Caring for others. It's probably the most important thing your mother ever taught you. But it's a lesson Gov. Schwarzenegger seems to have forgotten, because on May 14th the governor released a preview of his revised budget, which seeks to implement deeper cuts to the in-home care program by slicing the state's contribution toward home care worker wages by a staggering 20 to 30 percent.

If implemented, these budget cuts would drastically affect the state's hundred of thousands In-Home Supportive Service (IHSS) workers and the 440,000 seniors and people with disabilities who rely on IHSS for daily care. The cuts would:

• Lower the State's maximum participation in IHSS wages from $11.50/hr to just $8.00 (minimum wage).
• Eliminate certain hours of care that will place home care recipients at risk.
• Limit IHSS Share-Of-Cost buyout to only the most impaired seniors and people with disabilities.

Home care workers are often the primary--and frequently sole--caregivers for their clients, sometimes being the only thing keeping a family member at home instead of in an institution. These cuts are a true assault on our seniors, people with disabilities and those who care for them. SEIU's Andy Stern on the cuts: "The Schwarzenegger administration suggests solving the state's fiscal problems should entail cutting the wages of people who do some of the most difficult work and help our most vulnerable citizens stay out of institutions. That is a disgrace and a sign of misguided priorities."

Join SEIU Executive VP Eliseo Medina and thousands of Californians at a rally tomorrow, May 22 at noon (PST) in Los Angeles to send a loud and clear message to Sacramento to stop the cuts to home care. (More rally info here).

Take action now to stop cuts to home care in California: Gov. Schwarzenegger's belief that solving the state's fiscal problems on the backs of those who take care of the most fragile among us is an absolute disgrace--please write him a message telling him you strongly disagree with his misguided priorities.