Hundreds Pack Assembly Budget Subcommittee Hearing in LA

CALIFORNIA UCP BUDGET UPDATE
December 17, 2002 - Tuesday evening

Hundreds Pack Assembly Budget Subcommittee Hearing in LA - Long Lines Wait Outside Auditorium - Support Urged for Services for People With Disabilities, Seniors, Children

Hundreds of people with developmental and other disabilities, seniors, advocates for health care for people with low incomes, children's groups, union workers, direct care workers and providers and others packed the first informational hearing by the Assembly Budget Subcommittee #1 on Health a nd Human Services on Governor Gray Davis proposed $10 billion in spending reductions to the current year budget. The hearing, chaired by Assemblywoman Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park), was held at the Ronald Reagan State Office Building in Los Angeles this afternoon (December 17).

As expected, no action was taken by the subcommittee, though many of the subcommittee members expressed the need to support the state's most vulnerable populations - however no specifics were announced on what that meant.

But the huge number of people - many traveling hundreds of miles to the hearing, was perhaps the biggest news of the hearing itself, which caused a delay in the proceedings as subcommittee staff and others scrambled to find a larger room - and to accommodate the large crowds. Initially the hearing was set to be held in a 40 seat meeting room - and was hastily moved to a larger auditorium in the building. Even that move still left many more people who were forced to wait outside in the building lobby when the auditorium filled to its 300 seat capacity. Between 40-50 persons with disabilities (including developmental) in wheelchairs came the hearing - though only half were allowed in the room due to fire and safety regulations. About 15 others had to wait in the hallway area just outside the inner doors of the auditorium - while the remaining people in wheelchairs, along with another 150-200 or so people with disabilities, advocates, organizational representatives, family members, and others also waited outside in the building lobby - unable to enter.

Some people in wheelchairs - and others sitting in seats in the auditorium, exchanged places with people outside the room after the first hour or so, and came back in later as more space was made as other people left.

The problems in seating and accommodating people in wheel chairs caused many people to be very angry and upset - though nearly everyone seemed to appreciate the efforts of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee staff, the State Police and Assembly Sargent-At-Arms, and Assemblywoman Chu's staff in trying to improve the situation.
Still, self-advocates including Audrie Harthorn, Randy and Kimberly Horton and many others urged - and in some cases warned that the State needed to correct the situation before future hearings are held on health and human services budget cuts. Harthorn's remarks were applauded by the audience.

WHAT ASSEMBLY MEMBERS ATTENDED THE HEARING
Members of the 5 person subcommittee who were present at the informational hearing were Assemblywoman Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park), the chair; Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally (D-Compton); Assemblyman Ray Haynes (R-Temecula); Assemblyman Robert Pacheco(R-Walnut). Assembly Dario Frommer (D-Los Angeles) was not present. In addition, other Assemblymembers including Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg (D-Los Angeles), Assemblyman Paul Koretz (D-West Hollywood) and Assemblywoman Sally Lieber (D-Santa Clara) attended all or part of the hearing. Sen. Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles), who formerly chaired the Assembly Budget Subcommittee #1 last session, made remarks and stayed for the entire hearing.

WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN?
Technically, nothing, because no actions took place. However the huge crowds and the testimonies (both from the panels and from the general public) probably will have some impact on the legislators and staff who attended - though the real actions on the Governor's $10 billion spending reduction plan won't take place until mid-January. Ultimately, the impact of the December 17th hearing on what the Assembly does (the Senate still needs to hold hearings) with be balanced with many other factors, including what the Senate does, the public pressure and lobbying from other groups on different programs (ie. education), the continued organized advocacy by people with developmental and other disabilities, seniors and others, the release of the Governor's January 10th 2004 Budget proposal, and the release (this week) of the new projections of the budget shortfall (rumored to be close to $30 billion now).

SOME POINTS MADE
Three panels made up of various advocates, and organizational representatives, covered the Governor's cuts impacting developmental disabilities, SSI/SSP, services to seniors, children and families, and proposed reductions to Medi-Cal [see UCP Budget Update dated December 6 for more details on these proposed reductions)
* Medi-Cal Optional Benefits - A brief presentation by representatives of Extreme Medicine, a Los Angeles based company founded by people with disabilities, showed subcommittee members the actual medical supplies - including catheters, diabetic test strips and syringes that they critically need to survive - all of which is covered under the Medi-Cal "optional benefits" program (it is called "optional" because the Federal Government does not require the states to offer these benefits as part of the Medicaid program). This visual presentation seemed to have an impact on some legislators and staff.
* Maximizing Federal Resources - Sen. Cedillo, and several members of the audience urged the State to maximize every possible federal resource, including expanding the federal Medicaid Home and Community Based Waiver. One speaker said the State rather than cutting $100 million from regional center purchase of services budgets, should not "steal" any new federal dollars brought into the developmental disabilities service system by moving the same amount of state money into the State General Fund, to applause from the audience. Another speaker passed out an information sheet that showed California lagging behind many states in maximizing federal resources on a per capita basis.
* Need for Community Services and Supports for People with Developmental Disabilities - was stressed in part of the first panel, and over and over again by many people from the audience later. Many urged no cuts or opposition to Governor Davis' proposed statewide purchase of services standards.
* Preservation of the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act - the "civil rights" act for people with developmental disabilities authored by Republican Assemblyman Frank Lanterman and signed into law by then Governor Ronald Reagan, was cited by several speakers - urging that the State preserve and not suspend this statute.
* Senior Programs and Services - several speakers (including those on a panel) spoke of the need to continue senior nutrition programs and urged no cuts or elimination, as proposed by the Governor of many senior programs.

NEXT STEPS
LEGISLATURE:
* FLOOR SESSIONS - The full Assembly and Senate are not expected to convene floor
sessions either in special session on the budget - or in regular session, until
January 6 (Monday). Final action on the Governor's proposed spending cuts and
reductions are not expected until sometime in early to mid January.
* HEARINGS - No action will occur at any of these informational hearings (there is one on education finance being held in San Jose on December 18). The Senate will not hold any hearings prior to January. The Senate is not organizing internal work groups (as previously reported) and is reviewing the Governor's proposal and
waiting to see the new numbers on the projected shortfall (to be released by the
Department of Finance and reportedly the Legislative Analyst Office, perhaps later
this week).
* Actual full scale budget hearings - in both houses - on the Governor's current year spending cuts proposal will occur sometime in early to mid January.
GOVERNOR:
* Continues preparations for submitting his proposed budget for 2003-2004 on
January 10 - which advocates fear will be the other proverbial shoe to drop. That
proposal is likely to contain a mixture of revenue increases and more program cuts.
* The Governor's office is expected to release a NEW projection of the budget shortfall - widely predicted to be close to or even over $30 billion (an increase from the Legislative Analyst Office's November projection that the deficit is at $21 billion).
* Even if the Legislature adopts every one of the Governor's special session proposed spending cuts and reductions, that would still leave a budget shortfall of at least $11 billion and growing (some fiscal observers say the deficit will total over $30 billion - which means if the Legislature adopts the Governor's current year cuts, the hole left would still be a staggering $20 billion).

WHAT YOU CAN DO
* Please see new UCP ACTION ALERT that will be issued later on Wednesday (December 18).