With a future body count guaranteed to make it a horror film classic, the new California state budget approved by legislators on Friday puts an end to the endless "debate" that's been causing debilitating migraines even in those who don't suffer them.

But the pain is far from over. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his band of loyal lawmakers proved they're no 'girlie-men' with the budget cuts by taking healthcare from the sick and frail and every kind of care from the elderly; by closing schools so kids have nowhere to learn, and after-school programs so they have nowhere else to go. They closed the deficit by privatizing public services and throwing public servants under the bus, while taking money with impudence from those who remain. And if you thought these outcomes were shocking, here's the most shocking thing of all: CA lawmakers managed all of this without taxing corporations one single additional dime.

And no doubt the heads of those corporations will be spending this glorious, victorious weekend with Governor Arnold in his hot tub, smoking their cigars.

The difference
Rapid action by members of SEIU Local 1021, Local 1000 and all the California locals, together with the communities they serve, prevented the outcome of the budget deal from being much worse. "While we don't like the outcome [of this budget], had we not gotten involved it would have been much worse," said SEIU executive vice president Eliseo Medina.

Working closely in collaboration with communities and allies, scores of public events were held all over the state that put a human face on the cuts to home care, health care, CalWORKS, schools, and other public services. All together, SEIU members made 40,000 calls to the Governor and legislators, took part in 400-plus lobby days and sent 100,000 petitions and postcards. The most dramatic difference these efforts made is that new revenues are finally on the table and, against the odds, even made it into the Conference Committee budget. And more significantly, SEIU members, CA activists and allies helped scale back (and lessen in severity) the Governor's worst cuts:

• Home care: In-home Supportive Services (IHSS) will be cut by 20 percent instead of 90 percent.
  
• CalWORKS will be cut 40 percent instead of eliminated entirely.
  
• Healthy Families: The Governor wanted to eliminate the program entirely - instead, it was cut by 50 percent.
  
• Education: Despite deep cuts to education, Proposition 98 was not suspended and legislative safeguards on school outsourcing were protected.
  
• State workers: Workers' pensions and health care were protected, and a fourth furlough day has not been issued like Governor Schwarzenegger threatened.

As California confronts severe budget difficulties in coming months, the war of words, lobby days and public actions are far from over. Middle-class families will continue to challenge state leaders to provide a common sense, balanced approach--even when it requires that our leaders have the courage to stand up to powerful corporate interests. More news and reports on the CA budget can be found from Rough & Tumble and California Budget Project.

Thanks to SEIU Local 1021 for this budget update.

HUGE news for home care workers and those they care for. In response to SEIU lawsuit, a U.S. District Court judge issued an injunction Thursday afternoon ordering the state of California to halt a proposed $2 cut in wages for the state's 400,000 home care workers.

The injunction has the effect of stopping pay cuts in all California counties that were planning on passing the state cut through to their home care workers.

The injunction, issued by federal judge Claudia Wilken, was in response to a lawsuit filed by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which has 250,000 home care members in California. The lawsuit alleges the wage cut violates the federal Medicaid Law, Americans with Disabilities Act, and Rehabilitation Act.

"This ruling is bringing hope to hundreds of thousands of home care consumers and workers all across the state," said Mary Harms, a home care worker in Contra Costa County. "We had no choice but to ask the court to help us after the governor and legislature let everyone down and put so many people in danger."

The enjoined state budget cuts would have slashed homecare workers' wages to as low as $9.50 an hour. The wage cuts would have forced thousands of homecare providers to leave their employment to seek living-wage jobs, forcing frail seniors and people with disabilities to enter nursing homes or other residential institutions.

On Tuesday, lawmakers on the California Legislature's joint budget committee refused to cut state worker pay and spared that state's In-Home Support Services the major cut that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed as part of his plan to solve the state's $24.3 billion deficit.

Under the governor's budget proposal, IHSS would stand to lose roughly $765 million, resulting in a near-elimination of services for nearly 400,000 people---or 90 percent of the elderly or disabled persons currently receiving care. Making such drastic cuts to California's IHSS program to make up for budgetary shortfalls would also result in more people having to resort to institutional care (nursing homes or other residential institutions)-- which is estimated to be four times more expensive to the State.

Assemblywoman Noreen Evans, who chairs the budget conference committee, reiterated the counter-productiveness of such large cuts to balance the deficit. Such large cuts would have been tantamount to cost shifting, Evans told the San Francisco Chronicle, as people would receive more expensive services at already-strained hospitals and nursing homes. "The imagination runs wild on what would actually happen to these people," said Evans. In contrast, the Conference Committee rejected the Governor's near-elimination of IHSS and passed cuts totaling $117 million, which would eliminate services for slightly less than 10% of those currently enrolled.

California Home Care Workers Rally at the State Capitol to Save the Services they Provide to California's Most Vulnerable: SEIU has played a big role in the movement to fight these cuts, mobilizing support for a fair state budget and balance budget approach that protects middle-class families, seniors, kids, and people with disabilities. Last week, SEIU released a TV ad arguing for a balanced approach and earlier this week, hundreds of home care workers rallied on the grounds of the California State Capital. "Stop home care cuts" was the message home care workers made loud and clear on the grounds of the California State Capital, as care providers from across the state displayed a 625 square-foot sign made up of more than 75,000 postcards calling for an end to the governor's drastic cuts to the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program. In addition to the TV ad campaign, SEIU is encouraging Californians to weigh in for common sense budget at www.commonsense4ca.org.

The bottom line: Laying off state workers from their jobs and cutting their pay on top of the 9.2 percent cut those workers have taken through unpaid furloughs days is not the answer to solving this budget crisis. Neither is shredding California's social safety net and decimating state programs like the welfare-to-work program and health insurance for children. To produce revenue for the state, the legislative budget panel instead approved on Tuesday plans to hike up taxes on oil and tobacco, which would produce an estimated $830 million and $1 billion, respectively, in the coming fiscal year. Repealing a corporate tax break approved only a few months ago would produce another $80 million.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) and Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) said yesterday at their press conference that they "expect that [their] Republican colleagues will be responsible" in helping them pass a "compromise" budget. Lawmakers are meeting with Schwarzenegger again today, and the two Democratic leaders are holding out the possibility that common ground can be reached to put a Legislature-approved plan on how to close the state's deficit by the middle of next week. Highlights of the Legislature's approach to solving the budget crisis at California Progress Report here.