HHS Network CA

Fresno Bee
By Eddie Jimenez

Original Story

About 60 people protested Tuesday in downtown Fresno against $2.5 billion in planned cuts to state health and social services, saying Gov. Jerry Brown should increase state tax revenues rather than target assistance to children, the disabled and the elderly.

The protesters at the noon rally in front of the Hugh M. Burns state building said the proposed budget cuts would squeeze those who rely on in-home care and parents who need child-care subsidies to continue working.

Brown and state lawmakers should raise taxes on people and companies that make the most money, such as oil producers, said Kevin Hamilton, deputy chief of programs for Clinica Sierra Vista, which provides health care and health education services.

Hamilton urged protesters to contact lawmakers about the proposed cuts that would harm the most vulnerable people in the state.

“We need to let them know how we feel,” he said. “Their phones should ring off the hook. Their Internet should be flooded with emails. It should be crashing every day.”

Sharon Esquivel, a licensed child care provider for more than 20 years, said she has seen families benefit from the financial help.

“These are people who are trying to better themselves, and these subsidized programs are helping them to do that,” she said.

Anna Jones, a single mother of two young boys, worries the loss of state money to help pay for child care could force her to quit her Internal Revenue Service job. Jones said she was on welfare for six years before being hired at the IRS three years ago.

“Please don’t cut child care and health care,” she said. “I don’t want to go back on welfare.”

The Fresno rally was one of four around the state Tuesday to protest the proposed cuts. The others were in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Francisco.

About 60 people showed up in front of the State of California building in downtown Fresno to protest against the $2.5 billion in cuts to health and human services in the 2012-2013 budget.

ABC 7 News

Original Story

LOS ANGELES (KABC) – Cuts to Health and Human Services in Gov. Jerry Brown’s recently released budget are prompting a protest in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, a new report suggests the governor’s proposed tax increase may not bring in as much new money as he has been projecting. A new nonpartisan study says the tax increase would only raise about $4.8 billion in the first budget cycle.

The governor had projected a $6.9 billion increase in funds. Volatility in capital markets is the reason given for the difference in projections.

Los Angeles Times’ PolitiCal Blog
By Chris Megerian

Original Story

Activists are rallying in four cities Tuesday to protest billions of dollars in Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed cuts to health and social services.

Faced with a $9.2-billion budget gap, Brown has proposed slashing about $2 billion from health and human services. That includes tighter restrictions on welfare benefits and decreased compensation for health services for the disabled.

In addition, 62,000 slots would be eliminated in child-care programs, saving an additional $446.9 million, according to Brown’s Department of Finance.

“We’re appalled that once again he’s proposing to balance this budget on the backs of the most vulnerable Californians,” said Vanessa Aramayo, director of the California Partnership, a coalition of anti-poverty nonprofit groups.

In Los Angeles, protesters will be gathering at the State Building on Spring Street. There are also rallies scheduled in San Francisco, Fresno and San Bernardino.

When unveiling his budget proposal Thursday, Brown said it was the best plan possible given the state’s struggling economy.

“California government is a very generous, compassionate political jurisdiction,” he said. “When we have to reduce our spending, that spending is going to have to come from programs that are doing good.”

San Francisco Chronicle
By Marisa Lagos

Original Story

Protesters gathered outside the state building in Civic Center Tuesday to rail against the deep cuts to social services proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown last week, saying they will hurt the state’s most vulnerable.

The Democratic governor wants to slash welfare by $1 billion, cut child care subsidies by almost $500 million and cut health care by another $1 billion to help plug an estimated $9.2 billion shortfall next fiscal year.

Many attendees took particular issue with Brown’s proposal to cut 71,000 child care slots. Kristel England, a 30-year-old Sonoma State University student with a 10-year-old daughter, told the group that state child care subsidies have made it possible for her to pursue a college degree. She plans to apply to master’s programs in public policy after her graduation this year, she said.

“The governor’s proposed budget is an attack on family’s ascent out of poverty,” she said. “I’m told it’s not personal, it’s just politics, but it is personal when it routinely targets families and strips access to child care, medical care and quality education.”

The rally was one of several held around the state today. It was organized by the Health and Human Services Network of California, a coalition of groups that advocate for families and the poor, disabled and elderly.

Associated Press
By Judy Lin

Original Story

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Students pepper-sprayed while demonstrating against tuition hikes, teachers arrested after protesting school spending cuts and lawsuits piling up over cuts to an array of state services for seniors, the poor and disabled. Those represented California’s fiscal crisis in 2011 and foreshadow even more budget strife in the year ahead, especially with a statewide vote on tax increases headed to the November ballot . . .

For students and others who have felt the effects of rising tuition and reduced services, the situation will only worsen in 2012.

Rose Coleman, 41, of San Leandro, a recipient of the state’s In-Home Supportive Service program, said she will get less help under the state’s $1 billion midyear reduction announced by Brown. Starting next month, in-home care recipients will receive a 20 percent reduction in assistance.

For Coleman, who suffers from cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, the cut translates into fewer baths and less help in the bathroom from her state-subsidized caretaker, who will make $720 instead of $900 a month.

“Each time I hear about cuts, I’m always thinking about turning off my phone or computer to supplement her pay so that I don’t lose her,” Coleman said. “It doesn’t make sense. It should be compassion first, money second.”

ABC 7 TV Footage
Taxing the rich is a popular idea these days and Californians may get to vote on it to make it happen.

