Assemblymember Villapudua Responds to Governor’s Proposed Budget

SACRAMENTO – Today, Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua (D-Stockton) issued the following statement in response to the Governor’s proposed 2021-22 State Budget, which totals $227 billion.

“The Governor’s proposed budget is a good start to providing the much needed relief for families across the Central Valley,” said Assemblymember Villapudua. “We also cannot letup on our pursuance of innovative solutions to the problems people face every day. I am encouraged by the Governor’s expressed desire to prioritize funding for COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, vaccines and small business relief, as well as the proposed funding for public education, including the safe reopening of schools, apprenticeship programs, wildfire resilience, and sustainable agriculture advancement.”

Last year, the state made a number of difficult economic decisions to overcome our budget deficit while continuing to support the most critical programs that support millions of California families. This disciplined action has set us up well for significant investments, including:

-    $4.4 billion emergency response for testing, contact tracing, and vaccines
-    $575 million for small business and nonprofit COVID-19 relief grants
-    $385 million for sustainable agriculture investments, including soil and ground water management, and direct assistance to small / mid-size farmers
-    $1 billion for wildfire resiliency and emergency response
-    $2 billion for the safe reopening of public schools
-    $353 million for Workforce Development, including funding for apprenticeship programs and work-based learning opportunities

Workforce Development and vocational education is an area that will play a key role in preparing our students for the jobs of tomorrow, and we look forward to seeing how we can expand on this $353 million initial proposal. 

A full summary of the budget can be found here.