Liberty Hill Foundation Director of Special Projects Michele Prichard and Assemblymember Jackie Goldberg.

For the third year running, the UCLA Labor Center and the Liberty Hill Foundation were coconveners of the State Budget Update. Over two hundred participants filled the Immanuel Presbyterian Church to participate in a state budget simulation game to gain a visual and interactive understanding of the budget process. Expert Jean Ross, executive director of the California Budget Project, discussed why blame placed on "California's spending problems" is misguided and analyzed the impact of the governor's budget on low-income workers, seniors, and education.

A panel then focused on the key questions for Californians. Assemblymember Jackie Goldberg, chair of the assembly education committee, laid out the education picture and the dire need for increased funding given that in five years, California's baby-boomer teachers will have retired, and another fifty-two thousand teachers will be needed to educate California's youth. Angie Wei, political director of the California Labor Federation, laid out labor's perspective and declared that progressives must move from defensive strategies to being more offensively focused.

Last up, Speaker Fabian Núñez provided the overall context and his approach to closing this year's budget gap, stating his deep concern for those who would be directly affected by the budget cuts and outlining his work to prevent cuts concerning home health care, prescription drugs, living wages, and education. He concluded his message by encouraging questions and comments from community members and local organizations and by accepting suggestions as to how he could better strengthen his work in Sacramento.