Immigrants’ rights groups in California exhaled loudly after seeing the state’s final budget, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed June 29. Despite needing to make deep spending cuts to address significant deficits, the 2024-25 budget kept intact a legal advocacy program that is central to improving the lives of immigrants but had been on the chopping block.
It wasn’t a perfect ending. The governor also decided to delay a promised program that would extend badly needed food benefits to older Californians regardless of their immigration status. Still, progress was made, albeit in halting steps.
