Anti-Poverty Bills Mount on Gov. Brown’s Desk

Stacks of bills aimed at helping the poor appear to be piling up on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk as the deadline to pass legislative measures nears. Whether or not Brown will veto or approve them remains yet to be seen.

Peter Woiwode of the California Partnership, a group that advocates for low-income Californians, recently told public radio station KPCC that “poverty is a centerpiece of what the legislature sees as their responsibility to take on,” noting that there has been a particular emphasis on securing funding for these programs from groups this year.

Some of the measures include Assembly Bill 10, which would raise the minimum wage in California to $13 an hour by 2017; Senate Bill 4, which would provide health care benefits to undocumented immigrants; and Assembly Bill 135, which will smack a $75 tax on every real estate transaction in the state to fund affordable housing.

KPCC notes that Gov. Brown has been showing interest in saving over spending, much to the chagrin of his fellow Democrats.

Many are calling for Brown to list which programs the state can provide funding for, now that it has “excess capital.” The state only recently emerged from crushing deficits a few years ago.

Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter @AdelleNaz