California Lawmakers Approve Budget, Sent to Governors Desk

On Thursday, the California State Legislature approved a $214.8 billion budget which is now headed to Governor Gavin Newsom for signature.

While most stories will focus on the expansion of universal health care in California –including a $695 individual mandate and healthcare for undocumented residents-the bill also includes tax credits to the poor, more money towards homelessness and mental health, as well as more funding towards education.

The state plans to spend $2 billion on housing with $650 million in one-time funds going to help local jurisdictions address the homelessness crisis–along with a $5 million in grants to help homeless with pets (yes, that is actually a line item on page 95).

For public schools, the budget provides record levels of Proposition 98 funding (about $81 billion in state and local funds) to public schools and community colleges, equal to over $12,000 per student. To address the real cost pressures facing school districts, the budget provides an unprecedented level of additional funding—over $3 billion—to moderate districts’ future pension cost increases

There is also $34.9 million for police training and specifically, $20 million to use on use of force and de-escalation training while offering just $155k to work on making law enforcement records public.

Also in the budget, it stated Contra Costa County and Alameda County will recieve $750k for an Illegal Dumping Pilot to help enforce dumping laws.

Assembly Bill 74 – click here. An Assembly Budget Committee overview of the spending plan is available here.

As with any budget, there are some things to like, and some things to dislike, but here is some of the more interesting line items in the budget:

