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All progress

Supporting California Native Americans

Through Executive Order, Governor Newsom issued the state’s first apology to California Native Americans for the violence, maltreatment and neglect California inflicted, and created a Truth and Healing Council. The Governor established a first-ever California Cabinet-level Office of Tribal Affairs and appointed the first Tribal Affairs Secretary. Governor Newsom also encouraged Administration-wide action to support tribal access, co-management, and ownership of their historically dispossessed lands.

Unprecedented support for California’s immigrant communities

As the nation’s most diverse state, California is stronger and more vibrant because of our immigrant communities. Governor Newsom has implemented policies that benefit our communities and the economy, including:

  • Ensuring more immigrant Californians and mixed status families have access to state IDs and vital services, including health care, food, financial relief, legal assistance, and education regardless of status.
  • Ended the Trump Administration’s policy to use California National Guard soldiers for immigration enforcement in 2019, and redeployed those units to support wildfire prevention.
  • Creating a new Office of Immigrant Youth within the Department of Social Services. This office coordinates supportive programs for immigrant youth, invests in school-based supports, and supports ongoing funding so immigrant children facing deportation have access to free immigration attorneys.
  • Advanced efforts to unleash immigrant talent and skills:

     

    • funded entrepreneurship training and microgrants for limited English proficient Californians and undocumented Californians, including DACA beneficiaries
    • signed legislation to allow expedited professional licensing for refugees, asylees, and special immigrant visa holders
    • funded a UC pilot that will foster international entrepreneurs to support job creation and global talent for innovation in areas of need
  • Provided ongoing funding for pro-bono immigration legal services for students, workers and families
  • Created a Rapid Response Fund that has supported immigrants impacted by wildfires, flooding and promoted safety in border communities
  • Removed the word “alien” from use in state law
  • Established a new farmworker immigration-related legal services pilot program to help prevent exploitation
  • Advanced efforts to support federal work permits for undocumented farmworkers by signing legislation authorizing the state to enter into an agreement with the federal government.

Conserving California’s natural beauty

The Governor established the nation’s first 30 by 30 conservation goal (PDF) – 30% percent of the state’s lands and coastal waters preserved by 2030 – with 24.4% of land and 16.2% water conserved so far. Governor Newsom also supported the Klamath Dams Removal, the largest river restoration project in American history. The Governor has also taken action to help restore salmon populations. At the same time, the Newsom Administration has expanded outdoor and state parks access for all Californians through Outdoors for All programs like the Adventure and Golden Bear Passes.

Cleaner, more reliable power

Governor Newsom is investing billions and accelerating clean energy projects through permitting, planning, and procurement improvement. These will help California meet its ambitious clean electricity target of 100% by 2045. To support California’s clean energy future, the Governor has advanced sustainable lithium production in Lithium Valley. The Governor’s plan (PDF) will help:

 

  • meet global demand for this essential element used in batteries
  • provide Californians a share of the benefits

Ensuring safe and affordable drinking water

Governor Newsom has improved access to safe drinking water for over 2 million Californians. The Governor also invested billions in immediate drought and flood response to ensure long-term water resilience. He championed the Delta Conveyance Project to allow the state to capture, move, and store water. Read California’s Water Supply Strategy (PDF) for more.

Keeping communities safer from wildfire

As California’s fire seasons get longer and more intense, Governor Newsom’s Administration is rising to meet the challenge. The Governor has embraced an “all of the above” wildfire strategy, including:

 

  • Increasing the pace and scale of forest management
  • Supporting and equipping our state’s firefighting crews
  • Modernizing wildfire response assets and infrastructure

Governor Newsom invested billions in forest management to make California’s forests and wildlands more resilient to wildfire. This is backed by a Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan (PDF) with 100% of its 99 key actions underway or completed.

California has also:

  • developed and maintained the world’s largest firefighting aerial fleet
  • fast-tracked cutting-edge AI technology
  • secured access to federal satellites for wildfire detection
  • invested and deployed more than 1,000 infrared remote-controlled “lookout” cameras

Governor Newsom also established the state’s first Wildfire Forecast and Threat Intelligence Center. It

  • provides real-time data
  • serves as a central organizing hub for wildfire forecasting, weather information, threat intelligence gathering, and analysis

Taking on Big Oil

Throughout his time in office, Governor Newsom has taken on Big Oil, including suing oil companies for their 50 years of deception and damage. He signed first-in-the-nation corporate climate disclosure bills. He also created an independent watchdog to hold oil companies accountable for gas price gouging.

