Get real. Democrats love any excuse to raise taxes. They are giving $11.2 billion to Medi-Cal for free health care for illegal aliens—totally illegally. At the same time Newsom claims HIS deficit is $12 billion. In the back rooms the Democrats, instead of abiding by the law, are discussing raising taxes.
“Leaders of California’s Democratic Legislative Latino Caucus on Monday said everything should be considered in order to keep providing health insurance to undocumented immigrants, including a new tax on Californians.
The leader of the caucus, State Sen. Lena Gonzalez, made the comment as the group held a news conference to blast Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed limits on the state’s Medi-Cal program, also known as Medicaid.
Budget documents show California taxpayers this year have spent about $11 billion providing coverage to 1.6 million undocumented residents. State leaders underestimated just how much the program would cost this year.”
Expect higher taxes, higher fees and more. Democrats love taxes, inflation and killing the economy.
California Democrats won’t rule out new taxes to pay for health care for undocumented immigrants
Ashley Zavala , CalMatters, 5/19/25 https://www.kcra.com/article/california-democrats-taxes-healthcare-undocumented-immigrants/64819111
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Leaders of California’s Democratic Legislative Latino Caucus on Monday said everything should be considered in order to keep providing health insurance to undocumented immigrants, including a new tax on Californians.
The leader of the caucus, State Sen. Lena Gonzalez, made the comment as the group held a news conference to blast Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed limits on the state’s Medi-Cal program, also known as Medicaid.
Budget documents show California taxpayers this year have spent about $11 billion providing coverage to 1.6 million undocumented residents. State leaders underestimated just how much the program would cost this year.
The news conference comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced California is grappling with a budget shortfall of $12 billion and proposed limiting the program in order to save money.
“The rhetoric, what they want you to believe, is that our community is at fault for the state’s deficit,” said State Sen. Carolina Menjivar, D-Van Nuys. “But it’s not. Year after year, after year after entities and businesses are getting away with providing a less than livable wage, are getting away with forcing them into our state’s driven Medi-Cal program.”
According to the California Legislative Analyst, more than half of the state’s Medi-Cal funds come from the federal government. The federal government typically shares the cost of care for low-income Californians. But because of their immigration status, the federal government will not share the expenses or reimburse the state for the cost of providing healthcare to undocumented people. That means California taxpayers are on the hook for 100% of their healthcare.
The Latino Legislative Caucus did not offer or provide any specific solutions to the problem. The group took repeated questions from reporters about the possibility of making cuts to other state services or creating new taxes to help with the added costs.
“We’ve got to assess everything, we’ve got to be reasonable about this approach,” Gonzalez said. “We have to stop the narrative on vilifying immigrants.”
This year, Republicans established the California Hispanic Legislative Caucus.
Assemblyman Josh Hoover, R-Folsom, who is a member of the new group, said the governor’s push to provide healthcare to undocumented people was a promise he knew he could not keep.
When asked about the possibility of a tax to provide the healthcare Hoover said, “The idea they would even consider a tax increase to cover these services, I think just shows where California’s priorities are. The governor, to his credit, is trying to be a little more responsible.”
“We have to pass a responsible budget and what’s going to help Latinos and Californians in general is making sure we’re staying within our limits on spending,” Hoover said.
The issue will be one of the biggest sticking points between California’s Legislature, which is dominated by Democrats, and the governor. They are expected to nail down a state spending plan by the end of June.
