NextGen California Executive Director Arnold Sowell, Jr. released the following statement regarding Governor Newsom’s 2020-2021 budget proposal: 

The Governor’s proposed budget prioritizes the dire need to reach California’s most vulnerable communities caught in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. NextGen appreciates the sizable funding commitments made in the K-12 and higher education, economic recovery, housing, electric vehicles, and climate arenas. Our efforts will continue to push for additional resources to help address the issue of income inequality in the state. Such as: closing the digital divide for distance learning, tele-work, tele-training, tele-health and e-commerce purposes, providing more relief for small businesses and low-income families, providing relief for those who are food insecure, and fast-tracking the implementation of environmental and economic justice programs. Our team is looking deeper into the budget and will be offering a more thorough analysis in the days to come. We applaud the Governor’s initial proposal, and look forward to working with his team, the Legislature and key stakeholders in pursuing a just and equitable budget for California as we recover from this crisis.

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