Release | May 14, 2021

Statement on the California Governor’s May Revise Budget Release

Our State Director and Members Share their Response to the Revised 2021-2022 California State Budget

April 6, 2021
California 2021-2022 Budget and Legislative Priorities

Blog

On behalf of Council for a Strong America’s California Office, and our local members of ReadyNation, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, and Mission: Readiness, I am encouraged and optimistic about many of Governor Newsom’s proposed investments in children and youth in his May revise California budget proposal. However, in a year where the child care industry put themselves at risk while providing the essential infrastructure to keep our state functioning, we are very disappointed to see virtually no investments in this critical and fragile system that is truly the backbone of our economy.

At Council for a Strong America we believe that investing in children and youth, from early childhood to workforce preparation, is critical for building a better California. We are heartened by the proposed additional 100,000 child care slots to serve California’s youngest population, as well as increased investments in afterschool programs, full-service community schools, children’s health and nutrition and higher education. Nevertheless, we recognize the importance of creating and maintaining a diverse, mixed-delivery early education system that puts parental choice at the core, and we want to ensure that ample investments are allotted to our youngest 0-3 population, as this is when the foundation for future success is started. Additionally, investing in the infrastructure of our early education workforce is essential to creating and maintaining a system that not only serves the needs of families, but builds and strengthens our economy as well, and we hope to see investments in updating California’s child care reimbursement rate system, modernizing facilities, and increased opportunities for workforce development.

To build safer communities, thriving children, and a more productive economy, all children and youth should have the opportunity to be healthy, educated, and cared for. In a year where revenues are strong, there has never been a more important time to make the significant investments that our children and families in California deserve. We call on and encourage California’s leadership to be bold and use this unexpected surplus to make a positive and lasting impact on the wellbeing of our children and youth starting with the state’s youngest residents.

Shelly Masur, MPH Council for a Strong America - California State Director

I commend Governor Newsom’s critical investments in our children and youth. As the CEO of a chamber of commerce, I am deeply invested in building a talented and diverse workforce that will shape our future prosperity. That’s why I support investments at multiple junctures of a child and youth’s life, including early childhood, K-12 education, afterschool programs, and higher education, and encourage the California Legislature to adopt these important investments.

Liza Normandy, CEO of the South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce

The investments that California makes today will shape the outcomes of millions of children and families for years to come. Providing children with access to high-quality child care, preschool, and afterschool programs ensures our children and youth are equipped with the skills and support they need to succeed in school and in life. We call on the leadership in Sacramento to be bold and lay the groundwork for a safer, more prosperous California for all.

Chief Bisa French, Richmond Police Department

Investing in children’s health and nutrition is critical to ensure that our next generation has the tools and resources they need to lead healthy and productive lives. As a Rear Admiral SC, USN (Ret.), I understand the dire impact of food insecurity and limited access to nutritious foods to our strength and stability, and call on the California legislature to support the latest proposed investments to address children’s health and nutrition.

Rear Admiral Mark Heinrich SC, USN (Ret.) and CEO, Oakleaf Software, Inc

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