Gov. Brown to Let “Wall of Poverty” Stand in Front of Millions of Californians

January 9, 2015
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Gov. Brown to Let “Wall of Poverty” Stand in Front of Millions of Californians

Lack of investment in anti-poverty programs, despite ample opportunity, will not shake state’s #1 in poverty rating.

LOS ANGELES, CA – Governor Brown’s 2015-16 proposed budget, released this morning, fails to provide relief to the nearly 9 million Californians that are living in poverty. California received $3.6 billion more in tax revenue than projected in 2014, which builds upon consecutive years of increased revenues. The proposed budget, however, ignores this opportunity to make substantial investments in the safety net and in communities and people who have been left behind by the states recovery.

“The Governor is beginning another year without taking the growing poverty of Californians seriously” Said Pete Woiwode, Interim Director of the California Partnership. “Californians don’t need scolding and grandstanding from their chief executive, we need action. We need health care, income support, housing, services for our seniors and people with disabilities. We need to be prioritized over tax breaks for Boeing and Hollywood and over the expansion of the bloated prison system.”

“Governor Brown has spent 4 years proving that he can take down the Wall of Debt” Woiwode said. “Now it’s time for him to show some courage and take down the Wall of Poverty that’s standing in the way of millions of Californians.”

Since 2008 more than $15 billion has been cut from health and human services programs that provide work training, health care, subsidized child care, and other services to Californians who are struggling to get by. This has left more than 300,000 children without access to child care, monthly welfare grants equal to less than half of the Federal Poverty Level, and 1.3 million people with disabilities living in poverty.

“The Governor has prided himself in being forward thinking, taking on major challenges to our future like Climate Change and investing in major infrastructure projects like High Speed Rail,” states Jeff Brewer, Communications Manager for California Partnership.  “However, Governor Brown has once again failed to present a vision for combatting the biggest threat to California’s future, which is our highest in the nation poverty rate”

California Partnership and other anti-poverty groups held five press conferences across the state Friday, Jan 9 to discuss Gov. Brown’s proposed 2014-15 State Budget in San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Fresno, and San Bernardino.

California Partnership is a statewide coalition of community-based groups, organizing and advocating for the policies and programs that work to reduce and end poverty. Our mission is to organize to build power and leadership among low-income communities by strengthening our voice and collective power to advocate for the policies that affect our lives the most.