California Budget

Volunteers Aleta Barthell surveys Vickie Traylor, a resident experiencing homelessness, for the annual point-in-time count in San Diego on Jan. 25, 2024. The voluntary survey is a federally mandated requirement to gather data on the region's homeless population. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters

Housing

Amid deficit, Newsom proposes California spend less to solve homelessness and create affordable housing

Faced with a multibillion dollar budget deficit, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May budget proposal includes hundreds of millions of dollars in additional cuts to housing and homelessness programs.

By

Marisa Kendall

and

Ben Christopher

• May 10, 2024

Politics

Big cuts, no new taxes: Gov. Newsom’s plan to fix California’s budget deficit

Gavin Newsom proposes a mix of spending cuts and using reserves to balance the state budget. He says that core services will be largely untouched, but some existing programs would be affected.

By

Alexei Koseff

• May 10, 2024

Gov. Gavin Newsom addresses the media during a press conference unveiling his revised 2024-25 budget proposal at the Capitol Annex Swing Space in Sacramento on May 10, 2024. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters

Commentary

Newsom finally aligns with Legislature’s gloomier budget outlook, blaming ‘massive volatility’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a revised state budget that increases the projected deficit by billions of dollars and contained real cuts, something his initial version mostly lacked.

By

Dan Walters

• May 10, 2024

Illustration by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Politics

It’s time again for Gavin Newsom lingo bingo

Today, California’s governor delivers his delayed State of the State speech. Keep up with his catchphrases with CalMatters’ trademark game.

By

John Osborn D'Agostino

• May 10, 2024

State Sen. Caroline Menjivar, a San Fernando Valley Democrat, addresses legislators during session at the state Capitol in Sacramento on Jan. 23, 2023. Photo by Rahul Lal, CalMatters

California Divide

‘We needed Wonder Woman’: Newsom cuts to foster care, child services worry families

Some programs helping foster kids and families in crisis could lose all funding as lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom address budget shortfall.

By

Wendy Fry

• May 3, 2024

California's report on the state's own financial health is tardy again. The state Capitol in Sacramento on April 29, 2024. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Commentary

Lagging revenue continues to drive California budget deficit as deadline nears

With the June 15 deadline for the state budget approaching, the amount of tax revenues and the size of the budget deficit loom large for California Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislators.

By

Dan Walters

• May 2, 2024

Commentary

Key questions about California’s budget deficit remain unanswered as deadlines loom

California has a multibillion-dollar budget deficit, but we still don't know how much and what should be done to close it with key deadlines quickly approaching.

By

Dan Walters

• April 24, 2024

Caption: The student center at Cuesta Community College in San Luis Obispo on Jan. 10, 2024. Community colleges are reluctant to spend COVID relief money in fear of committing money that the state could ask them to return. Photo by Julie Leopo-Bermudez for CalMatters

Higher Education

The Cal Grant expansion for California college students is in jeopardy as the state deficit grows

The Cal Grant fully covers tuition at the University of California and California State University, and legislators planned to offer it to an additional 137,000 students.

By

Mikhail Zinshteyn

• April 23, 2024

Politics

How Gavin Newsom’s budget sidesteps the growing cost of CalPERS pensions, for one year

California is expected to spend about $8.7 billion on state worker pensions next year. Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to offset some of that cost by repurposing a previously scheduled debt payment.

By

Adam Ashton

• April 15, 2024

Gov. Gavin Newsom addresses the media during a press conference unveiling his 2024-25 January budget proposal at the Secretary of State Auditorium in Sacramento on Jan. 10, 2024. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Capitol

Newsom, Legislature get a $17 billion jump on California budget deficit

Gov. Newsom and Democratic leaders in the Legislature announce a deal on early action to shrink the state's budget shortfall by $17 billion. Votes are expected next week, ahead of action on the 2024-25 budget in May and June.

By

Alexei Koseff

• April 4, 2024