SEIU Members Hold Massive Rally for Real Solutions California's Budget Crisis

Today Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina spoke at a rally in Sacramento, California where over 1,000 SEIU members from across the State came together to speak out for real solutions to the state's budget crisis.

These are the words Eliseo spoke to the crowd while the Big Five leaders of the state met to discuss the budget crisis:

Good morning Californians.

We've come to Sacramento today to say loud and clear to the governor and the legislature - that enough is enough. We need a budget and we need it now.

We've come to Sacramento today to remind the governor and the legislators that they were elected to solve problems, not to create problems. We've come to Sacramento today to remind the governor and the legislators that they were elected to serve the people of California not their own personal political ideology.

Every day that goes by without a budget solution we see more families, students, and businesses facing a real crisis.

Beginning February 1st, 100's of thousands will be devastated by delayed payments. We all know you cannot eat or pay bills with IOU's.

College students will miss their grants. Kids school lunch programs are being courtailed and teachers fired.

People with developmental disabilities will see their support systems stressed and endangered.

Child care providers will go unpaid. Creating huge problems for them and the children they care for and their families. This is a disaster for every Californian as our economy, which is in a world of hurt, will get driven further into the toilet.

A fair sensible budget can't rely on cuts alone. We need new revenue sources that allow us to keep our state functioning. Getting to a fair, sensible, balanced budget is not rocket science-it just takes political courage and the will to put the public good before party political agendas.

The time for leadership is now, not tomorrow, not next week. Now is the time for solutions, not partisan wrangling, but in case the governor and legislators don't hear us today, we want them to know that today is also day one, of a grassroots political accountability. We will continue to speak out, step out, and mobilize until we get a fair budget.

Finally let me remind the governor and legislators that change has come to America and whether they like it or not change is coming to California as well.

Can we do it? Can we do it?

The rally today was held against the current backdrop of impending catastrophe in the state -- California will be broke at month's end, with no budget resolution yet. Today's event kicked off a full-scale effort by SEIU members and those they serve to break the political log-jam that threatens child care providers, seniors, people with disabilities, college students, and families in crisis.

TAKE ACTION NOW: If you live in California, write to Governor Schwarzenegger to tell him we need real budget solutions that help California's workers and families.