Effort to repeal California ‘welfare queen’ law done for the year

State Sen. Holly Mitchell, D-Los Angeles, has suspended her latest bid to reverse a law barring families that conceive additional children while on welfare from receiving increases to their grant.

Mitchell said she would not continue forward this year with Senate Bill 23 to repeal a law Mitchell contends perpetuates the negative concept of the “welfare queen,” a woman who has babies while on welfare to collect more cash assistance. Mitchell’s bill is currently awaiting a vote on the Assembly floor, and she said she would instead push to get the policy into next year’s budget.

“How would we pay for it?” Mitchell said. “Because of the huge price tag, I’m going to continue working with the administration during the interim.”

Overturning the “maximum family grant” would cost an estimated $205 million in the first year. SB 23 passed the Senate this spring, but its prospects dimmed when Gov. Jerry Brown left it out of the final budget deal in June.

Mitchell said she had not changed tactics out of concern that the bill would fail in the Assembly or be vetoed by Brown.

“I’m confident that they agree with the policy,” she said. “I will be waiting with bated breath for January 10,” she added, referring to the date by which Brown must release his budget proposal.

Via: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article34058808.html

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article34058808.html#storylink=cpy

April Action Days

My name is Amanda and I am a product of Time for Change Foundation where I have also become a leader in my community. I recently had the opportunity to attend April Action Days in Sacramento with other organizations like California Partnership and Hunger Action L.A.  to raise our voices about bills that affect low-income communities and women's economic security.

Senate Bill 935, authored by Senator Mark Leno, which would increase the minimum wage to $13 by 2016 really resonates with me because  I am a recovering addict who comes from a life of dysfunction and chaos and now I have a job and the opportunity to bring my daughter home with me; raising the minimum wage would reunite me with my daughter and help us to live a better life. 

I am so thankful to have had this opportunity to visit the capitol, it was actually my first time being involved in something like this and it was so empowering not only to be a part of it, but to know that my voice really does matter. I never knew that I could be a part of something much bigger than myself. I became a part of the process in determining society’s future.

Time for Change Foundation Leaders from left:
Crystal, Jeannine, Cecilia, Amanda

My name is Crystal and my experience at the State Capitol was exhilarating! I felt so empowered as a constituent. Seeing other people like me using their time to speak on behalf of their families and communities gives me hope that more will find the courage to raise our voices and remind our representatives that we are the ones who put them there. 

I went to advocate for SB 1029, authored by Senator Loni Hancock, which would lift the lifetime ban on CalWORKS and CalFresh for people that have been convicted of any offense classified as a felony that has an element the posession, use or distribution of a controlled substance.

Being a part of Time for Change Foundation's transitional housing program I have met many women that are out of prison or jail and ready to move forward with their lives but continue to hit this brick wall. 

Removing the lifetime ban would help women like myself give our children the opportunity to thrive and have successful lives.  

This experience has taught me that we can change the laws and injustices that our communities face on a daily basis, but only if we stand up and use the strength of our voices. Together we can!

Governor Brown, put money into California's communities and stop warehousing humans!

My name is Nicole and I am living in a homeless shelter provided by Time For Change Foundation.  This was the only option available to me when I left prison December 3^rd after serving 17 years, with $200 in my pocket and the clothes on my back. 

Although I had employment skills prior to my incarceration and gained more during over the years in prison, I do not qualify for monetary assistance.  If it weren’t for programs like Time For Change Foundation, I would be living on the street, which would violate my parole and I would become a statistic of recidivism. 

Without a job, I am living at the poverty level.  I am here to raise my voice to call on Governor Brown to build a road out of poverty in California for myself and the 8.7 million Californian’s.

Until very recently I was part of the overcrowding in the California prison system.  I felt firsthand the impact of Governor Brown’s efforts to reduce the prison population and his repeated failures to follow the letter and the intent of the numerous federal court orders to reduce the prison population.  

Time and again Governor Brown has suggested the solution of building more prisons, spending more money outsourcing inmates and attempting to warehouse human beings instead of looking at the cost effectiveness, both financially and on a human level, of spending that money on rehabilitation instead.

California does not need more prisons.  California does not need to ship its prisoners out to other states.  California needs to provide avenues not only for reintegration following incarceration but for survival to avoid incarceration in the first place.  

