Disability Rights Advocates Mobilizing Against Governor’s Proposed Budget Cuts

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By Marty Omoto
California Disability Community Action Network

In response to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proclamation, issued January 8, of a state fiscal emergency, the State Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, chaired by Sen. Denise Ducheny (Democrat – San Diego) released Thursday a series of public hearings through early February that will focus on the Governor’s budget spending reduction proposals that need early action from the Legislature by March 1, 2010, in order to take effect June 1, 2010.    

Most of the other proposals by the Governor that would take effect during the next State budget year that begins July 1, 2010, will be heard later – likely March through April and early May, during what used to be the normal state budget subcommittee process.   

Representatives from the Governor’s Department of Finance, the Legislative Analyst Office, the non-partisan agency that works for the Legislature in reviewing and providing analysis on budget issues, will be at each of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee hearings. Brief public testimony and comments will be taken at the Senate budget hearings – though persons can submit written comments and testimony before, during and after the hearings. 

The Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee is not expected to take final action on the Governor’s proposals during these hearings, though in theory it could.  

The Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee held an informational hearing early Thursday on the general overview of the Governor’s proposed State budget though took no action, but did announce the series of hearings. The Assembly Budget Committee, chaired by Assemblymember Noreen Evans (Democrat – Santa Rosa)  held a similar overview hearing on January 13.  

No Hearing Schedule Yet From Assembly Budget Committee

Other than a joint informational hearing with the Senate Budget Subcommittee #3 on Health and Human Services on January 27 dealing with implementation of recent changes to the In-Home Supportive Services program, the Assembly Budget Committee or its budget subcommittees, have not yet released a schedule of hearings, though that is expected soon.

Legislature On Fast Track To Respond To Governor’s Proposals for Cuts to Current Budget

• The Legislature – as it has for the past several years, is responding to the Governor’s proposed State Budget on two tracks due to the budget crisis with an enormous budget deficit estimated at close to $20 billion by the end of the 2010-2011 State Budget year (that ends June 30, 2011), with the first track focused on considering and approving proposals that would reduce spending or make other budget changes effective during the current budget year – meaning cuts or changes that would take effect before June 30, 2010.  

• In order for that to happen however, the Legislature would have to approve reductions and policy changes to the current budget no later than March 1, 2010 (to allow sufficient time for any reductions to be implemented by the state agencies, including required notices).  The hearings in January and early February are being held to review and consider the Governor’s proposals for budget reductions – sometimes referred to as mid-year reductions – to take effect June 1, 2010.  

• The second track is what used to be the normal budget process of subcommittee hearings, followed by a joint budget conference committee, and then deadlock in both houses until agreement is reached among the “Big Five” (the Governor, and the four Democratic and Republican State Senate and Assembly leaders).  Those subcommittee hearings normally begin in March and end sometime in early May.  It is not certain how this second track will proceed, since last year, for the first time in California history, the Legislature passed a State budget four months early in February – though it required major revisions in July due to the still growing deficit.  It doesn’t appear likely at this point that the Legislature will repeat passing an early budget.  

• In addition to that, is the impact to the budget process due to the June 2010 state primary election when all the major statewide officers – including governor, all 80 Assembly and 20 State Senate seats are up for election, followed in November by the general election.  

Medi-Cal, Mental Health, Developmental Services Senate Hearing January 26

Most of the major budget cutting proposals impacting health services, including proposals for major reductions to Medi-Cal, Mental Health, Healthy Families, and developmental services (regional centers and developmental centers) will be heard on January 26, Tuesday afternoon at 1:00 to 4:00 PM at the State Capitol in Room 4203. Brief public testimony will be taken in addition to written comments and letters submitted to the committee.

The Governor is proposing over $1 billion in spending reductions to the Medi-Cal program, including permanent elimination of the Medi-Cal adult day health optional benefit, major cuts to Healthy Families – the state’s health insurance program for low income children matched with federal State Children’s Health Insurance Program funds, reductions to Mental Health by proposing shifting funds from the Mental Health Services Act (Proposition 63), and continuing on-going reductions passed last July and February to developmental services (community-based services funded through the 21 non-profit regional centers under the Department of Developmental Services, who also oversee the operations of the state owned and staffed developmental centers and 2 smaller facilities. 

