The California Health & Prosperity Covenant.
Three commitments. One page. Non-partisan. Presented to every 2026 candidate for Governor of California.
Preamble
Sixty years ago, California made a promise: if you are sick, the state will help you, and what you tell a doctor will not be turned against your family.
In June 2025, the federal government transferred the records of every Medi-Cal member in California to federal immigration enforcement. The state's own Department of Health Care Services called it a grave breach of public trust. Two-thirds of the Californians who lost Medi-Cal during the prior unwinding lost it not for ineligibility but for paperwork. The systems that were supposed to protect Californians were used against them.
This Covenant is the floor. It is what the next Governor of California will be measured against for four years.
The Three Articles
Each Article is one commitment, in writing.
Medi-Cal data and coverage, protected by law.
"I commit to protecting uninterrupted Medi-Cal coverage for all eligible Californians, opposing federal waiver conditions that reduce enrollment or impose coverage barriers, and auditing state systems annually so that beneficiary data cannot be used by federal immigration enforcement, law enforcement, or any party against the people it was promised to serve."
The June 2025 transfer does not repeat. The firewall is statute, not press release.
Civil rights audits of every clinical algorithm used in Medi-Cal.
"I commit to regulating the health technologies that determine eligibility, coverage, and care in California, including clinical AI and risk-prediction algorithms, with civil rights audits, public reporting, and decertification authority under existing state procurement code for tools that harm patients. I commit to reversing the automated processes that caused two million Californians to lose Medi-Cal during the unwinding."
California, not the vendors, decides which tools earn the right to be used on a Californian. Executive Order N-5-26 closes public comment July 28, 2026. The next Governor writes the standard.
Ten thousand community health workers, funded and deployed.
"I commit to establishing sustainable Medi-Cal reimbursement for community health workers, expanding their scope of practice to reflect their documented effectiveness in reducing emergency utilization and improving chronic disease management, and funding a statewide deployment strategy that prioritizes medically underserved communities."
Medi-Cal has reimbursed community health workers since 2022. Three years later, fewer than 6,000 of 15 million members have received a billable CHW service.
Founding Signatories
Healthcare leaders who have signed the Covenant in full.
For Candidates
Endorse the three Articles in writing.
Candidates for Governor of California and statewide officeholders endorse the Covenant by sending a written commitment to all three Articles to [email protected]. The signature is the document. Endorsements are posted with the candidate's statement linked.
Sign it, and you will be held to it. Don’t sign it, and that is the record.
Add Your Name
For healthcare professionals, organizations, and Californians.
Names are kept private by default. The Covenant counts every endorsement; it does not display every name.