Qtec
11-26-2003, 12:04 AM
Schwarzenegger turns terminator
Drastic welfare cuts to curb California's budget crisis
Duncan Campbell in Los Angeles
Wednesday November 26, 2003
The Guardian
Programmes for poor, disabled and elderly people will be the first victims of budget cuts made by Arnold Schwarzenegger as he seeks to balance the California state budget.
Proposals due to be introduced yesterday by the new governor would scale back home care for pensioners and therapy programmes for mentally and physically disabled people, and reduce the number of people entitled to food stamps. Substantial job losses were also expected.
Mr Schwarzenegger's repeal of the state car tax, which had trebled licence fees, was introduced as soon as he took office last week and was warmly welcomed by drivers and the car industry alike. But it meant that a further $4bn (£2.35bn) had to be cut from the state's budget, which already had a $10bn deficit.
The reductions now proposed are the first sign of how the governor aims to close the gap. One cut of $385m would end home cleaning, care and transport for around 75,000 elderly and disabled people, according to the draft proposal published yesterday in the LA Times. A further $282m would be saved by cutting art, music and camping trip programmes for around 626,000 Californians with mental or physical disabilities.
Another $200m would be removed from recruitment programmes run by the University of California and California State University, requiring the institutions to make other unspecified cuts.
A potential $77m would be saved by freezing admission to a project called Healthy Families aimed at the working poor.
Money would also be saved by reducing the number of people eligible for food stamps, which are aimed at the state's poorest families.
Cuts would be made in the public transportation budget and another $19m would be found by ending the tax benefit given to people who agree to preserve their land from development.
Some mayors have already expressed concern that the repeal of the car tax would mean that money they had sought to pay for improved police services would not be forthcoming.
"It's almost like a necessary pain that we have to go through," Kevin McCarthy, the new Republican assembly leader, told the LA Times. "We have had a cancer growing on our budget and to cure this we are going to have to go through the chemo."
Q /ccboard/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Drastic welfare cuts to curb California's budget crisis
Duncan Campbell in Los Angeles
Wednesday November 26, 2003
The Guardian
Programmes for poor, disabled and elderly people will be the first victims of budget cuts made by Arnold Schwarzenegger as he seeks to balance the California state budget.
Proposals due to be introduced yesterday by the new governor would scale back home care for pensioners and therapy programmes for mentally and physically disabled people, and reduce the number of people entitled to food stamps. Substantial job losses were also expected.
Mr Schwarzenegger's repeal of the state car tax, which had trebled licence fees, was introduced as soon as he took office last week and was warmly welcomed by drivers and the car industry alike. But it meant that a further $4bn (£2.35bn) had to be cut from the state's budget, which already had a $10bn deficit.
The reductions now proposed are the first sign of how the governor aims to close the gap. One cut of $385m would end home cleaning, care and transport for around 75,000 elderly and disabled people, according to the draft proposal published yesterday in the LA Times. A further $282m would be saved by cutting art, music and camping trip programmes for around 626,000 Californians with mental or physical disabilities.
Another $200m would be removed from recruitment programmes run by the University of California and California State University, requiring the institutions to make other unspecified cuts.
A potential $77m would be saved by freezing admission to a project called Healthy Families aimed at the working poor.
Money would also be saved by reducing the number of people eligible for food stamps, which are aimed at the state's poorest families.
Cuts would be made in the public transportation budget and another $19m would be found by ending the tax benefit given to people who agree to preserve their land from development.
Some mayors have already expressed concern that the repeal of the car tax would mean that money they had sought to pay for improved police services would not be forthcoming.
"It's almost like a necessary pain that we have to go through," Kevin McCarthy, the new Republican assembly leader, told the LA Times. "We have had a cancer growing on our budget and to cure this we are going to have to go through the chemo."
Q /ccboard/images/graemlins/confused.gif