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News for Nonprofits, July 2011

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. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to other nonprofit leaders in our area. If you have questions about items in this newsletter, state legislation, or state agencies, or would like to submit an item for the next issue, please do not hesitate to contact Hema Sareen Mohan, my Education/Nonprofits Liaison, at (650) 688-6384 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Contents:

Budget Update
The Legislature passed a budget by the constitutional deadline of June 15, but Governor Brown promptly vetoed it and State Controller John Chiang deemed it unbalanced. The Legislature went back to the drawing board and on June 28 passed a budget with cuts of $15 billion to programs in order to reduce the $26.6 billion budget deficit; a reserve of $543 million; and that incorporates Department of Finance estimates that $4 billion in new revenue will be collected during the next fiscal year. General fund spending totals $85.9 billion, a reduction of 6.1 percent from 2010-11.

In signing the budget and various trailer bills on June 30, Governor Brown called it “an honest but painful budget that returns California’s General Fund spending to levels unseen since the 1970s.”

“Painful” indeed. Governor Brown had expressed his strong desire to place a tax extension package on a special election September ballot, but with continued resistance from most Republican lawmakers, he had to seek an alternative (some would argue inevitable) approach. More than half (53.7 percent) of the gap will be closed with spending reductions, including deep cuts to health and human services programs and higher education.

If the Department of Finance determines that revenue targets have not been met by January 1, 2012, billions of dollars in additional cuts will be “triggered” to maintain a balanced budget. Specifically, if revenues are projected to fall short of expectations by more than $1 billion, an additional $600 million in cuts to health and human services, public safety and higher education will go into effect beginning January 2012. If revenues are projected to fall short by more than $2 billion, an additional $1.9 billion in education reductions would be implemented. Following are some of the reductions that could potentially be triggered that may affect services to your clients:

  • $100 million from the Department of Developmental Services;
  • $100 million by reducing hours in the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Program;
  • $72 million from the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) by collecting additional “sliding scale” fees paid by counties that commit youths to DJJ facilities;
  • $23 million from child care programs administered by the California Department of Education;
  • $15 million by extending various Medi-Cal managed care reductions approved in March to the Program of All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly (PACE), the Senior Care Action Network, and the AIDS HealthCare Foundation;

Other cuts in the 2011-2012 budget include $913.2 million in CalWORKS through a series of program reductions including:
  • reducing the cumulative total number of months aided adults can receive a monthly cash benefit from 60 months to 48 months, which would result in 22,500 adults being removed from aid;
  • suspending the Cal-Learn program, which provides intensive case management, supportive services, and fiscal incentives and disincentives to encourage teen parents to earn a high school diploma or equivalent degree; and
  • reducing the maximum monthly grant for a family of three from $694 to $638.

Medi-Cal will see a reduction of $345 million, which is in addition to the $1.4 billion in reductions enacted in March.

The budget assumes $1.73 billion in state savings from limits on local redevelopment activities and $200 million from requiring certain out-of-state retailers to collect use taxes that are legally owed by California’s consumers.

To read more about the budget, visit: http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/Enacted/BudgetSummary/BSS/BSS.html

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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 encourage you to stop by, say hello, ask questions and share ideas. Below is the remaining schedule for my summer sidewalk office hours.

I also plan to hold a series of town hall meetings this fall. For more information about where you can find me in the district, visit http://www.senatorsimitian.com/events/category/C573.

Saturday, July 23rd
10:00 a.m. – noon
Palo Alto Farmers’ Market
Behind the Downtown Post Office, at Hamilton and Gilman

Sunday, July 24th
10:00 am – 11:30 am
Campbell Farmers’ Market
Campbell Avenue between Central and Second

Thursday, July 28th
6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
San Carlos Farmers’ Market
Downtown, on the 700 block of Laurel Street

Thursday, August 4th
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Los Altos Farmers’ Market
State Street between First and Third Streets

Friday, August 5th
10:30 am – noon
Cupertino Farmers’ Market
Sears parking lot in Vallco Mall
Stevens Creek and N. Wolfe Road

Saturday, August 6th
10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Willow Glen Farmers’ Market
Behind the Garden Theatre at 1165 Lincoln Avenue

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Capitol Focus: Public Service Announcements and Broadcast Times
My cable television show, Capitol Focus, provides an opportunity for me to inform my constituents about my work in Sacramento. The show is produced monthly and is distributed to local cable stations on the Peninsula, in the South Bay and in Santa Cruz for weekly broadcast.

I would be happy to consider broadcasting nonprofit public service announcements during the show. If you have a taped public service announcement that we can use, please contact Melissa Figueroa in my Capitol office at (916) 651-4011 or email her at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). The spot must be on Beta-SP, DVCPro or DVD. Please note that tapes will not be returned.

Following is a schedule of broadcast times. You can also watch excerpts online: http://www.senatorsimitian.com/media/category/C682/.

CreaTV San Jose (San Jose and Campbell)
Channel 15: Tuesdays at 5 p.m. (Mondays at 7 p.m. as of August 15)

Peninsula TV (between Redwood City and Daly City excluding the coastline)
Channel 26: Wednesdays 9 p.m.

Midpeninsula Community Media Center (Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Stanford, Atherton, and portions of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties)
Channel 27: Mondays 11 p.m. & Tuesdays 6 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.

Mid Coast Television (Half Moon Bay, El Granada, Montara, Moss Beach and Pescadero)
Channel 6: Airs twice per week; check local listings

KCAT Los Gatos (Los Gatos, Monte Sereno)
Channel 15: Thursdays 6:30 p.m.

KMVT (Cupertino, Los Altos, Mountain View)
Channel 15: Thursdays 5 p.m.

Community Television of Santa Cruz County (Greater Santa Cruz County)
Channel 26 and 27: Tuesdays 3 p.m. & Thursdays 6 p.m.

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Regional Announcements
  • With the number of people between the ages of 65 and 90 expected to double locally by 2025, the San Mateo County Senior Mobility Action Plan and Initiative is designed to keep older adults, including those with disabilities, safe, independent, and connected to their communities as problems related to aging make it harder for them to get around. The Mobility Ambassador Program was created to increase awareness of other transportation options. Highly trained volunteer Ambassadors are based at senior centers throughout the county to help with planning trips using public transit, finding a driver safety class, and learning about such other alternatives as community shuttles. Ambassadors can also give educational presentations, conduct group and one-to-one rider training, and organize day trips to interesting places. To learn more about the program, visit http://www.seniormobility.org, contact Jean Conger at (650) 508-6362, or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

  • DonorsChoose is a nonprofit that connects donors online with classrooms in need. Organized geographically, it provides a website for teachers to list projects for funding, ranging from books and supplies to activities. Each entry shows how much money remains to be given and the number of donors to date. Started in 2009 by a young teacher to help out his colleagues (often out of his own pocket), at last count it had raised $36 million and served the needs of some 2.2 million students. Materials requested are purchased by DonorsChoose and sent to the teacher, along with a disposable camera and writing kit to encourage kids to take photos of the gift and write thank-you notes for transmission to the donor or donors. Visit http://www.donorschoose.org.

  • Thrive, the Alliance of Nonprofits for San Mateo County, which provides resources to San Mateo County-based nonprofit organizations and advocates for the nonprofit sector at different levels of government, just released an unprecedented look at the number and type of nonprofit organizations headquartered in San Mateo County. The report, titled, “The Nonprofit Landscape in San Mateo County,” reveals there are 659 active nonprofits in the county and the median operating budget is $190,000. Thirty-two percent of the organizations have budgets under $100,000. Thrive released the report at its recent quarterly meeting, where small groups of nonprofit leaders met to discuss the findings and how to build on the report with further data. To download the report or notes from the groups that met at the quarterly meeting, visit http://www.thrivealliance.org/Default.aspx?pageId=1070459.

  • Your clients might want to know that a new school immunization law requires all students entering grades 7 to 12 in California public or private schools in the upcoming school year 2011-2012 to be immunized with a pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine booster call Tdap. Immunity from early childhood immunization or from the disease itself wears off in time. (A recent outbreak of pertussis led to the death of 10 infants and 8,383 cases in California in 2010.) The requirement applies to all students: current, new or transfers. For more information, visit the California Department of Health’s new website about immunization requirements for students at http://www.shotsforschool.org.

  • With unemployment and a poor economy hitting many California families hard, Healthy Families and Medi-Cal have low-cost or no-cost insurance available to help keep kids healthy. Children may qualify if their family’s income is up to approximately $46,000 annually for a family of three (higher for larger families). For more information, visit http://www.100percentcampaign.org/needinsurance or call 1-877-KIDS-NOW. And if any child is denied coverage for any reason, a parental assistance state health insurance hotline is 1-888-466-2219. Links to other coverage options such as the Indian Health Program and Access for Infants and Mothers are also available on the website above.

  • Save the Date: “Creating Hope for the Future: Working Together to Prevent Teen Pregnancy,” a San Mateo county-wide summit will be held on September 29, 2011 at the Double Tree Hotel in Burlingame. With a keynote by Dr. Claire Brindis, an expert in youth development and teen pregnancy prevention, the summit will provide time for collaboration and discussion as well as an opportunity to learn about new approaches to the work. Collaborating organizations include: San Mateo County Office of Education, San Mateo County Health System, Office of Supervisor Carole Groom, Teen Talk Sexuality Education, Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula, Center for Youth, Daly City Youth Health Center, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital/Stanford Teen and Young Adult Clinic, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, Redwood City 2020 & Youth and Family Enrichment Services. For more information, contact Shelly Masur at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

  • The Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC) to redraw legislative districts has made some notable changes to the map approval process. Release of the second set of draft maps has been moved from July 7 to July 14. Public input hearings scheduled for the following month have been cancelled. Instead, written comments will be accepted until July 28. The Commission has until August 15 to approve final maps and certify them to the Secretary of State. For more information about the commission and future hearings, visit http://www.wedrawthelines.ca.gov.

  • The Senate Office of Oversight and Outcomes (SOOO) has issued a report, “Caregiver Roulette: California Fails to Screen Those Who Care for the Elderly at Home” to look at the absence of state regulation of the private in-home care industry. Its examination of ads on Craigslist found a number of those seeking jobs as caregivers have criminal backgrounds. While many in-home agencies claim to do such checks voluntarily, some have been sued for taking only basic precautions. The state does license health agencies that provide skilled nursing at home, but doesn’t regulate caregivers who perform servicers other than medical care. The non-partisan SOOO was established in 2008 by California Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg to scrutinize state government through investigative reporting. To learn more about the SOOO or read the report, visit http://sooo.senate.ca.gov/reports1

  • 2-1-1 is now available in San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties as well as Santa Clara County. It connects callers with local community services such as food, shelter, counseling, employment assistance, quality child care and more. The information is free, confidential, multilingual and localized by county. You can learn more about 211 at http://www.211bayarea.org.

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Special Thanks
Like your organization, my office has talented and dedicated volunteers who are integral to our operation. I want to give a special thanks to Betty Gerard, who has been volunteering with my office since 2002 and helps us gather information for this newsletter. Thank you, Betty!
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Related Pages: Nonprofit Newsletter