"While all three proposals include important investments in food access and safety-net programs, there remains a meaningful gap between the scale of need and the resources currently proposed-particularly as federal SNAP support declines and eligibility restrictions tighten," acknowledged Assemblywoman Maritza Davila, Chair of the Social Services Committee, via email.
Mayor Mamdani has been very clear he wants to reduce class sizes in accordance with the mandate. But both he and the chancellor have suggested that more time and more money may be needed. It would not be unreasonable for the city to commit to a 70%, 80%, 90%, and then 100% timetable.
In the governor's proposed budget, $648 million is allocated for CHIPS to be divided among every town and the 62 counties in the state, while $4.5 billion is proposed for downstate transit and the New York City subway system.
The day after Whitelaw testified, the state economist said that Oregon now has about $300 million more to spend than previously expected. The new revenue forecast does not mean the budget is in the black, however. There are new demands for the available dollars, including $600 million in upgrades to the Moda Center to retain the Portland Trail Blazers, a recently announced $50 million shortfall in Portland Public School funding,
Artists make California vibrant, innovative and culturally rich, yet our state ranks 35th nationally in per capita arts funding. When the state budget allocates just 53 cents per person to the arts, it's clear how little we're investing in the creative workers who shape the state's identity and economy. California's artists are delivering extraordinary value with minimal investment. Imagine what a stronger commitment to the arts could do for our communities, our economy and our future.
The governor's budget proposal, the first step in hammering out a new spending deal with the state Legislature by April 1, includes plans to provide free childcare to children aged two and over in New York City and children aged four and up throughout the rest of New York State, pledging $4.5 billion to expand free childcare statewide. That investment represents a $1.7 billion increase compared to the 2025 state budget.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom's budget proposal includes no money for a fund formed last year to boost the state's local newsrooms, casting doubt on whether a heralded effort to help California journalists will amount to anything and how serious Newsom is about supporting the struggling industry. It's a significant walkback from an August 2024 deal between state leaders and Google in which they agreed to jointly spend $175 million over five years to fund local journalism.
According to the proposal, the cost of the program would equal approximately 3% of Tennessee's annual state budget. It could be funded by the state's recurring surplus estimated at $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion per year. Mitchell asserted that Tennessee has the fiscal capacity to support the initiative without cutting existing services or raising taxes. The money is there. The question is priority, he said.
When we first started as appropriators a little over a year ago or almost a year ago, we did the long term forecast and at that time, four years out, education funding and school foundation program looked to be about $686 million in the hole in the red. And we're looking at where we're at today with [public school funding] recalibration and increased expenditures, not increasing revenues, and now we're looking at a four year out forecast being $800 million in the hole,
The truck that arrived ahead of schedule at Allyssa Canoy's home in Fairbanks brought enough heating fuel for the frigid winter months ahead - and a surprise bill for $2,600. Canoy and her two sons have checks arriving that will cover that expense and leave some money for the boys, too. Starting Thursday, Alaska plans to begin distributing to residents their annual dividend derived from the state's $83 billion oil wealth fund, a sort of bonus that Alaskans get for living in the state.
There is a natural tendency to peer backward through rose-colored glasses. Yes, the world was burning and falling apart in 1968, too. But the news came with the Chronicle in the morning and the Examiner in the afternoon. In the evening, when Walter Cronkite told you " And that's the way it is," that's the way it was. That isn't the way it is anymore.
With just days remaining until the end of the legislative session, the Governor's Department of Finance informed lawmakers it will not be finalizing a critical bridge loan to prevent serious service cuts to BART, Muni, AC Transit, and other Bay Area public transit operators next year. Not authorizing the loan now could lead to quick service cuts by major Bay Area transit systems. Senators Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Jesse Arreguin (D-Oakland) have been working for months to try to finalize loan terms.
Thanks to the hard work of advocates, a $750 million loan was put into the state budget so that Muni, BART, Caltrain, and AC Transit can continue to fund operations. The idea is to give these agencies a way to bridge their funding shortfalls until a regional measure can go before the voters next year. However, now that loan is in jeopardy.
