Hundreds of Workers, Advocates, and Youth to Call for Budget that Prioritizes Children, Families, and Workers over Corporate Profits
IMAGINE Rally Will Demand State Investments to Combat Poverty and Protect Californians from Cruel Federal Cuts
Sacramento, CA – Hundreds of working people, family and child advocates, educators, child care providers, community organizers, California youth, and more will rally at the State Capitol on Wednesday to demand that Governor Newsom, Senate Pro Tem Monique Limón, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, and state lawmakers pass a state budget that prioritizes children and families over wealthy special interests and requires corporations to pay their fair share.
In the face of federal and state attacks on children, families, and workers — including the draconian cuts in H.R. 1 — End Child Poverty California and SEIU California’s 2026 IMAGINE Rally will call on state leaders to defend social safety net programs; reject cuts that exclude and harm immigrant communities; and ask wealthy corporations to pay their fair share.
WHO: Speakers will include community members and youth from across California, workers, children and family advocates, and more. Hundreds more will rally in support.
WHEN:
Wednesday, May 27
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
WHERE: State Capitol, Sacramento, CA
The event comes just two weeks before the Legislature’s June 15 deadline to pass a budget bill. It also comes just five days before cruel new federal rules go into effect that jeopardize CalFresh food support for nearly 1 million Californians, part of the federal H.R. 1 bill that will also put Medi-Cal health care at risk for millions of working families. The law passed by Congress and signed by Trump rips food and health care away from working families to hand corporations hundreds of billions of dollars – enriching the same corporations that rigged our tax code and keep workers struggling to survive.
Led by SEIU California and End Child Poverty California, the event calls for state leaders to protect safety net programs and resources to prioritize vibrant communities, healthy families, and thriving children.The event is part of ECPCA’s ongoing efforts to combat child poverty and a multi-year campaign of labor and community advocates fighting to UnRig California.
Read more:
- 2026 IMAGINE Agenda Priorities
- End Child Poverty California Encouraged By Governor’s Plan to Add New Revenues
- Unrig California: Stop the Corporate Freeloaders
End Child Poverty California (ECPCA) supports public policy and advocacy, collaborations and partnerships, and community efforts to end child and family poverty in California. End Child Poverty California is powered by GRACE (Gather, Respect, Advocate, Change, Engage) and sponsored by the GRACE End Child Poverty Institute. For more information visit End Child Poverty California.
SEIU California is the statewide political voice of SEIU local unions in California. SEIU local unions in California are made up of over 750,000 nurses, healthcare workers, developmental disability workers, janitors, social workers, security officers, in-home caregivers, school and university employees, court workers, and city, county and state employees. We build a better California by fighting for policies and candidates who benefit working families.