At Budget Hearing, Counties Urge Lawmakers to Protect California’s Safety Net 

Counties are delivering a unified message to the governor and state lawmakers: Protecting California’s safety net from the devastating impacts of H.R. 1 will require a sustained, multi-year state investment. 

An Assembly budget hearing this week broke down how H.R. 1 represents the state’s biggest budget challenge in decades, shifting federal responsibility for safety net programs onto states and counties. 

Panelists included Plumas County Supervisor Mimi Hall; Sacramento County Department of Health Services Director Timothy Lutz; Glenn County CAO and County Medical Services Program (CMSP) Governing Board Chair Scott De Moss; and San Luis Obispo County Department of Social Services Director Devin Drake. 

Monday’s hearing marked the first opportunity inside the Capitol for counties to highlight the newly released H.R. 1 County Multi-Year Budget Request, which calls for approximately $1.9 billion in additional state funding in the upcoming 2026–27 spending plan and $4.5 billion in 2027–28. This investment is critical to enable counties to provide indigent medical care, implement new CalFresh and Medi-Cal eligibility requirements, stabilize public hospitals, and preserve behavioral health services for individuals who lose Medi-Cal coverage. 

Supervisor Hall underscored the impossible choices counties face as millions of Californians risk losing access to health care and food assistance. “H.R. 1 will drive major increases in the number of uninsured individuals at a time when counties have less resources, capacity, diminished infrastructure than at any point in recent history,” Hall told the Subcommittee. “Without additional state investment, we will not be able to absorb these impacts on county programs or the communities we serve.” 

Signed into law last July, H.R. 1 could cost California counties up to $9.5 billion annually once fully implemented – and counties have made clear that they’re not prepared to absorb the additional costs for health care, food assistance, and other safety net programs. Despite these impacts, the Governor’s January Budget does not include additional funding or workload adjustments for H.R. 1 implementation. 

“When people fall through the cracks, counties catch them,” Hall emphasized. But without additional state resources, California’s safety net is at risk of unraveling. CSAC, alongside county associations representing elected officials, department leaders, and frontline staff, will continue urging the Legislature and Administration to provide a sustained, multi-year investment to prevent widespread disruption to essential services. 

To learn more about CSAC’s advocacy efforts related to H.R. 1, please visit our H.R. 1 webpage.