Permanent Source Funding (SB500) Update

The Affordable Homes Collaborative has informed SCANPH that Kiyomi Burchill, staff to President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg on SB 500, informed us that Senator Steinberg would not be moving SB 500 this year; therefore it was pulled from the Senate Transportation and Housing committee calendar today and was not heard.

While Senator Steinberg remains committed to the effort to obtain a permanent source, he does not believe this is the year to pursue it in the legislature.

As you know, the Governor declared a budget state of emergency under Proposition 58, which gives the legislature 45 days to send some kind of solution to the Governor. The legislature will be thrown into budget hearings and negotiations right away to deal with the current year shortfall, and, like last year, we are likely to see several difficult budget negotiations.

Entire safety net programs are at risk of ending (Cal Works, IHSS, Healthy Families, etc.) and the Pro Tem believes the focus of the legislature must be to deal with the budget shortfall and its immediate impact.