$80 Million in California State Budget Will Help Protect Nonprofit Institutions, Including Those of the Jewish Community

By David Bocarsly

David Bocarsly

SACRAMENTO, California – Governor Gavin Newsom reached a three-party budget agreement Saturday with the Assembly and the Senate, in which they allocated a record $80 million annually for two years to fund the California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program (CSNSGP).

An ongoing initiative led by JPAC and the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, the CSNSGP provides funding to strengthen building security and other physical enhancements to nonprofit organizations that are at high risk for violent attacks and hate crimes due to ideology, beliefs, or mission. This will ensure that synagogues and other houses of worship, as well as LGBTQ and reproductive health centers can remain protected. The most funding the state has provided for the CSNSGP prior to this allocation was $50 million in 2021 and 2022. Never before has the state committed to funding this program for multiple years.

Community security initiatives have been a consistent priority for JPAC, but this need has skyrocketed since October 7th.

 Demand for this program continues to climb in many communities across the state. Last year, California received a record 1,254 applications totaling over $255 million in need. However, with $40 million available, only 193 applicants were awarded funding, representing around 15% of the applicant pool.
California currently faces the biggest budget deficit since the Great Recession. Funding the CSNSGP at a time when many programs are being cut demonstrates the State’s commitment to prioritizing the safety of the Jewish community, and to delivering on the assurances Governor Newsom made in his Golden State Plan to Counter Antisemitism. This announcement comes just weeks after 500 Jewish leaders convened in Sacramento for JPAC’s Capitol Summit, a two-day event at which participants lobbied for these and other priorities related to mitigating California’s recent surge of antisemitism. In a video address to attendees, Governor Newsom reaffirmed his intent to fight the surge of antisemitism that has surfaced in the wake of October 7th.
The agreement also contains victories for two other major JPAC and Jewish Caucus initiatives:

  • $5 million to continue and expand the work of the California Teachers Collaborative on Holocaust and Genocide Education. The Collaborative is composed of 14 leading California Holocaust and genocide educational institutions working together to create lesson plans, vehicles for the distribution of new curriculum, and teacher training programs to ensure that all schools are appropriately meeting the state’s Holocaust and genocide education standard.
  • $79 million reappropriation so the San Diego Rapid Response Network (SDRRN) can carryover unspent funds to use in this fiscal year. The SDRRN provides services and support – such as those provided by Jewish Family Service of San Diego’s Asylum Seeker Shelter and Services – to asylum seekers in the California border region. This network has helped prevent a humanitarian crisis at our southern border.

This demonstrates a major commitment to California’s vulnerable communities, especially the Jewish community. Governor Newsom and legislative leaders have been consistent allies and continue to support our community’s top priorities. We extend a special thanks to the Jewish Caucus, especially Co-Chairs Assemblymember Gabriel and Senator Wiener, for championing our biggest initiatives. These are critical programs that affect the very fabric of who we are as Californians.

It’s clear our work is needed more now than ever, and that each of the 500 Jewish leaders and allies who came to Sacramento and advocated for our community’s priorities made a difference. It is an important reminder of how much we can accomplish when we work together, even under challenging circumstances.

The agreement represents a budget deal that the legislature is expected to approve on Thursday, June 27. The Governor is expected to sign the budget bills before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.

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Bocarsly is the executive director of the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California (JPAC), which is the voice of California’s Jewish community to the State Capitol.  It is  composed of California’s leading Jewish community organizations.