Joy turns to shame: California’s Latino Caucus agonized over slashing immigrant health care

MOMENTS BEFORE an important budget vote last week, state Sen. María Elena Durazo stood on the Senate floor and spoke passionately about the plight of immigrants’ health care in California. She lambasted the Legislature’s choice to freeze Medi-Cal enrollment for immigrants without legal status and charge monthly premiums.

The Senate’s budget negotiations and headlines had long since turned toward a different crisis — housing reform — but Durazo stayed firm.