Labor Relations in Child Care (LBCS 94C)
Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 12:06PM | Admin 2011, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cal Works, July 1, budget cuts, child care, jobs, welfare in California, child care news, politics Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 12:18PM | Admin The state legislature has voted to restore funding for the Healthy Families program by passing Assembly Bill (AB) 1422.
This follows a previous state senate vote about two weeks ago.
If Arnold Schwarzenegger signs AB 1422, it would reverse some of the spending cuts that were imposed on the program earlier this summer.
Healthy Families provides medical insurance to low-income children.
The basis for restoration of funding for Healthy Families are new taxes on Medi-Cal participants.
AB 1422 levies a two-year tax (2.35%) on health plans that administer Medi-Cal benefits.
This means that private health insurers will receive higher Medi-Cal reimbursement rates from the state.
The measure also raises premiums and co-payments on Medi-Cal patients.
Specifically, certain families on Medi-Cal would face higher premiums of $4 to $7 per child.
Those earning less than 150% of the federal poverty rate would be exempt from the higher premiums.
Almost 100,000 children were put on a waiting list after the state froze enrollment in Healthy Familie this past July.
Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 11:43AM | Admin ;)
New fees for child care providers and centers as well as other facilities are now in effect as part of the budget revision Arnold Schwarzenegger signed on July 28.
Unfortunately, virtually all fees for all programs will rise by at least ten percent.
Both the annual fee and application fees for small, licensed providers increased from $60 to $66.
For large licensees, the fees increased from $115 to $127.
Additional fees have also been assessed:
• Existing licensee moves ($33 small); ($64 large)
• Orientation ($25)
• Failure to pay annual fee on time ($33 small); ($64 large)
• Increasing capacity ($25)
• Licensee placed on probation ($66 small); ($127 large)
• Failure to complete plan of correction on time ($200)
For more information, visit the Community Care Licensing website or call us toll free at 1-866-336-9333.
Child Care Providers United: The only union for child care.
Admin
Additionally, as part of the same 2009-2010 state budget revision, licensing offices statewide will be closed three Fridays every month.
Below are the relevant dates. Remember to plan accordingly.
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September |
October |
November |
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December |
January 2010 |
February |
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April |
May |
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June |
Wednesday, July 22, 2009 at 4:04PM | Admin ;)
Schwarzenegger all smiles with State Senate President Pro Tem Steinberg (D-Sacramento) & State Assembly Speaker Bass (D-Los Angeles)California's legislative leaders have reached a tentative agreement with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on a budget deal to close the state's $26 billion budget deficit with massive cuts to schools and social programs, while refusing to raise taxes on oil companies.
The so-called "Big 5"—Democratic and Republican leaders in the Assembly and Senate plus the governor—agreed to nearly $16 billion in devastasting cuts to schools, California's welfare to work program, community colleges and universities as well as public health and the state's In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program.
Additionally, the state will take several billion dollars of property tax revenue from cash-strapped cities and counties, which will most certainly mean more devastating cuts by local governments.
Massive cutbacks in safety net, income assistance, and public health programs only deepen the economic hardship faced by California's low- and moderate income working families. Many families will no longer be eligible for some essential programs such as Healthy Families, California's health insurance program for children in working families.
State workers face more cuts to their paychecks as the Big 5 agreed to three unpaid days per month. Curiously, istead of taxing oil companies, legislative leaders overturned a 40-year ban to allow more drilling off Santa Barbara's coast.
The California legislature could vote to approve the budget deal as early as Thursday this week. California law requires a two-thirds vote in both houses to approve the budget plan.
This means that there is still time to oppose this plan, as Bass and Steinberg have yet to secure enough votes in both houses of the legislature to adopt the deal.
For more information or to contact your state legislator, call us at 1-866-336-9333.
Admin
The Los Angeles Times has provided a good summary of the latest budget proposal. Click here and here and here to read.
Meanwhile, those who prefer to listen to their news can hear very good and informed discussions about the seminal details of the current budget plan by clicking here and here.
Thursday, July 2, 2009 at 1:58PM | Admin 
After rejecting Democratic proposals to help close California's $24 billion budget deficit through new taxes on oil companies and cigarettes and alcoholic beverages that are supported by a majority of California voters, Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of fiscal emergency in California in order to be able to impose the types of budget cuts that he previously sought in May.
Under Schwarzenegger's state of fiscal emergency, the state legislature has 45 days to devise another budget plan to close the state's more than $24 billion deficit.
After 45 days, legislators cannot adjourn or act on other bills until they solve the crisis.
Meanwhile, Schwarzenegger has ordered the closure of state offices three days a month along with the associated furlough of 235,000 state employees on those days.
Because the furloughs are unpaid, state workers will effectively be taking a 14 percent pay cut.
The fact that Republicans can block any budget plan advanced by the Democratic majority means that this fiscal emergency will likely be used by Schwarzenegger and the Republicans to extract those deep budget cuts previously rejected by Democrats without the prospect of new revenues.
