Special Olympics Southern California is excited to share that Governor Newsom announced his proposed 2022-2023 budget, and he has included Special Olympics California.
“An increase of $30 million one-time non-Proposition 98 General Fund, available over three-years, to support the Special Olympics in Northern and Southern California”. Not only does this increase annual funding contributions from the state by 40%, but Special Olympics California will also receive all the funding up-front. Knowing that this funding is secured for more than a year has the potential to transform our organization.
How did this all come together?
Since 2016, there has been a lot of work cultivating relationships within the Governor’s office and with the State of CA legislators, especially with Assemblymember Jim Frazier and Assemblymember Tim Grayson. Assemblymember Frazier resigned December 31, and we knew this would leave a large hole in advocacy for us at the State Capitol. On November 4, we met with five staffers from the Governor’s office, including his Executive Secretary, Jim Deboo. The staff understood the important work we do in the education and health sectors for persons with ID.
This funding will help us reach our lofty goals for the future, including strengthening the Unified Champion Schools model, creating a bridge for graduating students to SOSC’s community programs, upgrading infrastructure, and more. It’s going to help us empower even more people with intellectual disabilities to reach their dreams.