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Assemblymember Holden delivers 2024 legislative update, cites state funding for transportation, disability services and ShakeAlert
Summary
Assemblymember Chris Holden told the Upland City Council that this year's state budget closed a large shortfall while preserving an $11 billion reserve and included targeted investments the district sought: developmental disability services, earthquake early-warning funding and $500 million toward a 3.2-mile Gold Line extension from Pomona to Claremont.
Assemblymember Chris Holden, the representative for the 41st Assembly District, briefed the Upland City Council on the 2024 state budget and recent legislative wins that affect the San Gabriel Valley. "We began the year with an approximate $45,000,000,000 general fund shortfall," Holden said, and described negotiations that closed the gap while leaving "$11,000,000,000 in reserve."
Holden highlighted funding his office helped secure for services and infrastructure. He said the legislature and governor approved hundreds of millions for developmental disability service providers and matched state funding with federal dollars to expand services. He also noted a state investment to expand and maintain the ShakeAlert earthquake early-warning system, saying the package includes a one-time appropriation and ongoing funding to "finish and maintain" the system.
On regional transportation, Holden said the state budget set aside $500,000,000 for a 3.2-mile extension of the Gold Line between Pomona and Claremont, a project he said his select committee has long supported. "Investment in transportation solutions has always been a priority of mine," he told the council, and he described meetings with stakeholders across the region.
Why it matters: the allocations cited by Holden affect capital projects and service providers that serve Upland residents and neighboring communities. Council members and residents present heard that while the state had to close a large projected shortfall, the negotiated plan both balanced the budget and left a sizeable rainy-day reserve, according to Holden.
Holden also summarized education and workforce efforts, including work to expand dual-enrollment opportunities and to train speech-language pathologists through California State University programs. He emphasized the role community engagement played in shaping legislation and said he considered his service in the Assembly "the opportunity of a lifetime."
The update was delivered as a presentation item; no formal council action was taken on the presentation itself. The city and the assemblymember encouraged continued local engagement on regional transportation planning and state-funded programs.
