Western Center released a report showing that under the Governor’s proposal to cut Medi-Cal eligibility to the federal minimum more than 1.7 million poor children, parents, seniors, and people with disabilities would lose their Medi-Cal health coverage. Read More..

A roundup of updates on the Recovery Act's one-year record of creating jobs and protecting the safety net -- and the advocacy needed in Washington to extend this investment in our economy, families, and state budget. Read More..

Sacramento County must let indigent residents know that they are not responsible for paying ambulance companies which transport them to emergency rooms, a Superior Court judge ruled January 15th in Fuchino v. Frank.  At the same time, the court decided that Sacramento County is not responsible for payment when one of its residents falls ill in another county; the other county must pay.   An appeal of that ruling is likely.  Western Center is co-counseling with Legal Services of Northern California. Read More..

Western Center Director of Litigation, Dick Rothschild, revised the chapter on attorneys’ fees for the online Federal Practice Manual for Legal Aid Attorneys.  The chapter takes on added significance, as Legal Services Corporation-funded local programs are now permitted, for the first time in 14 years, to seek fee awards in all cases. Read More..

  Read More..

WCLPs Issues New CalWORKs/SSI Budget Letter Read More..

Both Candidiates Hope to Score Political Points Read More..

Jobs are finally coming to California from the federal Recovery Act -- but more time and investment is needed from Washington to get families, our economy, and our state budget back on track. Read More..

The Recovery Act is delivering larger tax credits to more working families this tax season and next -- but more needs to be done to help families connect to free tax assistance sites. Read More..

The Recovery's Act boost to SNAP (formerly Food Stamps) is working to help families and the economy -- but there are problems in California Read More..

Western Center on Law & Poverty is now accepting nominations for the 2010 Fair Shake "Rock Stars" who will be honored and celebrated at the 7th Annual Fair Shake on June 16, 2010. The Fair Shake: A Party with a Purpose is a celebration attended and supported by young professionals and advocates from throughout the region and the state.    Read More..

WCLP's Early Budget SummaryAttached. Read More..

Budget Rumors on Child Welfare Services and SSI Cashout Read More..

The Recovery Act's impact on poverty in California -- and opportunity to win more relief through the Jobs Bill. Read More..

Ana Matasantos Named Director of Finance - Former Democratic staff to lead Governor's budget team - Budget Network Formed to Oppose Cuts. Read More..

If you live in California and have problems related to a hospital bill, or need to find a hospital where you can find a fair price, HospitalBillHelp.org  can help you understand your rights and options. Read More..

  The Governor signed AB 191, AB 1142, SB 290 and SB 120, the four bills sponsored by Western Center. Read More..

California’s next 1115 Medicaid waiver presents a unique opportunity to improve health outcomes for poor state residents through expanded coverage and delivery system advancements and innovations. Advocates for low-income consumers have developed some proposals we hope the state will pursue in this waiver. We believe that the lives and health of poor Californians can be improved through a better and more cost-effective Medi-Cal program. Read More..

  The Western Center on Law & Poverty, along with other legal advocates, filed a lawsuit challenging state Medi-Cal policies that deny necessary medical care to individuals who have other health care coverage (OHC) when the other coverage does not provide the health care services the person needs. Read More..

Western Center's bill to make permanent the requirement that landlords give tenants 60 days' notice of a no-fault eviction passed the Assembly on 3rd September. It now moves to the Governor's office for approval. The bill, SB 290 (Leno, D-San Francisco), gives tenants more time to move when they are evicted through no fault of their own (e.g., a sale, owner move-in, or major rehab). The current law is set to sunset (expire) this year. SB 290 makes permanent longer notice, which is vital in helping low-income tenants secure replacement housing they can afford, keeping children in schools w... Read More..

  AB 171 (Jones, D-Sacramento) passed the Assembly 64-0 on 31st August and now goes to the Governor's office for signature. Sponsored by WCLP, the bill protects low-income consumers from predatory marketing of 3rd-party dental credit and loans. Among other things, it would prohibit dentists from arranging for credit while a consumer is under the influence of anesthesia. Read More..

 AB 171 (Jones, D-Sacramento) passed the Senate on 27th August on a unanimous 38-0 vote. The bill, sponsored by WCLP, was presented by Sen. Sam Aanestad (R-Grass Valley). AB 171 would protect consumers (especially low-income consumers) from predatory marketing of 3rd-party dental credit and loans. Among other things, it would prohibit dentists from arranging for credit cards or loans while a consumer is under the influence of anesthesia. The bill now heads back to the Assembly, in order to approve the amendments adopted in the Senate. Read More..

