News for Nonprofits August 2009
Share this page
NEWS 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 have questions about items in this newsletter, state legislation, or state agencies, please do not hesitate to contact Hema Sareen Mohan at (650) 688-6384 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Contents
In mid-February the Legislature passed a package of budget measures that addressed what was then estimated to be a $41.4 billion deficit over the then remainder of the fiscal year (2008-09) and the next fiscal year (2009-10).
To close the gap, the budget package contained 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 February package also contained 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, a .65% increase in the vehicle license fee (to 1.15% total), and a .25% income tax surcharge. These increases are currently set to expire by 2011.
Almost $6 billion of the February package depended on voter approval in the May 19, 2009 Special Election. As you know, those propositions failed. With the economy in further decline, the projected budget gap widened.
The Legislature convened the Budget Conference Committee, a bicameral committee charged with addressing the state’s budget gap, hearing public testimony and deliberating on specific policy areas. The Legislature presented a package of bills to Governor Schwarzenegger aimed at closing the state’s growing budget shortfall. The Governor signed that package on July 28, but used his line-item veto authority to cut expenditures by an additional $489 million. A large portion of that cut came out of critical health and human services programs.
The budget agreement included several policy changes to human services programs such as the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) Program, In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Program, and the Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) Program.
The Governor’s additional $50 million cut to funding for the Healthy Families Program increases the total Healthy Families reduction to more than $170 million in 2009-10. To help partially close this shortfall, the First 5 California Children and Families Commission recently voted to provide up to $81.4 million of its own tobacco tax dollars to support enrollment of approximately 200,000 children from birth through age 5 in Healthy Families between August 13, 2009 and June 30, 2010.
The little that remained to help support, for example, community clinics ($25 million), AIDS/HIV programs ($52.1 million), and domestic violence shelters ($16.4 million) was eliminated with the Governor’s line-item vetoes.
The further cuts to safety net services was deeply disappointing and not consistent with the budget agreement that the Legislature delivered to the Governor. Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) filed a lawsuit against Governor Schwarzenegger, calling into question the legality of these cuts. The suit is not about an ideological divide, but rather an important assertion of the separation of powers.
Whether the Governor has the legal authority to line-item veto a budget revision, as opposed to an actual budget appropriation, is yet to be decided by the courts. In the meantime, there is no question that the current budget is acutely painful for California’s most vulnerable populations.
In 2006, I authored Senate Bill (SB) 423 to allow energy companies to donate electricity to nonprofit organizations. SB 423 was the result of a request from the Emergency Housing Consortium (EHC) Lifebuilders and the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, who were offered in-kind gifts of energy from Calpine Corporation, but were unable to accept them because of a state law that prohibited receiving energy directly from the producer, known as "direct access."
Under SB 423, nonprofits still pay for all normal transmission costs for the energy, so as not to affect other ratepayers, but organizations receive the energy itself at no cost. SB 423 was set to expire on January 1, 2010; so this year, I introduced SB 176, which extends this law for another five years. Governor Schwarzenegger signed SB 176 into law on August 5th.
These are challenging times not only for those who rely on the critical services that nonprofit organizations provide, but also for those who provide them. I’m gratified that we were able to lend a hand, and hope that nonprofit organizations will be able to benefit from this extension.
Where you can find me in the District
During these difficult times, it’s more important than ever for elected officials to listen to the people they represent. I’ve been holding my "sidewalk office hours" at farmers’ markets in cities throughout my district. These events give the public and me a chance to interact in an informal atmosphere. It’s been tremendously helpful to hear first-hand what folks have on their minds. I have two "sidewalk office hours" remaining this year, as follows:
Saturday, August 29
10:30 AM - noon
Willow Glen Farmers’ Market
Behind the Garden Theatre at 1165 Lincoln Avenue
Sunday, August 30
10:00 - 11:30 AM
Campbell Farmers’ Market
Campbell Avenue between Central and Second
I will also be hosting five town hall meetings this fall. A Town Hall is participatory democracy in its purest form. Each event will be followed by a light reception where my staff and I will meet informally with the public.
Wednesday, September 16
6:00 - 7:30 PM
Cupertino Community Hall
10350 Torre Avenue, Cupertino
Thursday, September 24
6:00 - 7:30 PM
Redwood City Council Chambers
1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City
Saturday, September 26
10:30 AM - noon
Palo Alto City Hall Council Chambers
250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto
Wednesday, October 14
6:00 - 7:30 PM
Campbell Library Community Room
77 Harrison Avenue, Campbell
Thursday, October 15
6:00 - 7:30 PM
Willow Glen Library Community Room
1157 Minnesota Avenue, San Jose
Regional Announcements
The Community Leadership Project (CLP), comprising three of the Bay Area’s largest private foundations (David and Lucile Packard, James Irvine, and William and Flora Hewlett), has announced the first round of grants to strengthen nonprofits with annual budgets of less than $2 million that serve people of color and low-income communities in California. Nine intermediary organizations in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area, the Central Coast and the San Joaquin Valley are sharing $5.7 million, the first stage of CLP’s $8 million commitment over three years. Included are the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and the Community Foundation for Monterey County. Visit www.communityleadershipproject.org for more information.
The Silicon Valley Community Foundation recently awarded "safety net grants" totaling $1 million to 32 San Mateo County nonprofits that provide food and shelter to needy San Mateo County residents. Among the recipients are East Palo Alto’s Collective Roots Garden Project, Community Legal Services, the Ravenswood Family Health Center, the Ecumenical Hunger Program, and St. Anthony’s Padua Dining Room. The grants will be jointly distributed with San Mateo County. In July, the foundation also announced $500,000 in grants to 23 Santa Clara County agencies that provide food and shelter.
Step Up Silicon Valley’s goal is to reduce the poverty rate in Santa Clara County by 50 percent by 2020. The campaign is a coalition of agencies with a multi-year, multi-faceted approach. The five critical issues it is tackling are food, housing, healthcare, income and education. Each is the focus of a task force. To join the campaign or for more information, contact Terrie Iacino at (408) 325-5132.
In the Summer 2009 issue of the Stanford Social Innovation Review (a publication of the Stanford Graduate School of Business), Deborah L. Rhode and Amanda K. Packel write about "Ethics and Nonprofits". They look at the principal forces that distort judgment in all types of organizations, and then analyze the ethical issues that arise specifically in the nonprofit sector. They suggest ways that nonprofits can institutionalize ethical values in all aspects of the organization’s culture. Nonprofits can take three steps: 1) Ensure that adequate ethical codes and compliance programs are in place; 2) Use resources in a socially responsible way, and 3) See that top management leads with integrity and the ethical conduct is reinforced down the line in day-to-day decision making. To read the complete article, go to www.ssireview.org/articles.
A survey by the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits (SVCN) on economic issues facing nonprofits during the current recession reveals they are under immense pressure to stay afloat as demand for services rises and funding is scarce. Some highlights: concern about massive cutbacks from traditional government funding sources and the reduced level of services to those living in poverty; more than a 20 percent increase in client need over last year; 51 percent of agencies laying off or downsizing staff; corporate giving is drastically down although the overall number of individual donors has increased; and increased foundation giving seems to have had the greatest impact on emergency assistance such as food, clothing and housing assistance agencies. See www.svcn.org for a copy of the report.
As the 2-1-1 service in Santa Clara County celebrated its second anniversary on February 11, the United Way released numbers on usage that shows it has proved to be a critical lifeline for local families and individuals impacted by last year’s wildfires and the slowing economy. The call center had a dramatic 60 percent increase in the number of calls last year and a 62 percent rise in searches of the website (www.211scc.org) in the fourth quarter. The top two reasons for calls are basic needs (food, rent and utility assistance) and criminal justice and legal services assistance.
Thrive, The Alliance of Nonprofits for San Mateo County, has formed the Emergency Services Task Force as a vehicle for cross-sector collaboration. It fills the gap created by the closure in 2006 of the Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disasters (CARD) of San Mateo County. Co-chairs are Kent Michelson, Center for Independence of the Disabled (CID), and Susan Takalo, Second Harvest Food Bank. The task force includes nearly 20 nonprofits, faith-based organizations and local government agencies and is open to others. It meets monthly to discuss and maintain emergency preparedness. For more information, contact Emergency Services Specialist Dena Gunning at (650) 339-0721 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Help with the challenge of applying to college: Cappex.com and MeritAid.com are free services that match high school students with colleges and scholarship opportunities before they apply. MeritAid.com is the first centralized and comprehensive website dedicated to matching students with merit-based scholarships from colleges across the country.
A new community website, www.sustainabilityhub.net, from Sustainable San Mateo County (SSMC) is the first of its kind, providing an easy way to share trusted solutions and local resources to make life, business and community more sustainable. Included is the Bay Area’s only dedicated Green Job Board. Contact (650) 638-2323 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
I’m Ready for Kindergarten is a handbook for parents and caregivers that provides practical tips and information to help prepare children for a successful kindergarten experience. FIRST 5 collaborated with the Partnership for School Readiness to produce the handbook in four languages: English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese. It can be downloaded from www.first5kids.org/parents/education/handbook_and_resources. For free hard copies, e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Law students at the University of San Francisco School of Law have prepared a helpful guide for consumers with financial concerns. The 11-page Loan Default and Foreclosure: A Brief Guide for California Homeowners is written in a clear and direct style that avoids legal jargon as much as possible. It provides contact information and follow-up suggestions. Copies can be downloaded at http://www.nonprofithousing.org/pdf_attachments/homeownersguide.pdf.
Help at Home is a new mini-reference guide from the San Mateo County Commission on Aging to help adults of all incomes remain safely in their homes. It includes information on adult day centers, grocery shopping/food services, home care, medical insurance assistance and more. For a free copy, send an email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call (650) 802-7950 and leave your name, mailing address, contact phone number and requested number of copies.
The new name for the Community Association for Rehabilitation (C.A.R.) is Abilities United, which reflects its mission to provide people who have developmental and physical challenges with the opportunities they need to lead the lives they choose. Now in its 45th year, the agency works with children from birth to five years of age and their families, offers home companions and recreational specialists to help families remain together, introduces individuals with developmental or other disabilities to job openings and community services, and provides aquatic services in a warm water pool. Abilities United is located at 325 E. Charleston Road in Palo Alto, (650) 494-0550, online at www.AbilitiesUnited.org.
New to share with your donors: Charitable IRA legislation enacted at the end of last year allows persons 70½ or older to make lifetime gifts using funds from individual retirement accounts through 2009 without any undesirable tax effects.
October 15th is the deadline for applications from low-income homeowners and community facilities seeking volunteer services from Rebuilding Together Peninsula (RTP) on National Rebuilding Day on April 24, 2010. RTP serves all of San Mateo County and Northern Santa Clara County (Palo Alto, Los Altos, Mountain View and Sunnyvale). Projects range from yard cleanup and painting to skilled repairs. Rebuilding Together Silicon Valley has Rebuilding Days in April and October, so their deadlines are in December and July respectively. For more information on how to apply or get involved as a volunteer, call (650) 366-6597 or visit www.rebuildingtogetherpeninsula.org.
If you have questions about items in this newsletter, state legislation, or state agencies, please do not hesitate to contact Hema Sareen Mohan at (650) 688-6384 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).