Legislature Includes Significant Investments for Cities in 2021-22 State Budget Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kayla Woods
Cell: (530) 844-1744, kwoods@cacities.org

Sacramento ― Following the Legislature’s vote today to pass the FY 2021-22 state budget bill, League of California Cities Executive Director and CEO Carolyn Coleman issued the following statement:

“We appreciate the Legislature’s significant investments in the state budget bill for our shared priorities that include housing those experiencing homeless, accelerating the supply of affordable housing, and expanding broadband services to close the digital divide. As the process moves forward, Cal Cities will work closely with the Legislature and the Governor to ensure cities have access to these funds in a way that is fair, transparent, and most effective.

“While we join in celebrating the reopening of our local economies, our excitement is tempered by the fact that the pandemic has had real world and potentially lasting impacts on the city services Californians depend on daily. The federal assistance for California cities in the American Rescue Plan is on the way and will be key to accelerating our local recovery, but local budget gaps remain as some communities are still reeling from the pandemic’s economic disruption. We were counting on the State as our partner to ensure that no community is left behind as we begin local recovery and called for $2 billion in state aid to help cities address these gaps.

“Unfortunately, the State missed a historic opportunity to invest directly in our cities, the hearts of our communities, to help stabilize local operations, preserve local jobs, and jumpstart local economic recovery.

“Given that the budget negotiations from this year are far from over, Cal Cities continues to call on the Legislature and the Governor to provide direct and flexible fiscal relief for cities, to ensure that all communities can not only survive but thrive in recovery.”