Remember: Elected Officials Work for the People

Child care advocates in the June 10th article "State proposing to cut funding for day care inspections" are correct when they say that the proposed cuts would put children in potentially unsafe situations.

In an attempt to justify the cuts, a governor's spokesperson says, "....with a $24 billion deficit there are simply no good options."

No good options? We're forgetting several options that are largely being ignored. In addition to some responsible trimming of the state's budget, we also need to look for new sources of revenueProp 1A Release—and yes, that includes increasing taxes on things such as big oil companies, alcohol, and tobacco.

Although many legislators start shaking in their boots at the mere mention of the words "tax increases," they face a far scarier proposition if these cuts go through—a furious public who saw their elected leaders do nothing as the safety of our children were put at risk.

Rasiene Reece Carter
Victorville

Schwarzenegger: Stop Coddling Your Children!

Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced plans to eliminate or drastically cut dozens of health and social programs for low-income working families, potentially pushing more than 1 million California children into deep poverty.

Schwarzenegger plans to eliminate CalWORKs and Healthy Families, two major health and social programs for low- and moderate-income working families. Additionally, Schwarzenegger proposed deep cuts and restrictions in Medi-Cal, the state's public health coverage program for low-income and disabled Californians.

If approved by the legislature, California would be the only state in the country to eliminate basic welfare for low-income families with children.

These incredible actions would result in:

• Nearly 2 million children losing health coverage and basic income support;
• 22 California different counties with 10,000 or more children losing either CalWORKs income support or Healthy Families health coverage;
• Nearly 700,000 California families losing income support and health coverage;
• The loss of more than $5 billion in federal funds, despite California's huge budget deficit;
• The elimination of $850 million in child care funds, resulting in nearly 200,000 children losing child care;
• The elimination of Stage I child care for thousands of families and more than 45,000 children every month
• The elimination of 1 in 4 children from Stage II & Stage III child care;
• A loss of income for more than 18,000 family child care providers who participate in child care subsidy programs.

The California Budget Project (CBP) has a further breakdown of how the elimination of CalWorks will affect each county.

We need to take action to stop this!

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California State Budget Shortchanges Education and Child Care Again

A new study by the Pew Center on the States has found that a record-high seven million Americans is either in prison or on probation or parole.  That’s one out of every thirty-one adults.  This finding highlights how our society has been dramatically transformed over the last twenty-five years, as prison spending has surpassed funding for public education, transportation, and social services like child care.

When these facts are seen within the context of the various state budget crises that have wracked California over the same time period, it's easy to see that the root of our budget problems in the Golden State comes down to a misplaced sense of priorities as well as a lack of revenue.

This article explores the issue in greater detail and incorporates a discussion of the May 19 special election. 

San Diego County Providers Host Legislative Meeting with Senator Christine Kehoe’s Staff to Discuss State Budget Crisis

San Diego County providers attend legislative meeting with State Senator Christine Kehoe's (D) District Director Myrna Zambrano (left).EL CAJON, CA—On February 11, more than 20 providers gathered in El Cajon to meet with Myrna Zambrano, district director for State Senator Christine Kehoe (D), to discuss the state budget crisis and urge passage of a fair budget for all Californians with no cuts to child care.

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