Feb. 5, 2026 7:30 AM PT
To the editor: When local and state governments cannot find the funding to support a robust child-care system for working families, it seems we should be questioning our budget priorities (“Why child care could be ‘at a standstill’ as California plans not to expand financial assistance,” Feb. 2).
The governor and local leaders have allocated billions of dollars to an unhoused population with no legitimate results, unless you consider a 4% reduction in the Los Angeles area a reasonable outcome. Let’s not forget the $4 billion to settle sex abuse claims, some of which were apparently not properly vetted. Those billions also help fund the injury lawyer industry and private investors.
Accessible and affordable child care should be a basic state priority, especially given the fact that politicians are asking the general tax-paying public to fund other programs that consistently go off the rails.
Lee Meister, San Pedro