Media & Resources

In response to Governor Brown’s May Revise budget proposal released today, Alex Johnson, Executive Director of Children’s Defense Fund-California, issued this statement:

“We were pleased to see that the Governor’s May Revise proposes $2 million for the Franchise Tax Board to support additional outreach and marketing to ensure California’s new state Earned Income Tax Credit reaching more eligible poor, working families. We look forward to working with the Administration and the Legislature to ensure those outreach resources are targeted effectively, including support for community-based organizations and free tax preparation services.

However, the Governor’s May Revise fails to include investments in critical programs for children and families and consequently ignores the reality that the state continues to have the highest poverty rate in the nation, with 1 in 4 California
children living in poverty. During the recession, Governor Brown and the California Legislature balanced the budget on the backs of the state’s most vulnerable children and families, by cutting basic needs CalWORKs grants for families, eliminating
child care slots and ending successful children’s health programs.

Now is the time to use the state’s budget surplus to protect and invest in essential programs to level the playing field for California’s children – rather than putting $2 billion in extra money into the rainy day fund.

In the final budget deliberations, we urge the Governor and legislative leaders to end the discriminatory Maximum Family Grant rule that pushes newborn babies deeper into poverty, expand access to affordable, high-quality child care, and make the critical investments in affordable housing, children’s health, and education necessary to ensure California’s children can survive and thrive.”