SOUTH LOS ANGELES — Community health clinics here and in surrounding areas are joining together to express their opposition to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed state budget cuts for the 2025-26 fiscal year, cuts that could lead to significant staff reductions and possible closures of some facilities.
Local health officials and legislators, concerned over the alarming impact the cuts could have are mounting a proactive response before the state Legislature’s June 15 deadline to approve Newsom’s next budget.
“These kinds of cuts will deal with the most vulnerable in our society,” U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters told The Wave. “My strategy is to do everything I can to make sure these cuts don’t happen. I’m very worried about this.”
Reducing revenue for state-funded health operators and Medi-Cal benefits is part of Newsom’s efforts to address the state’s reported $12 billion deficit. A key component in the proposed Medi-Cal cuts is eliminating free health care for undocumented immigrants and requiring them to pay a $100 monthly premium.
“Many residents in South L.A. will feel the pain of something like that,” Waters said of Newsom’s proposed new Medi-Cal policy for immigrants. “A lot of people depend on Medi-Cal.”
Newsom is proposing budget cuts for a third consecutive year. This time, Newsom appears to be taking a direct aim at health clinics that are vital to underserved communities. A majority of the clinics are able to offer quality health care services to residents at reduced costs.
Revenue cuts would force layoffs of doctors and support staff at some clinics and lead to higher medical costs if Medi-Cal benefits are reduced.
“Here in California, everybody is in formation. … There is strength in diversity,” said Darryn Harris, chief government affairs and community relations officer at St. John’s Health Clinics in Los Angeles. “We have a well-oiled machine to stand up to the governor. Clinics, labor organizations and others are standing together. I’m expecting the Legislature to do what’s right.”
St. John’s has 30 clinics in Southern California and could be one of the hardest hit community health care operations.
St. John’s is coordinating a campaign to make the opposition to Newsom’s proposed budget cuts as public as possible. With support from other organizations and agencies, St. John’s has crafted an open letter to Newsom that is scheduled to appear as an advertisement in the Los Angeles Times. Similar letters are being planned for other newspapers and media outlets around the country.
Harris said the campaign has received financial support from the Health Justice Action Fund. One of the missions of the campaign, Harris said, is to “educate voters on important legislation, ballot measures and key elections in our community.”
In the November elections in 2024, California residents voted to approve Proposition 35, a measure that provided revenue for “managed care organizations” to help pay increases in Medi-Cal rates.
Newsom is now proposing to take $1.3 billion out of the Prop. 35 revenue as part of his budget cuts, a plan that also is meeting resistance in the local health care community.
“We’ve been advocating for months for our clinics to maintain their revenue,” said Andrea Williams, executive director of the South Side Coalition of Community Health Centers, an agency that works with eight community clinics in South L.A. “We’ve been to (Washington) D.C. and Sacramento in recent weeks. We’re trying to make our case. There’s hope that the cuts won’t be as detrimental to our services.”
Williams and Harris, as well as other local health care officials, understand the reality that the Legislature will have to approve some cuts in Newsom’s proposal. The ideal outcome is that the legislature ultimately decides to make reductions elsewhere to minimize the impact on local clinics.
Newsom’s proposed cuts could have damaging effects on a number of clinics, including the Watts Health Foundation, UMMA Health Clinics and the Venice Clinic. The impact also could reach community clinics in areas such as Compton, Inglewood, Hawthorne, New Lennox and Gardena.
“California’s budget outlook is dire, with proposed cuts harming millions of Black Californians,” Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor, D-Inglewood, said in a statement. “The Legislative Black Caucus and I are working around the clock to pass an on time, balanced budget that protects investments made in Black communities.
“With the constant chaos from the federal government, we must look at all options to help balance the state’s budget — including new revenue from mega-wealthy billionaires.”
Ray Richardson is a contributing writer for The Wave Newspaper. He can be reached at rayrich55@gmail.com.
