The California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) this week issued an analysis of the estimated costs of expanding full-scope Medi-Cal coverage to all otherwise-eligible residents regardless of immigration status. The LAO notes their analysis is not of a specific legislative measure – such as AB 4 (Arambula) – but instead a cost estimate of a coverage…
Read More »Today, the California Legislature reached the deadline for bills with fiscal implications to be heard and advanced by policy committees to appropriations committees. Next week, the Legislature faces a similar deadline to hear and advance non-fiscal bills to the floor in the bills’ house of origin. Over the coming weeks, Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees…
Read More »This week, the California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) published a report detailing the state’s constitutional spending limit, also known as the Gann Limit, and its implications for the state’s budget for the upcoming and future fiscal years. By way of background, voters in 1979 passed Proposition 4, establishing a constitutional appropriations limit on the state…
Read More »This week, the California State Senate and Assembly continued with a series of policy committee hearings, amending measures and advancing bills through the legislative process. Recall, the Legislature has two weeks to hear and report any bills with fiscal implications in their houses of origin. Bills without any fiscal implications must be heard and reported…
Read More »This week, the California Senate Democrats released “Build Back Boldly: Senate Democrats Budget Priorities for 2021-22 and Beyond” detailing priority investments for the state as the economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. The overall goals of the Senate Democrats include a more equitable economy that supports and improves pathways out of poverty, a stronger middle…
Read More »Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday announced emergency action to increase the state’s firefighting capacity ahead of an anticipated difficult wildfire year. Using Emergency Fund authorization, the Governor approved $80.74 million for 1,399 additional firefighters with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) to bolster fuels management and wildfire response efforts. Under the…
Read More »On Thursday, the Assembly Health Committee and the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Health and Human Services convened a joint informational hearing to continue its review of various components as part of the Newsom Administration’s ambitious California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) proposal. Recall, the same committees have convened similar hearings over the past…
Read More »This week, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that General Fund revenues are running approximately $14.3 billion above January’s revenue forecast, boosted by February receipts exceeding the month’s projections by nearly $4 billion. According to the Governor’s Office, nearly 60 percent of February’s gain is attributed to timing with lower refunds caused by later enactment of the…
Read More »This week, the California State Senate and Assembly continued to convene policy committee hearings on legislative bills, as well as informational hearings on a number of subjects, including those related to COVID-19. The Legislature will convene again next week before taking a one-week spring recess during the week of March 29. Numerous CHEAC-tracked measures continue…
Read More »The California Can’t Wait (#CACantWait) Coalition, consisting of CHEAC, HOAC, CSAC, RCRC, UCC, SEIU California, and Public Health Advocates, has developed a two-pronged proposal that would begin to reverse the decades-long disinvestment in local public health departments. The coalition’s budget proposal consists of $200 million General Fund ongoing to support local health departments in rebuilding…
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