Assembly passes SB 101 budget bill after hours of debate over Medi‑Cal, Prop 36, wildfire and high‑speed rail

SACRAMENTO — The California State Assembly on May 29, 2025 passed Senate Bill 101, the legislature's budget bill for the current fiscal process, by a vote of 57 to 19. The measure was presented on the Assembly floor by Assemblymember Mike Gabriel; the clerk recorded immediate transmittal to the Senate after the vote.

The bill, presented as the Assembly's response to the governor's May revision, drew extensive floor debate over how the budget balances fiscal constraints with funding for health care, public safety and climate‑related programs. Assemblymembers raised competing concerns about preserving Medi‑Cal services, fully funding voter‑approved Proposition 36 treatment programs, expanding wildfire prevention spending and continuing support for the high‑speed rail project.

Assemblymember Gabriel, presenting the bill, said the package represented months of work and asked members for support: "I respectfully ask for your I vote on SB101." He described the Assembly budget as rooted in "compassion and fiscal responsibility," and said it seeks to preserve safety‑net programs while accounting for a multibillion‑dollar deficit revealed in May.

Several members from both parties praised staff and committee work but said the bill was imperfect. Assemblymember DeMaio delivered one of the strongest floor objections, calling the proposal "one of the most dishonest, destructive, irresponsible budgets I have ever seen" and saying the plan relied on "accounting gimmicks" and raids on reserves. DeMaio also asserted the package would prioritize health benefits for undocumented immigrants at the expense of other services — a point repeated and contested across the floor.

Other speakers disputed that characterization and pointed to specific funding in SB 101. Assemblymember Schulz said the bill includes roughly $110,000,000 earmarked to implement Proposition 36, $29,000,000 for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and $127,000,000 to the Board of State and Community Corrections, adding "there is nearly $350,000,000 earmarked for public safety." Assemblymember Addis, chair of the health subcommittee, described the bill as preserving many health‑care services for low‑income Californians and protecting programs for seniors and people with disabilities.

Floor debate also focused on wildfire prevention and rail funding. Assemblymember Gallagher and others urged shifting more Greenhouse Gas Fund dollars from the high‑speed rail project to wildfire mitigation; Gallagher said the current package included $200,000,000 for wildfire prevention and criticized a larger allocation to rail. Some members argued for a $400,000,000 funding level for Prop 36 to meet the voters' expectation; others said the bill's allocations were an improvement over the administration's May revision.

A procedural motion to lay down amendments offered by Assemblymember Sanchez was carried earlier in the session. The clerk recorded that the motion to lay the amendments on the table passed by a roll call of Ayes 43, Noes 18. Later, after floor debate and the final roll call on SB 101, the clerk reported Ayes 57, Noes 19 and announced that the measure "passes without objection." The measure was transmitted immediately to the Senate.

Speakers on the floor emphasized follow‑up work. Several members said trailer bills and continued negotiations with the governor and the Senate would be necessary to resolve open issues, including provider reimbursement rates, the full cost of implementing Prop 36, and whether the Medi‑Cal enrollment freeze and premium proposals should be delayed or modified.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to lay Sanchez amendments on the table (procedural): Ayes 43, Noes 18 — outcome: passed. - Final passage, SB 101 (budget bill): Ayes 57, Noes 19 — outcome: approved; immediate transmittal to the Senate.

The Assembly also announced its upcoming floor schedule and adjourned until the next scheduled floor session. Members who opposed the bill said they would use the intervening period to press for changes in trailer bills and in negotiations with the Senate and the governor.