ARLETA – Assemblywoman Luz Rivas (D-Arleta), member of the Assembly Budget Committee, has issued the following statement on Governor Newsom’s budget release:
“The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the health of our state’s budget. However, due to years of fiscal responsibility, and shoring up our reserves and Rainy Day Funds, the state was able to avoid making severe cuts to essential programs,” said Assemblywoman Luz Rivas. “I applaud the Governor’s comments today for prioritizing financial assistance to our lowest earners and actively working to provide necessary relief for renters and small landlords in order to keep children and families in their homes. While this is a good start, I look forward to working with his Administration on a comprehensive approach to addressing our homeless crisis. While one-time funds are critically important, addressing homelessness in our local communities requires a more robust and ongoing commitment from the state.”
“The Governor’s proposed budget incorporates several key issues that affect California including:
- Creating the Golden State Stimulus to provide an additional $600 to low-income households, including undocumented individuals.
- Extending the eviction moratorium to keep families housed while working with small landlords.
- Prioritizing COVID-19 emergency response to include more testing, contract tracing, and the roll-out of vaccines.
- Equitable recovery to spur economic activity and job creation for small businesses, which include non-profits and restaurants.
- Continuing investments in wildfire resiliency and emergency responses.
- Creating incentives to keep California on track to meet our climate goals.
- Keeping K-12 education funded to prevent permanent job cuts.
- Increasing funding to higher education institutions to prevent tuition and fee increases, and reengaging students that left during the pandemic.
- Funding workforce development to bridge the gap between higher education and gainful employment.
I look forward to working with the Governor, Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting, and my colleagues to develop a state budget to restore our economy and ensure California remains resilient,” said Assemblywoman Luz Rivas.
Assemblywoman Luz Rivas proudly represents the 39th Assembly District, which includes the City of Los Angeles communities of Arleta, Lake View Terrace, Granada Hills, Mission Hills, North Hollywood, Pacoima, Sun Valley, Sunland-Tujunga, Sylmar, and the City of San Fernando.
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