Tri-Line
A Special Edition
BUDGET CRISIS I M P O RTA N T
I N F O R M AT I O N
F O R
Y O U
Freedoms at Risk! by Jim Kester, President of the TCADD board of directors A memo Governor Davis sent on November 14 to all state agency secretaries and department directors says, “As you know, California is facing the steepest decline in state income in more than half a century . . . .” Governor Davis has also “. . . directed each department and agency to freeze new hiring, cut operating expenses by $150 million, and prepare 15 percent budget reductions for the 2002-03 fiscal year.” These cuts will affect thousands of real people in California, including more than 8,000 people with developmental disabilities served by Tri-Counties Regional Center — this includes you and your family as well as my own. My son David, 48 years old, spent 31 years institutionalized in a state-run developmental center. He currently lives successfully in the community where he is building new relationships and receiving great care, yet the supports he needs to keep him in his home are in jeopardy because of the budget crisis. It is important that we are aware of actions our Governor has taken to deal with this crisis, what has happened in previous years during a budget crisis, and what we can do to help to protect supports for people with developmental disabilities and their families.
Emergency Session of the Legislature To deal with the current budget crisis, the Governor has called an emergency session of the State Legislature in January. This has frightening possibilities for us.
What has happened in the Past during a Budget Crisis? •1983 — The Governor called a special session of the legislature that passed a bill (40X) leaving us with little more than beds, meals, and day programs. •1992 — Emergency legislation permitted the state to cut funding for services. Regional centers were forced to say “no” to people needing support to live in their community, and to families who needed services for their children. Since 1992, the funding for community supports has not kept up with increased costs, and we have never recovered from the last recession. What’s more, with California’s current recession, our situation will get worse if we don’t take steps to educate our legislators and provide them with a solution. Continued on page 2 . . .
Tri-Counties Regional Center Newsletter December 2001
“These cuts will affect thousands of real people in California, including more than 8,000 people with developmental disabilities served by Tri-Counties Regional Center — this includes you and your family as well as my own.” —Jim Kester
We are NOT Crying Wolf Unless people with developmental disabilities, their families, service providers, and friends make the long-standing crisis clear to the legislature, our community service system will suffer significant cuts, programs will close and the lives of people with developmental disabilities will be seriously altered.
Stephen Day recalls the recession of the 90's and how it impacted the lives of people with developmental disabilities . . .
“Some people weren’t able to go to work, and had to stay home in bed because they did not have in-home services. We held sit-in’s in Legislators offices all up and down the state, and as the 5:00 o’clock hour grew nearer, the legislative staff were becoming concerned because we weren't leaving.”
The Solution We can help our legislators understand We must take this seriously — we need to help our legislators understand the trouble we were already in before the current budget crisis. The developmental services system is divided into two very unequal parts: • In the community, service agencies are closing their doors because they can’t afford to stay in business and can’t pay staff enough. People living in the community can’t tolerate any budget cuts. • The five state-run developmental centers, employ thousands of highly trained staff, are old and decaying, and sometimes do not meet standards of health and safety, costing California millions of dollars. To bring the developmental centers up to code could cost over $1.5 billion. Just look at the graphs below to appreciate the enormous sums of money spent to maintain people in the decaying state-run developmental centers.
Where do people live?
170,000 Californians with developmental disabilities living in the
community
3,700 Californians with developmental disabilities in the
state-run developmental centers.
What does it cost?
$12,000 average annual cost of service for people with developmental disabilities living in the
community
$163,000 average annual cost of service for people with developmental disabilities in the
state-run developmental centers.
Assembly Bill 896 In April, the California Assembly passed Assembly Bill 896 (Aroner) to address the under-funding of services in the community. Assembly Bill 896 calls for a creative use of resources already in our system, including money and land held by the state-run developmental centers. The legislature must adopt the principles of AB 896 at its emergency session of the legislature in January. AB 896 can save California hundreds of millions of dollars each year!
Assemblymembers
What You Can Do Today!
District 33
Write a letter or postcard, send a fax, or call the Governor and your legislators.
Abel Maldonado 1302 Marsh Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 (805) 549-3381 (805) 549-3400 Fax District 35
Hannah-Beth Jackson 101 W. Anapamu St., Ste A Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (805) 564-1649 (805) 564-1651 Fax
Tell them: • Support principles of AB 896 (Aroner) • How supports and services in the community benefit your life and the community itself • That the system is already so under funded that it cannot stand further cuts • That the state of California can use its State employees currently in the staterun hospitals much more effectively and efficiently to serve Californians with developmental disabilities in their home communities. To become part of the TCADD legislative e-mail tree, e-mail Karen Miller at kmiller@Tri-Counties.org
District 37
Tony Strickland 221 East Daily Dr., Suite 7 Camarillo, CA 93010 (805) 987-5195 (805) 484-0853 Fax
“Your community faces enormous challenges on virtually a daily basis. The economic slowdown further threatens critically important programs thus jeopardizing vital services. I will continue the fight to protect these services and advocate for a strong and viable community-based system of care.”
District 38
Keith Richman, M.D. 10727 White Oak, Suite 124 Granada Hills, CA 91344 (818) 368-3838 (818) 885-3307 Fax
— ASSEMBLYMEMBER HANNAH-BETH JACKSON
Mail your recommendations today!
Senators District 18
Dear Governor Davis,
Jack O’Connell 228 W. Carrillo St., Ste F, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (805) 966-2296 (805) 966-3707 Fax
People with developmental disabilities and their families are very concerned about the current budget crisis in California. Before the crisis, California’s Developmental Services system was falling apart — it can’t tolerate budget cuts!
District 19
Tom McClintock 223 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd, Ste 326 Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 (805) 494-8808 (805) 494-8812 Fax
We’ve already developed a solution to put our resources where they will do the most good and avoid further cuts to community services. In April, the California Assembly passed Assembly Bill 896 (Aroner), which addresses the under-funding of our community services by using current resources to create a strong community based system. Please don’t put our homes and services in jeopardy!
Tri-Counties Association for the Developmentally Disabled
NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. Postage PAID Santa Barbara CA 93101
520 E. Montecito Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93103
Permit No 359
Budget Cuts! Don’t Wait — Act Now!
“Our community system was squeezed by budget cuts in the early 1990's and has yet to fully recover. Further cuts now will force more people into nursing facilities or the state developmental centers. In the long run, that will lead to much higher costs for the state, and many fewer choices for consumers. It’s time to be realistic about
what it takes to run a strong community-based system and put our resources where they are truly needed.” — Assemblymember Dion Aroner Author Assembly Bill 896
Three Easy Steps to Wake Up the Governor 1. Sign your name, and add a comment to the postcard. 2. Fill in your address on the three lines provided above the Governor’s address.
Governor Gray Davis State Capitol Building Sacramento, CA 95814
3. Put a 20¢ stamp on the postcard and mail it. OR bring the postcard to your service provider, and they will help you mail it.