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Since January, CIPC has been following a series of state budget proposals by the Governor and some legislators to drastically reduce support for or eliminate health and human services programs for immigrants in California. Thanks to efforts by a large coalition of advocates in Sacramento and other parts of the state, these cuts were prevented. Although there is little to celebrate in light of cuts made by the Governor and ongoing deficits that will surely mean more battles to come, we are thankful to everyone who defended these programs, including Medi-Cal and the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI), which represent a lifeline to many immigrant seniors, persons with disabilities and working families.

Before signing the legislature's budget plan, Governor Schwarzenegger eliminated more than $500 million in funding for critical human service programs, cuts which will impact immigrant families, seniors, and other vulnerable populations. One notable casualty in the Governor's action was his decision to reduce to zero funds for the Naturalization Services Program. NSP has provided critical support to immigrants seeking to become new citizens, and the cut in funds is a terrible loss to many organizations throughout California that have been offering instruction and counseling to applicants. The Community Services Department, which oversees NSP has assured grantees that funding for the 2006-07 and 2007-08 contracts has not been eliminated. Only contracts executed in January 2009 would be affected. .Although NSP has lost its funding, the program continues to exist in statute, and CIPC and its allies pledge to work to re-fund this important program in the new budget year. Please see the final section of this Update for ACTION ITEMS on NSP and critical programs that assist low-income Californians.

In addition to cuts already included in the budget, such as the cost of living increases for CalWORKs and SSI, the Governor also made the following cuts to the budget.

· $88 million from CalWORKs, including cuts to stage 2 child care and eligibility and employment services.

· $200 million plus from Senior Programs, including a Renter's Tax Assistance Program and Adult Protective Services.

· $13 million from Aging Programs, such as a Legal Hotline for Seniors and a Long-Term Care Ombudsman program.

ACTION ITEMS

CUTS TO HUMAN SERVICES AND NSP

If you are concerned about how cuts to important human service programs will affect low-income people, including immigrants, please write a letter to the editor of your local paper in response to articles about the budget. Provide examples of how these cuts will impact your clients, family members, community, or anyone else you know who may be impacted. By responding to articles, we can show that there is concern in the community about the legislature and Governor's actions.

Please call the Governor to protest the cuts to NSP, this will let the Governor know that the issue of NSP funding is not settled, and that advocates will continue to press for support.

CALL THE GOVERNOR TO PROTEST THE ELIMINATION OF

NATURALIZATION SERVICES PROGRAM FUNDING TODAY!

Call: 1-916-445-2841

We need to let Governor Schwarzenegger know that the Naturalization Services Program is critical for immigrant communities and must be funded next year. This program, which already receives less funding than it should, is the only state program that provides support to thousands of immigrants seeking to become citizens and participate more fully in the political and economic life of our state. It is ironic that the Governor would eliminate more than 2 million dollars from a program that promises to help new citizens become contributors to our state's economy through their work, their entrepreneurship and the taxes that they pay.

CIPC will provide further updates on the NSP program and efforts to restore the funding for this important program.

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[1] Source- California Partnership, of which CIPC is a member.