SACRAMENTO, CA – Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) today released the following statement in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2022-23 Proposed Budget: 

“Californians are frustrated and I cannot blame them,” said Senator Hurtado. “They haven’t felt the benefits of previous investments. The investments in this year’s budget are a step in the right direction to repair that broken trust, but the Legislature has a lot of work to do. Water and food security are among my highest concerns. We do not just need a gas tax holiday, we need a water tax holiday, and we need to protect our food and water systems from climate change and cyber terrorism. We must address the bed shortage at hospitals, especially in impoverished communities. We need to rethink and take urgent action to provide opportunities to California’s workforce. More importantly, we need investments to improve our state institutions and make them function in 21st century digital age. We are living in a different time and our investments need to reflect the California we are living in today and the one of tomorrow too. Investments like the innovation center in Bakersfield and for farm programs will do just that, but the details will be important as well.”

Media Contact: Michelle.Sherwood@sen.ca.gov

About Senator Melissa Hurtado

Senator Melissa Hurtado represents a new generation of Latina leaders as the youngest woman ever elected to the California State Senate and a product of immigrant parents. Senator Hurtado represents the 14th Senate District and focuses on rural community issues that often go unheard — access to clean air and water, food insecurity and poverty, inequities in environmental policies, agriculture and access to health care. In July 2020, she was appointed to the national Biden Latino Leadership Committee alongside former Labor Secretary and current Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis – the only two California Latinas on the Committee.

For more information, visit Senator Hurtado’s Website here or find her on Twitter at @Senator_Hurtado

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