Summer Recess: Reviewing Kids' Policy in California
Check out what we've been up to in Sacramento to bring the voices of kids into the hallways of power.
Summer is here, and the California State Legislature has adjourned for its summer recess, making this a good time to assess the year-to-date progress for kids in Sacramento.
The state budget agreement Governor Brown signed into law in June generally brought good news for kids and families in California. There were positive steps for child care and preschool programs, implementation of the Local Control Funding Formula, and a repealing of the maximum family grant rule.
But, as we noted at the time, the incremental nature of the progress highlights the urgency to initiate a broader conversation about long-term budget priorities, because the current status quo harms too many children.
We also continue to advocate for the bills we've rated as For Kids through our Common Sense Legislative Ratings Initiative. While we're pleased that five of these For Kids bills have been signed into law and 11 are moving forward for further consideration when the Legislature returns in August, three important For Kids bills -- for involving paid family leave, protecting kids from tobacco, and reliable scheduling -- died in legislative committees for political rather than policy reasons. These failures are the result of our elected officials placing politics ahead of what's best for kids and families, as we will detail in an upcoming blog post.
That said, not all of our efforts to support kids and families focus on Sacramento. We continue our statewide efforts to highlight our Right Start Commission report, Rebuilding the California Dream, that calls for the creation of a child-centered early childhood system. We held our first town hall meeting with State Senator Richard Pan in Sacramento, where we had a chance to hear firsthand from parents, providers, and community leaders about how a child-centered system can help kids. More events around the state are coming, starting with a town hall in Santa Clara on July 21.
To keep updated on our activities in Sacramento and around the state, sign up as a Kids Action Advocate today.