California Legislature adds funding to Medi-Cal, wildfire recovery efforts through budget changes

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — Passions flared Thursday as California’s Democratic legislative supermajority sent a bill to the governor that shifts billions of dollars in “early action” moves to address the Los Angeles wildfires and higher Medi-Cal costs.

Assembly Bill 100, a budget trailer bill, amends this year’s budget act by taking $2.8 billion for the Department of Health Care Services, with another $8.3 billion in federal funds, to address unanticipated Medi-Cal expenses. It also directs the use of dollars set aside earlier this year to offset property tax losses for local governments, as well as response and recovery efforts, stemming from the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles County.

Senate Republicans opposed the budget trailer bill and offered amendments that would have redirected money to their own priorities. Debating the bill after its Senate passage, their Assembly counterparts also railed against the measure.

“This is an attack on the middle class,” said state Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil, a Jackson Republican, who pushed for an amendment that would have offset proposed cuts to the state’s California State University and University of California systems. “Nothing in this bill addresses affordability.”

State Senator Kelly Seyarto, a Murrieta Republican, had an amendment seeking to allocate money for firefighters. Noting legislation that will maintain Cal Fire staffing levels year-round, Seyarto argued the additional firefighters wouldn’t start until next year. Funding is needed now in preparation for the state’s fire season.

Republicans argued the additional money for Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, stemmed from Democrats expanding it — including the addition of all undocumented people. They said money should instead go to funding priorities like Proposition 36, which voters passed in November and increases penalties for certain theft and drug crimes.

Democrats easily won votes to table the amendments. State Senator John Laird, a Santa Cruz Democrat, noted that cuts to the university systems are proposals for next fiscal year and not in the budget they tweaked on Thursday.

State Senator Lena Gonzalez, a Long Beach Democrat and majority leader, quipped that Republicans previously had opposed funding for the items they now endorsed.

“Now all of a sudden they’re for firefighters,” she added.

The arguments continued moments later in the Assembly, which had to approve changes made by the Senate before the bill could proceed to the governor.

Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, a San Diego Republican, got temporarily mired in a procedural misstep while speaking against the bill and trying to offer an amendment to it. DeMaio wanted to eliminate any Medi-Cal funding for undocumented residents, as well as for the high-speed rail project. However, no amendments could occur at this stage of the legislative process, and Democrats voted down DeMaio’s attempt to overturn Assemblymember and Speaker Pro Tempore Josh Lowenthal’s decision, calling him out of order.

Assembly Democrats pushed back on Republican arguments.

Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, a Los Angeles Democrat, said he grew tired of people not from Los Angeles using the deadly fires earlier this year as a political prop in arguments. California has stepped up its efforts in the wake of President Donald Trump removing funding.

“Libraries have to be DOGE’d as well,” Bryan said, referring to the Department of Government Efficiency.

Governor Gavin Newsom has said that state libraries faced the loss of millions of dollars in grants after Trump closed the agency administering the funds.

Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, a Delano Democrat and physician, argued that Medi-Cal funding provides access to primary care doctors, opening those doors instead of having people visit a hospital during a later stage of an illness.

“People need to wake up and understand, health care is important,” Bains said.

Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, an Encino Democrat and author of Assembly Bill 100, said the legislation made modest and targeted investments. He said the Legislature would stand with wildfire victims.

“These are good investments,” he added.