California Budget

The $262 billion California state budget agreed upon this week invests significantly in families and children reeling from the pandemic.

As the state enjoys a massive tax windfall, California Gov. Gavin Newsom presented a revised $268 billion budget on Friday that makes several big investments in the state’s social safety net, adding resources for foster youth in schools, beefing up support to vulnerable families in the child welfare system and distributing millions of dollars for behavioral health reforms.

Thousands of young adults in the California foster care system will receive additional financial support and housing help as they struggle to survive the recession and the coronavirus pandemic, under a budget deal this week between lawmakers and Democratic Gov.

Facing an historic economic crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, California Gov. Gavin Newsom presented a revised state budget Thursday that reflected deep cuts from the original draft released in January. 

A plan to establish a statewide 24/7 crisis hotline and mobile response system for California foster youth and caregivers has been given new life in the state legislature’s new budget after former Gov.

On Thursday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced a proposed $54 million boost to the budget of the state’s dependency courts, blending an increase in state investment with federal funds newly available for the legal representation of children and families involved in the child welfare system.

Note: This story was updated on June 20 Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a budget that includes new funding for kinship foster caregivers and more assistance to victims of commercial sexual exploitation (CSEC).

With historic gains for the education of California’s foster youth close at hand, advocates, service providers and this journalist-gone-rogue can hardly hold back the excitement. It has been a long hard slog, but a broad coalition of foster youth and their supporters are close to realizing a long awaited dream.