{"id":41,"date":"2016-03-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-03-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calchurches.planetpov.com\/impact\/index.php\/2016\/03\/16\/change-lives-for-the-better-support-ab-1994\/"},"modified":"2016-03-16T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2016-03-16T00:00:00","slug":"change-lives-for-the-better-support-ab-1994","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/churchimpact.org\/index.php\/2016\/03\/16\/change-lives-for-the-better-support-ab-1994\/","title":{"rendered":"Change Lives for the Better – Support AB 1994!"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Dear Friends:
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In this troubled year of too little money in our budget, one Assembly Member has found something that can genuinely begin lifting people from poverty.
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AB 1994 (Patty Lopez-D, San Fernando) changes the standards for those receiving CalWORKs, the paltry support for people needing welfare.\u00a0 CalWORKs has a lifetime limit of\u00a0 four years (children may get supports longer, but that\u2019s the adult limit) during which time they are to work for their cash grant of a little over $600.\u00a0 That is below minimum wage but is mandated for those without infants and very young toddlers.\u00a0
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This means people enter the system poor, remain poor, do dead-end jobs for 4 years, and exit poor with no improvement in skills.\u00a0
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That is not what we were promised in 1996 when longer term Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) began.\u00a0 No \u2013 we were promised that recipients could go to school and use TANF (CalWORKs is our state program) as that \u201chand under the elbow\u201d until they became self sufficient.
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Instead the Scrooges of our society decided school was coddling people. Work! That\u2019s what they need!\u00a0 Work! Never mind it was menial and improved nothing \u2013 they can\u2019t be slackers but have to \u2018earn their keep\u2019 while on the public dime.\u00a0
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We have not<\/em><\/strong> diminished poverty. This narrow-minded policy has made it much worse. We have great case load reduction; kicking people out after four years will do that. But they\u2019re no better off than they were when they started.
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Assembly Member Lopez thinks this is nuts.\u00a0 So do we. We in the faith community want a moral and useful alternative to low-wage labor and persistent poverty. AB 1994 will allow CalWORKs recipients to do one major thing to change their lives:\u00a0 participate in high school or GED classes and testing to earn their diplomas or GEDs.
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Sixty-five percent of recipients do not have a high school diploma or GED. Allowing them to go to school and earn that critical document is life changing for the better.\u00a0 Almost no job in this state does not require one or the other.\u00a0 AB 1994 therefore is a major game changer for thousands of recipients.
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Please write to Asm. Lopez and her staff expressing support for AB 1994.\u00a0 We so rarely find really good ways to help people in need we cannot let this chance go by.\u00a0 We have to stand up to the naysayers and Scrooges \u2013 it\u2019s not work people need; it\u2019s real opportunities to change their circumstances.
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We need letters by this coming Friday to go to Asm. Susan Bonilla, Chair of the Assembly Human Services Committee and to Asm. Lopez.\u00a0
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Here is a sample letter:
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\u00a0
Date\u00a0 ____Please Submit by March 18, 2016\u00a0 <\/strong><\/em>
\u00a0
Susan Bonilla, Chair<\/em>
Assembly Human Services Committee<\/em>
State Capitol, Room 5175<\/em>
Sacramento,\u00a0CA\u00a0 95814<\/em>
\u00a0
RE: Support for AB 1994 (Lopez)<\/em>
\u00a0
Dear Chairperson Bonilla:<\/em>
\u00a0
[I or Name of Your Organization<\/u><\/strong> if applicable\u00a0 (Who you are \u2013 social justice, congregation, etc. and what your values are on this issue)\u00a0 supports Assembly Bill 1994 (Lopez) that would increase the percentage of CalWORKs recipients who obtain a high school diploma or GED, by creating a onetime incentive to complete high school or its equivalent.\u00a0 This will aid recipients in becoming more self-sufficient and able to obtain work in a competitive job market.<\/em>
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According to CDSS, 65% of CalWORKs recipients who are heads of household do not have a high school diploma or its equivalent. This blocks their access to obtaining all but the most menial of dead-end jobs.<\/em>
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There a direct correlation between educational attainment and income.\u00a0 Specifically high school diplomas and GEDs offer a single parent the opportunity to increase their annual income by $8,000.00. Other positive connections include: more educated workforce, an increase in productivity of workers, gaining full time employment, becoming civically engaged, and increased understanding of the importance of education, which they pass on to their children.<\/em>
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The CalWORKs program provides cash aid but has barred access to education for too many.<\/em>
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I\/we<\/em><\/strong> support\/s AB 1994 because it creates the CalED Program to assist CalWORKs recipients who are at least 19 years of age to obtain high school diplomas or equivalency certificates.\u00a0 AB 1994 provides an incentive\/aid supplement to the participant as they successfully complete high school or a high school equivalency examination at a certificated testing site. AB 1994 would require counties to arrange for education and supportive services that an individual needs to successfully participate in the CalED Program. <\/em>
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I\/We<\/em><\/strong> urge your \u201cAye\u201d vote.\u00a0 Thank you.<\/em>
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Sincerely,<\/em>
\u00a0
Your Name and Title<\/em><\/strong>
Address with ZIP<\/em><\/strong>
\u00a0
\u00a0
Please send your letter or email (include your name and address in both cases) to:
\u00a0
Asm. Patty Lopez\u2019s staff: Kristi.lopez@asm.ca.gov<\/a>\u00a0 or send a FAX to Asm. Patty Lopez\u2019s office at 916-319-2139\u00a0 (Yes \u2013 Kristi Lopez is a staff member in Patty Lopez\u2019s office.)
\u00a0
Assembly Human Services staff:<\/strong>
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Irene.Frausto@asm.ca.gov<\/a>
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Daphne.Hunt@asm.ca.gov\u00a0\u00a0<\/a>
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These two email addresses will get your letter to Asm. Bonilla and all other Human Services Committee members.\u00a0 \u00a0
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Asm. Bonilla\u2019s FAX is 916-319-2114
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AB 1994 will change lives for the better.\u00a0 Please write by this Friday, March 18 to get your voices added to the list of supporters for this excellent bill.
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Thank you!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dear Friends:\u00a0In this troubled year of too little money in our budget, one Assembly Member has found something that can genuinely begin lifting people from … 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-41","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\/41","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=41"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/churchimpact.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/churchimpact.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/churchimpact.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/churchimpact.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}