Democrats Never Learn

For a good summary of what happened during this latest round of budget negotiations in California, what happened in the past, and what needs to happen in the future, click here now.

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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Special Election II Flops, Battle for the Budget Begins Anew

May 13 rally in Los Angeles against Propositions 1A, 1D, & 1EIt's official.  California voters have handed Arnold Schwarzenegger and his cadre of special interests another resounding special election defeat.  This is a victory for proponents of public services, fiscal responsibility, child care and mental health programs, and the No on 1D & 1E campaign.  Now the battle for the 2010 state budget begins.

Schwarzenegger has threatened deep cuts, but a majority of voters throughout California oppose cuts to public services such as roads, public transportation, environmental regulation, water storage, programs for the disabled, mental health programs, child care, public schools, health care, and higher education.

This, according to a field poll taken between April 16-26, 2009.

The same poll also found that voters favor cuts to the state's prison-industrial complex and would support higher taxes on the wealthy and specific industries like oil, tobacco, and alcohol.

These findings offer a working blueprint for a progressive state budget in 2010.

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Public Policy Institute of California Says Special Election II Doomed, Schwarzenegger Posturing for Deep Cuts in 2010 Budget

Updated on Monday, May 18, 2009 at 9:58AM by Admin

Sensing the wholesale defeat of the propositions he has been campaigning for on the May 19 special election ballot, Arnold Schwarzenegger is now pivoting from urging passage of the measures to proposing deep cuts for the 2010 state budget as a "Plan B" if Special Election II bombs, as it looks like it will.   

If the statewide rallies against Special Election II are any indication, and if the latest poll by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) is right, proponents of public services, fiscal responsibility, and child care and mental health programs are likely to deliver Schwarzenegger another stinging defeat on May 19 reminiscent of 2005's Special Election I. This, despite being outspent by almost $24 million.

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