Putting the money he seeks to allocate to building more prisons, back into the California communities, will ultimately save the State money and improve the lives of Californians.  Reallocating funds to restorations to Medi-Cal, childcare, CalWORKs, SSI and IHSS will accomplish these goals.

It is my sincere hope that Governor Brown will look at the whole picture, the long range goals, the potential in many people who are currently living below the poverty level and make some sweeping changes to the proposed budget to really invest in the people of California and their unlimited capacity to thrive if given just a little assistance.

Nicole La FontaineTime for Change Foundation

Governor Brown Heads to the Inland Empire

Media Advisory: 1/14/2014

Contact: Maribel Nunez, (562) 569-4051 mnunez@communitychange.org

Spanish Speakers Available

***MEDIA ADVISORY***

3:00 PM on January 14, 2014

Location: Riverside County Office of Education 3939 13th Street, Riverside, CA 92501

RIVERSIDE SENIORS, FAMILIES, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND ADVOCATES DEMAND GOVERNOR BROWN BUILD A ROAD OUT OF POVERTY IN CALIFORNIA

Event will focus on sharing the personal stories of how residents are living in poverty and demand that Governor Brown build a road out of California’s poverty crisis.

RIVERSIDE- Over the past week anti-poverty advocates and community members have been holding events across the state in response to the 50^th anniversary of the War on Poverty and Governor Brown’s release of a proposed budget for California. They have been calling on Governor Brown to build a road out of poverty in California by reinvesting in the state’s social safety net in the California budget.

This event in Riverside will coincide with Governor Brown’s Tuesday January 14^th trip to the area to hold meetings with local leaders and will encourage the Governor to confront the reality of California’s poverty crisis that he is ignoring with his 2014-15 proposed budget.

What: Community members and Health and human services advocates will gather for a press event to share personal stories of how this poverty crisis is impacting their lives and call on Governor Brown to build a road out of poverty in California for the 8.7 million Californian’s.

Where: Riverside County Office of Education, 3939 13th Street, Riverside, CA 92501

When: 3:00 PM on January 14, 2014

Speakers: Community stories on the need of restorations to Medi-Cal, childcare, CalWORKs, SSI and IHSS. 

Event Contact: Maribel Nunez, mnunez@communitychange.org (562) 569-4051

# # #

About California Partnership
California Partnership is a statewide coalition of community-based groups, organizing and advocating for the policies and programs that work to reduce and end poverty. Our mission is to organize to build power and leadership among low-income communities by strengthening our voice and collective power to advocate for the policies that affect our lives the most.

For more information, please visit www.California-Partnership.org. 

Best Regards,

Maribel Nunez

California Partnership-Inland Empire Organizer

mnunez@communitychange.org

(562) 569-4051

L.A. County leads California in poverty rate, new analysis shows

Los Angeles has the highest poverty rate among California counties, according to a new analysis announced Monday that upends traditional views of rural and urban hardship by adding factors such as the soaring price of city housing.

The measurement, developed by researchers with the Public Policy Institute of California and the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality, found that 2.6 million, or 27%, of Los Angeles County residents lived in poverty in 2011. The official poverty rate for the county, based on the U.S. Census' 2011 American Community Survey, is 18%.

The new analysis set California's poverty rate at 22%, the highest in the nation, compared with the official rate of 16%. Counties such as Placer and Sacramento, with more moderate housing costs, have lower poverty rates than those of metropolitan areas, researchers said.

"We always see maps of official poverty and think of the Central Valley as the most impoverished," said economist Sarah Bohn, a research fellow at the public policy institute and one of the study's authors. "This really turns that on its head."

The new model aims to present a fuller picture of poverty by taking into account living expenses and government benefits ignored in the official formula.

Social scientists have argued for decades that the federal definition of poverty, which dates to the early 1960s, falls short on two counts: ignoring the benefits of government aid, including food stamps, Social Security, subsidized housing and tax credits, and failing to account for regional cost differences in transportation, healthcare and housing.

The report released Monday found that although many Californians find it difficult to make ends meet, things would be much worse without state, federal and local safety net programs, including food stamps, CalWORKs and the earned income tax credit. Out-of-pocket medical costs, however, increase the hardship, particularly for Californians over 65, the report said.