These cuts include the virtual elimination of social, health, and educational programs that serve the state’s residents such as CalWORKS, Healthy Families, and In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS).
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 6:03PM | Admin
The plan, which includes $11 billion worth of cuts and $10 billion worth of accounting maneuvers, is now in the state senate.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has threatened to veto the plan on principle, should it reach his desk, because it contains $2 billion worth of revenue solutions consisting of an oil severance tax and a tax on cigarettes, measures that Schwarzenegger himself had previously proposed.
If Schwarzenegger believes that it is possible to balance the state budget without these revenue solutions, as paltry as they are, then he just doesn't understand economics.
Should he actually follow through on his threat to veto the Democratic plan, blame for shutting down the state would rest squarely on his shoulders.
While Schwarzenegger has been prone to using threats, coercion, and other ham-fisted approaches to realize the vision of a state with no capacity to provide social or educational services to the citizens of California, it is unclear whether he actually has the courage to take the blame for shutting down the state.
With California just a few days away from having to issue IOUs to pay its bills, the only way to win this game of budget chicken and avert the prospect of California taking its place among the Third World, an outcome that corporatists like Schwarzenegger and the Republicans have been planning for decades, is for Democrats to concede nothing and place a budget on Schwarzenegger's desk that includes new revenues.
This will put Schwarzenegger into a position where he will either have to make good on his threats or look like a complete hypocrite. If past performance is any indication, he will find an excuse to sign it.
Friday, June 26, 2009 at 4:16PM | Admin The budget plan proposed by our allies in the state assembly and senate has failed to garner the two-thirds majority vote needed to pass the legislature.
All the Republicans in both chambers voted NO on the budget plan advanced by Democrats this past Wednesday, June 24.
This is on top of the devastating cuts he previously proposed including the elimination of CalWorks and Healthy Families.
Time is running out, and providers—especially those living in Republican districts—need to urge their legislators to support a budget proposal that invests in our future.
Please call and write your legislators:
If you live in a Republican district, tell them:
Click here to find the legislator in your district.
CCPUnited's parent organizations (AFSCME& SEIU) will also be conducting various protests and rallies throughout the state to pressure lawmakers to do the right thing.
If you are interested in participating in these upcoming events, call 1-866-336-9333 or 1-866-574-8907.
Click here for a list of upcoming events.
Remember to keep those cards, letters, and phone calls coming.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 at 11:35AM | Admin ;)
CCPUnited California legislative postcardThanks to the letters, postcards, phone calls, and protests held by providers and thousands of other activists around the state, we have managed to beat back some of the more terrifying proposals that were advanced to close the state budget deficit including the total elimination of the CalWORKS and Healthy Families programs.
Now, Democrats on the Assembly budget conference committee are offering a new budget plan, and we need this proposal to pass in order to eliminate the possibility that Schwarzenegger's devastating cuts will be revived.
;)
CCPUnited California budget flierKeep those cards, letters, and phone calls coming.
There is no guarantee that this new proposal will pass the legislature, and even if it does, Schwarzenegger may still veto it, which means that we may be facing a new round of outrageous attacks on providers and on the families who rely on us.
That's why we need you to tell our legislators to vote FOR the Democrats' new budget plan as it now stands and to stand ready to turn our focus towards the governor once it passes.
Click here to find the legislator in your district.
Click here to find the contact information of Assembly Budget Committee members.
You can also read more about how CCPUnited would balance the state budget by clicking here.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at 12:54PM | Admin
Arnold Schwarzenegger has invited Californians to try their hand at balancing the state's 2009-2010 budget by using an online tool provided by the Los Angeles Times.
By submitting to the limitations of the L.A. Times's budget tool and accepting the small range of options it serves up, Californians who wish to balance the state budget fairly and equitably would, by default, have to accept many of the spending cuts Schwarzenegger has already proposed in order to arrive at a balanced budget.
Child Care Providers United (CCPUnited) of California categorically rejects any cuts to education, human service, and health programs whose loss would negatively impact children and families who work for a living such as CalWorks and Healthy Families. CCPUnited also categorically rejects any and all tax breaks, tax credits, and subsidies that favor the wealthy and politically connected.
Nevertheless, CCPUnited of California has decided to participate in this exercise in order to show that revenues and only revenues will be able to right California's fast sinking ship of state. Between $13.2 billion worth of new revenue solutions that polls show a majority of California voters support and $2.8 billion in cuts that fall largely on the state prison system, which polls also show a majority of voters favor, CCPUnited has managed to reduce the state's $24 billion deficit to just under $8 billion.
At this point in the experiment, it is apparent that it will be necessary to employ options that do not appear in the L.A. Times's interactive budget tool such as a carbon tax ($7.5 billion) and restoring the vehicle license fee (VLF) to 2% ($2 billion) in order to bring the remaining $8 billion shortfall in line with progressive values.
Read on for more details of our experiment using the L.A. Times's interactive budget tool:
