NEWSBRIEFS-October 16

CA Controller calls for volunteers for free tax preparation program
State Controller and Franchise Tax Board Chair Betty T. Yee called upon Californians to become certified to help low-income people file tax returns free of charge as part of the Voluntary Income Tax Assistance program. The VITA program will be particularly important in the coming year as California rolls out its version of the Earned Income Tax Credit, designed to boost the income of low-earning households.
“This is a tremendous chance for people to make a real difference in their communities,” Controller Yee said. “This new state credit is designed to tackle deep poverty and help deliver some financial security to California families.”
VITA volunteers receive about 40 hours of free training on basic federal and state tax preparation from the IRS and FTB. VITA relies on a virtual army of volunteers to prepare returns at no cost. Last year nearly 11,000 VITA volunteers prepared approximately 580,000 federal and state tax returns at nearly 1,000 tax sites across California. No previous experience is required.
For more information, visit FTB’s VITA page at ftb.ca.gov.
City of Scotts Valley
On Thursday, October 29, at 2.00 p.m., the City of Scotts Valley will auction uncut oak firewood and surplus vehicles. The auction will be held at the Public Works Corporation Yard at 701 Lundy Lane, ScottsValley.
Minimum bid is $200. All sales are “as is” and are final.
For Information Call 831-438-5854.
New analysis: Increased CalFresh participation would bring $28,000,000 in Federal Nutrition Benefits to Santa Cruz County
Staff
California Food Policy Advocates recently released its annual ‘Lost Dollars, Empty Plates’ report, a complement to the organization’s recently published Program Access Index. The PAI compares CalFresh utilization to the number of potentially eligible individuals in each county. Santa Cruz ranks 39^th out of 58 counties on the index with the first-ranked county having the highest CalFresh utilization relative to potentially eligible individuals.
‘Lost Dollars, ‘Empty Plates’ describes the economic effects of CalFresh utilization. If CalFresh reached all potentially eligible individuals, Santa CruzCounty residents would receive an additional $28,000,000 in federally funded benefits each year. Those benefits would result in $50,100,000 of additional state and local economic activity.
CalFresh, known federally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is the largest source of nutrition assistance in California. The latest data from the United States Department of Agriculture show that only 63 percent of eligible Californians participate in CalFresh. Meanwhile, more than 1.8 million households in California are food insecure (unable to consistently afford enough food). Because of the low CalFresh participation rate, Californians lose out on $2.9 billion in federal nutrition benefits each year, which would generate $5.2 billion in additional economic activity.
California has eliminated several long-standing barriers to CalFresh participation, such as the finger-imaging requirement, the asset test, and overly restrictive limits on gross income. Many barriers still prevent eligible children, adults, and seniors from participating in CalFresh. State and local administrators should continue to improve participation, the participant experience, and administrative efficiency through the integration of CalFresh and Medi-Cal processes, statewide use of telephonic and electronic signatures, and similar practices.
Heathkit moves in
For all of the technical-minded folks who like to assemble computers, radios, and other electronic items, you will be pleased to know that Heathkit is back in action. Note that “Santa Cruz Tech Beat” says of Heathkit: “We plan to have a customer-friendly retail location you can visit soon. Our postal address is PO Box 3115, Santa CruzCA95063.”
Rumor has it that Heathkit has designed and developed new products and are poised to go into action soon. The engineers, who assembled Heathkit products when they were younger, are hoping to see the return of quality kits.
Hands-on application of electronic principles still works to train both young and old.
To learn more about the history of Heathkit, see: www.heathkit-museum.com
Eliminating Barriers and Challenges for Working Women in California
On Wednesday, October 7, a delegation of California State Senators from throughout the state and experts on women in the workforce were in attendance for this important hearing.
Women comprise almost half the workforce in California with 40 percent of mothers now the sole or primary source of income for the household. Yet, millions of women in the United States are more likely to live in poverty than men and still face significant barriers to economic security and stability.
Challenges include occupational segregation; barriers to moving into higher-level positions; low wages and unequal pay; inadequate workplace flexibility; access to childcare; unpredictable schedules; pregnancy; and sex discrimination.
A strong California economy depends on the economic success of women. However, working women in our state face significant hurdles from losing $33 billion of income because of unequal pay, while single mothers also have to spend 44 percent of their income on childcare, and the fact that two-thirds of low wage workers are women.
These statistics illustrate struggles that women are facing today and the importance of the Legislature to examine these issues and discuss potential policy improvements to ensure women’s economic stability.
Health Care in Santa Cruz County
The County of Santa Cruz is pleased to announce several grants under the Affordable Care Act that further recognize the County’s success in improving the quality of care at its network of clinics.
Recently, the County was awarded $115,000 by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration for its success in creating a patient-centered medical home for patients who experience homelessness to better address their ongoing medical needs. The County was also awarded $37,000 by the HRSA for reducing health care costs while improving health care for patients.
“We are proud to accept these funds as recognition of the work we do at the clinic level to care for the County’s most vulnerable populations, including immigrants and those living with poverty and homelessness,” said Giang Nguyen, Director of the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency. “One measure of a society is how it treats the less fortunate.”
The awards are in addition to last year’s $215,000 grant for County Health Centers to purchase new equipment to assist disabled patients and those with mobility problems, improve case management of people experiencing homelessness, and to pay for patient transportation vouchers. The grant added services for 794 new patients.
“These awards will further our efforts to improve health care outcomes for all Santa CruzCounty residents,” said Amy Peeler, Chief of Clinic Services for Santa CruzCounty. “Good health can be a foundation for a better life, and these funds will help people achieve those goals.”