Shasta County is joining a countywide push for state help to offset the cost of H.R. 1, according to materials in the Board of Supervisors’ April 7 meeting packet.
The packet includes a letter from Board Chair Chris Kelstrom to legislative leaders and budget chairs, along with a county H.R. 1 budget request. The request asks state lawmakers to provide $1.9 billion in 2026-27 and $4.5 billion in 2027-28 for county indigent care, public hospital systems, county eligibility work and county behavioral health.
The budget request says the money is needed because H.R. 1 would shift more fiscal responsibility for safety-net services to counties. It breaks the request into four broad categories: indigent care, public hospital systems, county eligibility and county behavioral health.
According to the request summary, counties are seeking $761 million in 2026-27 and $2.4 billion in 2027-28 for indigent care, including one-time infrastructure building funds in the first year. The request also asks for $500 million in 2026-27 and $850 million in 2027-28 to stabilize public hospital system revenues; $373 million in 2026-27 and $402 million in 2027-28 for eligibility staffing and related work tied to Medi-Cal and CalFresh; and $224 million in 2026-27 and $828 million in 2027-28 for county behavioral health services.
The materials say the county request is intended to help cover implementation costs and service demand if H.R. 1 changes eligibility, coverage or funding rules for Medi-Cal, CalFresh and other county-run safety-net programs. The packet does not show whether supervisors took a separate vote authorizing the letter or request.
Shasta County’s packet does not spell out how much of the statewide request would ultimately flow to Shasta if the Legislature acted, and it is unclear from the packet whether county officials expect local costs to rise beyond the broader estimates in the coalition request.