Press Stories

CIPC Reacts to Budget Deal – A missed opportunity to make “CA for All” a reality

Advocates urge Gov. Newsom to invest in #health4all in January budget

Sacramento, CA – Today, the California Legislature’s Budget Conference Committee announced a final deal for the state’s 2019-2020 spending plan. Both the Assembly and the Senate will vote on the deal next week, and it will then be sent to Gov. Newsom for final approval. In response to this development, Cynthia Buiza, Executive Director of the California Immigrant Policy Center, issued the following statement:

For California’s immigrant communities, today’s budget deal is bittersweet.

We deeply appreciate the state’s wise investment in legal representation for immigrants facing deportation in a cruel and callous system. Additionally, expanding access to life-saving Medi-Cal for undocumented young people up to age 25 represents a clear step forward.

Yet two critical opportunities to uphold our values – and to make the slogan “California for All” a reality – have been missed, despite heartfelt organizing and advocacy. The exclusion of undocumented elders from the same health care their U.S. citizen neighbors are eligible for means beloved community members will suffer and die from treatable conditions. And the exclusion of many immigrants from the Earned Income Tax Credit will perpetuate the crisis of economic inequality in our state.

Our leaders must treat all Californians with the same compassion we would hope for when we need it. We call upon Governor Newsom to honor this principle with an investment for #health4all in his January budget proposal.

###