Commentary: What kind of state do we want to live in?

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s May revise of the 2010-11 budget represents a cynical attack on the most vulnerable people in California.
In unveiling the May revise, the governor stated the budget should be a reflection of what we value most. However, one wonders exactly what Schwarzenegger values after examining his final budget proposal.
California faces an estimated $19.1 billion deficit, a direct result of the continuing impacts of the recession. One of the solutions being proposed is a savings of about $1 billion by eliminating the Calworks program.
Calworks is California’s welfare-to-work program and primarily supports single mothers and children. Of the 1.4 million Californians served by Calworks, two-thirds are children. This proven program moves people from poverty into the middle class. The proposed elimination of Calworks is wrong in both human and economic terms.
In Santa Cruz County, there are 5,500 Calworks recipients, 75 percent of whom are children. In Monterey County, there are 15,000 Calworks recipients, the majority of whom are also children. Eliminating Calworks will force many single mothers who are working in low-paying, minimum-wage jobs to leave their jobs to take care of their children.
In addition, the governor’s proposal cuts billions from schools, in turn eliminating the jobs of thousands of teachers. It also cuts the state’s In-Home Supportive Services program, which serves the disabled, and eliminates funding for child care. All of these proposals are job-killers. Our economy cannot rebound and unemployment cannot be reduced when the governor proposes to eliminate core services.
At a time when job creation is vital to our state’s recovery, the governor’s May revise will take California in the opposite direction. The proposed elimination of Calworks will cost the state $3.7 billion in federal funds annually. A billion-dollar cut in Medi-Cal will cost California more than 35,000 jobs. And for every dollar cut from IHSS services, the state will forfeit $2.47 of federal funding.
The governor argues that while he finds the proposed cuts discomforting, he has “no other options.” But other options do exist.
Last year, Democrats proposed a 13 cent tax increase on a pack of cigarettes, with the revenues designated for children’s health care programs. We also proposed an oil extraction fee on oil produced in California. These measures would have generated revenues to offset our budget deficit. Unfortunately, both proposals failed to secure the two-thirds vote required to be enacted.
There are those who will say no to any new revenues. However, will these same individuals also accept responsibility for California’s decline as the state’s public education system races to the bottom, as public safety and public services are compromised, and as the poorest and most vulnerable are forced onto the streets to become wards of cash-strapped local governments?
It is interesting to note that just 10 years ago, 1 percent of Californians controlled 13 percent of the state’s wealth, and now that same 1 percent controls 24 percent of the wealth.
While many Californians have shared in the pain of the state’s budget cuts, how many who came away unscathed are stepping up to be part of the solution?
During similar budget crises, Republican governors have had the political courage to balance the budget with a combination of difficult cuts and additional revenues. The proposed “cuts only” budget advanced by the current governor and supported by Republican legislators represents life-and-death dilemmas for too many Californians and does nothing to revitalize the state’s struggling economy.
There are no easy answers, but all Californians, including the wealthiest, should share some stake in the future of our state and our communities. We must continue to fight back with a humane counter-proposal that will save California not only today, but for generations to come.
Bill Monning was elected to represent the 27th Assembly District in 2008. The 27th District includes the cities of Capitola, Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley in Santa Cruz County, as well as the cities of Carmel, Marina, Monterey and Seaside in Monterey County and the city of Morgan Hill in Santa Clara County.