The most ambitious climate action plan in the world

Governor Newsom is leading the global shift to our sustainable future – more clean energy, less pollution. Through critical climate solutions and advancing environmental justice, Governor Newsom’s California Climate Commitment invests a record amount to:

  • achieve carbon neutrality by 2045
  • cut air pollution by 71%
  • drop gasoline consumption by 94%
  • create 4 million new jobs

Under the Newsom Administration, California is leading the global transition to zero-emission vehicles, requiring all new cars sold to be zero-emission by 2035.

Budgets that invest in Californians and California values

Through strategic planning, the Governor’s balanced, responsible budgets support core programs. They also build reserves to serve our state’s most vulnerable populations. Governor Newsom’s budgets have maintained billions in reserves, including a robust rainy day fund.

Generational investment in California’s infrastructure

California is making the biggest investment in infrastructure since the 1950s and 60s. It’s a once-in-a-generation drive that will benefit communities across California. Under Governor Newsom’s leadership, the state is investing $180 billion in infrastructure over the next 10 years. This money will fund upgrades that benefit every community – especially disadvantaged communities. Already, over $41 billion is at work in communities across the state that:

  • helps build our 100% clean electric grid
  • ensures safe drinking water
  • boosts the state’s water supply
  • modernizes our transportation system

The Governor signed legislation that accelerates construction timelines on the projects necessary to achieve the state’s ambitious climate and clean energy goals.

Growing California’s economic dominance

California does business like nowhere else. From the innovation powerhouse of Silicon Valley, to the verdant farms of the Central Valley, to the entertainment capital of the world in Hollywood, business thrives in the Golden State. Under Governor Newsom, California:

  • launched California Jobs First
  • committed to cutting red tape and streamlining the state’s cumbersome permitting processes
  • invested in and extended California’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program

Investing in workers and families

Governor Newsom has:

  • Led a significant expansion of childcare slots and signed legislation that set the stage for family child care providers to unionize.
  • Expanded after-school and summer education programs.
  • Expanded the California Earned Income Tax Credit from $400 million in 2018 to over $1.3 billion, which included the creation of the Young Child Tax Credit. He also expanded access to otherwise eligible ITIN filers in 2020. The expansion has resulted in over $5 billion in CalEITC and YCTC paid to Californians since 2019. He also created the Foster Youth Tax Credit.
  • Invested in career pathways programs to train workers and connect them to good-paying jobs and formed a Council on Career Education
  • Invested billions in Broadband for All to increase broadband infrastructure, access, and affordability.

Protecting California workers

Throughout his time in office, Governor Newsom has signed nation-leading measures to expand protections for workers. This includes

  • ending exploitative piece-rate compensation for garment industry workers
  • expanding union rights for farm workers
  • establishing nation-leading transparency measures for companies employing warehouse workers

Additionally, the Governor signed legislation guaranteeing workers at least five paid sick days per year, up from three days, and expanded paid family leave and its wage replacement.

Protecting California consumers

Governor Newsom established the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation to protect Californians against abusive and predatory financial products and services. To better protect consumers, the Governor has also signed protections against predatory lending practices. This prevents payday lenders from charging very high interest rates. The Governor also signed legislation including a crackdown on for-profit colleges disguising themselves as non-profit institutions and the creation of a student bill of rights.

Relief for small businesses

The Governor ensured relief for small businesses during the pandemic by:

  • cutting small business taxes by $6.2 billion
  • creating a nearly $4 billion small business COVID-19 relief program
  • investing in the CalCompetes program
  • funding two rounds of the Main Street Small Business Hiring Tax Credits

A government that looks more like California

Governor Newsom is deeply committed to building an administration that reflects California’s diversity at every level of state government. The Governor has made historic statewide appointments, like:

  • California’s first Latino U.S. Senator, Alex Padilla
  • California’s first Latina Chief Justice on the California Supreme Court, Patricia Guerrero

Governor Newsom signed legislation allowing Californians to serve on appointed government boards and commissions, regardless of immigration status.

All Californians can access health care, regardless of immigration status

Governor Newsom led the charge to expand health care access to all Californians, regardless of age, immigration status, or ability to pay. The Governor expanded full-scope Medi-Cal to all income-eligible Californians, including those who are undocumented.

Better mental health care for all Californians

Governor Newsom is improving access to quality behavioral health services for all Californians. Read the Governor’s plan here (PDF).

The Governor invested billions for the California Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health (PDF). This ensures California kids, parents, and communities have increased access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment services. The Governor is making sure mental health is treated the same as physical health through:

  • mental health parity legislation,
  • holding health insurers accountable,
  • record investments in veterans mental health services, and
  • billions in investments to expand mental health care for low-income Californians.

