As a kid, I often saw signs at construction sites that read, “Your Tax Dollars at Work.” At the time, I didn’t think much about them — I wasn’t paying taxes, so they didn’t mean much. Today, as a single mom, I understand just how hard people work to keep a roof over their heads, provide for their families, and give their children every opportunity to thrive.
That’s why I believe it’s important for our community to know where your tax dollars are going.
This was another incredibly difficult budget year. With billions in federal funding cuts that are raising costs for Californians and businesses, there were real concerns about how we would continue delivering healthcare, address housing affordability, provide food assistance, better fund our schools, fund public safety, help our seniors, and support our communities.
But we were able to protect these important investments, all while cutting our annual budget deficit in half and putting away billions in reserves.
No budget is perfect, and I didn’t support every part of the budget we passed this year — including any initiatives that raise taxes. But we worked hard to balance fiscal responsibility with compassionate budgeting and there were many investments to be proud of.
Throughout the process, my top priority was making sure that the needs of our community remained front and center.
As a result, your hard-earned tax dollars are being put to work in impactful ways that I want to make sure you know about.
One of the most important victories was securing $50 million to backfill reductions to the federal Victims of Crime Act program.
VOCA funding is critical, ensuring victims of crime have the support and services they need to not just survive their circumstances, but thrive in life. With federal funding declining dramatically, organizations that provide counseling for survivors and their children, legal assistance, emergency shelter, and even a ride in the middle of the night were at risk. This funding helps keep the doors open at important organizations like the Child and Family Center right here in Santa Clarita, which is why this is the second year in a row that I have led efforts to secure this funding.
As a former nurse advocate, ensuring people have the health care they need when they need it is always a top priority. We also secured $213 million for counties to fund Medi-Cal eligibility workers.
For families, seniors and individuals with disabilities who rely on Medi-Cal for doctor’s visits, prescriptions and essential care, this investment could mean the difference between staying covered and losing access to health care.
This investment comes at a critical time, as changes in federal policy creates new red tape, making it harder for people to maintain their health coverage — with experts estimating that more than a million people could lose coverage.
This funding, which I fought hard to secure, will allow counties to hire and retain staff who can help people navigate the process, and ensure people who qualify keep their health care.
Another important win was securing $7.7 million in bridge funding for Congregate Living Health Facilities. CLHFs provide specialized care for some of our most medically fragile residents, including people who require intensive health care services.
For decades, these providers have not received one single pay increase. So for two years, I advocated for support to help these facilities transition from an outdated reimbursement system. Without this support, facilities could face financial instability that threatens patient care — and with so few choices for families, the loss of one congregate living facility can mean significant hardship and loss of time with loved ones.
This funding helps ensure continuity of services, provides stability for patients and families who depend on these facilities, and saves families and taxpayers millions of dollars in what would be much more expensive Medi-Cal payments to hospitals.
I also fought to protect $5.14 million to support the state’s response to the Chiquita Canyon Landfill crisis and other landfills experiencing elevated temperature events. For residents living near Chiquita Canyon, this issue has affected daily life for years, significantly harming their health and quality of life.
Preserving this funding ensures that state agencies have the staff and resources necessary to continue responding to the crisis and strengthens California’s ability to respond to similar landfill emergencies elsewhere in the state.
And that’s not all. The budget also prioritizes investments in wildfire protection, higher education, child care, school funding, homelessness prevention and housing support.
And, it includes $375 million in new funding for Proposition 36 implementation, including support for courts, mental health treatment, and rehabilitation, building on the $300 million provided last year.
While this year’s budget required difficult choices to both protect your tax dollars and our community, I always focused on treating every dollar with the respect and discernment it deserves.
We had 62 budget hearings, many of them going late into the evening to ensure every member of the public was heard, to scrutinize state programs and funding streams, and to direct dollars towards programs that produce results.
These investments demonstrate what is possible when we focus on the real needs of our communities.
There is still more work to do, especially as federal funding challenges continue, but I remain committed to fighting for the resources our communities need and deserve. Every budget is ultimately about priorities, and I will continue working to ensure that California’s priorities reflect the priorities of our community.
Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, represents the 40th Assembly District, which includes most of the Santa Clarita Valley in addition to the northwest San Fernando Valley. “Democratic Voices” appears Tuesdays and rotates among local Democrats.
