SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Jerry Brown says California needs to make about $1 billion in midyear cuts to schools and social services.
Brown said Tuesday that state revenues have fallen $2.2 billion below projections, triggering automatic midyear reductions to public schools, universities and colleges, Medi-Cal, and in-home support for seniors and the disabled.
The cuts are below previous estimates, allowing the state to avoid deeper cuts to public schools that could have included reducing the school year by up to seven days.
Brown and fellow Democrats in the Legislature had hoped for a $4 billion increase in tax revenue through the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. The budget they passed last summer without Republican support was based on a combination of spending cuts, fee hikes and overly optimistic revenue projections.
Californians will find out Tuesday how much the state will automatically cut from public schools, higher education and a range of state services.
State finance director Ana Matosantos will release the department’s latest forecast for the current fiscal year, which will determine how much in pre-approved cuts the state will need to make starting Jan. 1.
The cuts to be implemented include up to $100 million each to the University of California, California State University, developmental services and in-home support for seniors and the disabled. Community college fees would increase $10 per unit, and reductions would be made for child care assistance, library grants and prisons, among other programs.
