California Partnership started the new budget cycle with a bang by bringing together over 100 community members, advocates and concerned organizations on the Hollywood walk of fame on January 8th to recognize Governor Schwarzenegger as the World’s Worst Governor. The Governor’s Hollywood Star is ironically located in front of the Guinness World Records Museum, so it was only logical to highlight all the world records that the Governor has broken during his tenure.
This action included a press conference with 4 speakers that demanded that the Governor come up with a Family Recovery Plan. Nancy Berlin, the California Partnership Director, spoke about last year’s cuts and how California needs solutions for the massive $21 Billion dollar deficit. The three other speakers were community members that discussed how the cuts affected them. Natalia Rios discussed how the cuts to CalWORK’s and the increase of fees in the Universities really made it very difficult to take her of her son and continue her education. Mr. Yong Cho spoke about being a senior and depending on CAPI to make ends meet and how the elimination of this state program would eliminate his entire income. The last speaker was Cyril Ochad, a former Franciscan Friar who now is on SSI and disability and understands that the cuts don’t just affect him individually who has had his SSI cut and his dental coverage eliminated but it hurts all Californians.
The event was very successful in demonstrating the major cuts to education, health and human services and how California needs real solutions. The Family Recovery Plan would have a three prong solution: preserving the safety nets, creating jobs/investing in workers and bringing home the Federal dollars.