$$ for wildlife crossings + Rally for housing solutions planned + Bonta notches one year
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
NEWSOM PROPOSES $50 MILLION FOR WILDLIFE CROSSINGS
California Gov. Gavin Newsom broke out the gold shovel on Friday, as he joined a group of officials and advocates breaking ground on a new wildlife crossing overpass over Highway 101 near Los Angeles.
Billed as the world’s largest wildlife overpass, it won’t be the only one in California if Gov. Newsom gets his way.
Newsom said Friday that he is proposing an additional $50 million in the May Revision of the 2022-23 budget to enable the construction of more such overpasses in the Golden State.
“No challenge poses a greater threat to our way of life, prosperity, and future as a state than climate change,” Newsom said in a statement. “With our rich natural heritage on the front lines of this crisis, California is building on our global climate leadership with bold strategies that harness the power of nature to fight climate change and protect our communities and ecosystems. Strong partnerships across the board will be critical to these efforts, and the project we’re lifting up today is an inspiring example of the kind of creative collaborations that will help us protect our common home for generations to come.”
LAWMAKERS TO JOIN RALLY CALLING FOR USING THE STATE SURPLUS FOR LONG-TERM HOUSING SOLUTIONS
Two state lawmakers are set to join a rally and press conference by housing justice advocates calling for the state to spend its $50 billion surplus on long-term housing solutions.
Among those joining the Monday rally are Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, and Sen. Lena Gonzalez, D-Long Beach.
The rally begins at noon on Monday, on the north steps of the Capitol.
“Earlier this year, Housing Now! CA, with its 150+ coalition members and partners, sent a budget request letter asking state policymakers to address the affordable housing and homelessness crisis with this year’s state budget. The programs included in the letter add up to $12.85 billion. With the unprecedented $50 Billion surplus, advocates are calling upon leaders to invest our money in a consistent way that allows for both short term aid, but also plans for long-term solutions that Californian families need. The best way to solve the homelessness crisis is to prevent it from happening,” according to a statement released by the coalition.
BONTA TOUTS ONE YEAR IN OFFICE, AS CHALLENGERS LINE UP TO TAKE HIM ON
California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Friday marked the occasion of one year since he was appointed to the office by Gov. Newsom, after former Attorney General Xavier Becerra left the position to serve in the Biden Administration.
“Having the opportunity to serve as California’s Attorney General and chief law enforcement officer is the honor of a lifetime, and I am proud of all the California Department of Justice has accomplished on behalf of the people of California over the last year,” Bonta said in a statement. “We made the state safer by investigating and prosecuting bad actors, tackling gun violence and gang-related activity in our communities, and standing up for survivors of human trafficking and domestic abuse. We established new teams to take on California’s housing crisis, fight hate crime, and better engage with historically marginalized communities. We fought to advance environmental justice, defend healthcare and reproductive freedom, and protect consumers across the state.”
Bonta used the occasion to tout his accomplishments in office, including seizing guns from those who are prohibited from possessing them, protecting the civil rights of people with disabilities, LGBTQ people, immigrants and tribal communities, and taking steps to bring assorted cities into compliance with state environmental laws.
Of course, Bonta has reason to burnish those bonafides.
He’s facing a trio of challengers from the right, including Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert (No Party Preference), former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman and Los Angeles attorney Eric Early (both Republicans). All three challengers are running on tough-on-crime platforms, banking on Californians being fed up with crime in the Golden State. Whether that message resonates with voters in sapphire blue California will be determined in the June primary.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Let me get this straight. DeSantis’ Disney/Don’t Say Gay retaliation bill could increase a million Floridians’ property tax bill by 25%. But go ahead and keep telling us about ‘fiscal responsibility’ & your ‘business-friendly climate.’”
- Gov. Gavin Newsom, via Twitter.
Best of the Bee:
California wildlife regulators won’t be banning black bear hunting this year, via Ryan Sabalow.
New guidelines were released in early April for a federally funded program meant to help low income families pay their outstanding water bills, via Noor Adatia.
California is still offering free COVID-19 testing to uninsured residents even though the federal government ran out of money to pay for it, via Rachel Bluth, Kaiser Health News.
A Democrat lawmaker from the central San Joaquin Valley wants to put cash in the hands of eligible farmworkers to help them deal with the devastation of California’s drought, via Melissa Montalvo.