News for Nonprofits April 2009
Share this pageNEWS FOR NONPROFITS connects nonprofits in the 11th Senate District of California with information and resources available from the State or other sources. Information provided is deemed relevant to the nonprofit sector and no endorsement is implied.
If you would like us to include an announcement about your organization in a future issue, please contact Hema Sareen Mohan at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).Contents
- Budget Update
- Senate District 11 Woman of the Year
- "There Oughta Be a Law" Contest
- Regional Announcements
Budget Update
In mid-February the Legislature passed a package of budget measures that addressed the projected $41.5 billion deficit over the remainder of the current fiscal year (2008-09) and the next fiscal year (2009-10). The Governor signed this budget package into law on February 20th.
To close the $41.5 billion gap, the budget package contains about $14.8 billion in cuts to a wide range of state-funded programs and services including education, health and human services, court administration, public transportation, and other areas.
The package also contains about $12.5 billion in new revenue generated by a number of broad-based tax and fee increases, including a 1-cent sales tax increase, an increase in the vehicle license fee, and an income tax surcharge. These tax increases are currently set to expire in 2011 or 2012, depending on the tax.
Almost $6 billion of the package depends on voter approval at a May 19, 2009 special election. The largest part of this is an expected $5 billion from the securitization of future lottery revenues. This will be on the ballot as Proposition 1C. Also appearing on the ballot will be propositions allowing the diversion of Prop 10 (“First 5”) funds to certain existing programs that serve children and families (Proposition 1D) and allowing the diversion of Prop 63 mental health funds away from local programs to an existing state program (Proposition 1E).
The May 19th special election ballot will also contain several items that will not affect the budget in the next fiscal year. Proposition 1A would institute a state spending cap starting with the 2010-11 fiscal year, and would extend the tax increases in the current budget by an extra two years. Proposition 1B would authorize an addition $9.3 billion in Prop 98 funding (K-14 education) from a special fund beginning in 2011 – but only if the spending cap also passes. Finally, Proposition 1F would prohibit the commission that sets the salaries of state officers and legislators from granting raises in deficit years.
Recently, three bills were signed into law, SB X3 24, SB X3 27, and AB X3 20, which will enable California to receive billions of dollars in federal economic stimulus from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). These bills take effect immediately.
Of the three bills, I thought SB X3 24 would interest you. SB X3 24 modifies the current Medi-Cal eligibility determination for children to conform to requirements of the ARRA so that California can receive $10.1 billion through December 31, 2010, of enhanced Medi-Cal and Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) funds.
Specifically, the bill restores the 12 month continuous eligibility in the Medi-Cal program for children, age 0 to 19, through the period of enhanced federal financial participation. Under current law, continuous eligibility for children was modified from a 12 month period to a 6 month period, requiring semi-annual status reports until January 1, 2012. This bill suspends that requirement effective immediately and requires that the Department of Health Care Services restore continuous eligibility for any child whose eligibility was determined or re-determined during the first calendar quarter of 2009 as a result of the semi-annual status report provisions.
The estimated state portion over the three fiscal years is approximately $8.4 billion. These funds will offset state General Fund expenditures, and help balance the budget.
You can find much more detail about the February budget package in the final report issued by the Governor’s office, available on the website of the Senate Budget & Fiscal Review Committee at http://www.sen.ca.gov/budget/.
The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), which provides nonpartisan analyses of the state budget, projects that revenues will fall short of the assumptions in the current budget package by nearly $8 billion. In the coming months, the Legislature and Governor will need to adopt additional solutions to bring the 2009-10 budget back into balance.
If you’re interested in learning more about the LAO’s outlook on the February budget package or how the federal stimulus package might provide aid to California, visit www.lao.ca.gov.
Senate District 11 Woman of the Year
As many of you know, March is Women’s History Month. Every year around this time, legislators honor women who live or work in their districts. This year, I selected Naomi Nakano-Matsumoto, Executive Director of West Valley Community Services (WVCS), as my 11th Senate District Woman of the Year.
Formerly known as Cupertino Community Services, WVCS provides food, shelter, and emergency assistance to more than 4,000 local residents annually in Cupertino, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Saratoga, and West San Jose.
There are so many remarkable women doing good work in my district that it is always a challenge to single out just one for recognition. But Naomi’s commitment to providing essential services to families has been extraordinary, especially during these challenging times.
Often working behind the scenes, Naomi has been a social services advocate for 27 years. She also lends her expertise to the following organizations: the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits Leadership Team; the Housing and Community Development Advisory Commission of Santa Clara County; the United Way Silicon Valley Board of Directors; and Midori Kai, a professional organization for Japanese American women.
An active parent as well, Naomi sits on the Cumberland Elementary School Site Council and chairs several PTA committees. She began the Girl Scout program at her temple and leads a troop.
Please join me in honoring Naomi at a community celebration on Thursday, April 23. It will take place from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. at West Valley Community Services, 10104 Vista Drive in Cupertino. You can RSVP online or call 408-277-9460 or 650-688-6384.
"There Oughta Be a Law" Contest
I received 331 submissions for my eighth annual “There Oughta Be A Law” contest where I invite Californians to submit ideas for new state legislation. I thought you might be particularly interested in one of the three winning ideas I chose.
Betty Lipkin, a San Carlos resident, suffers from multiple sclerosis. She has two containers of “sharps” (a type of medical waste that includes syringes and lancets) in her home, and decided it was time California gave her a way to safely dispose of them. Betty proposed a law to allow patients like her to manage their sharps conveniently and legally. SB 486, the Sharps Waste bill, will establish a system for handling “sharps” medical waste that is safe, convenient, and sustainable.
It’s estimated that over one million people in California use syringes and other sharps for home health care. For anyone with a family member who takes insulin or other medical injections, this idea will seem long overdue. We tell patients they can’t throw sharps away, but until now there hasn’t been an easy, safe solution. I hope SB 486 will make it possible to do the right thing, and we’ll all be safer as a result.
Regional Announcements
May 16, 2009 is the deadline for nonprofit organizations serving the needs of women and/or children to apply for a Capitol Network grant ranging from $1,000 to $5,000. Founded in 1983, Capitol Network is a non-partisan organization of public and private professionals who work in and around California’s state capitol. To download a copy of the 2009 application, visit www.ccapnet.org.
HIP Housing, based in San Mateo, has provided free consumer information about reverse mortgages since 1987. The counselor is certified by both HUD and AARP to educate seniors, social service providers or others interested in knowing more about the costs and complexities of reverse mortgages. Contact Tricia Smith at (650) 348-6660, ext. 326.
The “Ask Medicare” Website launched by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is a one-stop source of information for caregivers on navigating through Medicare, health care services, links to partner organizations that assist caregivers and personal caregiver anecdotes. Visit www.medicare.gov/caregivers.
June 30 is the deadline to apply or submit nominations online for the Neighborhood Excellence Initiative, the Bank of America’s grants to nonprofit individuals and organizations seeking to improve their communities in such areas as education, community development and/or neighborhood preservation, arts and culture, and health and human services. The Initiative’s Neighborhood Builders category gives grants of $200,000 each to two nonprofits in each of the bank’s 45 markets. The Local Heroes category provides grants of $5,000 each to nonprofits selected by each of five recognized individuals in these markets. For guidelines in both categories, see www.bankofamerica.com/foundation/index.ctm?template=fe_neighborexcell.
The newly released 2009 Silicon Valley Index reports findings in five major areas: People (talent flows, diversity), Economy (innovation, employment, income), Society (preparing for economic success, early education, arts and culture, health, safety), Place (environment, land use, housing, commercial space) and Governance (revenue, civic engagement). See www.siliconvalleycf.org/docs/joint-venture/2009Index.pdf.
April 24 is the next and final deadline for scholarship applications to summer camp scholarships offered by Galileo Learning for kids of low- and middle-income families on the Peninsula. The program provides 1,800 full and partial awards to Camp Galileo (pre-K through 5th grade) and Galileo Summer Quest (5th through 8th grade) held at a number of locations. Through a partnership with the Girl Scouts of Northern California, scholarships are also offered specifically for campers who are registered Girl Scouts with financial need. Sessions run the week of June 15 through the week of August 10. See www.galileo-learning.com for more information or to apply.
For those with difficulty using a standard telephone, the California Telephone Access Program (CTAP) provides specialized telephones and services at no cost to qualified California residents. To qualify, a participant must be a California resident, have existing residential telephone service, and complete a CTAP Certification Form, which includes a physician’s signature certifying the individual has difficulty seeing, hearing, moving, speaking or remembering. For more information or to arrange a demonstration for your organization, call Casey Kho at (510) 302-1123.
RSVP (an arm of Mills-Peninsula Senior Focus Volunteer Services) is continuing to serve the community with SAIF (Seniors Against Investment Fraud) presentations, which the State of California had put on suspension in July due to the state budget crisis. The suspension has been lifted since SAIF is part of the education and outreach efforts of the Department of Corporations and is funded through licensing fees and fines paid by those who sell financial products – and therefore not funded by the state’s general fund. Nonprofits and other groups that would like a trained RSVP Volunteer to speak – either for a first presentation or a repeat – may schedule a visit by calling (650) 696-7660.
Silicon Valley Open Arms Coalition has launched a campaign to help nonprofit service providers struggling to serve the growing number of people who need food, shelter and other basic necessities in these tough times. The Open Arms campaign was launched this fall in conjunction with the release of United Way’s annual survey of Bay Area nonprofits to raise awareness of the need to give more. People will be encouraged to give to the charity of their choice. The coalition members include a dozen agencies, foundations and the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits. All agencies are invited to participate by joining the coalition: send your logo and a link to your website to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Promotional tools about ways to donate are available at www.211scc.org/openarms.html.
Tax filings for 2008 by nonprofits and other tax-exempt organizations must use the new IRS Form 990 for returns filed in 2009. It consists of an 11-page core form required for all filers plus 16 schedules required only from those organizations that conduct particular activities. In the area of governance, the new form requires certain information about the composition of the board or governing body, certain governance policies and practices, and how the nonprofit is held accountable to the public by making governance and financial information publicly available.
The Stanford Geriatric Education Center (SGEC) is starting a new educational series of Webinars in 2009. It was developed as a way to help providers stay current in the field of ethnogeriatrics, with faculty speakers. Anyone can attend using a computer without prior registration. Cost per Webinar is $15 ($25 if applying for Continuing Education Units offered only to licensed nurses, social workers or marriage and family counselors). Topics include working with older adults with sensory and motor disabilities and programs focused on various ethnic groups (African-American, Chinese and Japanese Americans). To register and check the schedule visit www.sgec.stanford.edu/events.html.