California’s Budget Deal Is a Tragedy

Last night, Governor Schwarzenegger and the state legislative leadership passed a budget that includes $15 billion in cuts. The results will be devastating: Over 80,000 seniors and people with disabilities will lose home care; tens of thousands of families will lose vital support through CalWORKS; up to 785,000 children will lose their healthcare; local communities will be destabilized by the state taking billions from local governments; and thousands of social workers, teachers, school employees, and other vital service providers will be laid off.

“This fight is not over. We need to insist on a new vision for California as a place where children, seniors, families, people with disabilities, and local communities receive the services we need.” – John Tanner, SEIU 721 Executive Director

SEIU’s statement on state budget cuts to California services

“This budget is no cause for celebration. In fact, it’s a tragedy that could have been avoided.

“By cutting vital cash assistance to needy families, this budget will be responsible for making thousands of families homeless and leaving many more children hungry.  Approximately 80,000 seniors and people with disabilities will be put at risk of leaving their homes for institutions. Nearly half a million children will lose health care, and 250,000 more will be unable to enroll.

The deal will eliminate tens of thousands of jobs, making our terrible economy even worse. Local communities, which have relied on a responsible and balanced approach to their budget challenges, will now be hit with deep cuts to basic public safety and other services. And millions of school children will have an education inferior to what they could have.

“Big oil, big tobacco, and the alcohol lobby are the only real winners in this budget deal. While the Governor and legislative leaders are calling these deep and painful cuts, ‘shared sacrifice,’ they refused to increase tobacco taxes or tax oil pumped from the ground like every other state does. That tax alone would have prevented the healthcare cuts to kids, the home care cuts to seniors and people with disabilities, and the devastating CalWORKS cuts to struggling families.

“Without real solutions, this budget will unravel in months. The only way to pay for the level of public services that Californians overwhelmingly support is through new revenues, but it’s a small price to pay now compared to the huge price down the road if we fail invest in our children and our communities.

“SEIU members, whose hard work and activism helped prevent even worse cuts to home care, CalWORKS, healthcare, education, and higher education are committed to securing new revenue for real budget solutions. California needs leaders with a new, long-term vision of our state as a place that takes care of its people.”