Newsom slashes more than $60M from Fresno-area investments under revised budget
Gov. Gavin Newsom chopped Fresno-area investments from $65 million to $3.2 million in his revised 2020-2021 budget.
In total, Newsom shrank the state’s budget from about $222 billion to $203 billion to make up for a projected $54.3 billion budget deficit brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Nothing breaks my heart more than having to make budget cuts,” Newsom said during a news conference Thursday. “There’s a human being behind every single number.”
Fresno was initially slated to receive $15 million to expand the UCSF Fresno Medical School Campus; $33 million to establish a “Fresno-Madera Food Innovation Corridor” to increase the sustainability of agriculture and high-income jobs; and $17 million for an initiative to raise high school graduation rates and improve access to higher education.
The state will now invest only $1.2 million on the medical campus and $2 million in the food program. The education initiative was eliminated.
The Central Valley Community Foundation and 150 local organizations spearheaded the DRIVE Initiative.
The original proposal, presented during the governor’s visit to Fresno in November, included a $4.2 billion plan to revitalize Fresno, focusing on lifting marginalized communities. The governor’s $65 million pledge to cover a fraction of that vision represented a significant win for the San Joaquin Valley.
“What you put together, that document, is as good as it gets,” Newsom said of the investment plan during his November visit. “It is the spirit of regions rising together, and it’s a template for this state. It really is. And so, my commitment to you is to make it real.”
Ashley Swearengin, President and CEO of the Central Valley Community Foundation, said they were still grateful for the funds, “even at greatly reduced amounts.”
“Economic diversification and quality healthcare are both critical components to inclusive economic recovery, now more than ever before, and we will do our best to leverage these dollars through private and philanthropic funding,” she said.
This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 6:32 PM.
