Dr. Manuel Pastor | Source | Director of the Equity Research Institute at University of Southern California

Through this process, we have shown California’s commitment to centering equity and community-building in all our efforts. Immigrant Californians comprise more than a quarter of our state’s population and a full third of our labor force. The Task Force recognized the importance of their economic contributions, particularly by essential workers who took on risk to provide our food, health care and elder care – and it also recognized the myriad ways in which federal programs had excluded undocumented Californians and their mixed-status families. From the Governor’s Disaster Relief Assistance for immigrant families, to ensuring outreach in multiple languages, to the creation of a health equity metric aimed at reducing disparities, we are proud of California’s leadership and eager to keep collaborating on equitable solutions for our state.