Cervantes Statement on the Enacted State Budget

(SACRAMENTO) – The following is a statement by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Corona) regarding the enactment of the 2021-2022 State Budget by Governor Gavin Newsom:

“The 2021-2022 state budget package approved by the Legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom represents a landmark investment in communities across California. With additional financial assistance for our small businesses and state funding to continue vaccinating Californians, our state can continue our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. But this deal is as much about planning for tomorrow as it is addressing the issues of today. I am proud to support this fiscally responsible budget, which places significant amounts of money in our state’s reserves so that we are better prepared to provide Californians with the public services they deserve, even in future ‘rainy days.’

“I also want to thank Governor Newsom, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, and Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins for working with me to secure significant financial investments in western Riverside County, including:

• $2 million to continue the development and expansion of Riverside Community College District’s Military Articulation Project, which will help our student veterans get community college credit for their military training and experience
• $2.7 million for Norco College to develop plans for its Human Performance and Kinesiology Capital Facility Project to provide students with coursework, training, and certificate programs in Kinesiology, Applied Biomechanics, and Applied Sports Nutrition
• $8 million to help refurbish the two “Las Coronas” affordable housing communities (Corona de Oro & Corona del Rey) in the City of Corona, which will ensure 232 housing units remain available for low-income families to call home
• $10 million for TruEvolution’s Project Legacy in the City of Riverside, which will provide transitional housing and wrap-around services to Riverside County’s most vulnerable communities, including individuals experiencing chronic homelessness
• $500,000 for implementation of Assembly Bill 639 (Cervantes, 2020), to study ways to mitigate the effects on employment of automation at the Ports of Los Angeles & Long Beach
• $25 million for the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine to expand its clinical facilities and increase access to medical care in Riverside County
• $25 million for the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop a competitive grant process to support organizations that provide services to veterans who are at-risk or are experiencing homelessness, pursuant to Assembly Bill 1618 (Cervantes, 2017)

“I also want to express my gratitude to our state senator, Senator Richard Roth, who partnered closely and collaboratively with me to ensure that the communities we both represent continue to get their fair share of funding from Sacramento.

“This historic budget package also includes the following investments in our state:

• $10 million to continue supporting veteran resource centers at California Community Colleges, which provide services and academic counseling to student veterans
• $67.8 million in annual funding for the University of California to increase the number of Californian students enrolled at UC
• $81 million to increase undergraduate student enrollment within the California State University system
• $115 million for the California Community Colleges to help provide zero-textbook-cost degrees for students
• $150 million to continue funding Project Roomkey, to provide housing to Californians experiencing homelessness
• $1.75 billion to cut bureaucratic red tape preventing the construction of affordable housing, and $300 million to preserve our existing affordable housing stock
• $123.9 billion for California schools to adopt universal transitional kindergarten for four-year-olds by 2025, expand afterschool and summer programs, provide universal free school nutrition, increase the number of well-prepared staff per pupil, and create full-service community schools to support the mental and social-emotional well-being of students

“When I was elected to represent the 60th Assembly District, I pledged to work every day to deliver results for the working families of western Riverside County. The enactment of this state budget goes a long way to ensuring that our region gets a seat at the table in shaping a future of California.”

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Sabrina Cervantes is a mother who proudly represents the 60th District of the California State Assembly, which encompasses the cities of Corona, Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Norco, a portion of Riverside, and the unincorporated communities of Coronita, El Cerrito, and Home Gardens. Cervantes serves as Chair of the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy