Public testifies as Assembly subcommittee weighs May Revision cuts to California Reducing Disparities Project and Office of Health Equity

The Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Health heard extensive public opposition Wednesday after the governor's May Revision proposed reverting roughly $15,800,000 in general‑fund appropriations for the California Reducing Disparities Project (CRDP) and other Office of Health Equity programs administered by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).

Assemblymember Reggie Zuber, who raised the issue at the start of the CDPH panel, said the 2025 May Revision appears to eliminate funding that had been authorized in prior budgets and that many CRDP grantees remain mid‑contract. "It looks like that cut was left out of the programmatic documentation," Zuber said, urging staff and the administration to clarify whether the reversion is intentional.

The CRDP supports community‑defined, culturally responsive prevention and early‑intervention mental‑health services through grants to grassroots organizations serving African American, Latino/Latinx, Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American and LGBTQ+ communities. CDPH officials told the committee the program supported approximately 33 grants and nine contracts; the May Revision lists the CRDP reversion among several one‑time reversions the administration identified to reduce the state's…