SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom released his proposal for California’s 2021-2022 Budget. Upon the release of the proposal, Assemblymember Timothy S. Grayson (D-Concord) made the following statement:
“I commend the Governor for proposing a budget that both prioritizes urgent concerns created by the COVID-19 health crisis and our long-term fiscal challenges, and does so without increasing general taxes.
It is critical that we do not simply throw money at our problems and that we are prudent with taxpayer dollars. Within his budget, Government Newsom proposes an additional $575 million in new emergency aid for small businesses, over $70 million in fee waivers for barbers, cosmetologists, and small entities like restaurants and bars, and $35 million to support entrepreneurship and small business creation in underserved groups facing opportunity gaps. I commend the Governor for prioritizing the small businesses throughout California that are the backbone of our state’s economy and essential to our communities, however, emergency financial aid won’t keep their doors open if it doesn’t reach them. Many businesses in my community are still struggling, and in the coming months as we review the proposed budget and begin negotiations, I’ll be working to make sure that our communities actually see the money the state promises.”
Speaking on the budget’s proposals related to housing and homelessness, an area of deep importance to Assemblymember Grayson and his community, Grayson said the following:
“We cannot allow thousands of hardworking families to be evicted or lose their homes in the middle of a pandemic, just as we cannot afford to wait another year to pass policies that will set California on a path to dramatically increase our housing supply and build sorely needed affordable housing. I commend the Governor on proposing a budget on Housing and Homelessness that responds to the severity of our situation by making bold investments in California’s housing future.
The proposal takes necessary steps to protect vulnerable populations in the short term, calling for an extension of the eviction moratorium establish by AB 3088 (2020) and providing hundreds of millions of dollars for programs that support housing for victims of domestic violence, veterans, and students. Importantly, the proposal also signals the Administration’s commitment to addressing the deeper, systemic problems in California’s housing ecosystem by providing incentives for local governments to reduce impact fees and establishing a new unit within the Department of Housing and Community Development with the sole objective of monitoring and enforcing housing laws.
Overall, the Governor’s proposed $8B for Housing and $2B for Homelessness is an investment commensurate with the challenge ahead of us. It is now incumbent on us to ensure that these proposals translate into fewer Californians facing housing insecurity and more housing being built faster and more affordably.”
A summary of the Governor’s proposed 2021-2022 Budget can be found here.
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