Jewish Caucus Budget Priorities Funded in New State Budget

Sacramento, CA – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a $214.8 billion budget that includes five budget priorities of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus:

• $15 million to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program
• $6 million to expand the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
• $23.5 million to rebuild Jewish camps destroyed by the Woolsey and Tubbs wildfires
• $14.8 million to the Multipurpose Senior Services Program
• $5 million to a restorative justice pilot program in San Joaquin County

The Jewish Caucus made formal requests to Governor Newsom and the legislature’s budget committees to include these budget items in the FY 2019-2020 Budget.

The Nonprofit Security Grant Program assists nonprofits at risk of hate-motivated violence improve their security. This funding supports religious institutions, community centers, schools, and similar locations.

The Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) provides social and health services for frail elderly individuals so that they can remain living in their homes and avoid costly institutionalization. Many seniors who utilize this program are Holocaust survivors.

The restorative justice pilot program was one of the Jewish Caucus’s Tikkun Olam—Repairing the World priority bills, SB 678 (Glazer), which was included in the budget. This pilot will create an innovative alternative to traditional sentencing in San Joaquin County.

“This has been a successful year for the Jewish Caucus and its work improving quality of life in the Jewish community and for all Californians,” said Senator Ben Allen, Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus. “In the wake of increases in acts of antisemitism and bigotry of all forms, destruction caused by the state's wildfires, and the ever-pressing need for health care in our aging Holocaust survivor population and others who have experienced trauma, we asked more of our state leaders than ever before, and they stood with us. We are grateful to Governor Newsom, the legislative leadership, and countless community organizations for supporting our Caucus budget requests.”

“The 2019-20 Budget prioritizes the needs of California’s Jewish community. The Legislature and the Governor demonstrated a commitment to rebuild Jewish summer camps after the devastating fires, to protect our communities from hate-motivated violence, and to ensure Holocaust Education is a top priority,” said Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, Vice Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus and author of AB 1548. “I am especially proud of the $15 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, a major step forward in protecting communities targeted by hate. Government’s most fundamental responsibility is to protect its citizens, and everyone should feel safe and comfortable in a house of worship, regardless of their faith. The California Legislative Jewish Caucus is committed to improving the safety of Jews and other groups targeted by hate-motivated violence.”

“Since 2015, JPAC has supported the California Nonprofit Security Grant Program to strengthen the security of nonprofits at risk of terrorist attacks and hate-motivated violence,” said Julie Zeisler, JPAC Executive Director. “As the representative of California’s organized Jewish community, JPAC has a long history of advocating for a stop to Anti-Semitism and hate crimes, and we believe that California must take action to address the rise in hate-motivated violence, vandalism and rhetoric.  The California Nonprofit Security Grant Program helps to move us in the right direction to protect organizations from those who seek to do harm.”

“We are extremely grateful to Senator Ben Allen, Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, and the entire Legislative Jewish Caucus for supporting the Museum’s expansion project,” said Beth Kean, the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust. “As hate rhetoric and hate crimes increase, there is a growing need to educate students and the public on the dangers of bigotry and intolerance. And as Holocaust survivors age, it is critical that as many people as possible hear their experiences and carry on their voices and messages.”

“The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles could not be more grateful for the work and support of the State Legislature, the California Legislative Jewish Caucus (including Senators Ben Allen and Henry Stern and Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, who are all graduates of our Rautenberg New Leaders Project) and Governor Newsom for their tireless efforts to secure this funding,” said Jay Sanderson, President & CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. “For any child, the summer camp experience is a truly transformative gift, and the Federation is committed to standing with our camps as they rebuild. The affected camps are vital institutions for so many ― not just within the Jewish community, but for the greater community across the spectrum of race, gender, nationality, and faith. They provide educational opportunities and resources to numerous entities year-round, and these funds are critical to continuing these programs.”

“Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles (JFS) deeply appreciates California’s much-needed investment in MSSP,” said Eli Veitzer, President & CEO of Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles. “Since piloting the program nearly 40 years ago, JFS has provided MSSP’s intensive care management services to more than 10,000 medically fragile, low-income seniors. It has been a privilege to help our older adults, including hundreds of Holocaust Survivors, live safely and with dignity in our community. The leadership of Senator Ben Allen and the Jewish Caucus were critical to the success of this budget request, the first funding augmentation for MSSP in more than 13 years.”

In total, the Jewish Caucus secured $64.3 million for services impacting the Jewish Community. For more information on specific programs please contact our offices.

Contact:           Colleen Beamish, Office of Senator Allen, Colleen.Beamish@sen.ca.gov, (916) 651-4026

                        Alicia Isaacs, Office of Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, Alicia.Isaacs@asm.ca.gov, (916) 319-2045

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