Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

11 hours ago

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Actor Michael Madsen Dies at 67

11 hours ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

12 hours ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

13 hours ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

15 hours ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

16 hours ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

16 hours ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

17 hours ago
911 Upgrade Could Cost Californians Despite Budget Surplus
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
June 14, 2019

Share

SACRAMENTO — A $214.8 billion budget approved Thursday by California lawmakers would upgrade the state’s aging 911 system following the most devastating wildfire season in state history and help middle class families pay their monthly health insurance premiums.
To fund those changes, however, lawmakers want to impose a new monthly fee on phone bills and tax people who refuse to buy private health insurance, even though the state has a projected $21.5 billion surplus, the largest in at least 20 years.
Republican Assemblyman Jay Obernolte, vice chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee, said it’s “unconscionable” to ask taxpayers to fund the 911 upgrades when there is such a large surplus.
Democrats, who have super majorities in both houses of the Legislature, counter that they don’t want to use the surplus to pay for ongoing expenses, something previous Legislatures were eager to do and led to multi-billion dollar budget deficits when the economy soured.
“There is no other state in this union that funds a 911 upgrade with one-time funds,” said state Sen. Mike McGuire, a Democrat representing Healdsburg.

California’s 911 System Based on Technology From 1970s

The massive spending plan, totaling more than 900 pages, directs the spending of tax dollars in the country’s most populous state.
Lawmakers must still pass more than a dozen other bills to implement the budget. The trailer bills could contain important details, such as how to implement the new 911 fee.

“We tried very much to make sure that this budget capitalizes on the fact that we have a strong reserve and we have resources. But that doesn’t mean … that we spend it all. It’s a fee connected to a real issue.” Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins
California’s 911 system is based on technology from the 1970s. It can handle phone calls and some data but not much else. State officials want to replace it with a system that incorporates text messages, videos and photos.
California now pays for the system with a fee on phone calls. But the fund has been steadily losing money as more people send text messages instead.
Some lawmakers want to replace the call fee with a flat fee on all phone bills. The plan would authorize the Office of Emergency Services to impose a fee of as much as 80 cents a month, based on the number of phones used in the state. State officials expect the fee to be about 34 cents a month.
“We tried very much to make sure that this budget capitalizes on the fact that we have a strong reserve and we have resources. But that doesn’t mean … that we spend it all,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, a Democrat from San Diego. “It’s a fee connected to a real issue.”
 

Newsom Has 12 Days to Sign or Veto Budget

The spending plan is the first under Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has 12 days to sign it or veto parts of it.
It would also make California the first state to help people who earn between four and six times the federal poverty level pay their monthly health insurance premiums.
That means families of four who earn as much as $150,500 a year would be eligible.
Lawmakers plan to pay for part of that by taxing people who refuse to purchase private health insurance. That tax had been law nationwide under former Democratic President Barack Obama’s health care law, but Republicans in Congress eliminated the penalty as part of a 2017 overhaul to the federal tax code.
The proposal has angered some Republicans, who note the budget would also make some low-income adults living in the country illegally eligible for taxpayer-funded health insurance. Only adults between 19 and 25 would be eligible.

Making Sure Everyone Has Health Insurance

“The biggest increase in this budget is for people who aren’t even citizens,” said Assemblyman Devon Mathis, a Republican who represents Porterville.

“As our economy has been doing great, we know that at some point soon a recession will be coming and we need to make sure we are saving that money for a rainy day.” — Assemblyman Phil Ting
Democrats say the two health care proposals are designed to make sure everyone in California has health insurance.
“We want to make sure California is becoming healthier,” said Assemblyman Phil Ting, a Democrat from San Francisco and chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee.
The budget proposal also increases spending for public education, housing and programs to combat homelessness. It would bring state reserves to $19.4 billion, or about half of what the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office says is needed to weather the next recession.
“As our economy has been doing great, we know that at some point soon a recession will be coming and we need to make sure we are saving that money for a rainy day,” Ting said.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

DON'T MISS

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

DON'T MISS

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

DON'T MISS

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

DON'T MISS

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

DON'T MISS

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

DON'T MISS

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

DON'T MISS

Over 100 Former Senior Officials Warn Against Planned Staff Cuts at US State Department

DON'T MISS

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

UP NEXT

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

UP NEXT

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

UP NEXT

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to 35,000 Acres, More Evacuations Ordered

UP NEXT

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

UP NEXT

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

UP NEXT

CHP Officer Dies in Line of Duty After Medical Emergency While on Patrol

UP NEXT

Downtown Housing Could Rise in Many California Cities, but Barriers Remain

UP NEXT

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

UP NEXT

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

UP NEXT

California Republicans Send Message to Trump: Deport Criminals, Not Our Vital Workers

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

9 hours ago

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

9 hours ago

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

9 hours ago

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

10 hours ago

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

10 hours ago

Over 100 Former Senior Officials Warn Against Planned Staff Cuts at US State Department

10 hours ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

11 hours ago

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Actor Michael Madsen Dies at 67

11 hours ago

Fresno Police Recover Some of the $40,000 in Fireworks Stolen From Bullard High Team

11 hours ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

12 hours ago

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

A two-vehicle collision sent a woman driving one of the vehicles to the hospital with a head injury Thursday afternoon in Fresno. Fresno pol...

7 hours ago

A crash causes a traffic jam in northwest Fresno on Thursday, July 3, 2025. (GV Wire/Paul Marshall)
7 hours ago

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

The Madre Fire near New Cuyama has burned 52,593 acres with 5% containment, prompting evacuation orders in several San Luis Obispo County zones as of Thursday, July 3, 2025, afternoon. (CalFire)
8 hours ago

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

8 hours ago

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

9 hours ago

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

An ICE agent talks with migrants about their scheduled appointments with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Father’s Day, to learn about their immigration status, in Chicago, Illinois., U.S., June 15, 2025. (Reuters File)
9 hours ago

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

Boeing logo and miniature satellite model are seen in this illustration taken, March 10, 2025. (Reuters File)
9 hours ago

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

10 hours ago

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

Clovis Police are searching for Pathmani Goonawardena, 82, who went missing nearly three weeks ago and was last seen driving a white Volvo near Copper and Auberry, possibly en route to Coarsegold. (CHP)
10 hours ago

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend