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.

How to write about the current proposed
reductions to IHSS domestic hours

Home care providers (and their clients) can write their legislators using the sample letter below as a guideline. The letter should be hand written; the first paragraph would be the opener for each letter and the last sentence starting with Thank you would be the closer for each letter drafted. The bullets are the providers/recipients chance to speak in their own words. Each person should draft two letters one to their Assembly Member and one to their Senator.

Don't know their names and addresses?  Find them here:AFSCME legislator search (scroll to bottom of page where it says "Look up Elected Officials" and enter your zip code).  Look for the heading "Governor & State Legislators" for the names and addresses of your Assembly member and Senator.

Sample Letter:

February xx, 2008

The Honorable __________

California State Assembly/Senate District #_
XXXX XXXXXXXX Street, Suite XXXX
XXXXXXXXX, CA 99999

Dear Assembly Member/Senator ________,

My name is ____________ and I am your constituent. I know you will have a lot of tough choices to make when it comes time to vote on the state budget this year. I am requesting that when you do cast your vote, you oppose the Governor’s proposal to reduce hours in domestic and related services in In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) by 18%. These domestic and related services are VITAL and just like personal care services they allow people to live in their homes safely instead of going into nursing homes.

• Tell your story (examples: talk about the work you do for your client, how long you have been a provider, how long it takes to do domestic tasks and how this will affect the health and safety of your client.
• Talk about how your life and/or that of your client will be impacted if domestic hours are cut (examples: will your client have to move, will you have to get another job to replace hours, will you have to provide care without being paid for it, will you lose your health care)

Thank you for listening to my concerns and I hope that after reading my story you find it easier to cast your vote in support of my issues in this year’s budget.

Sincerely,

Your name
Your address