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Teachers, nurses and caregivers urge lawmakers to close water's edge to fund schools and services
Summary
During public comment, educators, nurses, caregivers and union representatives urged legislators to close the water's edge election and use the estimated $1–4 billion to support education, health care and social services facing shortfalls after federal cuts.
Public comment at the end of the hearing highlighted the human consequences lawmakers said could follow from maintaining the water's edge election.
Teachers and school‑district staff repeatedly told the committee that additional revenue would be used for classroom needs, counselors, nurses and smaller class sizes. Several union witnesses and members of SEIU and the California Nurses Association framed the issue as a fairness question: high corporate profits and tax avoidance were presented as reasons the state should require corporations to pay a larger share into the state treasury. Specific public commenters cited estimates discussed earlier in the hearing and urged closing the election to avert cuts to health care, food assistance and education.
Speakers included teachers' association leaders and local classroom teachers from Stockton and Davis, SEIU caregivers and IHSS providers, nurses, and community advocates; their testimony consistently connected potential revenue to concrete district‑level needs and to preserving safety‑net programs that witnesses said are vulnerable to federal cuts.
Committee members thanked commenters and adjourned the hearing; no immediate legislative action resulted from the public comment period.