ABC Coverage of Sacramento Rally Against Trigger Cuts

San Bernadino Sun
By Ryan Hagen

Original Story

Waving signs with messages ranging from “Students First” to biblical references to the importance of caring for the needy, the protest was organized by 10 groups.

“I think the diversity of this group is what’s most impressive – we’re united and can’t be divided,” said Hector Guzman, a student at San Bernardino Valley College who has been involved in other movements, including Occupy San Bernardino Valley.

“I came as an individual, as a student and as a brother to a sister that is going to be affected by the (healthcare) cuts.”

Guzman’s sister has Down syndrome, he said, leaving the family vulnerable to the cuts to disabled services and higher education – two areas hardest hit by the cuts, which were agreed upon in June as a contingency if revenues didn’t materialize as hoped. Some of those cuts were made, but not all.

Guzman and other protesters said they were opposed to any cuts – and to what they see as attempts to turn vulnerable groups against each other by framing the conversation in a way that assumes some services must be reduced – and instead advocated a restructured tax code that would mean higher taxes for the wealthy.

The cuts largely spared K-12 education, but there are many other problems that people urgently need to heed, said Joe Olague, a high school teacher and president of the League of United Latin American Citizens.

“The trigger cuts are part of the problem,” Olague said. “All of us are somehow touched by the economic woes that we have, areas that we should all be concerned about more than anything else, just the whole idea of what’s happening in America today.”

San Luis Obispo Tribune
By Nick Wilson

Original Story

Paso Robles-area resident Les Tilgner spends most of his time taking care of his bedridden wife, who has a nervous system disorder, and his 7-year-old son, who suffers from Down syndrome and diabetes.

Tilgner depends upon state funds for their care and will be affected directly by the cuts announced this week by Gov. Jerry Brown that will slash $980 million from schools and in-home care.

He joined a group of about 40 protesters Thursday outside state Sen. Sam Blakeslee’s office urging the Republican to fight for people like him.

“I don’t have a choice but to be at home and care for my family,” Tilgner said. “Fortunately, we have low cost of living, and I won’t be as affected as others who receive the same 20 percent cut. But otherwise, we might be living out of a motel somewhere.”

The activists gathered at the corner of Santa Rosa and Walnut streets waving signs such as “Bail Out Public Services Tax Mega Wealth” and chanting “No more cuts.”

San Luis Coastal Unified School District board member Mark Buchman was among the group that lobbied for increasing revenues through taxes that support public services.

“Yesterday, when the trigger was pulled, they hit you and me and the children of our public education system,” Buchman said. “Class sizes are growing, teaching days are fewer, and school transportation is less available. What kind of message is that sending?”

San Luis Obispo City Councilman John Ashbaugh and others took to the bullhorn to lobby for taxing the wealthy and providing adequate funding for services.

Democrats and Republicans should share the desire to see a healthy middle class, Ashbaugh said.

Some in the group, including “unhappy voter” Walter Health, blamed Blakeslee and the Republicans for opposing letting voters decide the reinstatement of tax increases, including the motor vehicle license fee and sales tax, that Brown supported extending.

“You allowed your personal ideology and future in politics to prevent our self-determination,” Heath said in reference to Blakeslee.

But Christine Robertson, Blakeslee’s chief of staff, countered that Blakeslee was among a group of Republicans who were willing to support the ballot measure if voters could also vote on a reform initiative, a condition Brown declined.

Blakeslee is in favor of reforming the tax code, of which Robertson said the specifics are being carefully worked out and that multiple proposals are being considered.

“I opposed the governor’s final budget and voted against the trigger cuts,” Blakeslee said in a statement Thursday. “I spent last year fighting for bipartisan compromise and reform. … We will take the message from those at today’s rally and deliver it to Gov. Brown. My community stands with me in opposing his partisan all-or-nothing budget ultimatums.”

California Progress Report
By Anthony Wright of Health Access

Original Story

Governor Brown, with Director of Finance Ana Matosantos, pulled the budget “trigger” Tuesday on a series of “Tier 1″ and some “Tier 2″ cuts, totalling around $1 billion, added to nearly $16 billion made early this year. Here’s the video of Governor Brown.

The trigger cuts include $100 million in services to the developmentally disabled, and $100 million to home care, and $15 million in Medi-Cal provider rates.

Since 2008, $15 billion in cuts have been made to vital health and human services in California, hurting our state’s most vulnerable families, seniors, children, and people with disabilities. The trigger cuts will only add to that damage – further weakening our social safety net at a time when Californians are already struggling.

A recent poll shows the nearly two-thirds of Californians agree that trigger cuts are a bad idea. Let’s be clear about how we arrived at this unfortunate situation of trigger cuts in the first place – this past year Republicans in the Legislature took the Grover Norquist no-tax pledge and blocked revenue solutions rather than working for the betterment of our state. It’s a travesty that they would prioritize politics over the needs of millions of Californians.

Health and human services provide jobs that our state so badly needs and supports families and communities as they weather these tough economic times. Without these services our economic recovery will be hampered and poverty rates will continue to grow.

Now more than ever California needs revenue to rebuild our social safety net and restore vital services – and momentum is building for revenue solutions. A new poll shows that 60% of likely voters support the Governor’s ballot initiative to raise revenue – one of several such initiatives on the table.

As always, Health Access and the HHS Network will stand to support leaders who will champion viable revenue solutions and prevent cuts to critical services. Revenue solutions are the only way to balance our budget, restore our social safety net, and steer California towards economic recovery.

As the Wall Street Journal reported, advocates from the HHS Network and elsewhere, plan to protest Thursday from Sacramento to San Luis Obispo.