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SACRAMENTO — Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego), Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood), Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee Chair Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), and Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) issued the following statement regarding the Legislative Version of the 2021-22 State Budget:

“Guided by the vision of our colleagues and the values of the Californians who sent us here, we are pleased to announce that the Senate and the Assembly have reached historic early agreement on the state budget. It didn’t take long for us to find common ground because we built on common sense—the responsible budgets that Democratic Legislators and Governors have been enacting for a decade. This budget is a once-in-a-generation chance to make transformational change in California, including major investments in tax relief for millions of Californians, grants and unemployment mitigation for small business, child care and education, higher education, public health and Medi-Cal, justice reform, homelessness, aging and developmental services, and historic levels of funding to address climate change, wildfires, and drought. We’re encouraged by this early, united approach and look forward to working with Governor Newsom, who shares so many of our goals and values, to reach a three-party agreement on a historic budget for California.”

The Legislative summary of the 2021-22 proposed budget is here: CALeg Version of 2021-22 Budget Summary

Assembly Budget Committee's Agenda for June 2: June 2 Budget Agenda.pdf

Subcommittee Analysis of the proposal is here.

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Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, released the following statement about the Governor’s May Revision for the 2021-22 state budget:

“California is in a unique position. We need to think big! Not only can we keep helping Californians who are still struggling, but there’s also an opportunity to build a foundation for the next century. I’m eager to invest in priorities like infrastructure, university expansion, affordable housing supply and climate resilience – all of which will keep the state strong for generations.

To help us get there, we must first address the challenges of today. We need to stabilize working families by getting them back to work and school, while also ensuring they have a roof over their heads. We’ve already taken early budget action that sent stimulus checks to individuals and small businesses, ramped up wildfire protection and extended eviction safeguards. We can now do so much more. The Assembly Budget Blueprint unveiled last month outlines a vision that includes providing additional cash assistance, reversing budget cuts made last year, expanding critical support services, and stimulating the economy. This roadmap allows our state to emerge from the pandemic better than ever.

The Governor’s May Revise explores similar ambitions, and I look forward to spending the next month working with legislators and the Governor to deliver a balanced, on-time budget by the June 15^th deadline.”

To view budget comments Assemblymember Ting made on May 10th, prior to May Revise, please watch here.

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For the fourth consecutive year, more Californians and law enforcement agencies have turned to the courts to prevent senseless shootings. Judges approved 1,285 gun violence restraining orders (GVROs) last year, mandating the temporary removal of an individual’s firearms because they pose a danger to themselves or others. That brings the total number of GVROs issued in California to 3,008 since the red flag law began in 2016.

“The closure of our courts for periods of time during the pandemic may have contributed to the slow growth in GVRO usage. Still, nearly 1,300 orders were issued, with San Diego County leading the way. I’m glad that Californians have a tool to intervene to save lives and prevent tragedies,” said Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), the author of AB 61, which took effect September 1, 2020. The bill expanded the pool of people who can ask for a GVRO, allowing educators, employers and co-workers to file for one when coordinating with school administrators or human resources departments. Prior to Ting’s law, only family members and law enforcement could obtain a GVRO by going to the courts directly.

In California, there are two ways GVROs can be granted:

• For a duration of 21 days, immediately (which can be extended to one year with a court hearing); or,
• For a duration of up to five years, after a court hearing

The release of gun violence data is later than usual this year because the California Attorney General’s (AG) Office began withholding firearms records. This also made it difficult for researchers to continue studying the effectiveness of the state’s gun policies. But the newly sworn-in Attorney General Rob Bonta made the vital information available as soon as he took office. However, to ensure state data regarding firearms remain accessible for years, Ting will continue to pursue AB 1237 this session - his bill reiterating the duty of the AG’s Office to release these materials to California research centers.

“We’re very glad to have received the information we need to continue our detailed evaluation of California’s pioneering GVRO policy. Research on many other violence prevention policies and programs also depends on data from the Department of Justice; we and our colleagues at other universities are hopeful that the legislature will act to preserve that access, for the sake of all Californians,” said Garen Wintemute, Director of the Violence Prevention Research Program at U.C. Davis Health.

AB 1237 is currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.