The Stapler Sidebar: Breaking down the CA Budget

Written By Glen Warren

Each quarter, Calkin PA head of client service Richard Stapler will break down one of most timely issues facing Californians. This quarter’s newsletter he focuses on the CA budget:

California is no stranger to multi-billion-dollar budget deficits. Budget writers have literally thousands of tools at their disposal to trim, tuck, delay, disregard, override, work around, paper over, or otherwise push off budget cuts. That said, Newton’s Third Law of Physics applies here - for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. And this is absolutely the space where public affairs campaigns come into play. From all-out lobbying and earned media efforts to district visits to hyper-targeted digital campaigns, a well-conceived public affairs campaign can ensure your story isn’t just told, it’s heard and seen.

But first, a short list of cuts and shifts that might not have gotten as much coverage for your consideration:

Foster Youth:

Healthcare:

  • Reallocate $500 million from the tobacco tax, originally earmarked for family planning and women’s health, into the general fund.

  • Divert $1.6 billion from Proposition 35 funds—intended to raise Medi-Cal provider pay—to cover general health costs instead.

  • Eliminates the Workforce and Quality Incentive Program (which is meant to incentivizes improvements in staffing, training, and patient care) and suspends the requirement to maintain a backup power system for at least 96 hours, resulting in General Fund savings of $168.2 million in 2025-26 and $140 million ongoing. (Unclear what percentage of these cost reductions are attributed to the program vs generator procurement and maintenance.)

Child Care:

  • Emergency Child Care Bridge*—A reduction of $42.7 million General Fund in 2025-26 and ongoing. The proposal maintains $51 million in annual ongoing funding for the Emergency Child Care Bridge program.

For each of these critical areas of state funding exists committed constituencies who will utilize every tool they can to ensure their programs are spared.

The People: Executive Directors, Board Members, In-House Advocates, Contract Lobbyists, and most importantly the constituencies

  • Constituencies can visit for lobby days, provide “me too!” testimony, write letters, show up at district offices, and more.

  • Executive Directors and Board Members often have high profiles in legislative districts and will make themselves heard and known.

  • In-House and contract Lobbyists will use every tool and relationship they have to protect their clients.

The Campaign: a campaign to restore funding leverages the People and their stories. Budget cuts have real impacts, and lawmakers need to hear their stories. With digital efforts, you can tell your own story, too.

  • Earned Media: in this splintered media environment, there still exists any number of publications that cover the state legislature. Importantly, there are also specialty publications that cover specific industries and policy areas. Media professionals will utilize relationships and knowledge of the publications and reporters to ensure fair, thoughtful coverage.

  • Digital Campaigns: even in a splintered media environment, a well-conceived digital campaign can ensure targeted amplification well beyond its readership.

    • In-district: ensure opinionmakers in key legislators’ districts are aware of budget cut impacts.

    • Governor and Key Staff: with the right targeting, ensure areas those in primary leadership roles are keyed in on the human impacts of these cuts.

Glen Warren
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