Greenlining Institute analyzes proposal
Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget considered a “mixed bag” for minorities
Gov. Brown’s proposed budget could help move California toward greater equity and fairness for the communities of color that make up the state’s majority, but serious questions remain, reports a just-released Greenlining Institute analysis presented at a state capitol briefing recently.
The briefing, “Filling in the Gaps: The Governor’s 2013-14 Budget Proposal and California’s Diverse Majority,” was co-sponsored by the California Latino Legislative Caucus, the Asian and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus and the California Legislative Black Caucus.
Scheduled speakers included Senator Ricardo Lara, chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus; Orson Aguilar, executive director of The Greenlining Institute; Carla Saporta, MPH, health policy director at The Greenlining Institute; and Daniel Byrd, Ph.D., The Greenlining Institute research director.
“The governor’s proposed budget contains a number of proposals that could move us toward a fairer, more equitable state,” said Saporta. “But major questions remain about several provisions, which might do serious harm to the most vulnerable Californians.”
The analysis is available online at http://stage.greenlining.org.
Key findings included:
• The governor’s Local Control Funding Formula for schools has the worthy goal of aiding economically disadvantaged districts and students, but large variables, still to be clarified, could undercut these good intentions.
• Expansion of Medi-Cal coverage will benefit millions of Californians, two-thirds of whom will be people of color. But cost-sharing by counties could have a significant impact on the many who will continue to rely on county safety-net hospitals and clinics.
• The governor’s proposal to give the UC and CSU systems equal increases for core instructional costs ignores the demographic and financial differences between the two systems. The proposed cap on the number of units a student can earn while receiving state subsidies may work to the disadvantage of low-income students of color.
• Continuing cuts to funding for CalWORKs and childcare will cause ongoing hardship in a state whose poverty rate has increased to 16.6 percent of the population.
For more information on the briefing, visit www.greenlining.org.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Long Beach, and Redondo Beach Mayor Michael A. Gin will be among 10 openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender elected or appointed officials who will be honored at the White House today as Harvey Milk Champions of Change for their commitment to equality and public service.
Lara became the first openly gay person of color to be elected to the California Senate in 2012. He was elected to the Assembly in 2010 and became the first LGBT chair of the Latino Legislative Caucus.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — County officials today raised concerns about Gov. Jerry Brown’s plans to use anticipated savings under health care reform to pay for other programs for the poor.
After years of non-action and adverse action from differing political groups, persuasions and governmental entities, the issue of immigration almost immediately gained more serious national attention following the re-election of President Barack Obama.
While most people think primarily of Hispanics and Asians when the topic of immigration comes up, there are number of people of African descent that fall into the immigrant population as well.
Disappointed with the federal effort to reach the more than 4 million homeowners affected by the foreclosure crisis, a number of housing advocates are calling on the government to drop the Dec. 31, 2012, enrollment deadline for independent review of their cases, because the review program has so far reached only a fraction of those potentially eligible to receive compensation.
Assemblymember Holly Mitchell (D-Culver City) has been elected chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus for the 2013-2014 session, replacing current chair Senator Curren D. Price. Senator Rod Wright (D-Inglewood) has been elected vice chair. The caucus addresses policy and budgetary issues affecting Black Californians. It consists of nine legislators, including two senators and seven members of the Assembly.
