California lawmakers have approved more than $2 billion in new state spending on housing and homelessness. But while lawmakers and the governor have agreed to cut big checks, they're still fighting over who will actually receive the money—and with what strings attached.
Dani Carrillo, UC San Francisco: Undocumented workers comprise 9% of California labor force and contribute $3 billion in state and local taxes each year. They do some of the most arduous work, including landscaping, construction, restaurant work, and taking care of children and seniors. But if their health is compromised, they have few places to go.
Mark Herbert, California director for Small Business Majority, Concord Although California leads the nation in expanding healthcare coverage, too many middle income entrepreneurs and small business employees are struggling to afford health insurance. Something is being done about this problem, but it isn’t quite enough just yet. As part of the next state budget, California […]
Combat climate change, or clean up the water? Legislators chose to dip into a greenhouse gas fund to fight California’s drinking water problem. The move alarmed environmentalists and legislators on both sides of the aisle — but it could soon become the norm.
Gov. Gavin Newsom is taking California's shrinking juvenile detention system away from the adult corrections bureaucracy and shifting it into the system for social services.
Less tax-and-spendy than expected, California's $215 billion budget delivers more for working and poor families, but avoids most new taxes and stops short of health care for all.