Earlier this week, the Legislature adopted a bill that
comprehensively amends the Budget Bill passed two weeks ago.
The amendments, contained in
SB 129, are the result of negotiations with Governor Newsom’s
administration, an important aspect that was largely missing from
the first Budget Bill,
SB 128.
Highlighting the piecemeal process that the state budget adoption
has become in recent years, both the new budget bill and a few of
the multiple budget trailer bills, still do not represent a
complete agreement between the Legislature and the Governor.
Several large issues remain outstanding:
The IHSS collective bargaining penalty, which CSAC continues
to advocate in opposition to. The latest information indicates
the budget agreement includes a seven percent penalty, but the
language is not yet in print.
A $730.7 million water and drought resilience package.
A $258 million wildfire prevention and forest resilience
package.
A $200 million agriculture package.
On other items of significance to counties, the outline of a deal
is referred to in one of the Budget Bills, but at least some
details are still to be resolved. For instance:
Broadband – $6 billion total, but several parts of the
appropriation are subject to further legislation.
Homelessness – $4 billion is slated for the budget year and
nearly as much the following year, but allocations and
accountability measures have yet to be decided.
Criminal fines and fees – $151 million set aside, but the
specific fees have not yet been determined.
The Legislature has been considering a few more trailer bills
this week, but the process will not end there. CSAC staff expect
negotiations on the items above, as well as others, to continue
until summer recess, which begins in mid-July, and during the
final month of session from mid-August to mid-September. A
continuous, or rolling, budget is now the expectation rather than
the exception.
