UNITE-LA's 2025 State Policy & Budget Priorities aligned with our mission to advance cradle-through-career public education and workforce development systems and protect the progress California has made for its residents. We are proud to reflect on our legislative successes through community-informed advocacy and intentional collaboration with key partners and policymakers, acknowledging the uncertainty, fear and loss for many in our communities.

We celebrate our successes in 2025 and look forward to continuing our mission to ensure all individuals, especially those facing historical and systemic barriers, have the resources they need to thrive.

Cradle-Through-Career

• Protect newcomers and immigrants and support educational opportunities to advance economic mobility. Elevate the importance of immigrants to our state and national economy.
  • UNITE-LA supported AB 49, which was signed by the Governor, to increase protections of our immigrant early care and education workforce and families.
• Ensure California's Cradle-through-Career Data System's tools and processes are designed and fairly utilized to support students, communities, education institutions, civic offices and advocacy organizations in improving education and workforce outcomes.
  • UNITE-LA staff focused on community engagement efforts to bring awareness to data updates and new dashboards for public use. This included a student pathways database that amplified opportunities for students through the state's education and workforce systems.
• Expand support for Dual/English Language Learners (DLL/ELs) by funding dual immersion programs, professional development for educators and literacy initiatives that ensure access to education and workforce readiness.
  • Secured state investments to strengthen multilingual literacy and educator capacity, including passage of AB 1454, and new funding for literacy professional development, instructional materials and bilingual educator preparation.
• Increase access to technology and affordable, reliable and high-quality broadband by funding local infrastructure projects and implementing accountability measures to address service disparity across zip codes.
  • AB 1303 and AB 1414 were both signed by the Governor and will strengthen privacy protections for consumers and advance choice of, and access to, broadband.
• Strengthen and expand social safety nets to ensure individuals and families in need have access to essential services that support their basic needs, including food, housing, health care and financial assistance.
  • Our co-sponsored bill, SB 590, was signed by the Governor, advancing access to paid family leave. This bill expands eligibility for benefits under the paid family leave program to include "chosen family members”" who take time off work to care for a seriously ill person, increasing equity and inclusivity of the program.
  • UNITE-LA supported AB 677 and SB 624, which were signed into law and promote access to society safety net programs and health services for foster youth. AB 677 specifically amends the Education Code to allow unhoused students the same access to critical health screenings as other students, while maintaining parental right to opt out if desired.
• Support public knowledge and the finalization and operationalization of the Master Plan for Career Education to better support pathways to high-mobility careers in growing sectors.
  • UNITE-LA worked with partners to advocate for budget investments to support implementation of elements of the Master Plan for Career Education, including an interagency coordinating council, credit for prior learning, a statewide career passport and regional coordinating efforts.
• Promote the impact of the K-16 Collaborative Grant Program through a budgetary extension of the program.
  • UNITE-LA, as convener of the L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative, successfully led advocacy efforts by coordinating the other 12 collaboratives and regional partners to communicate to the Governor's Office and legislators the need for an extension of the grant program. Citing gains in regional and state coordination and a strong foundation for education-to-workforce systems-change, a two-year extension was granted as a component of AB 121, the Education Omnibus Bill.

Early Care & Education

• Advocate for increased state funded reimbursement rates to ensure educators and child care providers receive the true cost of providing early care and education.
  • Despite a difficult fiscal climate, we worked in partnership with advocates to continue to elevate the need for investing in a single reimbursement rate structure that reflects the true cost of providing care.
  • UNITE-LA engaged nearly 40 business organizations to sign onto a support letter, aimed at Legislative leadership and the Governor, for increasing reimbursement rates.
• Support proposals aimed at addressing infant-toddler program expansion and the teacher shortage crisis.
  • Our co-sponsored bill, AB 753, was signed by the Governor. The bill will foster new pathways for early childhood educators to earn their Associate Teacher Permit while gaining hands-on experience, and create more staffing flexibility in the classroom.
  • We supported AB 1123, signed by the Governor, to include and celebrate the voices of early childhood educators and experts by intentionally including them in the policymaking process.
• Advocate for local protections of our immigrant early care and education workforce and families.

TK-12 Education

• Support and protect investments for transitional kindergarten to ensure a high-quality, play-based learning environment for all children and support the identification of Dual Language Learners.
  • Transitional Kindergarten was fully implemented as of the start of the 2025-26 school year, ensuring all four-year-olds are eligible. $1.2 billion was allocated to implement lower classroom ratios of 10:1 and support high-quality learning environments for students.

Higher Education

• Support measures that increase college access and affordability, including equity-based reform to Cal Grant and other financial aid programs; alignment across segments of education; and pre-postsecondary preparedness standards.
  • We supported AB 313, signed by the Governor, which will advance measures that increase college access and affordability, including equity-based reform to the Cal Grant and other financial aid programs.
• Advance the coordination of higher education systems through a singular, independent entity, for the prioritization of student success and economic mobility.
  • We supported AB 1098 and SB 638, signed by the Governor, establishing the California Education Interagency Council and aligning existing programs—including the California Career Technical Education Incentive Grant Program—to the council.
• Increase resources for parenting students across institutions of higher education.
  • We supported SB 271, signed into law, and will support student parents with young children in accessing child care resources on and near campus.

Workforce Development

• Advocate for sustained investments for workforce development programs, prioritizing those that serve populations facing significant barriers to employment.
  • We supported AB 338, signed by the Governor, to advance our commitment to funding that ensures L.A.’s most vulnerable communities can rebuild and thrive after the January 2025 wildfires by funding workforce development strategies, such as education or supportive services, to support affected underemployed and unemployed low- to moderate-income workers.
• Protect and sustain investments for Earn & Learn models that support opportunity youth (e.g., internships, pre-apprenticeships, apprenticeships, etc.).
  • We supported AB 323, signed by the Governor, which authorizes community college districts to use Strong Workforce Program (SWP) funds to support paid work-based learning opportunities for students and employers and expand access to high-quality, work-based learning opportunities that align with regional labor demands.