Governor Schwarzenegger’s Proposed FY 2010-11 Budget Dangerous for California Children
Update as of February 2010
California's fiscal year 2010-11 budget cycle kicked into full swing on January 8, 2010 when Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger released his proposed budget which included millions of dollars in cuts to safety net programs that serve over one million California children. The state faces a close to $20 billion deficit and as the Governor has done year after year, he proposed to fill the deficit with funds stripped from children's health and poverty relief programs. After years of cuts, the Governor has made few proposals to draw on significant sources of new revenue that could help save the programs that provide children with their basic needs while helping to fill the deficit.
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The Budget and Poor Children: Over the years, California has faced chronic budget challenges that have negatively impacted children, especially poor children. Years of budget cuts to funding for safety net programs, underfunding of children’s program, and combined with a devastated economy and growing number of poor has led to a desperate picture for California’s poor children. More than a quarter of California's children could be living below the federal poverty level in 2010, according to projections from a Duke University study released by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health. That means 2.7 million California children living in households with income less than $22,000 a year (based on a family of four). In Los Angeles a third of the children are poor. |
The Governor proposed new, severe cuts and reduction in benefits to children’s health coverage, benefits for poor children, and K-14 education. He also proposed the elimination of the transitional housing program for foster youth and has proposed to house juvenile offenders in adult detention facilities. According to the Governor’s budget proposal, these cuts would happen in two stages:
Stage One Cuts: The first set of cuts the Governor has asked the Legislature to make immediately in a special session that requires the Legislature to act by February 22, 2010. These cuts would primarily take effect during the current fiscal year and would impact programs that provide children with health coverage, poverty support, foster youth transition, education, and early childhood development.
Stage Two Cuts: The second set of cuts the Governor is proposing would be implemented if California does not obtain an unlikely $6.9 billion in new Federal funds. President Obama’s Budget released shortly after the release of Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget did contain some additional money for California but not the Governor’s proposed $6.9 billion. Several bills containing potential additional funds are pending that may also provide a portion of the $6.9 billion. If the Federal funds do not materialize before the next fiscal year, the Governor proposes eliminating programs for low-income children including CalWORKs, Healthy Families, and the IHSS program, as well as additional, deep cuts to Medi-Cal.
Alternatives to the Governor’s Budget: Our elected officials have the power choose children and invest in California’s future. Legislators can choose to support families’ and provide economic security through proper funding of education, early childhood programs, poverty supports, and preventive health care. They can choose to make children our state’s priority by including new revenue streams that organizations like the California Tax Reform Association and Legislative Analyst’s Office suggest. We cannot let legislators make us believe that they “have no choice”.
There are many alternatives to our children not getting the education, health care and support they need to grow up healthy, strong, and well educated. Legislators must consider alternatives to cutting children’s program.
Get Involved: Hold your legislators accountable to children, ask them to choose children.
1. Email your legislators NOW!
2. Learn more about budget actions happening in your community from the Health and Human Service Network of California.
3. Stay informed, sign up for CDF-CA’s monthly Child Defender eNewsletter today!
4. Donate to CDF-CA and sponsor a trip to Sacramento for CDF-CA policy experts to testify on behalf of children.
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