Exclusive: Most CA voters like Medi-Cal for undocumented immigrants, poll shows

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POLL: CALIFORNIA VOTERS SUPPORT CURRENT MEDI-CAL ELIGIBILITY

A new poll shared exclusively with The Bee shows broad support for one program lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom are eyeing to cut in order to fill a roughly $12 billion budget deficit: Medi-Cal coverage for low-income, undocumented immigrants.

The bipartisan survey was conducted jointly by left-leaning FM3 and New Bridge Strategy, a Republican market research group. It was commissioned by The California Endowment, a nonprofit focused on expanding access to affordable health care.

A majority of poll respondents — 56% — said they support Medi-Cal eligibility as it now stands. Thirty-nine percent said they “strongly” support it.

Nearly two-thirds of voters said they view Medi-Cal favorably, compared to 25% who view it unfavorably. And when given the choice between two possible budget solutions, terminating coverage for undocumented people or raising taxes on the wealthy, 55% said they’d prefer to increase taxes .

“Taken together, the findings of the survey show that Californians strongly value Medi-Cal, embrace the contributions immigrants make to California, and favor continuing an existing policy that extends Medi-Cal coverage to all qualifying Californians regardless of immigration status,” the polling memo reads. “In the context of the state’s budget deficit, voters are more supportive of taxing wealthy Californians than they are of cutting healthcare coverage for immigrants.”

The poll surveyed 880 Californians who are likely to vote in the November 2026 election.

Immigrant advocates have sharply criticized Newsom — who originally championed expanding Medi-cal to undocumented people — when he proposed an enrollment freeze for adults with “unsatisfactory immigration status” and $100 monthly premiums for current undocumented enrollees beginning in January 2027.

They were also dismayed by a joint budget agreement unveiled by lawmakers earlier this week, which includes similar — though lighter — Medi-Cal cost-cutting measures: $30 premiums and an enrollment freeze beginning in July 2027.

“Singling out immigrant communities for health care cuts is not only unacceptable — it’s widely unpopular, as the polling shows,” said Kiran Savage-Sangwan, executive director of the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network. “The discriminatory budget cuts proposed by the Governor and Legislative leaders are out of touch with California voters who value the contributions immigrants make to our communities, from putting food on our tables to building our homes.”

Democratic senators on Monday defended the cuts as a necessary measure to stem rising costs and said no one would be taken off the Medi-Cal rolls.

“We made a promise here in California to provide health care to those who are documented and undocumented, and we have kept that promise even in this fight,” said Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, D-La Mesa, who chairs the Senate’s budget subcommittee on health.

Advocacy groups argue the cuts to services for undocumented people are particularly harmful as the Trump administration ramps up immigration raids in Los Angeles and other parts of the state.

“At a time when all eyes are on California, our communities are demanding that state leaders demonstrate that immigrant communities are worth fighting for,” Savage-Sangwan said.

SUPPORT RAMPING UP FOR 2026 HOUSING BOND

Via Rebecca-Ann Jattan

The HousingBondCA! Coalition launched a campaign Tuesday supporting the Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2026, a funding measure for housing presented in both the California Senate and Assembly.

The collective goal of both proposals is to “fund successful housing programs that support construction of affordable rental housing for lower-income families, expand homeownership opportunities for California workers, and provide housing for people experiencing homelessness,” according to a press release.

The $10 billion bond was presented to the Legislature as Assembly Bill 736, authored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, and Senate Bill 417, authored by state Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, D-West Sacramento.

Both bond proposals share the name, Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2026, and have minor differences in funding allocations for housing programs. The coalition said these discrepancies “will be resolved as they move through the Assembly and Senate this year.”

The campaign expects that the bonds will lead to more than 40,000 affordable homes made for lower-income households, preservation of more than 5,500 existing housing units, assistance for 13,000 first-time homebuyers to purchase homes, creation of more than 53,000 construction jobs and $1.3 billion in state and local tax revenue generated.

The coalition responsible for this campaign includes “more than 100 affordable housing providers, local governments, labor and business groups, and environmental organizations”, according to a press release. The launch unveiled a new website and a digital ad campaign to bolster support for the two bills.

“California desperately needs a new housing bond to provide the stable, ongoing source of funding necessary to maintain affordable housing production,” said Chione Lucina Muñoz Flegal, executive director of Housing California.

“At a time when the federal government is threatening to pull back investments in our safety net and cut off access to housing and other critical services, we need bold action from state leaders.” she said, highlighting how the coalition acts as a voice for affordable housing proponents statewide.

If both bills are approved in the Assembly and Senate respectively, voters will have the final say on whether or not the bonds will succeed on their 2026 ballots.

BIPARTISAN BACKED BARK ACT

Via David Lightman

Republicans and Democrats put aside their partisan wars to come together to help animal shelters.

Reps. Young Kim, R-Anaheim, and Jamie Raskin, D-Md., are sponsoring legislation to make it simpler for pet suppliers to donate unused food and material to animal shelters.

The Bring Animals Relief and Kibble — or BARK — Act “would help the recovery of millions of pounds of pet food to feed shelter animals. In addition to food, the law would make it easier to donate beds, blankets, crates, leashes, toys and more gear for animals in need,” said a statement from the lawmakers.

Kim said that many shelters face shortages, as more than a million pounds of usable pet supplies are wasted every year

Animal activist groups are behind the effort, which is also being pushed by members of both parties in the Senate.

“This bill will help shelters across the country who are facing an ongoing capacity crisis, caused by animals staying in shelters longer, staffing and veterinary shortages, and an increase in the number of animals with significant medical and behavioral needs,” said Maggie Garrett, vice president of federal affairs for the ASPCA in a statement.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Very simply, we will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean and safe again.”

— President Donald Trump in speech at Fort Bragg, NC

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• Will Gavin Newsom’s feud with Donald Trump help or hurt the CA governor? via David Lightman and Lia Russell
• Democratic lawmakers reach a California budget agreement. Here are five takeaways via Nicole Nixon
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This story was originally published June 11, 2025 at 4:55 AM.