The U.S. Census Bureau for the last two years has released its own alternative poverty rate that attempts to recalibrate the poverty threshold. The rate is for research purposes only, but if adopted nationally, it could lead to a dramatic redistribution of federal funding in state and local jurisdictions.

The new California estimates could add to the pressure for change.

"People in Los Angeles deserve more help from the federal government than people in Mississippi," said Dowell Myers, professor of policy, planning and development at USC.

Myers said there has been tremendous resistance to adjusting the poverty rate, "even when it makes total sense."

Daniel Flaming, president of the Economic Roundtable, cautioned the rural poor often have higher transportation costs and fewer social service agencies than their city counterparts.

The rural poor are isolated "and there are very few places to turn for help," he said.

gale.holland@latimes.com

Community Legislative Briefing

Community Legislative Briefing

Developing Champions to Restore the Golden State!

Friday, August 23, 2013

10:00 - 12pm

ACLU - SC

1313 W. 8th Street

Los Angeles, CA 90017

Community Legislative Briefing

Community Legislative Briefing

Developing Champions to Restore the Golden State

Friday, August 23, 2013

10:00 - 12pm

ACLU - SC

1313 W. 8th St.

Los Angeles, CA 90017

Infographic: Why you must support the Mitchell Plan

Recently we wrote a blog post letting you know about the Mitchell Plan, an admirable proposal by Assemblymember Holly Mitchell to increase the meager CalWORKs cash grant. Currently, the maximum cash grant for a family of three—a mother and two children—is $638 per month.
Assemblymember Mitchell recommends that the CalWORKs grant be increased by 12 percent starting January 1, 2014, with subsequent annual adjustments of 4.5 percent until the total grant a family can receive is at 50 percent of the Federal Poverty Line. For a family of three, the proposed maximum grant would be $814.*

At this very moment, the Mitchell Plan is being discussed and negotiated in Sacramento and a decision will be reached by June 15, 2013. We’re nervous because the Assembly supports the Mitchell Plan, while the Senate and the Governor have yet to be convinced.
This life-saving plan is a turning point that we’ve all been working toward. The Great Recession has made life very difficult for California’s poor children and families and this plan is a decisive step in the right direction.

We must make sure that the Mitchell Plan survives the negotiations in Sacramento. We have a week to convince our senators and the Governor to reinvest into CalWORKs. Our children need us—they are the main beneficiaries of this program. And we need your help to spread the word about the Mitchell Plan and its importance.

To help you understand Assemblymember Mitchell’s plan and to help explain CalWORKs, we created an infographic that shows, plain and simple, that children are the main recipients of CalWORKs; that CalWORKs takes up only a fraction of our state’s budget (but has suffered disproportionate cuts over the last three years—more than $700 million in cuts); and that CalWORKs grants today are worth HALF of what they were worth 25 years ago. (Scroll down to see instructions for sharing the infographic.)

If you take away anything from this infographic, let it be this: Children and families on CalWORKs today receive the same cash amount as they did 25 years ago. But what about inflation? What about the rising cost of living? How are families supposed to pay rent and bills?  

In addition to the infographic, we created a very informative CalWORKs fact sheet. Please read it to learn how CalWORKs benefits children, families and our state economy: Why CalWORKs Matters: Helping Women and Children Move Out of Poverty.

Please SHARE this infographic WIDELY with your friends and networks. If your social share reaches and informs just one more person, we will have made a difference.

All sharing options are below.

FACEBOOK:
Share a link to this blog post on your personal or organization’s Facebook page. You could use or adopt the below message to accompany the link:
The Women’s Foundation of California supports the Mitchell Plan to increase the CalWORKs cash grant by 12%. Want to know why YOU need to support this plan? Check out this infographic and please LIKE it and SHARE it!

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TWITTER:

• What is the Mitchell Plan and why support it? »Tweet this «
• We need to shatter the welfare mom myth. »Tweet this«
• 4 out of 5 people on CalWORKs are children. »Tweet this«
• Today’s CalWORK’s cash grant is the same as it was in 1988! »Tweet this«
• We need to raise the CalWORKs grant and give poor children a chance! »Tweet this«

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Download infographic (PNG)

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* Federal Poverty Line for a family of three is $19,530, meaning that 50% is $9,765. To be at 50% of Federal Poverty Line, a family of three would need to receive $814/month.

