Farmers, Professors, and Others Deliver a Message of Courage to Senator Cannella

By John Sarraille

“Doing the right thing isn’t always easy, but we’re counting on you.” That’s the message of courage more than 250 Modesto-area residents delivered to State Senator Anthony Cannella’s office on Thursday.

I was one of hundreds of people from all walks of life who gathered at the Modesto rally to ensure Cannella hears directly from his constituents about what is most important to us: education, safe communities, and caring for seniors and young people.

Joining educators like me at the event were seniors, public safety officials, farmers, and others who have our share of differences, but who know getting California back on track is so important we have to come together to protect our shared priorities.

But protecting those priorities will be impossible if State Senator Anthony Cannella doesn’t show the courage to prevent current revenues from expiring June 30. If those revenues are not maintained, another $9.6 billion in cuts will be made, ON TOP of the devastating cuts those communities across California have already suffered: massive layoffs of teachers, leaving classrooms crowded. Police and firefighters laid off, threatening our safety. College courses cut and tuition soaring, pricing middle-class students out. Adult Day Health Centers shuttered and home care stripped away, putting thousands of seniors in danger of being forced into nursing homes.



Senator Cannella is one of several Republican legislators who are under increasing pressure from extremists not to support a compromise in order to protect schools and colleges, public safety and health care for seniors from more cuts.

These extremists are radio personalities and Washington, D.C. political operatives. They don’t have our interests at heart, they aren’t the ones who have to worry about our kids getting through school, or looking out for our parents and grandparents who have paid their dues over a lifetime. Senator Cannella is the one who is supposed to represent us, and it’s time he showed the courage to do what’s right.

I have no doubt that it’s hard to be in Senator Cannella’s shoes these days, with the extremist shock jocks in L.A. threatening to put pragmatic legislators “heads on a stick.” But Senator Cannella is supposed to represent us, not the entertainers and ideologues who don’t care at all about our community and have no relationship to Stanislaus County and its needs.

California is in crisis and we can’t take any more cuts to public safety or education, which is our ticket to a brighter future. We’re counting on Senator Cannella to show the courage to do what’s right. No more cuts!

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SLO Residents to Achadijan: If extremists win, California loses

San Luis Obispo residents are looking for leadership -- and answers -- from Assemblymember Katcho Achadjian.

At Thursday's rally, dozens of families, seniors and students urged Achadijian to protect local seniors, schools and public safety from the devastating cuts by voting for a balanced state budget.

If current revenue levels aren't protected, San Luis Obispo County could face $25 million in education cuts alone. Cal Poly professor Dr. Jim Conway wants the Assemblymember to stop standing behind GOP rhetoric, and Stand Up for California:

“We’re calling on Assemblymember Achadjian to stop hiding behind generalities and abstractions and tell us where he would make the cuts locally. Which courses would he shut down at Cal Poly? How many teachers in our local schools should be laid off? How many deputies should the sheriff’s office lay off, and which cases should the D.A. stop prosecuting? If you’re going to vote for deeper cuts, have the courage and character to look us in the eye and be specific about the local consequences.”

By refusing even to maintain already existing revenues, Achadjian’s approach to the budget would force $10 billion more in cuts – pulling the rug out from under vulnerable seniors, slashing law enforcement even as crime is rising, and chopping up to a month off our kids’ school year.

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Fresno families pay Berryhill a visit

In Fresno, three generations had one message for Senator Tom Berryhill: Stand up for our children’s future, and stop the extreme cuts.

Thursday’s news conference in front of Berryhill’s office featured dozens of grandparents, parents and children who detailed the impact that existing cuts have already had on Central Valley classrooms. Fresno County schools have already faced cuts of more than $1000 per student, and face additional cuts of $139 million next year. In addition to larger class sizes, schools may be forced to cut short short the school year by up to 30 days.

Fresno area senior Grace Solis says it’s time to stop punishing kids.

“Our kids didn’t create the budget mess in Sacramento, but they’ve sure been paying for it. Classes are bigger, so it’s harder for them to learn. Music, sports, and extra-curricular activities have been cut, so their educational experience is not well-rounded. As bad as these cuts are, if Senator Berryhill stands by and lets critical funding for our schools expire, these cuts will grow even worse.”

Thresa Ward, a Fresno grandparent of three, agreed.

“My grandkids deserve better than to be packed into classrooms like sardines. But that’s the direction California is headed if we don’t stop the cuts right now.”

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Welcome to the OC: Taking a stand for California

From the Church to the beach – Costa Mesa residents were taking a stand and delivering a strong message to Senator Tom Harman: protect our schools and beaches for the next generation and stop the extreme cuts.

