A Pathway to Prosperity for California
From Mobilize the Immigrant Vote!
In March, the Governor signed a budget that made $12 billion dollars in cuts with $6 billion directly cut from vital health and human service programs like CalWORKs, Medi-Cal, and Healthy Families. With nearly $15 billion dollars left to address, the Governor engaged in negotiations with legislators to include much-needed revenue. In response, they asked for a pet-project list of 53 demands. At that point negotiations stalled as two Republicans from both the Assembly and the Senate were needed to put the Governor’s revenue package on a June ballot.
On May 16, Governor Brown released his May Revise Proposal for the state budget. The Governor has maintained his call for additional revenues to pay off some of the state’s structural debt and bridge the state’s remaining $9.6 billion dollar deficit. In this proposal, he eliminates 43 boards and commissions, realigns management of some programs, and modified some of his original revenue proposals. The major health service shift proposed by the Governor involves moving children enrolled in Healthy Families into Medi-Cal (under the Department of Health Care Services). This would result in the elimination of MRMIB (the Major Risk Medical Insurance Board), which currently administers Healthy Families.
Governor Brown continues to propose the extension of existing revenue streams that would help stabilize and secure programs serving California’s hard-working families to the Legislature. California needs these revenues to close the budget gap. Without a 2/3 vote to support extending existing revenue streams, the other option – an all-cuts budget that eliminates vital services – would harm all Californians. Legislators must face the reality of our budget crisis and demonstrate conscientious efforts to build a pathway to prosperity for California.
While the state’s immigrant specific programs were spared in this year’s May Revise, of particular concern to immigrant families are the cuts that were made to the state’s CalWORKs program back in March. The approximately $1 billion in budget cuts to the program included terminating aid to parents on CalWORKs after 48 months instead of the existing 60 month policy, reducing the maximum grants given to CalWORKs beneficiaries by 8%, and reducing aid to child only cases by 5% after five years (and by an additional 5% after six and after seven years). The cuts in aid to child only cases particularly impact children living in immigrant households. Testimony by advocates in Sacramento and beneficiaries of these vital services prompted the Assembly Budget Sub-Committee on Health and Human Services on May 24th to vote to repeal the 5% grant reductions that were scheduled to go into effect this July.
California needs revenues to close the budget gap to prevent more Californians, regardless of their ethnic, linguistic, or national origins, from falling through the cracks. With so much at stake, legislative leaders must extend current tax rates before they expire. Communities across the state are continuing their demand for a state budget that reflects its investment in the most vulnerable communities and the successful programs that advance California’s future for all of us. To get involved, please contact Astrid Campos, California Partnership Organizer, at (213)385-8018 or by email at acampos@communitychange.org
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This article was written with the generous support of the California Immigrant Policy Center and by MIV partner organization, California Partnership.
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Tags: California State Budget
