FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sacramento, CA – California’s 750,000 SEIU members applauded core pillars of a joint agreement announced today by State Senate and Assembly leaders on the FY-26 budget, but remained concerned about others.
The following statement may be attributed to Arnulfo De La Cruz, President of SEIU Local 2015 and Executive Board Member of SEIU California:
“The Legislature’s budget goes a long way to protect investments vital to working people and those who count on us by sparing home care, public transportation and higher education, and rejecting cuts to state workers’ paychecks.
“Rejecting proposals to slash home care provider pay means seniors and people with disabilities will stay healthy at home with support needed to eat nutritious food, take medicine, avoid infection and unnecessary hospitalization. It means IHSS caregivers can count on the overtime pay that makes the difference between a home with a roof and sleeping in their car. Additionally, we appreciate investments in state infrastructure needed to strengthen care for our aging population through IHSS statewide collective bargaining.
“We are heartened that legislative leaders soundly rejected a proposal to kick undocumented seniors out of long-term care. Still, we continue to call for state leaders to stand firm behind our commitment to Health for All Californians. New caps and premiums for immigrant families are not only counterproductive from a budgeting standpoint, forcing people to delay care until they are sick enough for the ER, they send the wrong message at a time California’s values and people are under attack from militarized ICE forces.
“State workers deliver vital services Californians rely on, yet many are struggling to meet their family’s basic needs. We applaud the Legislature’s recognition that state workers are essential and must be valued.
“While the Legislative Budget recognizes the need to continue the state’s commitment to fair reimbursement that covers the actual cost of providing child care and makes additional investments in child care access, the new investments authorized in this budget will be undermined by a lack of adequate progress toward fair pay. We call on the Legislature to support child care providers currently at the table to negotiate a new contract with a final 3-party budget agreement that reflects stronger progress toward that goal.”
“While we appreciate the Legislature’s efforts to ensure COLAs and the fiscal stability of TK-12 schools broadly, we are disappointed that the classified staff and the services they provide continue to be underfunded and underrepresented in this budget.
“Finally, while the Legislature’s budget avoids most of the deep and damaging cuts proposed in the May Revision, it delays the tough work needed to ensure working people can thrive as our health care, home care, anti-hunger programs and most essential rights are under attack from Washington, D.C. We applaud the Legislature’s proposal to develop a large employer contribution requirement for employers who fail to provide health care coverage for their employees or incomes that elevate them out of poverty. Still, they missed the opportunity to bring equity to our tax system by closing loopholes for wealthy corporations who are running to the bank with tax-cuts paid for by health care and food assistance cuts in the federal budget reconciliation process.
“We are committed to partnering with the Legislature and the Governor on a true working people’s budget in the months ahead as the devastation of federal cuts and chaos becomes more clear.”
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