Legislative Women’s Caucus Releases Statement on Governor’s May Revision

SACRAMENTO – Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), Chair of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus released the following statement in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s May Revision:

“The pandemic has shattered decades of progress improving women’s economic advancement and participation rates in the workforce, lowering them to mid-1980s levels. Many women who left jobs did so because of caregiving duties, many others because the job they held was eliminated. As we examine the details of the May Revise, child care and women’s economic security will remain a priority for the Women’s Caucus,” said Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), Chair of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus. ‘While we are pleased with the Governor’s proposal to increase child care spaces by 100,000, we stand by our budget request to expand the number of children served by 200,000, implement child care reimbursement rate reform, waive family fees for all families, and modernize the administration of child care programs.

“California is a diverse state with diverse child care needs, as such; we need to ensure that our expansion of slots has diversity of care providers and targets kids from 0-12. We must simultaneously increase both provider rates and the number of child care spaces as well as waiving the fees on low-income families.

“Nothing less than California’s strong economic recovery and an equitable future for women and children is at stake. Proper funding for providers —our child care heroes, will positively impact the predominantly female workforce that delivers care to our children; the families who can return to the workforce; and the children who benefit now who are our future workforce. We thank Governor Gavin Newsom for his proposed investment in child care and we look forward to continue working with his Administration, as well as Senate and Assembly leadership. Together, we know that we will get women back to work and children back to learning.”

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