Gov. Gavin Newsom has reached a budget deal with the state’s legislative leadership.
The details have yet to be released, but Newsom, Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said in a statement that the budget is “balanced, responsible and protects core services – education, health care, social safety net and emergency preparedness and response.”
The budget is expected to include major cuts across most categories except for education, thanks to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
In January, the Governor had projected a $6 billion surplus but he now says, “that all changed. $54.3 billion shortfall just a few months later, and the magnitude of that is falling on all of us to address substantively.”
The LA Times reports that legislative sources say despite a proposal to cut $8 billion in education funding, the K-12 budget is expected to largely stay the same and teachers will likely be protected from layoffs.
Newsom and legislative leaders wrote in their statement the budget will allocate, “billions of dollars for students most affected by learning loss & continuing our state’s leadership toward reforming the criminal justice system."
The savings are expected to come from state worker payrolls. The budget is expected to require workers to take furlough days and will delay pay raises.
Newsom has consistently called on the federal government to step in and provide funding to state and local governments to prevent the most painful cuts.
“We cannot impress upon the federal government more the important work they have to do to support municipalities large and small, states large and small to help support us through this unprecedented period of time and the magnitude this pandemic has placed in terms of pressure on our budget.”