Via www.womensfoundca.org

California to stop going after children for caregivers' debts

Clarence Ayers was baffled.


At 73, he was raising his great-granddaughter in rural Fresno County. He relied on $334 a month in public
assistance to help cover the teenager's expenses: new shoes when she outgrew her old ones, transportation
to the after-school activities she enjoyed.


But last summer, county officials said they were slicing his CalWorks payment by 10% and for the most
perplexing of reasons: Over the years, they had mistakenly sent $10,000 to the girl's mother and grandfather.


"Irene wasn't even born when some of that money was paid," Ayers said. "She was being punished for
something she never did."


For decades, if county officials couldn't track down a parent or guardian who owed them money, they went
after the children — even if they no longer lived together.


Now, the much-criticized practice is ending as part of an agreement to settle a lawsuit filed by Ayers and
others who accused state officials of essentially holding children responsible for their caregivers' debts.


Details and total costs of the settlement are still being hammered out, but the California Department of Social
Services said refunds will be provided for any such collections made since Jan. 6. Earlier this year, counties
were told to stop collecting on past overpayments from adults whose families benefited from the funds when
they were children.


"We're very pleased that the department has recognized that this is something they want to change," said
Patti Prunhuber, a Public Interest Law Project attorney involved in the case. "These debts do not belong to
these children. They are not responsible for them. They didn't create them, and they shouldn't follow them
into their new households or into adulthood."


Officials now will focus on recovering overpayments from the parents or caregivers who received the funds,
said department spokesman Michael Weston.


A program administered at the county level, CalWorks provides cash assistance to some of the state's
neediest families. The program has been pummeled by budget cuts in recent years, whittling down how much
families can qualify for and how long they can receive the aid.


If county officials overpay a family by $35 or more, state law requires them to try to recover it, according to
court filings. One option is to track down other household members. In some cases, officials allegedly
garnished the benefits or tax refunds of young people whose caregivers had been paid too much because of
a county mistake, legal aid attorneys said.


Another plaintiff in the lawsuit, Jamie Hartley, was just 16 in 2008 when Riverside County paid her mother
for her older brother's expenses, even though he no longer qualified for the program. County officials
threatened to seize Hartley's 2011 tax refund to help collect the $766 debt — money she was counting on to
help cover college living expenses, according to court papers.


It's not clear how many people were targets of such practices, which date back at least to 1981, Weston
said. Until 1996, federal law required that officials recover overpayments from any member of the household
possible, he said.


Now states can decide whether to pursue those who were minors when the money was provided. In Los
Angeles County alone, 4,682 children and 88 adults were having money docked from their benefits to
recoup such overpayments at the time the practice was stopped, officials said. The county stopped going
after tax refunds in 2000.


In the last two years, legal aid attorneys received a rash of complaints from people who had received
collection notices, said Antionette Dozier, an attorney for the Western Center on Law and Poverty who also
worked on the case. It appeared that changes in systems used to recover overpayments had turned up a
number of old cases, Dozier said.


In 2010, Pilar Lopez received a letter from Butte County officials saying she owed nearly $7,000. If she
didn't erase the debt, officials said they would seize her tax refund, a huge financial blow to the mother of
three who was paying her way through Chico State.


The CalWorks money had actually gone to Lopez's father during a period in the 1990s when she'd lived
mainly with other relatives in a different county. After she tracked down school and medical records that
backed up her account — a process that took months — Butte County officials relented.


"Why are you going after a minor when they didn't even know what money meant back then?" said Lopez,
32. "I literally could not sleep at night. I kept thinking, 'Where am I going to get the money?'"


The settlement came as a relief to Ayers, the 73-year-old raising his 14-year-old great-granddaughter, Irene.
He said details of how the state debt was incurred were never fully explained. Irene's mother was a child
herself when at least some of the payments were made, Ayers said, and her grandfather is no longer alive.


Retired after working in transportation on movie sets, he said he lives on Social Security income, his savings
wiped out by a series of family funerals.


The CalWorks grant he receives to support Irene is a "big help," he said. "She's growing so fast." Every
week, she asks for money for a new pair of shoes, a school trip or a science project. "She's active at school.
I don't want to stop that."


Via:  http://articles.latimes.com/2012/may/12/local/la-me-child-welfare-debts-20120512