Apologies for the double email. The correct date of our Budget Town Hall is next Wednesday, June 21st.


Dear Friends,

We're in the heart of budget season, where the state decides how to spend its $300 billion. It's a critically important time of the year, and we have a number of priority issues under consideration (see below!). But the budget process is admittedly very convoluted.

We'll break it all down for you on Zoom at our Budget Town Hall next Wednesday, June 21st, at 5:00 PM. Click here to register.


BACKGROUND:
In May, Governor Newsom releases his proposed budget. This week, the State Legislature responded with their counter-proposal. Negotiations between the two parties about how to balance the budget amidst a $31.5 billion budget deficit are ongoing.

Despite the budget cuts, the latest proposal still includes funding for the following JPAC priorities:

  • $20 million for nonprofit security infrastructure: This doubles the Governor's proposed amount of funding four flagship advocacy effort. Security grants help synagogues and other at-risk institutions protect themselves against hate-motivated violence.
  • $30 million to increase CalFresh minimums: This creates a pilot program to raise the minimum food benefits for low-income Californians from $23 per month to $50 per month. Its inclusion in the budget proposal is inspired by a similar bill we're supporting, SB 600 (Menjivar).
  • $150 million for border community rapid response: This sustains efforts led by Jewish Family Service of San Diego and their border partners to provide critical aid to migrants waiting for their asylum cases to be heard.

We expect the legislature to approve their budget proposal by tomorrow's Constitutional deadline, but it's unclear if the Governor will sign it. And we expect dozens of budget-related bills still to come later this year.

It's a confusing process. Our lobbyist extraordinaire, Cliff Berg, will join me next week on Zoom for a Town Hall to break down the process, explain what to expect, and discuss how we will work to ensure these tentative budget wins remain funded in the final budget.



Looking Forward,

David Bocarsly
Executive Director, JPAC
JPAC is the voice of California’s Jewish community to the State Capitol, and the largest single-state coalition of Jewish organizations in the nation. We advocate in Sacramento on behalf of the Jewish community’s concerns and broadly shared values. Our member organizations collectively serve hundreds of thousands of Californians of all backgrounds and represent the interests of California’s 1.2 million Jews.
JPAC is a Coalition of California's Leading Jewish Community Organizations:
Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles • Jewish Community Federation & Endowment Fund • JCRC Bay Area • Jewish Family Service LA • Jewish Family and Children’s Services of SF • 30 Years After • American Jewish Committee • Anti-Defamation League • Bet Tzedek Legal Services • ETTA • Hadassah • HIAS • Holocaust Museum Los Angeles • JCRC of Jewish Silicon Valley • Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles • Jewish Center for Justice • Jewish Community Relations Council of Sacramento • Jewish Family & Community Services East Bay • Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Long Beach and Orange County • Jewish Family Service of San Diego • Jewish Family Service of the Desert • Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley • Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara • Jewish Federation of Orange County • Jewish Federation of San Diego County • Jewish Federation of the Desert • Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys • Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region • Jewish Free Loan Association • Jewish Long Beach • Jewish Vocational Service San Francisco • JVS SoCal