Improving health care for California’s most vulnerable

Governor Newsom has championed CalAIM Medi-Cal reform to reimagine health care delivery for those with the most acute needs. The Governor provided the largest Medi-Cal rate increase in California history. This expands low-income patients’ access to critical health care services. The Governor also added new benefits to Medi-Cal, including:

  • doulas for birthing assistance
  • community services like meals and housing
  • trauma/ACEs and disability screening for children
  • dementia screening for older adults
  • enhanced care management for complex care

In addition, he expanded access to Medi-Cal to all income-eligible Californians, regardless of immigration status.

Making health care more affordable for California families

Through Covered California, the state became the first in the nation to offer financial help for individual health insurance on top of federal support. This includes expanded premium assistance to qualified middle class individuals. The Governor also announced:

  • The CalRx generic drug program. This makes California the first state to have its own generic drug label.
  • Efforts to make insulin and Naloxone more affordable.

Protecting abortion access and rights

Governor Newsom has expanded and protected access to reproductive care:

  • Invested more than $200 million in reproductive care access, plus nearly $200 million for comprehensive family planning services
  • Signed an executive order and legislation protecting Californians and others traveling to California for abortion care as well as California providers from anti-choice state actions, launched the Reproductive Freedom Alliance, a non-partisan coalition of 22 Governors, and took actions to protect medication abortion access.
  • Launched the Reproductive Freedom Alliance, a non-partisan coalition of 23 Governors
  • Took actions to protect medication abortion access

Pushing treatment, not tents

Governor Newsom is helping Californians with serious mental illness and substance use disorders get the support and care they need, including helping unhoused people get treatment. No more excuses. Counties now have every tool they need to support the needs of their community. No more passing the buck.

The Newsom Administration will:

  • increase transparency, accountability, and oversight
  • build approximately 11,000 behavioral health beds and housing units across California
  • create more than 26,000 slots to serve Californians with mental health and substance use challenges

This new effort, supercharged by Proposition 1 (2024), builds on Governor Newsom’s efforts to better treat and support people experiencing crises:

  • created the Mobile Crisis Response program, helping people experiencing behavioral health crises receive coordinated and more timely behavioral health care through Medi-Cal
  • created CARE Court, a new framework to provide care, services, and housing to individuals with the most serious, untreated mental health and substance use disorders
  • expanded funding for the treatment of substance use disorder
  • signed legislation to modernize California’s conservatorship laws for the first time in more than 50 years

Supporting older Californians

Governor Newsom developed the Master Plan for Aging. This is a 10-year blueprint to advance the longevity, wellbeing, and inclusion of people of all ages and abilities. The Governor also launched the Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention and Preparedness. The plans are backed by investments in expanded health, home, and dementia care, as well as basic income and meals.

Building more housing, faster

Governor Newsom invested over $40 billion to boost affordable housing across the state, including through:

  • expanded state tax credits
  • infrastructure grants
  • funding for climate-friendly housing

In addition, the Governor launched a new Housing Accountability Unit to hold local governments accountable for implementing state housing laws. This includes:

  • a new, legally-binding requirement that California’s cities and counties plan for 2.5 million new units by roughly 2030, 1 million of which must be affordable
  • 32 housing-related CEQA reforms since taking office to cut bureaucratic red tape and streamline building

Tackling California’s homelessness crisis head-on

No more excuses – California is finally getting serious about this emergency decades in the making with the compassion and urgency it demands. The Governor invested billions to address homelessness and over $40 billion to expand affordable housing. 

He’s demanding unprecedented accountability from local governments to make sure these investments have the intended effects. Read the Statewide Action Plan for Preventing and Ending Homelessness.

The Governor has also pioneered nation-leading homeless housing reforms, including Homekey and Project Roomkey. These reforms have brought more than 71,000 people off the streets. California is also:

  • investing $750 million in Encampment Resolution Funding to get people out of encampments and into housing
  • delivering up to 1,200 small homes to provide safe, interim housing for people experiencing homelessness. They are free of charge and ready for occupancy

Combating gun violence

California’s strong gun laws work – our state is ranked #1 in gun safety, with a gun death rate 40% lower than the national average. And Governor Newsom is doing even more to get weapons of war off California streets:

