June 5, 2026
California for All coalition convenes in Oakland, calling on Gov. Newsom and the Legislature to adopt a budget that reflects the needs and contributions of all Californians
Oakland, Calif. (June 5, 2026) — With the California Legislature’s June 15 budget deadline just days away, state lawmakers, immigrant rights advocates, health providers, and community members gathered today in Oakland for the “California for All: Uplifting Latino & Immigrant Budget Priorities” press conference and rally, demanding that Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature deliver a state budget that protects the health, safety, and economic opportunity of all Californians — regardless of immigration status.
Co-hosted by the California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC) and the California Latino Legislative Caucus, today’s press conference was the fourth in a series of California for All events — following two community town halls and a Los Angeles rally and press conference held earlier this campaign — building momentum for a final push before the budget is finalized. A fifth event will follow later today in Watsonville.
Speakers called on the Legislature and governor to act on five critical priorities: restoring and protecting Medi-Cal access for immigrant Californians, securing investment in immigration legal services, ensuring no Californian loses CalFresh food benefits because of where they were born, funding the Social Entrepreneurs for Economic Development (SEED) program, and pursuing meaningful revenue solutions to offset sweeping federal cuts under H.R. 1.
The Stakes: Federal Cuts, State Rollbacks, and a June 15 Deadline
The Trump administration’s H.R. 1 legislation has triggered sweeping cuts to federal health funding, threatening to strip Medi-Cal eligibility from humanitarian immigrants and destabilize California’s health system for all Californians. At the same time, Gov. Newsom’s May Revision budget proposal fell far short — refusing to lift the Medi-Cal enrollment freeze, restore dental benefits, or extend full-scope Medi-Cal to immigrants losing eligibility under H.R. 1, while proposing to increase monthly premiums solely for certain immigrant enrollees.
Approximately 6,000 Californians have already lost CalFresh food benefits since April 1 as a result of H.R. 1. Demand for immigration legal services is surging, with the governor’s proposed $20 million increase in funding failing to meet the urgent needs of this moment.
“The California legislature is proposing setting aside as much as $40 billion in reserves while failing to require corporations and billionaires to pay their fair share. As the fourth-largest economy in the world, our state should not tolerate a two-tier system that denies people access to health care based on where they were born. Every Californian deserves access to health care, economic opportunity, food security, and due process through legal services. The Legislature has until June 15 to demonstrate that its support for immigrants goes beyond rhetoric and is reflected in meaningful action.” — Masih Fouladi, Executive Director, California Immigrant Policy Center
“The California legislature is proposing setting aside as much as $40 billion in reserves while failing to require corporations and billionaires to pay their fair share. As the fourth-largest economy in the world, our state should not tolerate a two-tier system that denies people access to health care based on where they were born. Every Californian deserves access to health care, economic opportunity, food security, and due process through legal services. The Legislature has until June 15 to demonstrate that its support for immigrants goes beyond rhetoric and is reflected in meaningful action.”
— Masih Fouladi, Executive Director, California Immigrant Policy Center
“If California can afford to give billions of dollars in subsidies to Elon Musk—the richest man in the world—we can afford to invest a fraction of that amount in healthcare and small businesses.” — Assemblymember Liz Ortega, 20th Assembly District
“If California can afford to give billions of dollars in subsidies to Elon Musk—the richest man in the world—we can afford to invest a fraction of that amount in healthcare and small businesses.”
— Assemblymember Liz Ortega, 20th Assembly District
“California made a promise: health care for all. We are here to make sure the victories we have won cross the finish line — because we know exactly what happens if they don’t. If we allow a two-tier Medi-Cal system, our immigrant neighbors will get sick and die at rates their neighbors will not. That is not California.” — Assemblymember Mia Bonta, 18th Assembly District
“California made a promise: health care for all. We are here to make sure the victories we have won cross the finish line — because we know exactly what happens if they don’t. If we allow a two-tier Medi-Cal system, our immigrant neighbors will get sick and die at rates their neighbors will not. That is not California.”
— Assemblymember Mia Bonta, 18th Assembly District
“The Medi-Cal enrollment freeze does not freeze illness. It freezes people out of care. These cuts will fall hardest on my most vulnerable patients — immigrants, elders, workers, caregivers, people with disabilities. But this does not only harm immigrant families. It endangers the entire health care system.” — Dr. Theresa Cheng, Everyone Belongs Here, UCSF Emergency Physician, Human Rights lawyer
“The Medi-Cal enrollment freeze does not freeze illness. It freezes people out of care. These cuts will fall hardest on my most vulnerable patients — immigrants, elders, workers, caregivers, people with disabilities. But this does not only harm immigrant families. It endangers the entire health care system.”
— Dr. Theresa Cheng, Everyone Belongs Here, UCSF Emergency Physician, Human Rights lawyer
“Legal representation can mean the difference between a family staying together and a family being torn apart. The question before us is simple: when families face the life-altering consequences of detention and deportation, will the state of California step up and ensure they have access to justice?” — Monique Berlanga, Executive Director, Centro Legal de la Raza
“Legal representation can mean the difference between a family staying together and a family being torn apart. The question before us is simple: when families face the life-altering consequences of detention and deportation, will the state of California step up and ensure they have access to justice?”
— Monique Berlanga, Executive Director, Centro Legal de la Raza
“Hunger does not wait for budget negotiations or legislative sessions. It is worsening right now. We call on our state’s leaders to put action behind their words and restore food assistance for newly excluded humanitarian immigrants. Every single person who calls this state home deserves dignified access to food, regardless of where they were born.” — Jackie Mendelson, Policy Advocate, Nourish California
“Hunger does not wait for budget negotiations or legislative sessions. It is worsening right now. We call on our state’s leaders to put action behind their words and restore food assistance for newly excluded humanitarian immigrants. Every single person who calls this state home deserves dignified access to food, regardless of where they were born.”
— Jackie Mendelson, Policy Advocate, Nourish California
“My mother learned to cook with her grandmother in Mexico. Her recipes and her love are what we bring into every dish we make. But we all know that love alone doesn’t build a business. That’s where SEED came in. SEED didn’t just give us a grant — it gave us a community of people who believe that immigrant entrepreneurs deserve real investment.” — Reyna Maldonado, co-founder, Las Guerreras Cocina
“My mother learned to cook with her grandmother in Mexico. Her recipes and her love are what we bring into every dish we make. But we all know that love alone doesn’t build a business. That’s where SEED came in. SEED didn’t just give us a grant — it gave us a community of people who believe that immigrant entrepreneurs deserve real investment.”
— Reyna Maldonado, co-founder, Las Guerreras Cocina
The California for All campaign, led by CIPC and partners, has mobilized immigrant communities, advocates, health providers, and elected officials across the state to demand a 2026–27 state budget that reflects the needs and contributions of all Californians. Today’s Oakland press conference follows two prior campaign town halls and a prior rally, and will be followed by a community event in Watsonville. The campaign continues to call on the Legislature to use the June 15 budget deadline as an opportunity to lead — not retreat — on immigrant health care, food security, legal services, and economic opportunity.
California has $16.5 billion in additional projected revenue and $40 billion in reserves. The resources exist. The question is whether the political will does.
The Legislature has until June 15 to finish the job.
Watch the live stream here.
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