Quick Take
A group of 100 local organizers, advocates, volunteers and more will visit Sacramento next week to meet with lawmakers and urge them to reject Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Medi-Cal proposals that could further restrict undocumented immigrants’ ability to receive health care.
As budget season continues for both state and local governments, a group of about 100 local organizers, advocates and volunteer leaders are traveling to Sacramento on Monday to urge lawmakers to reject Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed new restrictions on Medi-Cal, which would have serious implications for undocumented immigrants.
Under Newsom’s proposal, announced in mid-May, Medi-Cal — the California implementation of the federal Medicaid program that serves low-income residents — would no longer allow undocumented residents 19 and older to enroll in the program. Additionally, the governor proposed that adults whose immigration status makes them ineligible for federal Medicaid should pay a $100 monthly premium starting in 2027.
The lobbying trip, organized by Monterey-based group Communities Organized for Relational Power in Action (COPA) and the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council, will include representatives from Community Bridges, Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Unite Here Local 19 and more.
COPA organizer Eli Holliday said Newsom’s proposals raise serious concerns, as Monterey and Santa Cruz counties are already very expensive places to get health care. Should Newsom’s proposal go through, health care for the most vulnerable will become even more expensive and less accessible.
“A $100 a month [premium] is maybe not a lot to a tech worker, but it is a lot of money to someone who’s only making $30,000 a year or less,” he said, adding that for a farmworker, one month of being rained out too many times could mean missing a payment on their Medi-Cal coverage.
Holliday said that the Sacramento-bound group has already set up meetings with the offices of some area elected officials, including state Assemblymembers Gail Pellerin and Dawn Addis and state Sen. John Laird. That could mean either the elected officials themselves, or another member of their staff like their policy director in charge of health care policy or their chief of staff.
Holliday added that organizers are also pursuing meetings with officials who sit on the Assembly budget health subcommittee and the Senate budget health subcommittee. Holliday said he believes a big showing of local leaders can make an impact on the state legislature and convince lawmakers to reject the proposals.
“Our region is set up very well to lobby around this issue,” Holliday said, pointing to Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, whose office organizers met with in late May, and Addis, who is the chair for the Assembly subcommittee on health, both of whom are based in the Central Coast. Holliday said Rivas’ office appeared unwilling to commit to any action to fight the governor’s proposal.
“I think there was empathy, recognition that it is a problem, and that it’s wrong to balance the budget on the backs of immigrants,” he said. “But there was no commitment to a position with us.”
COPA is a part of a statewide network of sister organizations, all of which are sending a delegation to join the local organizers on Monday. The organizations are also working with Health Access California and the California Immigrant Policy Center, which are also doing a day of advocacy around the same issues.
Along with the importance of face-to-face talks with legislators, Holliday said that such a major organizing effort among local groups is notable in itself.
“It is irregular for 100 people to drive three hours from one region,” he said. Doing that, holding a press conference, and meeting with elected officials gets some credibility, and shows that it matters and it’s important.”
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