian School, and Carlisle Industrial School.

The Oral History Project began site visits a little over two years ago – in March of 2024. The recording of oral histories is set to be completed at the end of June, at which point the team will transition to post-production to finalize and deliver all the interviews.

At its conclusion, NABS will have visited 22 sites across the country in 19 states, with nearly 400 survivors sharing their stories. The time where all interviews will be made available to the public through the Library of Congress has yet to be determined.

The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS) was officially incorporated in 2012 and was created to address the impacts of the U.S. Indian boarding school system.

“Our Education and Research Department has a project creating Volume 2 curriculum for elementary, middle, and high schools,” Brissette said. “The high school curriculum that matches education standards for Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington was recently released. Grade school and middle school are coming soon.”

The National Indian Boarding School Digital Archive (NIBSDA) is a large ongoing living being as the digital archive team continues to travel to archives across the U.S. to find and scan/digitize boarding school records, documents, photographs, and reports. More information on this project can be found at https://nibsda.elevator.umn.edu.

To learn more about the Oral History Project, please visit boardingschoolhealing.org/oral-history-project.

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