Governor Newsom Signs Covid-19 Recovery Package
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 08: California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference at Kingston 11 Cuisine on October 08, 2021 in Oakland, California. California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a COVID-19 recovery package, Senate Bill 314, that will allow restaurants and bars to keep parklets and give them a one-year grace period to apply for permanent expansion. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Under a new budget plan announced by Governor Gavin Newson, California would become the first in the United States to provide health coverage to all immigrants within its borders, regardless of how they arrived.

California taxpayers currently cover the healthcare costs of young adults and persons aged 50 and up who are in the country illegally if they meet certain income criteria.

Newsom now wants California to cover all individuals who are in the country illegally, a move that would cost $2.2 billion per year in the long run, AlJazeera reported.

Newsom's New Budget Allocations for California Tackles Most Pressing Issues

Newsom's $286.4 billion budget proposal addresses five of the state's most pressing issues, which his administration refers to as "existential threats." It includes the escalating coronavirus pandemic, wildfires and drought, homelessness, public safety, income inequality, and lack of health insurance for some immigrants.

The proposed $2.2 billion illegal immigrant assistance program would not go into effect until January 2024.

According to the bill, it would benefit all low-income Californians, regardless of immigration status.

Newsom additionally proposed on Monday, spending $648 million to support wildland firefighters and acquire more helicopters and bulldozers, as well as an additional $1.2 billion for forest management on top of the current budget year's $1.5 billion.

Drought relief will receive an additional $750 million on top of the current budget year's $5.2 billion water program.

Newsom also pledged to spend $300 million to beef up law enforcement operations to combat retail fraud, as well as $2.7 billion on coronavirus testing and hospital personnel.

He advocated spending $2 billion on mental health services, housing, and clearing homeless encampments to address the state's seemingly intractable homelessness problem. This would be in addition to the $12 billion packages passed last year and would result in the construction of 55,000 new housing units and treatment slots.

To help with California's ever-increasing cost of living, Newsom proposed "doubling down" on the state's current plan to provide free, universal pre-kindergarten, as well as adding thousands of childcare spots and expanding summer school programs.

Newsom also recommended removing fees and granting hundreds of millions in grants and tax benefits to small firms impacted hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

The state will be far away from the doom and gloom of 2020, when Newsom and state lawmakers cut spending, raised taxes, and took money from the state's savings accounts to cover a $54 billion shortfall they predicted would be caused by a pandemic.

That shortfall never materialized. Instead, state revenues climbed to unprecedented heights.

According to the Legislative Analyst's Office, revenue from the state's three principal taxes: personal income, sales, and corporation, was 40% higher in September than in September 2020, and more than 60% higher than in September 2019, before the pandemic struck.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith
WATCH: Newsom wants health coverage for all CA immigrants - Associated Press