Hello, Assembly District 78! I’m your representative Chris Ward and I want to bring you up to date on the latest for the month of May.
My legislation continues to work through the process with more than a dozen bills headed to the Assembly floor later this month. I’ll have a full update for you next month, but I wanted to cover a few other bills to address homelessness, and the status of the State budget which needs your input this month.
You can watch a video of this month’s newsletter here: https://tinyurl.com/maynewsletterad78
STATE BUDGET
Last month I gave a general overview of the state’s annual budget process, and now that we have reached the “May Revision,” we have something substantive for consideration ahead of our June votes.
The newest estimate projects the budget shortfall at nearly $32 billion.
However, the governor’s May Revise makes a serious attempt at closing this pro-jected gap.
First off, I am pleased to see sustained levels of support for housing solutions and to address homelessness still included.
But I am still concerned to see cuts to our climate, green energy, and electric vehicle infrastructure commitments.
Many people depend on our public transit systems daily, which are in dire need of funding to continue operations.
In addition, I’d like to see more funding for childcare providers, who provide an es-sential service to many California families across the state.
While the May Revise includes funding cuts for many of my and my Assembly col-leagues priorities, it’s important to remember that there is still a long way to go be-fore the state budget is finalized and approved. This is a starting point for the Legis-lature, including the Assembly and Senate, to begin negotiating with the governor to address these concerns and work toward a budget that addresses our biggest chal-lenges.
I also want to emphasize that I will not support any cuts to crucial social safety ser-vice programs that Californians depend on.
Read the Assembly Floor report on the budget here: https://tinyurl.com/assemblybudgetreport
Read the budget blueprint here: https://tinyurl.com/cabudgetblueprint
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Next, I wanted to talk about several bills we are working on to address homelessness. These are critical bills for housing support, program accountability, and hospital diversion – so much so that I am jointly authoring them with colleagues.
AB 312, which I’m joint-authoring with Assembly member Eloise Gomez Reyes, will establish a housing data platform to connect renters and their families to deed-restricted affordable housing units they qualify for.
I’m joint-authoring AB 1316 with Assembly member Jaqui Irwin. This bill would en-sure that Medi-Cal managed care plans reimburse hospitals for care and referrals provided after normal business hours to people experiencing a mental health crisis.
Finally, AB 799 with Assembly member Luz Rivas would set consequences for enti-ties failing to meet housing goals, including potentially reallocating HHAP funds to another entity within the same region. It would also streamline administrative bur-dens on local systems while ensuring that more detailed information is made availa-ble to the public to improve transparency and oversight.
In addition to joint authorships, there are 30 bills which I am co-authoring, which are par-ticularly important to our district and our priority issues.
At the end of May, the Assembly has a deadline to pass — or not — bills that started in the Assembly. If you have questions on any pieces of legislation, please reach out to my office to understand what a bill does, what the status is, or importantly to register your opinion be-fore I cast a vote.
IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE
As always, I want to thank you for the opportunity to be your representative and work on these issues and more. One of the best ways to stay informed is to follow my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram where you can know in real time what de-velopments are happening or what I’m working on every day.
And if you need assistance, please know that my district office staff is available and ready to serve or answer any questions you may have. Feel free to reach out to the contact in-formation at the end of this segment, and a staff member will connect with you as soon as possible. I wish you, your family and your neighbors all the best.
