California Democrats are once again proving that woke ideology comes before fiscal sanity — this time defending an $11 billion Medi-Cal deficit created by providing taxpayer-funded healthcare to 1.6 million illegal immigrants, even as the state faces a massive $12 billion budget shortfall.
Led by the California Legislative Latino Caucus, Democrats are doubling down on a disastrous policy that prioritizes non-citizens over struggling Californians, while openly floating the idea of new taxes to keep the program afloat. Meanwhile, Governor Gavin Newsom — hardly a fiscal conservative — has proposed modest cuts to slow the bleeding, only to face backlash from his own party.
The numbers are staggering. California taxpayers are on the hook for an estimated $11 billion in 2024 to cover illegal immigrants through the state’s Medi-Cal program — and that figure is expected to soar to more than $12 billion next year.
Local reporter Ashley Zavala summed it up bluntly: “State leaders ended up spending a lot more money than they thought they would on this program this year alone to cover 1.6 million undocumented people. California taxpayers are spending about $11 billion, and the state next year is expecting to spend even more.”
Instead of acknowledging the obvious — that California’s open-border policies and endless entitlement programs are bankrupting the state — Democrats are blaming everyone but themselves.
Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach), head of the Latino Caucus, dismissed concerns over the state’s ballooning deficit as “vilifying rhetoric.” “The rhetoric, what they want you to believe, is that our community is at fault for the state’s deficit,” she said. “We’ve got to assess everything, we’ve got to be reasonable… We have to stop the narrative on vilifying immigrants.”
In other words, pointing out that California is hemorrhaging money on illegal immigration is now considered “hate speech.”
Sen. Caroline Menjivar (D-Van Nuys) also refused to accept responsibility, blaming businesses — not bad policy — for the Medi-Cal deficit. “Entities and businesses are getting away with providing a less-than-livable wage, forcing people into our state’s Medi-Cal program,” she said, suggesting that taxpayers should continue footing the bill.
But even some Republicans — long silenced in the Golden State — are finally pushing back. Assemblyman Josh Hoover (R-Folsom), a member of the California Hispanic Legislative Caucus, blasted the Democrats’ spending priorities. “The idea they would even consider a tax increase to cover these services just shows where California’s priorities are,” he said. “The governor, to his credit, is trying to be a little more responsible… What’s going to help Latinos and Californians in general is staying within our limits on spending.”
Conservatives across the country have been quick to condemn the insanity. One prominent influencer summed it up: “This year Gavin Newsom will spend $9.5 BILLION taxpayer dollars on healthcare for illegal immigrants. Next year that number will skyrocket to over $12 BILLION. Now the California Democratic supermajority is considering new taxes to continue funding the program.”
Meanwhile, ordinary Californians are paying more for everything — gas, groceries, housing — while their leaders spend billions on those who entered the country illegally.
California’s message is clear: if you’re a hardworking citizen, the state will tax you into oblivion. But if you’re here illegally, they’ll hand you a free healthcare plan — and probably call you “essential” for good measure.
Once again, California shows the country exactly what happens when progressives run wild with other people’s money: the middle class gets squeezed, the border stays open, and the state sinks further into debt — all in the name of “compassion.”
