Details emerge of California budget compromise
UPDATE: 6/8/2018 1:22 p.m. Gov. Jerry Brown and Democratic legislative leaders have agreed to boost funding for universities, welfare and services for the homeless.
A budget compromise released Friday also would create an online community college and increase the state’s rainy day fund. But it does not include an expansion of health care coverage for people living in the country illegally, which had been a priority for some legislative Democrats.
A legislative committee is scheduled to consider the compromise later Friday. It must pass the full Assembly and Senate by June 15.
Brown in May proposed boosting the California State University and University of California budgets by $92 million each. The compromise would increase CSU’s ongoing funding by an additional $105 million above Brown’s proposal while boosting UC’s by $5 million.
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Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed a $137.6 billion general fund budget for California as revenues continue to surge.
Brown released his spending plan Friday, kicking off his last round of negotiations with Democratic legislative leaders.
Brown’s latest budget is up nearly $6 billion from his earlier proposal in January. The Democratic governor wants to save most of the surplus to protect spending during a future recession. But he proposed $2 billion for infrastructure, including universities, courts, state facilities and flood control and $359 million for homelessness.
He’s also still pushing for a new online community college to train working adults who don’t have the time and flexibility for a traditional college program.
Legislative Democrats and outside interest groups are pushing to boost funding for health care, higher education, welfare, child care and a wide variety of other initiatives.