State routes Medi-Cal applications for the most vulnerable children to Healthy Families’ waiting list. Read More..

Western Center has published two succinct reports about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and how advocates and communities can help ensure that stimulus funds support low-income Californians. Read More..

  The Court of Appeal has ordered the Governor to respond by September 1, 2009 to our lawsuit challenging the Governor's exercise of his line item veto authority on health and human services spending in the recent budget revision bill.   Read More..

Western Center, along with Neighborhood Legal Services, Disability Rights Advocates and pro bono attorneys from Kirkland & Ellis, has sued the Governor, challenging his recent line item vetoes, cutting nearly one half billion dollars from health, domestic violence prevention and other programs.  ( St. John ’s vs. Schwarzenegger). Read More..

Low-income consumers are falling victim to the predatory marketing of credit for dental care with high interest rates, sometimes under unscrupulous circumstances, including: Read More..

2009-10 Budget Balanced On the Backs of the Poor: Budget Actions Affecting Healthcare for Low-Income Californians Read More..

No Further Cuts to CalWORKs Read More..

18 Democrats Vote for the Cuts That Start July 2011. Read More..

Budget Fight Drags On, Assembly and Senate Both in Session Read More..

Since the "cone of silence" descended on the Capitol once again, it's been hard to get concrete information on the budget proposals or review actual language.  The Senate Republicans have posted some of the budget trailer bill on their website: http://cssrc.us/blog.aspx?id=6499 Read More..

If Accurate, This Will End CalWORKs As We Know It - Democrats Have Not Confirmed Details Read More..

  The 2009 CalWORKs manual, ”the bible” for California welfare advocates, has been published and is now available  For more information, please visit   Western Center’s Manuals Read More..

Time On Aid May be Limited to 48 Months - Gov Releases New Video Read More..

Leaders Still Have Not Announced A Deal Yet Read More..

Earliest Budget Can Be Resolved is Middle of Next Week Read More..

Administration Backpedaling on Privatization? Read More..

Advocates and Counties Blast Governor's Privatization Plans Read More..

Governor Pushing Hard to Privatize Public Benefit Eligibility National NPR Re-Running Story of CalWORKs Family on "All Things Considered." Read More..

Media Scrutinizing Governor's Welfare Statements Read More..

  Read More..

WCLP Challeneges Governor's Assertion That There is Massive "Fraud" in CalWORKs Read More..

Advocates, Counties Accuse Governor of Being Fact-Challenged Read More..

Governor Continues to Make Misleading Statements Read More..

"Massive Fraud, Waste and Abuse" Read More..

New Details on the Governor's Latest Draconian CalWORKs Proposals Read More..

Several times over the weekend the Governor met with Democratic leaders to discuss the budget.  Saturday the Governor proposed new cuts ato nd "reforms" of health and human services programs including CalWORKs, Medi-Cal and IHSS.  Attached are summaries of the three proposals.  The Governor is proposing draconian changes to the CalWORKs program including an additional 6% grant cut and increased work requirements.  He proposes to move the enrollment processes for Medi-Cal, CalWORKs and Food Stamps from paper applications submitted to counties to a statewide Internet-based system.  The Governor... Read More..

The Legislature and the Governor continue to search for an elusive solution to the budget crisis on Friday. The Assembly once again took up the main cut bill SB 62 but it again failed. The Senate is in session now and appears poised to take up revenue bills though it seems clear from preliminary floor jostling that the Republicans will oppose. The Assembly has announced session for both days this weekend at 10 a.m. The Senate has yet to announce plans. Read More..

Governor Proposes Complete Defunding of Child Welfare and Foster Care Read More..

Governor, Republicans Looking for Deeper Cuts to Health and Human Services Read More..

Summary of Human Serivce Actions Taken by the Conference Committee Available Read More..

Please find attached our letter to the Legislature urging support by legislators for the Budget Conference Committee Report. As our letter explains, while we have many concerns with the budget plan, it largely protects the safety net, is more balanced and equitable than the Governor’s proposal and preserves opportunity. If not passed we fear the next version of the budget may fail to live up to those standards. We understand that not every organization will be able to support but we wanted you to know of our position. Read More..

The Conference Committee completed its work last night by adding a significant revenue component to the final package. A little less than half of the budget solutions are cuts to programs with the rest composed of borrowing, shifts and revenue enhancements. The Governor has already announced that he will veto the committee package if it is sent to him. Read More..

The conference committee has just completed action on human service actions. The committee rejected almost all the Governor's proposals but did make more than $300 million in cuts. The big action was relaxing welfare to work activities for 2 years for families with small children.     Read More..

  Today, the Budget Conference Committee reconvened and went through open items on a number of the subject-matter agendas, including health. Some of the actions taken by the committee in the health arena are: Read More..

Conferees Expected to Work Through the Afternoon and Into Evening Read More..

Read More..

  “Under the governor’s proposal, no more education and training, no more moving families out of poverty, and absolutely no grant assistance for families, meaning that we’re going to see thousands of families move into homelessness.”   Read More..

Finger Imaging De-funded - Many Items Left Open Read More..

This morning the Budget Conference Committee is taking up the human service budget. The Committee has been mostly closing small items and leaving big ticket items open and we anticipate more of that today though it is possible the conferees will reject some proposals. Yesterday's hearing was puncuated by a steady drumbeat of questions from Democratic members asking variations of "If we do this will somebody die?". Yes California literally is at that barbaric a level. Read More..

 This morning the Budget Conference Committee continued through the health care agenda. The following actions were taken by the committee:  Read More..

Repealing COLAs has No Impact on State Budget - Legislature Would Lose Power in Future Human Service Budget Negotiations Read More..

 This afternoon the Budget Conference Committee delved into the agenda on health care issues. Some highlights include the following actions (and inactions) by the committee: Read More..

The Budget Conference Committee finished hearing public testimony and has begun voting on some items.  Wednesday evening the committee voted to eliminate the state agencies, such as the Health and Human Services Agency.  The committee has fallen behind its original schedule. They were supposed to hear and vote on education issues Thursday, but got a delayed start and are still on education issues as of Friday afternoon. Health was originally scheduled to be heard Friday, but will instead be Saturday or Monday. The health agenda for the conference committee which lists all the issues the comm... Read More..

Budget Battle Likely to Linger Until End of the Month - Realignment Talk Heats Up Read More..

  Read More..

A coalition of advocacy groups, including WCLP, are collaborating on a new sign on letter opposing the elimination of CalWORKs and the deep cuts to child welfare. Among the signers are CWDA, CSAC, SEIU, AFSCME, the Child Abuse Prevention Center and others. WCLP is asking organizations to sign on immediately, by the end of business today. Our goal is to have a letter in Legislator’s offices by Friday at the latest before the hearing on Saturday. If groups need more time to sign on we will develop a second list that we will send around next week.   Please respond to ... Read More..

We wanted to point people to a recent editorial piece by the Ventura County Star that is well worth the read.  It takes issue with the Governor's view that there area no choices but to make these cuts.  The editorial proclaims "The governor is wrong. He has plenty of choices and so do Californians." www.venturacountystar.com/news/ Read More..

Finance Letter says California Will Forfeit $4.2 Billion in TANF Funds; members being Flooded With Calls Opposing CalWORKs Cuts Read More..

Round Three of May Revise is now available. Read More..

  Read More..

  There were many pwerful witnesses at yesterday's Budget Conference Committee on the elimination of CalWORKs. One of the more moving moments was testimony by Will Lightbourne, the director of the Santa Clara County CalWORKs program. Here are his comments courtesy of the County Welfare Director's Association. Read More..

Today the Budget Conference Committee held an all-day hearing on the Governor's proposed May Revision budget proposals affecting health and human services programs.  The first segment was on Medi-Cal and Healthy Families.  Dozens of speakers discussed the devastating impact the proposed cuts would have.  Below is the testimony given by Western Center's Elizabeth Landsberg: As an organization representing the needs of the lowest income Californians we are deeply concerned about the cumulative effects of these proposals on our most vulnerable residents – poor children, families, seniors and ... Read More..

Robert Greenstein the executive director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has issued the following statement on Governor Schwarzenegger's proposal to eliminate the CalWORKs program for poor families: Read More..

The legislative Budget Conference Committee is holding an overview hearing with the Dept. Of Finance on the Governor's new cuts. The committee was very critical of the proposed elimination of CalWORKs. Senator Lowenthal called it, 'the corner grocer cut.' Senator Ducheny called it a recipe for homelessness. When the Department of Finance argued that the families would get more Food Stamps, Ducheny shouted 'but they won't have a house to eat it in.' The members questioned the long term impact on homelessness and child welfare. The committee will be hearing from the public tomorrow on these i... Read More..

