The May Revision & Public Safety
May 16, 2024
Additional details of the May Revision were released and CSAC subsequently released the biannual Budget Action Bulletin (BAB). The Administration of Justice (AOJ) team compiled a snapshot of items that impact counties:
Proposition 47 Savings Estimate
The May Revision includes an estimated total state savings of $94.8 million in 2024-25, which is nearly $7 million higher than January projections. Proposition 47, approved by voters in 2014, requires misdemeanor rather than felony sentencing for certain property and drug crimes, and permits incarcerated persons previously sentenced for these reclassified crimes to petition for resentencing. Each year, state savings from the implementation of Proposition 47 are allocated through grants to public agencies for various recidivism reduction programs (such as mental health and substance use treatment services), truancy and dropout prevention, and victims’ services.
Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS)
The May Revision eliminates the payments to county probation departments to address the temporary increase in the number of individuals released from prison on PRCS as a result of Proposition 57 (2016). The Governor’s January Budget proposal had included an estimated $4.4 million General Fund for probation in 2024-25 to supervise the PRCS population.
Public Defense Pilot Program
In January, the Governor’s Budget proposed a reduction of $40 million one-time General Fund for the third and final year of the Public Defense Pilot Program. The May Revision did not reflect any additional changes. CSAC continues to advocate for this pilot and encourages counties to voice the specific impacts in their communities.
Victim Services
In January, the Governor’s Budget proposed reverting the remaining $47.5 million for the Flexible Cash Assistance for Survivors of Crime in 2023-24 and delaying this funding to a new appropriation in 2025-26. The May Revision removes the proposed delay, resulting in a straight reversion of this remaining funding. CSAC continues to advocate on behalf of victims and the provision of critical services funded through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), via pending legislation, including AB 1956 (Reyes), AB 2432 (Gabriel), and alongside a coalition of over 200 organizations urging the state to provide emergency funding given the devastating cuts to VOCA. CSAC is also continuing advocacy efforts on the federal level, supporting the passage of H.R. 8061, or the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2024.
Priority AOJ Bills – Status Update
Particularly relevant considering the expanded details of the May Revision, and ahead of a long month of budget negotiations, two bills remain of utmost importance for their direct and significant impact to counties: SB 1057 (Menjivar) Juvenile Justice Coordinating Councils and AB 2882 (McCarty) Community Corrections Partnerships. The fiscal impacts of both bills are outlined in the county coalition appropriations committee letters below.
