Harmful Budget Cuts will Impact AAPI Communities
Monday, 02. 23. 2009 – Category: Access to Quality Health Care, Strengthening the Safety Net
Los Angeles—Before signing the budget agreement reached by state legislators early Thursday morning, Governor Schwarzenegger, today, approved an additional $1.3 billion in line-item vetoes. After tense negotiations that spanned several days, the final deal includes $14.9 billion in spending reductions, $12.5 billion in revenue increases and $5.4 billion in borrowing. Various provisions of the compromise plan will be subject to voter approval as early as May.
“Although the final agreement raises revenue and avoids discriminatory proposals that target immigrant communities, the budget deal forces harmful funding cuts to safety net programs and our education system and also imposes a cap on California’s future spending,” explains Sara Sadhwani, Project Director with the Asian Pacific American Legal Center. “In the long term, limitations on spending could cripple the state’s ability to reform our health care system and fund education and health services.”
Hoping to close the state’s deficit, totaling over $40 billion, the massive plan adjusts the 2008-09 budget and establishes a budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year. Despite increasing critical state revenue, the compromise also offers tax cuts to large corporations. Additionally, it suspends Cost-of-Living Adjustments to individuals receiving basic living assistance.
“The final budget deal not only reduces vital services to vulnerable Asian American and Pacific Islander seniors, families and disabled individuals, it also allows for deeper cuts if California does not receive adequate funding from the federal stimulus package,” says Hala Masri, Policy Advocate with the Asian Pacific American Legal Center. “These additional cuts would leave millions of families without vision care, parents without dental services and countless others without the proper assistance to live healthy and responsible lives.”
“As the state’s economy continues to deteriorate, Californians are struggling to feed their families and stay in their homes,” explains Karin Wang, Vice President of Programs with the Asian Pacific American Legal Center. “Therefore, while the threat of additional spending cuts remains, it is imperative that our leaders prioritize the preservation of safety net services and the well-being of our communities.”
For more information on the state budget and California’s safety net programs, please reference the Asian Pacific American Legal Center’s policy brief, Critical Choices, Critical Impact: How California budget shortfalls impact Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, available at www.apalc.org.
Tags: Health, Safety Net, State Budget