Governor and Legislature Abandon California Children:
Budget Pushes Millions of Children in Harm's Way
Updated August 13, 2009
On July 28, 2009, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Legislature’s Fiscal Year 2009-10 budget agreement.The budget includes $16.1 billion in spending cuts, and the Governor used his line-item veto authority to cut an additional $497.2 million from the budget.In the state’s worst economic recession since the great depression, total state spending decreased by 7.6 percent from last year’s budget.
Spending on critical children’s programs such as health coverage, child welfare, and CalWORKs is not only an investment in our children’s future; it is an investment in the state and its economy. Failing to provide adequate funding now will only increase future costs to deal with problems like the over-crowded prisons that already take up too much of the state’s budget.Additionally, Beacon Economics reports human services such as those cut by the Legislature and the Governor provide a 32 percent boost in the economy and yield $1.32 for every dollar invested. California’s leaders have a fiscal and moral obligation to stimulate the state economy while ensuring that children have the resources and support they need to survive, thrive and learn. However, this budget shows that the state Legislature and Governor Schwarzenegger have failed to acknowledge that every step we take to improve the lives of children will improve the lives of all Californians.
The following outlines the impact of the FY 2009-10 budget agreement on California’s children with a focus on several areas critical to children’s health and well-being. The below overview is also available in a printable PDF document.
· Children’s Health: Budget Shreds the Health Care Safety Net; Close to One Million Children Could Loss or Be Denied Health Coverage
· CalWORKs: Budget Cuts Critical Support for More Than One Million of the State’s Poorest Children
· Child Welfare and Domestic Violence: Budget Eliminates Funding for Domestic Violence Victims Programs and Puts Abused and Neglected Children at Even Greater Risk
· SSI/SSP and Regional Centers: Budget Cuts Grants to More Than 100,000 Disabled Children and Cuts Local Services
· K-12 Education and Higher Education: Budget Cuts Billions From K-12 Education and Severely Limits Access to Higher Education
Note: The cuts made during the FY 2009-10 budget process are on top of serious reductions already taken in the budget passed in February 2009. More cuts are expected due to continued declining revenue projections. There will likely be legal challenges to the Governor’s “blue pencil” line item vetoes.
