Action Alerts:

FAX / CALL ALERT

TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9 and 10, 2003

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed a package of mid-year budget cuts that will have a devastating impact on children and families in California. The Senate Budget Sub Committee on Health and Human Services will discuss these cuts on Wednesday, December 10. We need to let the members of the sub-committee and the Governor know that we do not accept balancing the budget on the backs of poor kids and their families.

The Governor’s proposed cuts include:

- A 5% reduction in the CalWORKS grant, and suspension of the COLA that should have kicked in in October, for an overall grant reduction of 8% (to $669 for a family of 3, which is 52% of the poverty line)
- Repeal of a law passed last year that makes it easier for working families to receive food stamps if they own a car
- Elimination of transitional food stamps for families moving from welfare to work
- A cap on the number of kids who can receive Healthy Families (Health Access estimates that 100,000 kids will be waiting for health insurance by the end of 2004 if this proposal goes through)
- A cap on the numbers of legal immigrants who qualify for CalWORKS and non-emergency Medi-Cal.

PLEASE MAKE TWO CALLS OR SEND TWO FAXES ON TUESDAY OR WEDNESDAY:

1) Call Governor Schwarzenegger and let him know that cutting poor kids, families, and immigrants off of welfare, food stamps, and health care programs they need to survive is not an acceptable way to balance the budget.

Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-445-4633

2) Call a member of the Budget Sub Committee on Health and Human Services and let them know that you expect them to protect California’s poor kids, families, and immigrants from Governor Schwarzenegger’s attempts to cut the welfare, food stamps, and health care programs they need to survive. This is not an acceptable way to balance the budget.

The Budget Sub-Committee consists of the following Senators:

Chesbro (Chair): Phone: 916-445-3375 Fax: 916-323-6958
Cedillo (LA): Phone: 916-445-3456 Fax: 916-327-8817
McClintock(Thousand Oaks) Phone: 916-445-8873 Fax: 916-324-7544
McPherson (Santa Cruz) Phone: 916-445-5843 Fax: 916-445-8081
Ortiz (Sacramento) Phone: 445-7807 Fax: 916-323-2263

If you live in the district of one of these Senators, please call him/her. Otherwise, please call the Chair of the Sub-Committee, Wes Chesbro.

Please let us know how many calls you and your members make! We will only make an impact if we generate hundreds of calls. In southern California let Alicia know how it goes: [email protected] or 562-862-2070 x.304. In northern California let Rebecca know: [email protected] or 415-572 1445.

For more information, contact Rebecca Vilkomerson at [email protected]