Without any fanfare, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a $202.1 billion state budget Monday evening, a spending plan that closes a $54 billion COVID-19-related deficit in part by abandoning most of the progressive program initiatives he proposed in January budget.
“In the face of a global pandemic that has also caused a recession across the world and here in California, our state has passed a budget that is balanced, responsible and protects public safety and health, education, and services to Californians facing the greatest hardships,” Newsom said in a statement.
The plan calls for more than $11 billion in so-called "trigger cuts" that could be rescinded if the federal government provides more COVID 19-related financial assistance to the state by October 15. Those cuts include $6.6 billion in deferred spending on schools, $2.8 billion in cuts to state employee salaries and approximately $970 million in funding cuts for the University of California and the California State University systems.