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SCG Policy Update

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State Budget Adopted: New Investments in Early Childhood, Child Welfare, Housing, Homelessness, Healthcare and Health Access, and Justice Reinvestments

Publication date: 
06/24/2019

The California State Legislature passed a $214.8 billion budget that makes “one-time” investments in key priority areas, such as homelessness, ongoing commitments to health access and early childhood, and contributions to “rainy day” funds that protect the state from a predicted economic downturn. Key highlights from the budget include:

Funding Issue Area & Geographic Regions
Type of resource 
SCG Policy Update
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Criminal Justice Reform: Changes to the Pretrial System

Publication date: 
01/07/2019

In 2017-8 California State Legislative Session, SCG developed an analysis on the background and implications of Senate Bill (SB) 10 (Hertzberg), which proposed to restrict the practice of setting “monetary bail” by establishing a risk assessment tool conducted by judges. Monetary bail is a sum of money that an accused person awaiting trial can deposit to receive a temporary release from jail. The deposit conceptually acts as an incentive for accused persons to return to court. SB 10 proposed an alternative to monetary bail system with a statewide “risk assessment tool”. The tool determines whether defendants can be safely released from jail while awaiting trial. SB 10 proposed this change because the bail system unfairly affects individuals who cannot afford to pay for bail.

Funding Issue Area & Geographic Regions
Type of resource 
SCG Policy Update
Funding Area 
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETYPUBLIC POLICY & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
Geographic Location 
CaliforniaSouthern California
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Request for Action – Public Charge

Publication date: 
10/05/2018

On September 22, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a proposed rule to revise the criteria for “public charge.” Public charge refers to guidelines employed by immigration officers to determine if an immigrant is likely to become “primarily dependent on the government for subsistence.”

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2020 Census: Hard-to-Count Fact Sheets

Publication date: 
09/10/2018

The Census Bureau faces various challenges to an unconventional census which includes a new online response option and the pending inclusion of the citizenship question. These challenges increase the potential of undercounting historically underrepresented groups referred to as “Hard-to-Count” (HTC) communities. These groups are at higher risk of not being fully counted in the 2020 Census which can lead to unequal access to vital public and private resources.

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Career and Technical Education (CTE): Public Policy Changes to the CTE Landscape

Publication date: 
09/06/2018

By Gustavo Medrano, Public Policy Intern

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