The news conference in front of Harman’s Costa Mesa office brought together a diverse group of residents who detailed the potentially devastating ramifications of additional cuts to their community. Pastor Christian Parra of the Harbor Christian Fellowship called on Senator Harman to be a leader:

“We are here to pray for Sen. Tom Harman to be the moral leader California needs to protect our children’s future. A moral leader remembers that it is our calling to protect the earth we were given for our children, and to protect and educate our children – but these imperatives will be made impossible if Senator Harman stands by while another $10 billion in cuts are made to schools, children’s healthcare, and protection of our natural resources.”

Orange County schools could lose another $368 million in funding next year if the all-cuts budget is passed, putting the future of hundreds of thousands of Orange County students at risk. And trademark California beaches could be at risk too. With one-quarter of state parks already scheduled to shut down, the remaining parks — including Orange County public beaches — could be at risk in an all-cuts budget scenario. That’s something that doesn’t sit will with Shawn Wehan, lifetime surfer.

“California’s parks and beaches are public treasures that must be protected and managed to ensure they are open to all our children and grandchildren, not turned over to the highest bidder.”

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Santa Clarita to Smyth: Listen to your parents

Valley families are suffering. Public safety, education, and essential services that so many residents count on have already had devastating cuts. And without action, it could get a lot worse.

That’s why parents and other community members paid a visit to Assemblymember Smyth’s Santa Clarita office on Tuesday to talk about how the budget cuts already made have taken a heart-wrenching toll on their families and the communities Smyth represents. And it could get worse unless existing funding is maintained. A lot worse.

Locally, five school districts in the Santa Clarita area stand to lose $764 per student — that’s over $23,000 per class of 30 students. Things like tools and supplies for higher learning, responsible class sizes and important teacher support staff could be at risk.

An all-cuts budget this year will force billions in additional cuts to California schools, which will result in tens of thousands of additional layoffs and shorten the school year in many districts by as much as 30 days.

For local parent Lori Christian, that doesn’t add up.

“Chopping a whole month off the school year for K-12 students and turning young people away from higher education is no way to build a strong economy We are urging Assemblymember Smyth to stand up for California’s future and stop the extreme cuts to education.”

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Yucaipa residents pay local leaders a visit, demand action

With budget decisions expected to be made in Sacramento in the next three weeks, local residents and community members paid a visit to Assemblymember Paul Cook’s office Thursday with a simple message. The teachers, parents, business owners and public safety officers put their differences aside and united their voice to protect their schools, seniors, public safety and their community from more devastating cuts.

During the visit, they detailed the impact budget cuts have already had on their community. Susan Adams, a local senior wants Assemblymember Cook to take a stand for seniors like her.

“Cook says he cares about our seniors, and in the coming weeks we’re going to see if his actions match his words. Another $10 billion in cuts will put every part of the already tattered safety net for seniors at risk.”

Others in the crowd called for the Assemblymember to protect higher public education. Area resident Natalie Dorado wants Cook to pay it forward:

“Assemblymember Cook enjoyed the advantages of a strong, well-funded public system of higher education in California and has even taught higher education courses here, so he understands. We are counting on him to extend the same opportunity to the younger generation.”

With so much at stake, more and more people are Standing Up for California. You can contact your local legislator here to make sure they’re Standing Up, too.

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Santa Cruz Banana Slugs Stand Up

Another California University is taking a stand for higher education.

UC Santa Cruz students, faculty and staff rallied on Thursday, promoting our campaign to keep the doors open to higher education to Central Coast students. Participants at the rally used mobile action stations to send letters to Senator Anthony Cannella and other legislators urging them to protect the UC system from the extreme cuts that some have been promoting as a short sighted attempt to solve California’s budget problems.

Melissa Garcia, a student at UCSC called on Senator Cannella to keep the opportunity of higher education accessible to students across the state.

“My parents knew that education was the only way for our family to get out of the fields and on the path to the American Dream of a middle-class life. We’re here today to ask Senator Cannella to stand up for students from Hollister, Salinas, Livingston and other towns in his district for whom college is the only way out of the cycle of poverty.”

At the rally, Alum Sandino Gomez worried about the consequences of gutting the funding to California public higher education.

“The dream of higher education was passed down by my family who instilled in me a work ethic and an appreciation for education because they wanted a better future for the next generation. If we don’t maintain the revenues the Governor is proposing, I worry that California will have squandered the precious gift of a world-class university system that has been passed down from generation to generation.”

Following the event, rally participants drove to Senator Cannella’s Salinas office to deliver their message directly.

For more information, visit: standupforca.org

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Valley families looking for leadership

Dozens of local families – including seniors, parents, students and community allies converged on Assemblymember David Valadao’s Hanford office with a simple demand — Please stand up and show real leadership. Extremists in Valadao’s party are proposing cuts to our budget that would devastate everything from public education to local safety, regardless of the impact those cuts would have on local families. These services, which have already been cut to the bone, would face an additional $13 billion in cuts – pulling the rug out from under vulnerable seniors, slashing law enforcement even as crime is rising, and chopping up to a month off our kids’ school year.

Hanford resident and and Fresno City College professor Mark Trezza called out Valadao during the rally.

“We’re calling on Assemblymember Valadao to stop hiding behind generalities and abstractions and tell us where he would make the cuts locally. Whose jobs would he cut in Sheriff Robinson’s Department? In District Attorney Strickland’s office? Which crimes should not be prosecuted? How many teachers should be let go in Kings County? It’s easy to take an abstract position against government. It’s a lot tougher to deal with the reality of more budget cuts in our community.”

According to the Senate Budget Committee, more than 100 Kern County Sherriff’s deputies could lose their jobs, putting public safety at further risk.

But it’s not just public safety. Counties represented by Valadao, which already have some of the highest poverty rates in the state, would face nearly $500 million in education cuts, putting current and future students in jeopardy. And that worries Mary Gonzales-Gomez, a member of the board of the Corcoran Unified School District.

“I’m extremely disappointed that Assemblymember Valadao has stood on the sidelines and let extremists in his party block the solutions we need in order to protect our schools and health care for seniors and families. I’m here to ask him to be the leader our community needs.”

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San Bernadino students fight to keep the dream alive

Higher tuition. Reduced access. The denial of the California dream for hundreds of thousands of students. That’s the reality that students in the public universities face without a state budget that maintains current funding.

That’s why Cal State San Bernadino students, faculty and staff rallied on campus on Tuesday – urging Senator Bill Emmerson and other Inland Empire legislators to keep the dream alive and stand up for higher education. If California colleges and universities don’t maintain existing revenues, hundreds of thousands of qualified students could be turned away.

For student Sean Phillips, that doesn’t add up, and he’s not willing to stand by.

“For students like me who come from struggling families, college is our path to a better future. Today we are launching a campus campaign to Stand Up for California’s future by providing students, faculty, staff and our community tools to help all our voices be heard.”

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CSU Fresno Students fight to keep the doors open

"Keep the dream alive." That was the message at Cal State Fresno today, as teachers and students rallied in the quad and urged Valley legislators to stand up for higher education. The rally came on the heels of a similar event earlier this week at Cal State Stanislaus.

After the rally, the crowd was able to immediately e-mail Senator Tom Berryhill and other Valley legislators thanks to the mobile action centers setup by student and faculty organizers, generating dozens of e-mails and phone calls. Students took the action back online by hand delivering additional messages and stories to Senator Beryhill's Fresno office.

Hector Cerda, a graduate student at the college, predicted a grim future unless public universities keep revenues at existing levels.

"For students like me who come from working families, college is our dream, a dream passed down from our parents and grandparents. More cuts will result in higher fees and reduced access, turning this dream into a painful disappointment for too many students."

Indeed, some valley legislators have proposed cutting up to $15 billion from California's public colleges and universities on top of the $1 billion in cuts made earlier this year. That's why students, teachers, faculty, parents and the community gets it. Now they're making sure legislators get it too.

"If we don't maintain existing revenues, California risks breaking the promise it made to generations of young people - the promise that if you work hard you can succeed, no matter what your background," said Lisa Weston, PhD, Chair of the English Department at Fresno State.

For more information, visit standupforca.org.

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Standing up at Cal State Stanislaus

Students, faculty and staff at CSU Stanislaus want to see Senators Berryhill and Cannella stand with them.

The highlight of the campus rally? Mobile action stations setup by students and staff. The stations allowed every one in attendance to email and call their local legislator and urge them to keep the doors to higher education open in the Central Valley.

CSU and UC systems have already been hit with $1 billion dollars in cuts earlier this year, and without a sensible budget could face $15 billion more in cuts. That would mean hundreds of thousands of qualified students would be turned away from California's public colleges and universities.

Celeste Mitchell, a CSU Stanislaus senior and former foster child in attendance spoke from the heart about what the cuts could mean.

“Too many people here in the Central Valley live in poverty, and keeping the doors of higher education open is the only way to break that cycle for so many families. After earning my degree, I want to put it to use to help others in my community. Sadly, if fees keep going up and financial aid keeps getting cut, hundreds of thousands of California students won’t have the same opportunity.”

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Fresno farmers and business owners get it: Get California working

The giant tractor parked in front of Senator Tom Berryhill's Fresno office said it all.

That's where the statewide Stand up for California tour stopped on Thursday, where local farmers, a yoga studio owner, a financial analyst and small business owners asked the Senator to get California working again by supporting a fair and balanced state budget that includes maintaing existing revenues.