• Approves of approximately $450 million annually for Covered California premium subsidies and approves of enforcement of an individual health coverage mandate with
• Approves of the full-scope Medi-Cal expansion for young adults, regardless of immigration status, beginning January 1, 2020
• Approves $2 million General Fund one-time to support the International AIDS Conference in San Francisco.
• Approves $12 million in Proposition 64 Youth Account funds to provide cannabis public education and surveillance
• Rejects the Governor’s proposal to provide $695.6 million in ongoing funding for Special Education Concentration Grants. Instead provides a total of $152.6million in ongoing Proposition 98 funding to bring all LEAs to the statewide base rate for special education funding and $493.2million to provide grants to LEAs serving three and four year olds with Individualized Education Plans. Adopts trailer bill language to require ongoing funding to be contingent upon the passage of legislation in 2020-21 budget to reform the special education system to improve outcomes for students.
• Provides an additional $4 million in one-time General Fund for the Special Olympics of Northern and Southern California.
• $284,000 non-Proposition 98 General Fund and 2 positions to monitor SBE authorized charter schools in 2019-20 and 2020-21.
• $138,000 in ongoing federal funding and one position to review, approve, and provide technical assistance regarding district plans for providing behavioral restraints to students in danger of harming themselves or others. (Pursuant to Chapter 998 of 2018 ([AB 2657, Weber])
• Approves the Governor’s Budget proposal to provide $1 million ongoing General Fund to the UC Davis Firearms Violence Research Centerand budget bill language prohibiting the Office of the President or campus administration from taking indirect costs from this
• Approves the May Revision proposal to provide $1.7 million ongoing General Fund for immigration legal services
• Provides $3.85 million one-time General Fund to the UC Davis Firearms Violence Research Center to enhance firearm-violence prevention education and training for health care providers.
• Provides $10 million one-time General Fund to UCLA to create a publicly available landscape genomics database that quantifies the spatial distribution of genomic variation, and will generate and analyze maps for threatened species throughout California and adjacent habitat corridors and flyways to ensure that land use decisions are informed by innovative and empirical scientific data. Broadly, genomic analyses and landscape genomic maps can be used for a range of land management decisions
• Provides $2 million one-time General Fund to support the marine mammal stranding
• Provides $1 million one-time General Fund to support the Bulosan Center for FilipinoStudies at UC Davis.
• Provides $2 million one-time General Fund to support Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies in the Department of Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley
• Amends the Governor’s Budget and May Revision proposals to support a new campus The action provides $2 million one-time General Fund to study sites in San Joaquin County, and another $2 million to study sites in Chula Vista, Palm Desert, San Mateo County, and Concord
• Approves $2M for the Marine Mammal Center to conduct rescue and research
• Approves $10M for a statewide public research collaboration on conservation genomics.
• Approves Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County: $5 million General Fund one-time for first phase of an expansion project, which will reorient the museum’s entrance into Exposition Park.
• Approves Discovery Science Center of Orange County: $10 million for purchase of nearby property to create a parking lot
• Approves $1.1 million General Fund one-time to support construction of two LGBTQ public spaces in San Francisco: $1 million for renovation of Harvey Milk Plaza and $100,000 for renovation of Eagle Plaza.
• Approves $1.4 million General Fund one-time for the Dublin Sports Grounds All-Abilities Playground in the City of Dublin.
• Approves $500,000 General Fund one-time for the Newport Beach Sculpture Garden.
• Approves $3 million General Fund one-time for the City of Rancho Cucamonga Community Dog Park
• Approves $5 million General Fund one-time for the Discovery Cube LA Sustainable Park in the City of Los Angeles
• Approves the $5 million General Fund one-time for the Salinas Soccer Complex in the City of Salinas.
• Approves $28 million from the Public Utilities Commission Utilities Reimbursement Account for a legal services contract to represent ratepayers’ interests as PG&E goes through bankruptcy proceeding.
• Approves a funding pot of $650 million and adopt trailer bill language for a response to homelessness
• Adopts trailer bill language for $500 million increase in tax credit (one-time) to expand the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) for federally subsidized low-income housing projects receiving 4 percent LIHTC. Of the $500 million, up to $200 million available for mixed income set aside.
• Includes $1 million for Homeless prevention in Encinitas, Carlsbad, Oceanside and Vista to fund each of the four cities with $250,000 each for homelessness prevention.
• Approves $1.5 million for Cathedral City Veterans Housing to fund a veteran’s housing project in Cathedral City
• Adopts $5 million for grants to limit barriers for homeless individuals with pets.
• Approves: (1) $6 million for the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust; (2) $5 million for the Armenian American Museum and Cultural Center; (3) $500,000 for the National LGBTQ Center for the Arts; (4) $1 million for the Italian-American Museum; (5) $2 million for the Latino Theater Company; (6) $4 million for the Korean American National Museum; and (7) $9 million for the Navy Training Center Foundation for renovations to the Performing Arts Center, to be funded through the California Arts Council.
• Approves $87.3 million General Fund to help fund the replacement of county voting systems. This level of funding provides (1) counties with more than 50 precincts $3 from the state for $1 of county money spent and (2) counties with fewer than 50 precincts have no matching This will provide an additional 25 percent of the estimated vote center model costs for counties with over 50 precincts ($65.7 million), which brings the state’s investment to 75 percent of total estimated costs; full funding of the estimated polling place model costs for counties with 50 or fewer precincts ($3.6 million); and $18 million for county election management system replacements. Also, adopts trailer bill language to guide the expenditure of these funds and reimbursement process for counties. This funding covers the costs for the replacement of voting systems, including all tabulation equipment, accessible equipment, election management system software and hardware, electronic poll books, and ballot on demand printers.
• Approves $25 million for local governments impacted by recent disasters, including trailer bill to allow certain counties to keep a portion of funds they collected on behalf of the State, including $10 million to support communities impacted by the Camp Fire.
• Provides the City of Los Angeles with $5.6 million for homeless services work in Service Project Area 3.
• Provides$1.1 million General Fund for an expanded tattoo removal program.
• $985,000 General Fund to implement AB 1793 (Chapter 993, Statutes of 2018) related to cannabis convictions.
• $155,000 General Fund to implement SB 1421 (Chapter 988, Statutes of 2018), related to peace officers release of records.
• Provides $1.5 million General Fund over three years to determine the scope of sex trafficking in Sacramento.
• Provide $2 million General Fund to ensure law enforcement agencies submit sexual assault forensic evidence to crime labs and $854,000 General Fund to the Department of Justice for the costs of sexual assault evidence kit testing.
• Provides $250,000 General Fund to the San Diego City Attorney’s office to conduct gun violence restraining orders statewide
• Provides $3.75 million total General Fund to the cities of Newark, Fremont, Milpitas, San Jose, and Santa Clara to address auto break ins.
• Provides $750,000 General Fund for an Illegal Dumping Pilot in Alameda and Contra Costa counties to enforce dumping laws.
• Provides $5 million General Fund for a restorative justice pilot in San Joaquin County
• Provides ongoing $10 million General Fund for the Human Trafficking Victim Assistance
• Provides $75 million General Fund to improve resiliency of the state’s critical infrastructure in response to investor-owned utility-led Public Safety Power Shutdown actions
• Provides $59.5 million General Fund over five years to develop and implement the California Interoperable Public Safety Radio System
• Provides $5 million General Fund annually for the next three fiscal years to the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce.
• Provides $5 million General Fund to fund grants for prevention efforts regarding sexual and domestic violence

Regarding the Delta, via the Delta Stewardship Council, the budget Approves an extension of liquidation to June 30, 2021, for $1.1 million General Fund (approved as a part of the 2016 Budget Act) to review the Delta Plan and develop high-priority Delta Plan amendments, where necessary.

The Delta Protection Commission also got approval for s $15 million General Fund one-time and two positions (5 year-limited-term) to cover the costs of the Woolsey Fire

How they Voted:

Here is more information: