Home care advocates demanded Tuesday in a Capitol rally that lawmakers reject Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed reductions in care-worker wages and access to services.
Facing an $11.2 billion shortfall, the Republican governor last week proposed changes to the state's In-Home Supportive Services program that would save an estimated $118 million for the remainder of the fiscal year.
The biggest component of Schwarzenegger's plan would reduce contributions to IHSS worker wages to the state minimum wage, plus 60 cents per hour toward health benefits. It also would require lower-need IHSS recipients to pay more for Medi-Cal and lose service benefits such as meal preparation and domestic chores.
"We are not budget line items," said Marty Omoto of the California Disability Community Action Network. "We are people first."
In a Veterans Day rally, advocates emphasized that veterans are among the state's estimated 408,000 elderly and disabled residents who depend on IHSS benefits. They characterized IHSS as a cost-saver because they said it helps residents avoid more costly nursing facilities. The rally crowd of 100 people included IHSS recipients, labor leaders and home-care workers.
"The first drastic cut the governor's proposing is to cut the state support from $11.50 an hour for wages down to a minimum-wage level of $8," said Herb Meyer, 77, a Korean War veteran and an IHSS consumer who lives in Marin County. "What's going to happen to the workers that support me and my in-home services? Many of the workers are going to have to move onto other jobs."
Like the governor, Omoto said last week he saw the budget situation as a revenue problem. He felt that people with disabilities were getting hit hardest, between the IHSS cuts and reductions in SSI/SSP benefits.
"We would urge the Legislature to take up the revenue issue first and then look at other solutions," he said. "That would be the fair thing to do."
The Governor's Office defended Schwarzenegger's approach.
"The governor understands cuts will be difficult, but California faces an $11 billion budget shortfall and we must act quickly to close the gap," said Schwarzenegger spokeswoman Camille Anderson. "We're mitigating these cuts as much as possible by protecting those most vulnerable, and those who need state support the most will continue to receive it."
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