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U.S. NEWS Friday 14 June 2019
911 upgrade could cost Californians despite budget surplus

By ADAM BEAM calls. But the fund has been Mathis, a Republican who
Associated Press steadily losing money as represents Porterville.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) more people send text Democrats say the two
— A $214.8 billion budget messages instead. health care proposals are
approved Thursday by Cal- Some lawmakers want to designed to make sure
ifornia lawmakers would replace the call fee with a everyone in California has
upgrade the state’s aging flat fee on all phone bills. health insurance.
911 system following the The plan would authorize “We want to make sure
most devastating wildfire the Office of Emergency California is becoming
season in state history and Services to impose a fee healthier,” said Assembly-
help middle class families of as much as 80 cents a man Phil Ting, a Democrat
pay their monthly health in- month, based on the num- from San Francisco and
surance premiums. ber of phones used in the chairman of the Assembly
To fund those changes, state. Budget Committee.
however, lawmakers want State officials expect the The budget proposal also
to impose a new monthly fee to be about 34 cents a increases spending for
fee on phone bills and tax month. public education, hous-
people who refuse to buy “We tried very much to ing and programs to com-
private health insurance, make sure that this budget bat homelessness. It would In this May 9, 2019, file photo, California Gov. Gavin Newsom
even though the state has capitalizes on the fact that bring state reserves to $19.4 gestures towards a chart with proposed funding to deal with the
a projected $21.5 billion we have a strong reserve billion, or about half of state’s homelessness as he discusses his revised state budget
surplus, the largest in at and we have resources. what the nonpartisan Leg- during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif.
least 20 years. But that doesn’t mean ... islative Analyst’s Office says Associated Press
Republican Assemblyman that we spend it all,” said is needed to weather the doing great, we know that need to make sure we are
Jay Obernolte, vice chair- Senate President Pro Tem- next recession. at some point soon a reces- saving that money for a
man of the Assembly Bud- pore Toni Atkins, a Demo- “As our economy has been sion will be coming and we rainy day,” Ting said.q
get Committee, said it’s crat from San Diego. “It’s
“unconscionable” to ask a fee connected to a real
taxpayers to fund the 911 issue.”
upgrades when there is The spending plan is the first
such a large surplus. under Democratic Gov.
Democrats, who have su- Gavin Newsom, who has
per majorities in both hous- 12 days to sign it or veto
es of the Legislature, coun- parts of it.
ter that they don’t want to It would also make Cali-
use the surplus to pay for fornia the first state to help
ongoing expenses, some- people who earn between
thing previous Legislatures four and six times the fed-
were eager to do and led eral poverty level pay their
to multi-billion dollar bud- monthly health insurance
get deficits when the econ- premiums.
omy soured. That means families of
“There is no other state in four who earn as much as
this union that funds a 911 $150,500 a year would be
upgrade with one-time eligible.
funds,” said state Sen. Mike Lawmakers plan to pay
McGuire, a Democrat rep- for part of that by taxing
resenting Healdsburg. people who refuse to pur-
The massive spending plan, chase private health insur-
totaling more than 900 ance. That tax had been
pages, directs the spend- law nationwide under for-
ing of tax dollars in the mer Democratic President
country’s most populous Barack Obama’s health
state. care law, but Republicans
Lawmakers must still pass in Congress eliminated the
more than a dozen other penalty as part of a 2017
bills to implement the bud- overhaul to the federal tax
get. The trailer bills could code.
contain important details, The proposal has angered
such as how to implement some Republicans, who
the new 911 fee. note the budget would
California’s 911 system is also make some low-in-
based on technology from come adults living in the
the 1970s. It can handle country illegally eligible for
phone calls and some data taxpayer-funded health
but not much else. State insurance. Only adults be-
officials want to replace it tween 19 and 25 would be
with a system that incorpo- eligible.
rates text messages, videos “The biggest increase in
and photos. this budget is for people
California now pays for the who aren’t even citizens,”
system with a fee on phone said Assemblyman Devon