IHSS, SSI/SSP, CAPI AND CALWORKS Senate Budget Hearing February 2

The Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee hearing on human services – including In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), SSI/SSP, (Supplemental Security Income/State Supplemental Payment cash grant program), CAPI (Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants), CalWORKS, is scheduled for February 2, 2010, Tuesday from 1:00 to 4:00 PM at the State Capitol in Room 4203. Brief public testimony will be taken in addition to written comments and letters submitted to the committee.

The Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants provides grants similar to SSI/SSP for about 10,000 legal immigrants in California who have disabilities, are blind or low income seniors who do not qualify for the federal SSI grant program. The Governor has proposed complete elimination of this program, effective June 1, 2010 (assuming the Legislature approves this proposal by March 1, 2010).

The Governor is proposing major reductions to the IHSS program including a proposal that would have sweeping impact on eligibility and services. That proposal, if enacted by March 1, 2010, and effective June 1, 2010, reduce the population receiving IHSS by 87%, or about 420,000 children and adults with disabilities, the blind, mental health needs and seniors, based on a person’s “functional index score”. That score, an internal assessment tool administered by a county social worker when assessing (or re-assessing) a person for services under IHSS, is the average of rankings of the ability of a person to perform various tasks. The Governor proposes that anyone with a “functional index score” of 4.00 or higher would continue to be eligible for services under IHSS – and anyone below that would no longer be eligible for any services under IHSS.

Over 1,000 People Participate in 2 CDCAN Townhall Telemeetings This Week On Governor’s Budget Proposals on IHSS, SSI/SSP&Developmental Services

In a sign of increasing anxiety and concern about the Govenror’s proposals for sweeping cuts to In-Home Supportive Services, SSI/SSP, Medi-Cal, and other health and human services, over 1,000 people with disabilities, mental health needs, the blind, seniors, their families, community organizations, facilities, workers, advocates, federal, state and local officials participated in the two free public forums this week, called CDCAN “Townhall Telemeetings” accessed by toll free phone lines. People were able to ask questions directly to senior state officials on the Governor’s budget proposals. The CDCAN Townhall Telemeetings, since early 2003, thousands of people have participated in the free public forums that seek to link people to public policy making directly.

Audio recordings of both townhall telemeetings (and other townhall telemeetings) are available to anyone on the CDCAN website at www.cdcan.us More townhalls are planned, pending additional funding and support (see below).

The CDCAN Townhall Telemeeting held January 12th, focused on proposed cuts to In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), CalWORKS, SSI/SSP, the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI) and featured California Department of Social Services senior officials, including director John Wagner, Chief Deputy Director Bob Garica, Deputy Director Pete Cervinka, Deputy Director Eva Lopez and Bureau Chief Eileen Carroll. Over 370 people participated in that townhall telemeeting from across the State.

The CDCAN Townhall Telemeeting held January 13th focused on proposed reductions and other changes and a status update on the budget reductions passed last July and February to the budget under the Department of Developmental Services that funds services coordinated by the 21 non-profit regional centers for over 240,000 children and adults with developmental disabilities.. The department also provided updates on the operations of the state-owned and staffed developmental centers and two smaller facilities which it oversees. That townhall featured Terri Delgadillo, director of the Department of Developmental Services, Chief Deputy Director Mark Hutchinson, Deputy Directors Julia Mullen and Rita Walker, and Mary Lee Pennington, who heads the department’s legislative unit. Nearly 800 people with disabilities and others participated in this townhall, breaking the previous attendance record.

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Marty Omoto is Executive Director of the California Disability Community Action Network, a non-partisan link to thousands of Californians with developmental and other disabilities, people with traumatic brain injuries, the blind, the deaf, their families, community organizations and providers, direct care, homecare and other workers, and other advocates to provide information on state and local public policy issues.