California lawmakers passed a $214.8 billion budget deal Thursday, with new spending on schools, homelessness and health care for undocumented immigrants.
The budget relies on a surplus to add billions to the state’s reserves funds, which will bring the state’s total so-called rainy day fund to $19 billion. It puts hundreds of millions of dollars into other reserves, too, including ones for schools and social services.
Lawmakers are still hashing out final details of some aspects of the budget through so-called trailer bills, which can be passed after the main budget bill. But the bill passed Thursday will provide the major framework for state spending in the next fiscal year, which starts July 1.
“The budget deal will maintain the state’s ongoing commitment to fiscal prudence,” said Sen. Holly Mitchell, a Los Angeles Democrat who leads the committee that oversees the final budget deal. “This budget is bold and responsible.”
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