SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino) issued the following statement after release of Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2026-27 proposed state budget:
We live in volatile, even hazardous times – like walking a high wire on a windy day – and Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposed 2026-27 budget is his vision of how to balance fiscal uncertainty while attempting to ensure that needy children and families receive the services they need. Further revenue cuts from Washington would not be a surprise. Washington has already cut $1.4 billion in vital programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) that help support low-income fellow Californians for basic living costs, child care, disaster aid and education. TANF and similar services serve as lifelines and they need to be preserved.
In the coming months, the Legislature will review the governor’s proposal and negotiate a final budget with the administration by mid-June. The Assembly, Senate, and Governor will proceed with caution and thoughtfulness. Because of that principle, I was pleased to see that the Governor wants to deposit $23 billion into the state’s reserve fund to cushion us during emergencies. Proposed reserve fund safeguards include setting aside $4.5 billion in the Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties and $4.1 billion in the Public School System Stabilization Account. Even with defensive budgeting, I was also happy to see a continued focus on housing and homelessness. As chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee 6 that reviews fiscal public safety issues, I am looking forward to starting that work and holding public meetings.
We will survive these troubled times as we have in the past. California has its challenges, but it remains a global power and pioneer. It is more often than not a donor state, like 18 other states, to the federal government. USAFacts reported that in 2024 Californians paid about $275.6 billion more to the federal government than they received. That gap is likely to increase as Washington cuts programs to the states.
California will manage that high wire and meet the challenges of an uncertain future.
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Assemblymember James C. Ramos proudly represents the 45th Assembly district that includes the Cities of Fontana, Highland, Mentone, Redlands, Rialto and San Bernardino. He is the first and only California Native American serving in the state’s legislature. Ramos chairs the Assembly Budget Subcommittee #6 on Public Safety and the Assembly Select Committee on Native American Affairs.
