June 9, 2025

Welcome back to another issue of NextGen’s What’s Next newsletter – we hope you’re staying cool and are ready to kick off your summer! With both the May Revise and the first house floor sessions behind us, the NextGen team is now preparing to settle into the next phase of the legislative cycle, final budget negotiations, and second house policy committees. In this edition of What’s Next, we’re looking forward to sharing a few upcoming initiatives and current projects with you, including how to RSVP for our upcoming Student Debt Clinic virtual workshop being held tomorrow, Tuesday, June 10th; information on how impactful California’s Healthy School Food Pathways program has been in the lives of food professionals, students, and families; and several other topics.

The NextGen team is also thrilled to be celebrating Pride Month and the incredible individuals and organizations who are part of and stand in allyship with the LGBTQ+ community! All month long we’ll be celebrating Pride by highlighting events, resources, organizations, and individuals who stand with and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community through our social media channels. Visit our Bluesky page to see who we’ve shouted out so far, and stay tuned for more shoutouts coming soon in celebration of Pride 2025!

Let’s take a look at What’s Next here at NextGen:

★ Join Tomorrow’s Virtual Student Debt Clinic: Tomorrow is a big day for student borrowers – please plan to join NextGen for our virtual Student Debt Clinic workshop starting at 11 AM PT, Tuesday, June 10th! Along with our partners at the Student Debt Crisis Center (SDCC), we will provide important updates on the current federal student loan environment, overview the various repayment options available to student loan borrowers, and provide answers to your most pressing questions. We encourage all student loan borrowers to join us  – RSVP for NextGen’s virtual Student Debt Clinic workshop today!

★ How the Healthy School Food Pathways Program Helps: It’s no secret that NextGen is a big advocate for TK-12 students receiving nutritious, freshly prepared, free school meals – this is known as the Schools Meals For All Program. A huge part of ensuring that students receive healthy school meals is the hard work of our state’s dedicated school food professionals. That’s why California’s Healthy School Food Pathway (HSFP) program, which provides apprenticeship opportunities for school food workers, is such a critical component of the School Meals for All program.

One participant who graduated from the HSFP program had this to say about the positive effects the program has had on their life: “Graduating from the Healthy School Food Pathway Fellowship was a turning point in my career…without the HSFP Fellowship, I wouldn’t have had the tools or support to grow in this way.” As state budget conversations continue, let’s keep lifting up our school food professionals by urging the Legislature and the Governor to include three more years of funding for the Healthy School Food Pathway program!

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★ Did You Kno w? Mark your calendars for an important day coming soon – Thursday, June 19th is the national celebration of Juneteenth! Our nation commemorates the end of slavery on this day and, at NextGen, we will also take this time to honor the innumerable contributions that Black Americans have made to our country. In recognition of Juneteenth, NextGen encourages you to take a look at the digital resources available from the National African American Museum to learn more about the cultural and historical significance of Juneteenth.

★ Member Spotlight: This week, NextGen is shining a spotlight on Assemblymember Christopher Ward, who represents the state’s 78th Assembly District in San Diego County. Assemblymember Ward has served in the California Assembly since 2020 and throughout this tenure he has worked on a range of issues including housing and homelessness, climate justice, and other legislative efforts to help better the lives of all Californians. He currently serves as Chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, a group of State Legislators working together to help foster equity and inclusion for California’s LGBTQ community (check out our shoutout in celebration of Pride Month), and he previously served as Speaker pro Tempore. NextGen is thankful for Assemblymember Ward’s ongoing leadership and commitment to improving the lives of all Californians. Make sure to follow Assemblymember Ward on Bluesky to stay up-to-date with his work!

★ Legislative Deadlines and Insights: We are now officially at the halfway point in the California Legislative process! Last Friday, June 6th was the House of Origin deadline – generally, bills follow the path of passing their house of introduction first. Last week consisted of long legislative session days, where Legislators and their staff stayed well past dinner time to work through the bills sitting on their floor. Now all the Assembly Bills (ABs) that were passed now go through all the same steps but in the Senate – the same goes for all the Senate Bills (SBs) which are now in the Assembly. So, up next, the Capitol Community will focus on the final state budget and second house policy committee hearings.

The Legislature is inching closer to the next deadline in the state budget process, as required by the state constitution, and a balanced budget must be passed by midnight on June 15th. The Governor will then have two weeks to take action on the budget bill – sign it (along with the option to decrease or cut items called blue penciling); veto it in its entirety; or take no action and allow it to become law. Only the budget bill needs to be passed by the deadline, and it has yet to be seen if a package of accompanying trailer bills – bills containing necessary policy changes to implement the budget bill – will be ready to be voted on along with the budget bill by the deadline. The Legislature plans to work up through the deadline, so the Capitol Community is bracing for a long week that may stretch into the weekend.

★ Follow NextGen on Bluesky: NextGen is now active on Bluesky! We encourage you to check us out there and receive the latest updates on bills and budget issues pending before the California State Legislature, learn more about the NextGen team’s advocacy efforts, and discover opportunities on how you can take meaningful action to help build a more equitable, prosperous, and climate resilient California for all. We’ll see you over on Bluesky – follow us today!

★ Our Mission: NextGen California is a nonprofit advocacy organization that breaks down barriers and rebalances power in the State Capitol on behalf of all Californians.

Thank you for being a part of our journey toward a more equitable California. As we continue to push for progressive policy change, we invite you to make a difference by donating to support our organization. Your contribution will directly impact our efforts to address environmental, social, and economic inequities throughout the state.

Thank you,
NextGen California