Can California Be Ambitious and Responsible?

At the start of this year, with a new governor and several new faces in the Capitol, observers were unsure what to expect as we developed this year’s budget. Governor Newsom’s first budget, as it was announced in January, was without a doubt ambitious. It put forward sweeping goals rooted in the principle of progress combined with fiscal sustainability.

The 2019-20 California budget is a comprehensive plan that will directly impact every corner of our state now and for many years to come. And while stakeholders will no doubt have praise or complaints about individual allocations and expenses, I am going to focus my comments on the big-picture, understanding that the budget is a compromise between many interests, regions and needs.

We’ve resisted the temptation to overspend during our bullish economy. Instead, the budget continues to grow our reserves so that we can better weather the next economic downturn. This budget will bring our total reserves to about $19.4 billion, the highest in California’s history. The majority of the money will continue being saved in our rainy day fund while some of it is allotted toward reducing our past obligations – including $4 billion going towards reducing pension liabilities. The growing reserve is a testament to the power of compromise that has been happening in Sacramento where we have been putting just as much attention on our future as we have our present.

While our state’s economy has certainly flourished since the recession, we are all well aware that not everyone has benefited. The housing and homelessness crises have hit communities hard throughout the state. The budget commits nearly $2.5 billion in a combination of one-time and long-term funding to help local jurisdictions address homelessness. These funds will be used to build low-income housing, housing-related infrastructure and services. While I know these investments won’t be the cure-all for what is one of the most complex challenges facing California, they will play a key role in preventing homelessness, getting people off the streets and into permanent housing, and averting higher costs in public safety and health care.

The budget also puts an increased focus on our youth. Based on the roadmap developed by the Assembly’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Early Childhood Education, we will fund new slots in childcare and preschools while expanding the Paid Family Leave Program to keep California families working and children learning. We will also be contributing a record level of funding to public schools and community colleges, about $81 billion, or $12,000 per student. With these investments, we are moving towards ensuring that all California children have the opportunity grow into successful adults.

Through my work as your representative and as the chair of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee, I have been working to understand the recent horrific wildfires and how we can best prepare for future fires. In this budget I was able to secure $5 million in funding for increasing defensible space compliance. It’s part of significant new investments in equipment and resources to help communities across California. Here in the 43rd Assembly District, we know all too well that it is absolutely critical that our firefighters have the tools they need to keep communities in high fire risk severity zones, like our own, safe in the event of a wildfire.

For years, California has worked not to just expand access to quality health care, but also make that care affordable. In this year’s budget, we’re providing tax credits to middle class families struggling with the high cost of health care premiums and expanding coverage for our seniors. It’s an issue that I’ve worked on since coming to Sacramento and I’m happy to see progress that will make a real difference for families.

From education to homelessness to healthcare, we’ve come up with a budget that recognizes that if we invest in programs that help people become successful and self-reliant, to stay healthy, to stay in housing, it increases the quality of life for all of us while reducing the need for more expensive interventions in the future. This is an effort I am proud to be part of. Through the work of the governor, my colleagues, and the people of California who lent their voices to this conversation, this budget represents a balanced, sustainable and impactful way to work towards our vision of ensuring that everyone in our state has what they need to thrive.

What do you think of the budget this year? Please feel free to contact me through my District Office with your thoughts, concerns or ideas at (818) 558-3043.

Laura Friedman represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake. 

  laura friedman