May 18, 2026
“California for All” News Conference Calls on State to Offset Federal Cuts, Preserve Medi-Cal Eligibility in 2026–27 Budget
Los Angeles (May 18, 2026) – This morning, a broad coalition of California state legislators, immigrant rights advocates, health providers, labor leaders, and community activists gathered for a news conference titled “California for All,” co-hosted by the California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC) and the California Community Foundation (CCF) at CCF’s offices in Los Angeles.
Held in response to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed May revised budget, speakers issued an urgent call to protect immigrant Californians’ access to Medi-Cal and other critical safety net programs in the face of sweeping federal cuts under H.R. 1 and rollbacks enacted in last year’s state budget.
Today’s press conference will also launch a series of town halls across California, in partnership with immigrant rights organizations and community groups, to amplify immigrant voices throughout the state budget process.
“A California for All budget cannot be measured only by who is temporarily protected. It must be measured by who is still being excluded,” said CIPC Executive Director Masih Fouladi. “Our call to action is clear. Protect full-scope Medi-Cal for all financially eligible Californians regardless of immigration status. Reject the shift into fee-for-service. Reject higher premiums. Reject the harsh asset test. In the coming weeks, we will carry this fight into the San Fernando Valley, Southern Central Coast, and Northern Central Coast. We are doing this so immigrant and Latino communities can help shape this budget debate before negotiations are finalized. A California for All cannot just be a slogan. It has to guide the choices California makes when federal attacks and state budget decisions collide.
Speakers at the press conference addressed the mounting threats to immigrant health and economic security, including:
“Last week, the governor released his May revision with $16 billion in new revenue and $40 billion in reserves. Surprisingly, the May revision does not stop the loss of health care for immigrants. It does not restore dental benefits and it raises premiums on the most vulnerable. The governor and the legislature must do better.”
— Senator Maria Elena Durazo, 39th Senate District
“Immigrant families are an essential part of California’s strength and economy. At a time when immigrant communities face continued federal attacks and uncertainty, we must protect access to healthcare, legal services, and critical safety net programs that keep families healthy, safe, and supported. California must continue leading with dignity, equity, and opportunity for all.”
— Assemblymember Juan Carrillo, 39th Assembly District
“We as legislators, as lawmakers, as your state government have a responsibility to make decisions that put California first. We must decide whether we are going to protect the most vulnerable among us or turn our backs on them when they need us most. Are we going to abandon our values when we need them most? Unfortunately, this May Revision falls short. It falls short on promises, falls short on our families and falls short in meeting this moment. I am the proud champion of Food4All in the State Assembly and this fight is ongoing because we know that when Californians go hungry everyone loses. June 15th is right around the corner and we’re not going to back down.”
— Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez, 43rd Assembly District
“Medi-Cal is under attack. The Trump administration and Republicans have pushed for cuts that have taken a trillion dollars out of our medicaid fund. And here in California that means more than 3 million people will lose their health coverage. Not some day but now, and California has to step up. We must resist the attack on health care for all.”
— Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, 28th Senate District
“I’m here today because immigrant workers and their families are under attack. Let’s be clear, health care is a human right. No family should have to choose between seeing a doctor and buying groceries. Every year working families are told they must sacrifice more while the richest continue to accumulate wealth. That’s a broken system. We need to elect leaders who will protect medical, protect food assistance and protect the dignity of working people. We also need the courage to demand that the wealthiest corporations and individuals finally pay their fair share so that California can invest in the people who actually make this state work.”
— David Huerta, President, SEIU-United Service Workers West
“For our communities, medical and access to legal services are not political talking points or line items in a budget, they are lifelines. They are the difference between getting care or going untreated, between keeping a family together or leaving people to navigate crisis and trauma alone. The Central Coast needs the state to show up right now. This budget debate is happening while our region is still recovering from devastating ICE actions, including the violent raids at Glass House Farms where nearly 400 people were detained in aggressive sweeps that directly impacted hundreds of families in my city of Santa Maria during the Christmas season. The reality is this, when the state steps back, immigrant communities become vulnerable to local political environments that can vary drastically from county to county. There are pockets across California, including the Central Coast, where immigrant families are already living in fear and where basic protections are constantly under threat. For many communities, like the City of Santa Maria, the state is our only safeguard.”
— Gloria Soto, Council member, City of Santa Maria
“We are deeply concerned about the health care cuts under HR 1 and the governor’s May revision. Nearly 21,000 Salud patients rely on Medi-Cal or Medicare. Over the last decade, our region made major progress in reducing uninsured rates from roughly 30 percent in 2012 to 8 percent in 2024. And at Salud, our uninsured rate is now 5 percent but those gains can quickly reverse.”
— Donna Young, CEO, Salud Para La Gente
“As we learned during the covid pandemic, infectious diseases spread across all communities. Overcrowded emergency departments compromise care for everyone needing emergency services. In these challenging times, when federal programs have been eliminated or cut, lives are horribly affected. Without additional investments from the state, there will be severe cuts in health care and public health that will lead to significant service and workforce reductions. This will affect the economic vitality of our health centers, public health clinics, hospitals and surrounding community organizations, including restaurants and shops.”
— Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Director, LA County Department of Public Health
“The moral test that stands before us today is: will our budget reflect our morals and our values? This is not just an immigrant issue. This isn’t a faith issue. This is a human issue. Every child deserves food. Every family deserves care and every person deserves to know that they matter. Today, we are here to insist that Californians matter. Every family, every immigrant, every senior, every person.”
— Sarah Hronsky, Senior Rabbi, Temple Beth Hillel, Valley Village
“We are tax payers. Close to $9 billion we pay in tax dollars to the state of California – $35 billion as consumers. We pay taxes.. That means that we pay for the very benefits that we don’t have access to. As immigrants, we are subsidizing the Medi-Cal program, the CalFresh program and all the other programs. So that others can have access to them. That is wrong. It’s immoral. We are human beings. We don’t deserve to be persecuted in the streets and we don’t deserve not to have the health care that we pay for.”
— Angelica Salas, Executive Director, CHIRLA
A livestream recording of the event is available at https://www.facebook.com/caimmigrant.