Protesters seek new funding at the Capitol
Supporters post messages about the need to increase funding for public healthcare during a rally outside the Capitol on June 2.
As lawmakers hammer out the final details of California’s budget, advocates have descended on the Capitol in high-profile efforts to seek new funding for government services.
On Wednesday, hundreds of protesters marched to support proposals for more spending on child care. Police arrested 14 people who sat down in the middle of a road outside the building.
And on Tuesday, advocates staged a rally with thousands to call for new investments in Medi-Cal, the state’s public healthcare program for the poor.
“It is not a political issue. It is not a budget issue,” said Dan Regan, president of SEIU United Healthcare Workers West. “It needs to be a moral crusade.”
Gov. Jerry Brown has sought to tamp down the demand for additional spending, expressing concern that the budget could become overloaded.
“Too many goods make a bad,” he told business leaders in a speech last week.
Follow @chrismegerian for more updates from Sacramento.
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