{"id":35,"date":"2015-06-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-06-18T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calchurches.planetpov.com\/impact\/index.php\/2015\/06\/18\/so-what-about-our-poor-in-californias-budget\/"},"modified":"2015-06-18T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-06-18T00:00:00","slug":"so-what-about-our-poor-in-californias-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/churchimpact.org\/index.php\/2015\/06\/18\/so-what-about-our-poor-in-californias-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"So what about our poor in California’s budget?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t<\/span>\"Picture\"<\/a><\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n

Dear Friends:<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> Well, the annual budget passed \u2013 sort of \u2013 but without significant increases in funding for those without two pennies to rub together.\u00a0\u00a0 The reason California Church IMPACT opposed Proposition 2 last year is that while it called\u00a0 for good stewardship over our fiscal resources, it took no account \u2013 none \u2013 of what people need.\u00a0 Placing budget stability ahead of, instead of alongside, human necessities is simply heartless and utterly irresponsible.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> The Governor has become an intrinsic part of the Legislature\u2019s decision making.\u00a0 Because he has line-item veto power, he can cut out anything he does not like.\u00a0 This year, rather than honor the Legislative Analyst\u2019s Office projection of an additional $1.6 BILLION over the Governor\u2019s May Revision,\u00a0 the Governor persuaded the Legislature to increase social service and education funding by a mere $61 million.\u00a0 That assessment of resources is very convenient \u2013 it means he does not have to consider using that money to restore critical supports that have been cut, cut, cut to balance earlier budgets.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> What is within the budget is aimed at helping working families.\u00a0 We will have an Earned Income Tax Credit to supplement really low wages.\u00a0 That is good.\u00a0 The non-working poor \u2013 those on CalWORKs who do not have taxable jobs, those on disability support, and those with developmental disabilities all got left in the dust.\u00a0 Again.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> While these issues transcend racial and ethnic lines, the perception that the poor are all \u201cWelfare Queens\u201d has infiltrated some of this discussion among policy leadership.\u00a0 Given the horrors of Charleston last night, the demonizing of people of color is particularly dangerous and morally odious.\u00a0 California\u2019s \u201crecovery\u201d has been uneven and incomplete; it has impact many people.\u00a0 Those seeking to live \u2013 to subsist \u2013 are far from evil, not burdens, but are our neighbors seeking a hand under the elbow to get through their plight.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> \u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> What was NOT funded \u2013<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> -Assistance for those with developmental disabilities.\u00a0 Service centers may close, leaving families without supports at all for their family members with disabilities.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> -The budget does not encompass funds by which to repeal the \u201cMaximum Family Grant\u201d that would allow families on CalWORKs to have an extra $120 per month for each child above the limit of two per family.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> -CalWORKs recipients have not one penny increase in the cash allowance that has been severely cut over past years and from which they pay rent and utilities as well as durables such as toilet paper, clothes, etc. The cash grant is a little over $600 per month.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> -SSI increases including plans for a Cost of Living Adjustment, have been eliminated.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> -No increase in help for affordable, very-low income housing.\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> -No clarity on whether In Home Supportive Services hourly cuts in service will actually be permanently restored.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> \u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> Advocates for individual programs are calling for a second summit on the budget.\u00a0 The Governor and leadership will hold two \u2018extraordinary budget sessions\u2019 on Medi-Cal and infrastructure, but we are calling for a third on alleviating deep poverty.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> Please contact your Legislators and the Governor to DEMAND full funding for the programs that provide help and for a Third Special Legislative Session focused on solutions to deep poverty.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> Go to: <\/span><\/a>https:\/\/www.votervoice.net\/CALCHURCHES\/Home<\/span><\/a>\u00a0 to find your Legislators.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> Call or FAX the Governor:<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> Capitol office \u2013 916-445-2841.\u00a0 FAX: 916-558-3160<\/strong>. (Note that the FAX is often busy or turned off.)<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> Los Angeles:\u00a0 213-897-0322\u00a0\u00a0 FAX: \u00a0213-897-0319<\/strong><\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> San Francisco:\u00a0 415-703-2218\u00a0\u00a0 FAX: \u00a0415-703-2803<\/strong><\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> Fiscal responsibility is a social good, but not when it becomes a basis for distorting how we address human necessities and providing for those most at risk in our society.\u00a0 Speak up for full funding of social programs today!<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span> Thank you!<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span><\/div>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dear Friends: Well, the annual budget passed \u2013 sort of \u2013 but without significant increases in funding for those without two pennies to rub together.\u00a0\u00a0 … Read More ›<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/churchimpact.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/churchimpact.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/churchimpact.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/churchimpact.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/churchimpact.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/churchimpact.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/churchimpact.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/churchimpact.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/churchimpact.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}