  • Strengthened and expanded “red flag laws” and ghost gun regulations and prohibited the sale of semiautomatic rifles to people under 21
  • Invested in local government efforts to seize weapons from people who are prohibited from having them.
  • Signed additional legislation to strengthen public carry regulations, require microstamping on handgun cartridges, generate millions every year on the sale of bullets to improve school safety and gun violence intervention programs, keep guns out of the hands of potentially dangerous individuals, update the definition of a firearm to include ghost gun parts, and strengthen the process for removing firearms from people who are prohibited from owning them
  • Proposed a Right to Safety amendment to the United States Constitution to enshrine fundamental, broadly-supported gun safety measures into law
  • Signed a law to hold the gun industry accountable by allowing private citizens to sue those who illegally manufacture, distribute, or sell unlawful assault weapons, ghost guns, and ghost gun kits

Cracking down on hate crimes

Under Governor Newsom’s leadership, California launched Stop the Hate grants to support community services for victims and survivors of hate crimes. We also launched CA vs. Hate, a new statewide hotline and online portal to report hate acts in California.

Governor Newsom also expanded the state nonprofit security grant program to bolster security at targeted religious and community-based nonprofits.

Fighting the fentanyl and opioid crisis

The Newsom Administration has stayed laser-focused on fighting the opioid crisis, particularly fentanyl. Governor Newsom’s plan (PDF) includes:

  • created a new Fentanyl Enforcement Program
  • expanded the Military Department’s existing drug operation efforts

Over 62,000 pounds of fentanyl were seized by the California National Guard in 2023, a 116% increase in seizures since 2022. California is also cracking down on opioid use and preventing overdoses through:

  • funding Naloxone distribution
  • prevention and harm reduction
  • education, testing, recovery, and support services
  • making more test strips available
  • providing overdose medication to all middle and high schools

Californians can find additional resources at opioids.ca.gov.

Keeping Californians safe

Under Governor Newsom, California has made major investments in local law enforcement and prosecutors to combat violent crime. The Governor is deploying a Public Safety Plan (PDF) backed by a record investment to:

  • combat organized retail theft
  • increase opioid enforcement
  • address gun violence

Part of the Public Safety Plan includes a multi-year recruitment campaign to fill 1,000 CHP vacancies. The Governor has also prioritized 10-point plans for Oakland and Bakersfield.

Ramping up efforts to stop organized retail theft

Governor Newsom expanded CHP’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force. This led to 2,100 arrests and 596,319 stolen items recovered, valued at over $25 million.

Reforming California’s criminal justice system

The Governor placed a moratorium on the death penalty and closed unneeded prisons. He instituted laws on police use of force that are a model to the rest of the nation. In addition, the Governor:

  • phased out the use of all private, for-profit prisons
  • led the charge that ended juvenile incarceration at the state level

Making college more affordable and accessible

Governor Newsom provided up to two years of community college tuition-free. The Governor also worked to:

  • build more affordable student housing at UC, CSU, and the community colleges
  • pursue zero-cost textbook courses
  • make the College Corps program permanent

Through College Corps, the Governor created new debt-free pathways to college while engaging students across the state in solving problems in their communities by providing 10,000+ college students with

  • opportunities to support and learn from community-based organizations
  • earn up to $10,000

The greatest higher ed system in the world is getting even better

California has the greatest higher education system in the world – and Governor Newsom is bolstering it through his work to expand access and build debt-free pathways to degrees. The Governor established multi-year agreements with the UC and CSU to increase funding and in-state admissions. He also created a road map with the California Community Colleges to:

  • improve student outcomes
  • make college more affordable
  • better align higher education with career
  • move California toward a 2030 postsecondary attainment goal of 70% for all of its diverse students

Transforming K-12 education with a parents agenda

Governor Newsom is putting parents first. He’s giving them choices about how their kids are educated. He’s also expanding childcare and leave benefits to ensure their families are supported.

The Governor:

  • Added a whole new grade to public school for 4-year-olds.
  • Expanded after-school and summer education programs.
  • Helped schools in California transition to the community school model, with wrap-around mental health, social, and family services.
  • Established reading difficulties screening, including dyslexia, for all K-2 students, coming soon.
  • Boosted early literacy supports
  • Invested billions for teacher preparation
  • Set up CalKIDS career savings accounts with up to $1,500 for every vulnerable student
  • Strengthened pathways to career opportunities and addressed long-standing equity gaps
  • Created the Office of Cradle to Career Data, which has signed landmark legal agreements with 15 education, social service, and career pathways entities, allowing for the creation of longitudinal data sets on student progress
  • Increased special education funding
  • Signed legislation ending book bans in schools, prohibiting censorship of instructional materials, and strengthening California law requiring schools to provide all students access to textbooks that teach about California’s diverse communities