(Sacramento, CA) – Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, released the following statement regarding the State Legislature’s passage of the 2016-17 California State Budget.
“This budget focuses on the ingredients for building a stronger middle class. We invest in our future by funding education, reducing poverty, and cleaning our environment. We create greater fiscal stability by saving for a rainy day and building the largest reserve in over three decades. We are making the largest investment ever in public education, from an expansion of preschool to the creation of thousands more California student slots at our community colleges and state universities.
The historic repeal of the Maximum Family Grant Rule, which penalizes children born into poverty, and substantial investments in homelessness prevention are exciting budget breakthroughs. Some challenges remain. We have not found permanent funding sources to build affordable housing or update our crumbling infrastructure. This budget makes a down payment on these needs. We are setting aside $400 million for affordable housing as negotiations unfold with the Governor on housing reform. The price of housing in this state is squeezing families to the limit and beyond, especially in the Bay Area. We need a breakthrough to keep our communities intact and our economy going.”
Governor Jerry Brown has twelve days to act on the budget. For more information, please see this analysis of the budget prepared by the Assembly Budget Committee.
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