Local farmer Emin Dhaliwal called on Berryhill to break through political lines:

“Valley farmers know that the prosperity of our business is closely tied to the prosperity of our community, our ability to fund police for safe communities, and our investment in our children’s education. That’s why it is imperative that California straighten out its current budget mess and protect core functions like education and public safety."

It's the partisan gridlock that has held up the proposal to maintain existing revenues, despite business organizations like the California Chamber of Commerce supporting a budget that includes both cuts and revenues.  The chamber also points to a partisan stalemate as an obstacle to job creation and economic recovery. The California Small Business Association, California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, and the Valley Industry and Commerce Association are among the business associations who have supported Governor Brown's balanced approach to the budget.

Financial advisor and local business owner Artie Rogers echoed calls for fairness and financial responsibility:

"We need a balanced approach with controlled spending and maintaing our tax revenue.  We can’t do this with cuts alone; the massive layoffs that would result from an all-cuts budget will mean more foreclosures, more small business closures, and the possibility of stalling our economic recovery.  I urge our legislators to pass Governor Brown’s plan to protect jobs so California can get working again."

Now that Central Valley Californians have taken a stand for California, can you?

Every legislator in every district needs to know just how harmful these cuts are. Not only for California families, but for our already fragile economy. That’s why they need to hear it straight from you.

Take a minute to contact your local legislator and ask them to stand up for California.

Thanks for making a difference in this fight.

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VIDEO: Visalia Seniors Fired Up

For years, seniors in Tulare County have been among the hardest hit by state budget cuts. On Tuesday in Visavlia, they fought back and spoke with representatives from Assemblywoman Conway's office.

For more, visit: http://standupforca.org/2011/visalia-seniors-fired-up-over-ca-budget/

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Inland Empire families hop on board

The Thursday before Easter, hundreds of Inland Empire families rallied just before Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Bacarro’s planned “No Tax” tour event in Riverside with a different suggestion – “No More Cuts.”

The families urged Senator Bob Dutton, Assemblymember Brian Nestande and other Inland Empire legislators to join them in supporting a more balanced approach to closing the state budget gap. The plan, proposed by Governor Brown, includes some cuts already signed into law, but would stop the gutting of so many services that California families depend on.

Natasha Gordon, mother and in-home service provider for her 12 year old son who lives with Autism called for sanity:

“I know how much California can achieve when our leaders Stand Up for California with a state budget that invests in all kids, particularly those with special needs. My son Paul has come so far because of services like IHSS and Developmental Disability Services, and he’s just one of many great examples of what California can do when we decide to make our children a priority.”

Also in the crowd was a costumed bunny, who showed that while the Easter Bunny isn’t real, our states need to maintain existing services is. That either means keeping existing revenues, or face the prospect of an all-cuts budget that will devastate local families.

Get the facts and take action at: www.standupforca.org.

Visallia seniors fired up over CA budget

For years, seniors in Tulare County have been among the hardest hit by state budget cuts. On Tuesday in Visallia, they fought back.

Dozens of local seniors rallied in front of Assemblywoman Conway's office to put a face on the the deep cuts that have affected the community, demanding respect for seniors and "no more cuts" to the vital services that help them them healthy and independent.

Visallia City Councilmember Mike Lane joined the seniors rally, praising their action and called for a fair budget that respects California seniors and their contributions to the state.

Nearly nine million California seniors will feel the impact every day, with things like higher healthcare costs and lower SSI/SSP benefits. In the last two decades alone, these benefits have lost one-third of their purchasing power.

Making matters worse, Assemblywoman Conway recently dismissed the impact deep state budget cuts have on real families in Tulare County in a recent Los Angeles Times report. But consider this: one in four residents in the county already lives in poverty, and the Times pointed to Tulare County as among the hardest hit by cuts to services that help families get back on their feet and help poor seniors meet their healthcare needs.

Local senior Fred Davis called on Assemblywoman Conway to reconsider:

“Standing up for California means speaking up for the many elderly in our community who are invisible because budget cuts have taken away their independence. I want Asm. Conway to know that when support services like transportation and adult day health are gone, so is the hope of our seniors. I’m here to ask our leaders to respect our seniors by stopping more cuts that will push them into hunger, poor health, and despair.”

Modesto and Fresno women to local leaders: "We're counting on you"

The fight for California's financial future just hit the Central Valley.



Today, dozens of local women rallied held dueling rallies at the downtown Flower Clock in Modesto and at the Water Tower in Fresno to support Governor Brown's approach to closing the state budget gap, joining together to stop potentially devastating cuts to critical services. Parents, teachers, senior citizens and business owners were out in force, putting their differences aside to protect jobs and move California's economic recovery forward.

Mary Stanley, an 83 year-old senior from Fresno was among them, urging California legislators to put a halt to the deeper cuts to services that seniors like her rely on.

“Seniors are already struggling to get by after taking cuts from every direction.  We like to say in our society that we respect our elders, but we can’t say that if we keep making cuts that hurt them. Cutting back on meals, transportation services, in-home care and adult day health care means that more seniors are going to struggle with accidents, hunger, health problems, and unnecessary institutionalization.” 

But it's not just senior services. Other programs like education, childcare and healthcare all face the same devastating cuts, and could be gutted without quick action.

Every legislator in every district needs to know just how harmful these cuts are. Not only for California families, but for our already fragile economy. That's why they need to hear it straight from you.

Take a minute to contact your local legislator and ask them to stand up for California.

http://www.standupforca.org

Thanks for making a difference in this fight. 

Public Workers Call for Boycott

Roger Niello Playing Political Games with Retirement Security

Scores of public employees protested outside the luxury car dealership partly owned by former Assemblymember Roger Niello, who recently filed an initiative for circulation that would unravel the retirement security of hundreds of thousands of California public servants. Workers called for a boycott of Niello Autos. The filing was followed shortly by news that Niello is planning to run for higher office, revealing the opportunistic, political nature of the attack on public workers. Read the press release from Californians for Health Care and Retirement Security (CHCRS), a coalition SEIU California belongs to.

New retirees finding 401k plans don't add up

Yet another report illustrates that 401ks are not enough -- and that America will be facing a growing crisis of retirement insecurity and senior poverty. Read the Wall Street Journal article on the report. Despite the mounting evidence that 401k plans don't work for the average worker, anti-working family politicians are engaged in a coordinated nationwide campaign to do away with the proven savings of defined benefits pension retirement plans and replace them with risky individual plans.

SEIU backs Bilbrey for CalPERS Board

SEIU California backs Michael Bilbrey in his run for a seat on the CalPERS Board of Administration. Bilbrey has worked on behalf of public employees for more than 18 years, serving as the statewide leader for classified school employees and has promised to protect your defined benefit pensions, preserve and improve healthcare, and increase openness and transparency at CalPERS. Ballots will be mailed on April 21. Download SEIU's work site flyer in support of Bilbrey.

SEIU members help win California election for working families

Contributing more than 90,000 hours of phone calling and precinct walking to the effort to elect Jerry Brown and other allies of working families, SEIU members in Caligfornia won big on Tuesday, electing a full slate of statewide candidates we endorsed -- and holding strong majorities in the California legislature, despite national trends that swept anti-working family candidates to power throughout the rest of the nation. Read more.

SEIU Long-Term Care Workers Head to Arizona

Workers Will Protest Anti-Immigrant Law

Hundreds of Students, Workers, and Allies Send Message to Big Oil

"The Free Ride Ends in 2010"

Nearly a thousand students, workers, and community allies gathered in the Westwood area of Los Angeles to march on the headquarters of Occidental Oil, one of the four largest oil producers in the state of California. California is the only major oil-producing state in the nation that does not tax oil drilling, and this loophole allows the oil companies to take $1.2 billion a year from taxpayers, school children, seniors, and college students. Read more.

Over 1,000 Caregivers and Allies Lobby to Save Home Care

Over 1,000 in-home caregivers and allies gathered in Sacramento to share with legislators how much home care matters to nearly half a million frail seniors and people with serious disabilities, as many as half of whom could lose the care they rely on to live safely in their own homes. Visit our Healthy at Home web site to learn more about the campaign to save home care and keep California "Healthy at Home."

In-Home Caregivers and Recipients Speak Out Against Cuts

As Budget Deadline Passes, Allies Fight Last Year's Cuts in Court

Over 100 in-home caregivers, in-home care recipients and allies rallied on June 15 outside of a federal courthouse, where the state was seeking to overturn a lower court injunction barring last year's cuts to the program. The advocates used the opportunity to spotlight the latest proposed cuts to the program, which would be even deeper and more devastating -- up to half of the program under the May Revise budget proposal. Visit the Healthy at Home campaign web site for more stories and news about the campaign to stop the home care cuts.

Brown's & Whitman's Values a Stark Contrast

Meg Whitman's values and Jerry Brown's values present a sharp contrast: on the one hand, Whitman's Wall Street, insider deals and attacks on public employees; on the other, Brown's career of serving the people of California and fighting to improve our state. Spread the word by sharing our VALUES flyer in your workplace. Download VALUES in English or Spanish.

California Speaker Unveils a Jobs Budget

New UC Berkeley Report Bolsters Speaker's Approach

Speaker John Perez unveiled a budget to invest in job growth and protect our communities. The budget funds schools, in-home care for frail seniors and people with serious disabilities, and child care to help keep struggling parents in the workforce. President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg also released a budget that provides for increased revenue and less drastic cuts than the Governor's plan.  Both provide strong alternatives to the Governor's all cuts approach, which would increase unemployment dramatically and deepen and prolong California's recession. Read SEIU's statement on the the Democratic plans.

A new report released by UC Berkeley's Labor Center found that the Governor's approach to the budget would cost California's fragile economy 331,000 jobs and increase our unemployment rate by 1.8%, more than the entire projected job growth for California in 2011. Download the UC Berkeley report.

Foster Youth Educate Legislators

Share How Recent Cuts Hurt Children and Families

As foster youth shadowed legislators to share the impact of last year's $133 million cut to Child Welfare Services, SEIU social workers and other advocates for children's safety and welfare lobbied intensively to push the legislature to restore the funds, which were cut in a line-item veto. Read more in our press release or at our coalition website.

Foster Youth Spend Day With Legislators

Dozens of foster youth from across California will spend Wednesday, April 28, 2010, with legislators as part of an effort to educate legislators about the lives of foster children. After last year's deep cuts to Child Welfare Services, foster youth, social workers, and their allies are urging the state to step up to its responsibilities and invest in protecting children and in foster youths' future. For more information, go to www.protectourchildrenca.org.

Judicary Committee Passes Judicial System Audit Bill

The Assembly Judiciary Committee passed AB 2521 (Torrico), a bill that requires strong, annual, independent audits of the Administrative Office of the Courts and local courts, with a bipartisan 9-0 vote. If such a requirement had been in place last year, it might have been possible to identify alternatives to the closures, lay-offs, backlogs, and lines that have compromised justice in California. Read more.

Putting the Candidates to Work

Watch California Candidates Wash Dishes, Serve Food, Scrub Floors, Teach, and Give Personal Care

Across California in the last several weeks, over 50 candidates for political office in California have provided home care, served food to students in school cafeterias, cleaned locker rooms, taught university classes, and more, as they learned about the work SEIU members do, the services we provide, and the people whose lives we touch. Watch the videos of statewide candidates who spent a day alongside workers represented by SEIU.

Thousands Gather for SEIU CA's Rebuild California Town Hall

Workers Seek Partners in Rebuilding California

Thousands of workers represented by SEIU and their family members gathered in Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, San Jose, San Diego, Fresno, and five other cities across the state to listen to and interview candidates for statewide office and to debate who would be our best partners in rebuilding California.
Read more.

SEIU members and their families who were unable to attend the statewide Rebuild California town hall are invited to view it online. Password necessary for viewing; contact your  local's political or communications staff.

Pushing Back on Retirement Security

Retirement security has come under attack, and this recession has provided an excuse for those who want to take away pensions, even though millions have seen their risky individual accounts crash. As these attacks step up, SEIU members are speaking out to defend our retirement security. Read this opinion piece recently published in the San Jose Mercury News by SEIU Local 521 President Kristy Sermersheim.

Caregivers March for California's Future

Over 500 in-home caregivers and allies gathered in Los Angeles today to "March for California's Future" and to launch their campaign to protect frail seniors and people with disabilities from having the services they rely on cut. Laphonza Butler, President-Elect of SEIU ULTCW, said,  “Eliminating the IHSS program would result in more than 426,000 low-income seniors and disabled citizens losing the only services they receive to live safely at home, and over 328,000 in-home caregivers losing their jobs – placing California’s unemployment rate at nearly 14%.  How is that good for California?  It’s not!  That's why these cuts must be stopped.” Read more at SEIU ULTCW's web site.

Home Care Victory!

Court tells Governor "no dice" on wage cut

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals shut down the state's effort to overturn a lower court's ruling that put a stop to planned cuts to home caregivers' wages. The court found that the cuts would affect consumers' access to care, that they would do irreparable harm to workers, and that the state itself would likely end up spending more money in the long-run. SEIU member and home caregiver Mary Harms said that wage cuts may force her to look for other work to support her granddaughter and laid out the result for her home care client, Sherry: "Home care means Sherry, my client, can continue to live independently and safely in the home she knows, near the people who care about her.  The alternative would, unfortunately, be institutionalization." Read the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' decision. Read SEIU's press release.

SEIU CA Endorses Speaker Karen Bass for Congress

Unprecedented Early Endorsement Acknowledges Bass's Extraordinary Support for Working Families

SEIU California announced an unprecedented early endorsement of Speaker Karen Bass in her run to replace Congresswoman Diane Watson in the 33rd Congressional District. SEIU member and home care worker Shaneisha Robinson explained that Bass "has given us the hope to keep fighting to protect the vital services we provide and the people who rely on us each and every day." Read more.

SEIU Members Ask Candidates to "Walk A Day In My Shoes"

Senator Gloria Romero recently helped Gloria Lua make lunch at South Gate Middle School.

Dozens of SEIU members across California will be teaching candidates for elected office about their work in the coming month. Cafeteria workers, home care workers, and others will show candidates for statewide office how challenging and meaningful their work is. The candidates will join workers in their homes for a meal and on the job. Read more.

The Faces of the Home Care Cuts

Yet again, home care is under attack and is being used as a hostage in California's budget politics. Here's what the political game players forget: we're talking about taking away care from:

• A 90-year old former waitress who can no longer read her pill bottles or see well enough to cook
• A 70-year old former cook with Parkinson's who can no longer use a knife or shave
• An 88-year old woman with arthritis who has difficulty standing, much less cooking and cleaning

Read about these people and more in "Faces of the Home Care Cuts," a selection of recent articles about the human impact of the Governor's proposed home care cuts.

UCLA Report Confirms Home Care Cuts' Devastation

The UCLA Center for Health Policy released a new report, "Budget Proposals Turn Back Clock 30 Years in
Long‐Term Care Services for California Seniors," that decisively shows the Governor's proposed cuts would devastate people who need home care in order to survive in safety at home. The report questions the LAO's and the Governor's assumptions about the capacity of nursing homes to absorb many IHSS recipients, and it points out that California's decades-long shift toward home and community-based care would be reversed by the Governor's proposal. Read SEIU's statement.

Cafeteria Worker Puts Candidate Through the Paces

State Superintendent candidate Aceves "Walks A Day" in the shoes of Eladia Vazquez

Eladia Vazquez, a school cafeteria worker in Los Angeles for the last 25 years, put candidate Larry Aceves through his paces at her cafeteria: cooking, supplying the serving lines, washing dishes, sweeping, and mopping. She also grilled the candidate, who is running for State Superintendent of Public Instruction, about his support for school funding and school employees. Read more.

Oregon Voters Defy Conventional Wisdom, Support New Taxes

SEIU Leader Sees Message for CA

Oregon voters signaled that they want government to protect services and communities and help rebuild the economy. Voters passed two new tax measures in a January 26 special election, one to increase the corporate income tax and one to increase taxes on the state's highest earners. SEIU California's President Bill A. Lloyd noted that voters defied conventional wisdom and showed their willingness to support some taxes in order to save vital services and help rebuild the economy. Read more.

Judicial Council Votes to Keep Courts Closed to the Public

State Body’s Vote Allows Spending on Pet Projects, Raises

Despite testimony from court workers across California about the devastating effects of closures on children, families, public safety, domestic violence victims, and businesses, as well as a study documenting the economic damage of court closures and cuts, the Judicial Council voted to continue the once-a-month closures. Read more.

Governor Proposes Catastrophic Budget

Governor Schwarzenegger proposed a budget that will imperil California's recovery and do untold damage to California's seniors, people with disabilities, children, and families. Instead of investing in our future and stabilizing our state, the Governor's budget relies on deep cuts, fund shifts, and hopes for federal funds. The Governor's attack on home care would drive California's unemployment rate over 14% and eliminate services for more than 400,000 seniors and people with disabilities. Read SEIU's statement.

SEIU congratulates Speaker-elect John A. Perez

SEIU members congratulated Speaker-elect of the California Assembly, John A. Perez, calling him "a leader who has stood with working Californians for decades," and promising to work with him to rebuild California. Read more.

SEIU Responds to Governor's State of State Address

Governor Schwarzenegger delivered a 2010 State of the State address that focused on jobs, education, pensions, federal revenue, and tax reform. SEIU California Executive Director Bill A. Lloyd responded to the Governor's address. Read more.

Governor Makes More Home Care Threats

As part of an appeal to the federal government for additional funding, the Governor threatened to eliminate home care for the 450,000 Californians who rely on it in order to live at home instead of in more expensive institutions. The move would put 350,000 people out of work in a state already tied for third highest unemployment rate in the nation. The SEIU locals in California representing home care workers issued a joint statement calling the threat "deplorable." Read more.

Prison Rehab & Education Cuts Cost More

Time and again, California is seeing that the rash budget cuts made in the last few years not only hurt Californians, but result in increased costs and social problems. Nowhere is this more true than in prison education and rehabilitation, where every dollar cut results in two dollars of additional costs down the road as a result of higher crime and recidivism -- not to mention the lives and communities affected by the 140,000 prisoners who will be released every year without receiving any education or rehabilitation while incarcerated. Read SEIU 1000's "CA Bottom Line" report  Prison Education Cuts Cost More.

Home care workers and consumers hold vigil

Home care workers and consumers recently came together in Santa Cruz in a candlelight vigil to protect home care. Advocates for home care, including SEIU, have filed two separate lawsuits to keep the state budget cuts at bay -- temporarily. While the lawsuits challenging cuts to consumers' hours of service and workers' wages proceed, the federal judge in the case has ordered the state not to implement the cuts. Read more.
 

State In Contempt Again

Federal Judge Claudia Wilken found the state of California in contempt of court again, this time in the case of V.L. v Wagner, the lawsuit SEIU and allies filed to stop the cuts to home care consumers' hours of service. Despite her earlier order to halt the cuts, the state did nothing to prevent 6,000 care givers from receiving time sheets saying their hours were slashed. Now, Judge Wilken has ordered the state to fix the problem. Read SEIU's release.

SEIU Home Care Workers Stand Up for Quality Home Care

Workers Lead the Fight for Program Integrity

As Sacramento County officials announced that they are working to improve their oversight of home care, a home care worker in Sacramento County, John Campbell, reminded officials that workers have been leading the fight for program integrity and consumer safety by fighting for training standards, background checks, more oversight from county social workers, and increased funding for Adult Protective Services. Read John Campbell's statement.

SEIU Members Vote for Unprecedented, Early Endorsements

In a signal that SEIU members believe that things in Sacramento need to change, members voted to move early on endorsing two SEIU members in their run for office. Two candidates, Reggie Jones Sawyer and Nick Karno, received the unprecedented early endorsements. Jones Sawyer is running for Assembly in the 47th District; Karno is running in the 53rd. Read SEIU's release.

Enough. Next State Budget Must Prioritize People

The Legislative Analyst's Office issued a report on California's fiscal state. California faces a $21 billion budget shortfall, including more than $6 billion in this fiscal year. Read the statement by SEIU CA President Bill A. Lloyd, urging leaders to prioritize the needs of California's children, seniors, and families and secure new revenues.

Working Families Propel Garamendi to Congressional Victory

Working families fought hard to help John Garamendi win the Congressional seat in District 10 in the Special Election to replace Ellen Tauscher. Garamendi has long been a champion of working Californians. Read SEIU's statement.

Healthcare Reform: Negotiating a New Agreement for California

The devil is in the details, and healthcare reform is no exception. In order to implement reform, California will need a new Medi-Cal agreement with the federal government. A new agreement will have far-reaching effects on all Californians, especially Californians who are elderly or disabled and rely on Medi-Cal. Read SEIU's  MediCal 1115 Waiver Principles.

SEIU & Allies Call for Courts Accountability

SEIU court workers were joined by judges, children's advocates, and law enforcement officials in calling for greater public oversight over the state bureaucracy that administers courts, the Administrative Office of the Courts, or AOC. The AOC, even in the face of budget-related court closures, is in the process of spending nearly $2 billion on a problem-plagued and tardy computer software system, as well as billions on court construction and renovation. Read SEIU's press release and the  Four Point Accountability Plan AOC.

Home Care Providers & Allies Win a Huge Early Victory

Federal Judge Issues Preliminary Injunction to Stop Home Care Cuts

A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction stopping the state from following through -- for now -- on deep cuts to home care. The injunction means that the budget cuts to home care will not be carried out until their legality is settled in court. They were scheduled to take place on November 1, and over 130,000 home care consumers would have had their services cut or eliminated. Hundreds of SEIU home care providers joined seniors and people with disabilities to rally outside of the federal court in Oakland in advance of the hearing. Read more.

SEIU & Allies Win Order to Stop Notices of Home Care Cuts

On the eve of the state's plan to send 130,000 Californians notices that their home care services will be cut or eliminated, SEIU appealed to a federal court to issue a temporary restraining order. Just hours before the notices were to be sent, the court issued an order to stop them until SEIU's case to overturn the cuts is heard. Read more.

Crucial Hospital Funding and Safety Bills Signed

But Governor Vetoes Government Accountability Bills

Two of SEIU's top priority healthcare bills were signed into law at the end of the session. AB 1383 (Jones) will secure billions of desperately needed additional federal funding for California hospitals at no cost to the state, and AB 1083 (J. Perez) will increase hospitals' safety planning and preparation, making hospitals safer for staff, patients, and visitors. Unfortunately, the Governor vetoed two measures to increase accountability and oversight in government contracts and state higher education. Read more.

Foster Youth & Advocates Call Schwarzenegger a "Deadbeat Dad"

Dozens of foster youth, parents, and advocates gathered at the Capitol to urge the legislature to undo the Governor's dangerous cuts to Child Welfare Services. The $124 million in cuts will endanger children's lives by scaling back over 50 different programs designed to help children who are abused and neglected or are in foster care. Advocates pointed that children in foster care are the state's responsibility, and that taking money away from needed programs is like being an irresponsible, "deadbeat" parent. Read more.