|
Call it a Comeback: Governor’s Revised Budget Shows Largest Surplus in California’s History
Last Friday Governor Gavin Newsom released the May Revision of the California State Budget, appropriately titled “California Roars Back.” The state now has a projected $75.7 billion surplus, bouncing back from the projected $54.5 billion deficit just one year ago.
The proposal includes $24.4 billion in reserves and the elimination of $2 billion in proposed program suspensions. Drawing on significant federal relief funding, the budget also makes robust one-time investments across pandemic relief, homelessness and housing, transforming public education, infrastructure and jobs, and wildfires and climate change.
JBAY’s proposals included in the Governor’s revised budget include components of the Preventing and Reducing Foster Youth Homelessness proposal championed by Assemblymember Phil Ting: ongoing funding of $8 million for the Transitional Housing Program serving youth age 18-24 and $5 million for the Housing Navigators Program serving youth age 18-21. The Governor’s two-year $11.87 billion homelessness budget—the largest investment in addressing homelessness in California’s history, also includes $7 billion for Homekey, which, moving forward will include a targeted approach to reach youth, as advocated for by JBAY.
The budget also includes JBAY’s proposal championed by Assemblymember Marc Berman for $30 million in ongoing funding to create student basic needs centers at community colleges, and maintains the Governor’s previous proposal to provide foster youth enrolled in college with an additional $6,000 in financial aid annually. County offices of education would also receive $30 million in one-time funding to coordinate and provide direct services to K-12 foster youth, who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
The May Revise also continues to include funding to extend assistance payments and case management for foster youth who turned or will turn 21 on or after January 27, 2020 until December 31, 2021. The legislature is now holding budget hearings in response to the Governor’s proposal and has until June 15 to pass their budget. The Governor then has until July 1 to sign the final budget.
| 
