THE CURRENT ISSUE:
Saving Homecare from State Budget Cuts

Last budget year the state legislature voted for serious cuts to the IHSS program that many people consider both immoral and illegal. Those cuts have not taken effect only because UDW and other advocates filed lawsuits to stop them.  

IN HIS MAY REVISE, THE GOVERNOR IS NOW PROPOSING TO ELIMINATE UP TO $750 MILLION FROM IHSS
– ABOUT 50% OF THE PROGRAM – 

Snapshot of Governor’s proposed cuts to IHSS in the May revise: 

Although rescinding his threat to eliminate IHSS altogether, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has instead proposed a massive cut of up to $750 million in the program.  This would represent more than 60 percent of the current IHSS budget.   The proposed cuts are to be made with details “developed using a stakeholder group” however the Administration would make the final decision on what would be proposed to the Legislature July 1st. 

We must take every action available to stop the legislature from voting for this reprehensible method of balancing the budget 

THERE ARE OTHER CHOICES 

Why our voices are so important:
Last year the governor and a few ambitious DA’s generated a lot of negative press around the issue of “fraud” in IHSS. The California legislature voted on cuts following this misinformation spread in the media. This makes it doubly important to contact both your legislators and your local editor or TV news channel to tell your side of this story.  

See Talking Points   

CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES

 It’s quick, easy and one of the
most effective actions you can take!

Every one of us has state representatives that are supposed to vote on issues in a manner that “represents” their constituents. Most legislators only pay attention to communications from people who are in their district, so when you call they will ask for your address. Use our “Legislator Look-Up” to make sure you are contacting your personal representatives.  

It helps if you are a registered voter. If you aren’t, please register now!  

Read the Current Issue (above), or check out our Talking Points for help with language..  

Tips on calling your legislator’s office:

• You will probably speak with a staff member; that is normal, and they will convey your message to the legislator.
• Please be respectful – it helps!
• You don’t have to “explain” your position or give them personal details, but you can if you like. Just say something simple: “I would like my voice to be on the record. Please let (Assemblymember or Senator’s name) know I am against cuts to IHSS.” If you wish, you can tell the person how the issue affects you personally.
• If you would like to express your point of view in more detail, you may use these Talking Points as a guideline

 WRITE YOUR REPRESENTATIVES

How important is your personal letter?  

When an elected official gets a hand-written letter from someone they represent, it is considered that letter represents 500 people who have the same opinion but did not take the time to write.  

You may also send a pre-written email, and edit it with your own words. This is not as effective as writing a letter, but better than not acting at all. — BEST YET, DO BOTH.  

How to write about the current cuts to IHSS

Home care providers and their clients, family members and supporters can write their legislators using the sample letter below as a guideline. Your letter is more effective when it is hand written. Each person should draft two letters one to their State Assembly Member and one to their State Senator. Also cc all your letters to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.  

You can easily get all your legislator contact information by entering your zip code (or address) here.

Sample Letter for Representatives:

You may also use these Talking Points as a guideline  

Month Day, 2010  

The Honorable __________  

California State Assembly/Senate District #_
XXXX XXXXXXXX Street , Suite XXXX
XXXXXXXXX , CA 9xxxx  

Dear Assembly Member/Senator:  

As one of your constituents, I am deeply concerned with the regressive and irresponsible program cuts that have been proposed by the Governor in this year’s May Revise.  I am particularly troubled by the proposal to administer a 50% reduction in In-Home Support Services (IHSS).  This essential program serves as a lifeline for some of California’s most vulnerable citizens; cutting this funding would be devastating. 

(Describe here how your life and/or that of your client will be affected by the IHSS cuts. For example: Will your client have to move or be institutionalized, will you have to get another job to replace the hours you will lose, will you have to provide care without being paid for it, will you lose your health care, etc.)  

The IHSS program is extremely cost effective and has been nationally praised as a model state program for helping the elderly and disabled live independently. Severe cuts to this program would result in the displacement or institutionalization of elderly, blind, and disabled constituents that call YOUR DISTRICT HOME. 

There will be no cost savings by cutting this program.  Gov. Schwarzenegger’s attempt to eliminate $637.1 million dollars this budget year and $750 million dollars in the next budget year from the IHSS fund will have unfathomable effects on your constituents and the state as a whole. By reducing the federal matching funds the state receives for IHSS, and by forcing IHSS recipients to access far-more-costly nursing homes for care, this “budget solution” will do nothing more but extend the “budget crisis”  that California is already facing.  

It is time for you to be accountable and to stand up to the governor and his bad ideas. It is time for you and your colleagues to come up with creative solutions to our current budget crisis, not to merely rubber-stamp the destruction of the safety net for elderly, blind and disabled Californians. 

Please protect this vital program and reject the proposed budget cuts to the IHSS program this year. Thank you. 

Sincerely,
(your name)
(your address)  

WRITE TO YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER AND COMMENT ONLINE

Another important action you can take is to speak to your community through the media. Remember that IHSS is funded by California taxpayers who often do not know about the program or how important it may be to their own families. Your friends and neighbors may not know that IHSS saves taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars a year compared to the cost of nursing home care. They also may believe the unfair and misleading campaign by the governor and his allies that characterized the IHSS program as having “widespread fraud.” Writing the editor of your local paper or commenting on website’s of newspapers that carry stories about the program are both effective steps you can take.  

Check out the various news categories on our Home Page to find stories you can comment on.  When a story is commented on extensively, it will often get picked up and distributed by other media because they know it is a subject that interests people.  

How to get a letter published in your local newspaper

• Letters to the editor should be short and focused; call the newspaper for submission guidelines and follow them.  Don’t exceed the maximum word count or ignore the stated rules.
• Read other letters that have been printed in the publication to get an idea of what kind of writing is most likely to get accepted.
• Don’t assume your readers already know about your efforts or who you are.  use the first paragraph of the letter to give a brief recap on what you want, and why you want it.
• Write your piece as objectively and rationally as possible.  As an advocate for home care workers or clients, feel free to write from personal experience once you have established the major points of your letter.
• Take issue, but never take a “cheap shot” at those who disagree with your point of view.
• Use creative and vigorous language to get your point across.
• Type your letter.  Check for grammar and spelling.  Editors see many letters each day.  They are much more likely to read and use those that are concise and legible.

You may use these Talking Points as a guideline.