WSSNews | Volume 39 No. 48

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2026

Tensions Flare at Newsom's Signing of $90 Million Reproductive Health Bill

On February 11, California Gov. Gavin Newsom held a news conference to sign a $90 million one-time emergency funding bill for Planned Parenthood and other reproduc- tive health care clinics in the state. The event became tense when questions from reporters veered into unrelated political issues, prompt- ing California's First Partner Jennifer Siebel- Newsom to step in and sharply criticize the press.

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By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

OF THE S

Senate Bill (SB) 106, authored by Sen. John Laird (D-Santa Cruz), is a direct response to federal funding cuts enacted in H.R. 1 by the Trump administration. That legislation blocked Medicaid (Medi-Cal) funding for Planned Par- enthood and similar reproductive health pro- viders, Newsom stated.

"California is taking steps to ensure people don't lose access to the range of services pro- vided by Planned Parenthood," Newsom stat- ed. "As the Trump administration's 'Big Ugly Bill' punishes women and community health providers, California continues to stand in support of women's access to essential health services and reproductive freedom."

California is home to seven Planned Parent- hood affiliates, which operate 115 health cen- ters across the state serving patients from all 58 counties. Each affiliate is an independently incorporated 501(c)(3) organization, accord- ing to the California Planned Parenthood Edu- cation Fund.

Newsom and supporters of the legislation ex- plain that the emergency funding was neces- sary to deflect clinic closures and protect ac- cess to essential services such as birth control, STI testing and treatment, cancer screenings, and wellness exams.

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