Today members of the health and human services community and recipients of essential services will rally on the steps of the Capitol in Sacramento and meet with legislators to call for restorations to the state’s social safety net.
As the Legislature works on producing and approving a final California budget, social safety net advocates and community members are working hard to urge restorations to essential services that have been devastated in recent budget years. Governor Brown estimates that California will have a revenue surplus of roughly $3 billion (with estimates from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office doubling that number). The HHS Network of CA and California Partnership will urge legislators to use that surplus to fund critical social safety net programs that California’s families need to recover from the Great Recession and succeed.
Today from noon to 12:45pm at the Sacramento State Capitol we will be holding a press conference will be on the East Steps of the Capitol. Some of the more than 150+ social safety net community members and advocates will bravely share their stories about living life under the devastating cuts to the Medi-Cal, Denti-Cal, CalWORKs, and In-Home Supportive Services programs.
Join us as we spread the message that “We’ve cut our way into poverty, and now it’s time to rebuild, restore, and reinvest in California.” As California recovers from the Great Recession, we cannot leave our families, seniors, children, and people living with disabilities behind. Our state’s newfound fiscal health must be used to rebuild the essential services that protect Californians.
Advocates, community members, and recipients will discuss startling new poverty data for California, and the years of steep budget cuts that have deeply damaged our state’s essential services. We will force our lawmakers to look into the eyes and see the pain caused by their refusal to speak up against cuts to the health and human services programs. With California now holding the dubious honor of having the number one poverty rate in the nation – a full 23.5% of Californians live in poverty, and nearly one in four California children live in poverty – it’s time for us to rebuild our social safety net.
Community members will share their stories about why restoring these programs is vital for California’s families and our state’s recovery.
SCHEDULE FOR DAY’S EVENTS:
10:30am to 11:30am Morning Legislative Visits
12:00pm to 12:45pm Press Conference on the East Steps of the Capitol
12:45 to 1:15pm Lunch
1:30pm to 3:30pm Afternoon Legislative Visits
Contact Jeff Brewer (213) 700-6276
Pete Woiwode (510) 504-9552
Astrid Campos (714) 396-8242