Governor May Revise Budget - Promises More Pain

Governor Schwarzenneger’s revised state budget, released May 14, 2010, proposes drastic cuts to California’s safety net while attacking the jobs of workers who provide those services. Out of $19.1 billion in solutions, $12.2 billion comes in the form of cuts. Most cuts are aimed at health and human services. Low-lights of the 2010 State Budget include:

• Elimination of CalWORKS and the California Food Assistance Program
• Elimination of state child care subsidies for the working poor
• Cuts to IHSS
• Cuts to education funding and increased fees for UC, CSU and community colleges
• Realignment for county mental health programs resulting in loss of county revenues
• Permanent pay cuts and PERS contribution increases for state employees, plus one mandatory unpaid personal day per month, another 5% pay cut

AFSCME and District Council 57 will be working with all local unions to talk to legislators in their home districts about the impact of this budget proposal and how past cuts have hurt programs, clients and workers.