Defending the Cal Grant in Sacramento

March 3, 2017

Joining dozens of Cal Grant recipients, Michael Beal ’17 met with State Senate President Kevin de Leon in Sacramento last week as part of the annual Cal Grant Lobby Day before state legislators. In his 2017-18 state budget released in January, Governor Jerry Brown maintains an 11 percent cut for the Cal Grant for the private nonprofit sector. This cut translates into a nearly $1,000 cut for the maximum award.

“When I was 16 years old I moved to California and was taken in by my grandparents. I have been self-supporting ever since,” said Beal to Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda). “Cal Grant has allowed me to pursue my dream of a college education.”

In addition to Glazer, Beal met with State Assemblymember Catharine Baker (R-Pleasanton) and other members of the legislature including Senate President Kevin de Leon.

The 11 percent cut has been part of the state budget for the past few years, and has ended up being fully funded on a year-by-year basis. While the legislators have fully funded the Cal Grant for the private, nonprofit sector, they have done so on a one-time only basis, leaving the 11 percent cut in place for future budget years.

In addition to advocating for full funding, Beal and other students also advocated for the passage of AB 1166 by Assemblymember Autumn Burke (D-Inglewood), which would remove the 11 percent cut completely.