Governor Schwarzenegger has updated his May Revise budget in light of his decision not to pursue $5.5 billion in borrowing and the state’s worsening cash position. He has chosen to make draconian cuts to state services by eliminating the state’s welfare program, CalWORKs, along with Healthy Families, CalGrants for students, and mental health services for adults. (pdf version as attachment) Read More..

 WCLP has learned that Governor Schwarzenegger will propose to eliminate the CalWORKs program as part of $5.5 billion in new cuts to the state budget. The Governor's plan would forfeit $3.7 billion in federal block grant funds and leave 1.2 million Californians with no cash assitance. The Governor is also expected to announce the elimination of Healthy Families, the elimination of CalGrants, and the elimination of adult mental heatlh services. As details emerge we will post here. Read More..

Chairwoman Evans just announced that the committee is delaying the hearings next week until the committee and the public have a chance to see the detail on the Guv's budget. They will start public hearings on June 1 More news at 3. Read More..

Governor Schwarzenegger released an early edition of the May Revise budget prior to the May 19 th election that makes unprecedented reductions to cash and food assistance for the most vulnerable Californians. The Governor’s proposals are on top of the significant cuts to CalWORKs and SSI that were enacted in the February 2009 budget. These cuts reach even deeper, and in the case of food and cash assistance for legal immigrants, the Governor proposes out right elimination. These proposals if adopted would reduce the standard of living for nearly 2 million California househo... Read More..

On May 14, 2009 Governor Schwarzenegger released his May Revision of the 2009-10 budget year. For the proposal go to: http://www.dof.ca.gov/ . The budget package signed by the Governor in February 2009 has already been determined to be out of balance due to declining revenues. According to the Governor’s office the budget shortfall will be $15.4 billion if Propositions 1C, 1D, and 1E on the May 19 ballot pass and the shortfall will be $21.3 billion if those initiatives fail. This is an initial report of the proposals. Western Center will prepare a more detailed analysis... Read More..

New Executive Director brings many years of not-for-profit community experience (LOS ANGELES, CA) – May 7, 2009.                   Western Center on Law & Poverty, one of California’s leading advocates for the poor, is pleased to announce that after a nationwide search, it has selected Paul Tepper to be the new WCLP Executive Director. Mr. Tepper starts May 26, 2009 . Read More..

The Legislature and Governor Schwarzenegger should restore the CalWORKs grant cut set to take effect July 1, 2009. California will lose $117 million in federal stimulus funds and the significant economic impact from human service spending if it does not act. If the cuts are allowed to go into effect the grant will be lower than the amount the state paid in 1989 even though more families need help because they can not find work. Read More..

A family law judge may not force a parent to abandon her CalWORKs welfare-to-work plan by quitting school and seeking full-time work, the Court of Appeal has held..  Doing so would thwart the Legislature’s judgment on how best to move low-income parents from welfare to work, the court reasoned in an opinion ordered published Thursday . Read More..

After the longest Senate session in California history, on Thursday, February 19 the California Legislature approved a massive budget plan that addresses shortfalls in both the current year budget and the upcoming 2009-10 budget. The Governor signed the package of dozens of bills on February 20. The budget package includes $14.8 billion in spending cuts, $12.7 in revenue increases, $5.4 billion in borrowing, $7.9 billion in federal stimulus dollars, and $957 million in line-item vetoes for a total of more than $41 billion in “budget solutions.” Read More..

The Legislature and the Governor agreed to a sweeping 18 month budget "solution" in late February but it did not complete the work on the budget. The agreement included an additional $947 million in program cuts set to take effect July 1 along with a $1.8 billion tax increase set to take effect on April 1, 2009 unless they were "triggered off." Under the budget agreement if the Department of Finance and the state Treasurer determined by April 1, 2009 that California would receive at least $10 billion in federal stimulus funds by June 30, 2010 then the cuts and the tax increase would not ... Read More..

The deadline to introduce bills for the regular 2009-10 legislative session was February 27, 2009. Some bills are still in “spot bill” form – without specific language. Following is a summary of some of the legislation affecting low-income health consumers. Following is a summary of some of the legislation affecting low-income health consumers considered during the March and April hearings, grouped by subject matter. Angela Gilliard and Elizabeth Landsberg are Western Center’s legislative advocates working on health care issues. We indicate below which advocate you can contact for mo... Read More..

Western Center is writing related to the determination that the Treasurer and Department of Finance (DOF) must make in Government Code Section 99030. This section requires a public hearing by the two entities prior to April 1, 2009 and if the Treasurer and DOF determine that there are sufficient federal funds will avoid severe cuts to social service programs set to go into effect on July 1, 2009. A 1.25 percent income tax surcharge that goes into effect on April 1, 2009 would also be “triggered off. Read More..

Dick Rothschild is WCLP's Director of Litigation. He is a preeminent litigator and appellate lawyer who has dedicated his 32-year career to working at Western Center on Law and Poverty. Last year, he received the State Bar's prestigious Loren Miller Legal Services Award. This is my first litigation skills tip: how to write a reply brief. By "reply brief," I mean the closing brief where you have filed an opening brief, and the other side has filed a brief, in either a trial or appellate court. Here are some principles to keep in mind: Read More..

The Capital Public Radio articles begins, "Not enough money to pay for that root canal? The credit card industry has an answer - charge it. Medical credit cards are popular, especially for dental work. But critics warn the cards are causing a lot of pain for some patients." WCLP has been following with concern the growing problems of credit cards offered for specific dental care without patients understanding the negative financial implications.  Read more, or listen at CPR's Website. Read More..

Legal advocates for the poorest residents of Los Angeles say they've won a victory in their battle to protect people displaced by development. KPCC's Frank Stoltze reports it comes in the form of a settlement with a Skid Row Hotel and the city's redevelopment agency. Read more or listen to the story at KPPC's website. Read More..

The Governor’s 2009-10 budget proposes deep cuts to the Medi-Cal Program including: Reducing eligibility for working parents. Reducing eligibility for Medi-Cal for seniors and persons with disabilities and requiring them to pay for more of their care. Requiring undocumented immigrants to reapply monthly for limited Medi-Cal benefits. Drastically reducing health benefits for some legal immigrants. Eliminating ten categories of benefits for adults including dental, podiatry, optometry, and psychology services. Read More..

Four Orange County residents filed a class action lawsuit in federal court challenging Orange County’s unlawful delays in processing applicants’ requests for Food Stamps, Medi-Cal, and General Relief benefits and in maintaining recipients’ ongoing eligibility for these benefits. The lawsuit seeks to enjoin the County to process applications within the time frames mandated by federal and state law, as well as abide by the federal and state due process protections for continuing benefits. Despite already failing these standards, Orange County has recently laid off over 200 employees in the Soci... Read More..

The Board of Directors and the staff of the Western Center on Law and Poverty are pleased to share this exciting news with you.  Dick will receive this much-deserved award this Friday at the annual meeting of the State Bar in Monterey.  Read More..

A federal district judge has issued a preliminary injunction that requires the City of Los Angeles and its Community Redevelopment Agency to provide relocation assistance to the low-income tenants of the Alexandria Hotel, including more than 100 tenants who were evicted over the course of the last year. Judge Margaret Morrow’s ruling also requires the owners of the hotel to provide habitable living conditions for all tenants and reasonable accommodations to tenants with disabilities. Read More..

Despite it being a windy Monday, logic and fairness could not be blown over this morning as Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant granted our petition for a writ of administrative mandamus and a writ of traditional mandamus in Camacho v. Allenby .  Wendy Camacho, a CalWORKs recipient, will be reimbursed by the Department of Social Services (DSS) for the books and supplies she needed for her self-initiated program (SIP). DSS must now also pay for all supportive services necessary for CalWORKs recipients to participate in their SIPs, even when purchased prior to the signing of a ... Read More..

Arnold Schwarzenegger's first act as governor was to repeal the Davis Administration's car tax increase. His second act should have been to pay a welfare cost of living adjustment, a San Francisco Superior Court judge ruled in March of 2004, handing Western Center clients a $120 million victory. Read More..

WCLP won a ruling that the state must provide child care assistance to AFDC recipients in approved education or job training activities, whether or not the recipients were enrolled in the former AFDC workfare program known as GAIN. The suit helped thousands of AFDC recipients to continue in education and training programs so that they could escape the welfare rolls. Miller v. Carlson , 768 F.Supp. 1331 (N.D. Cal. 1991) Read More..

Both the District Court and the Court of Appeals held that the Secretary of Health and Human Services must follow Ninth Circuit disability decisions, and ordered the Secretary to restore millions of dollars in illegally withheld disability benefits. Lopez v. Heckler , 725 F.2d 1489 (9th Cir. 1984) Read More..