News for Nonprofits October 2007

• Legislative Update
• Budget Update
• “There Oughta Be A Law” Contest
• Complimentary State Senate Certificates Available
• Regional Announcements

The Legislature just wrapped up the 2007 regular session on September 14th.

I am delighted that many of the bills I authored passed both houses in the Legislature and were signed by the Governor. Among these is SB 898, a bill to extend individual taxpayers’ ability to contribute amounts in excess of their tax liability to support specified funds or accounts, including, among others, the State Children's Trust Fund for the Prevention of Child Abuse and the Endangered and Rare Fish, Wildlife, and Plant Species Conservation and Enhancement Account. That current law repeals provisions for these funds on January 1, 2008. A winner of the “There Oughta Be A Law” contest, SB 966 is also awaiting the Governor’s signature. This bill responds to the complicated, time-consuming and often unclear process of disposing of prescription medication. It requires large retail pharmacies by July 1, 2008 to collect and dispose of unused prescription drugs dropped off by consumers. Few consumers have the time or the inclination to carry through with American Pharmacists Association’s current guidelines for the safe disposal of pharmaceuticals, which involves crushing or dissolving the medication, mixing with kitty litter, sealing in a plastic bag then setting out with the trash. Most often drugs are either flushed down the toilet or thrown in the garbage where they pose a threat to the environment and contaminate our waterways.

Please contact my office for more information about my bill package.

As you will recall, the state Budget approval received delayed passage on August 21. In total, the budget contains expenditures of $102.3 billion from the General Fund. The Budget, as passed by the Legislature, reflected funding prioritization that; (1) protected the most vulnerable populations in the state; (2) invested in prevention programs with the view of reducing future costs; (3) made solid commitments to programs serving children and schools; (4) reduced debt; (5) provided for critical local law enforcement programs; and (6) made appropriate use of nearly all new bonds.

As many of you are dealing with social service issues, I thought you might be interested in the highlights in that area.

• No new social services programs were created.
• The Budget invested in prevention programs that provide future cost savings: (a) $10 million for a 5 percent rate increase for foster family homes and an increase in group home rates beginning January 1; (b) $20 million for transitional housing for foster youth; and (c) $2 million to increase the private adoption agency reimbursement rate. Investments in these three programs have been shown to reduce out-year Medi-Cal, welfare, unemployment and foster care costs.
• The Legislature rejected the administration’s proposal to eliminate the 2008 COLA for SSI/SSP recipients and instead delayed the implementation of the state COLA until June 1 of each year.
• The Budget reduced the TANF reserve by $84 million, but adopted statutory language to transfer funds from the General Fund if needed for unanticipated CALWORKS costs.
• The Legislature rejected $324 million in administration CALWORKS proposals that penalize children and families seeking to become self-sufficient.
• The Budget provided $100 million for Proposition 36 (the Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act). In addition, the Budget included $20 million for the Substance Abuse Offender Treatment Program.

For further information about the budget, go the Senate website: www.sen.ca.gov. Click through on the following links: Committees, Standing, Budget and Fiscal Review, Information. You will find the Final Action 2007 report which will provide you with a detailed summary of the budget action along with the Governor’s vetoes.

I just kicked off my seventh annual “There Oughta Be A Law” contest where I invite you to submit ideas for new state legislation. Some of the best ideas I hear for new legislation come directly from folks in the community. The winner or winners will have their bill ideas introduced as legislation, and have the opportunity to testify at a hearing on their bill in the State Capitol. They will also have lunch with me, and receive a California State flag that has flown over the Capitol. But most importantly, winners stand a good chance of seeing their ideas become law. Eleven ideas that came from the contest have already become law. If you are interested in entering, go to my website for the online application. The deadline is December 3, 2007

My office is happy to provide complimentary State Senate certificates to recognize outstanding volunteers, staff members, or clients. If you have individuals you would like to honor during the year, please contact my office. We would be honored to prepare certificates for your folks

• CompassPoint’s Silicon Valley Office, located in the new Sobrato Center for Nonprofits in Milpitas, offers a range of services and resources to nonprofits. These include seminars, workshops, consulting, coaching, executive transitions and search/board training. For example, “How to be an Effective Board Member” will be held November 1 and “Strategic Planning: A One-Day Intensive Workshop” will be held November 28. Others throughout the year will cover managerial skills, fundraising, budgeting, computer skills and more. For pricing and registration information, visit www.compasspoint.org or call (408)719-1400.

• The 4th Annual Breast Cancer Conference, with the theme “Sharing Knowledge – Creating Hope,” sponsored by the Community Breast Health Project will be held Saturday, November 3, 2007, at the Palo Alto Garden Court, 520 Cowper Street, Palo Alto. The full-day program includes keynote speakers on “Genetics and Breast Cancer” and preventing bone loss, with a dozen breakout-session topics. $50 charge, with some scholarship help available. Call CBHP at (650) 326-6686.

• Each county has a state-funded Centralized Eligibility List (CEL) for families who are eligible and have a need for state and federally subsidized child care. It eliminates duplication and allows subsidized child development providers in the system to identify children eligible for their programs. Placement on CEL is assigned a rank based on gross income (before taxes) and the number of individuals in the family. When funds become available, families with the greatest financial need are served and may be enrolled ahead of families who have been on the list for a longer period of time. In San Mateo County, 4Cs Child Care Coordinating Council handles CEL – San Mateo County; call (650) 655-6777 or go to www.sanmateo4Cs.org for an application and information. Santa Cruz County’s CEL is operated by the Santa Cruz County Parents Association Voucher Project. You can call (831) 688-2151 or go to www.santacruzcountycel.org. In Santa Clara County, the contact is 4Cs Council of Santa Clara, www.4C.org/parents/subsidizes/qualifying or by phone at (408) 487-0747, ext. 20.

• Homeowner/Renter Assistance. For eligible individuals, the State of California will refund a portion of California property taxes paid either directly (by homeowners) or indirectly (by renters). Payments are as high as $473 for homeowners and $348 for renters, depending upon income. Applicants must reapply each year and be a U.S. citizen, at least 62 years old or disabled or blind before Jan. 1, 2007, with total 2007 household incomes below $42,770 (including all income, taxed or untaxed). Application forms and free volunteer assistance will be available at Avenidas in Palo Alto; call (650) 289-5400 for an appointment and information on documentation required.

  A separate Property Tax Postponement for California homeowners with similar qualifications and a $31,500 income limit permits borrowing from the state to pay taxes at a fixed interest rate (4% last year) with nothing having to be repaid until the owner dies, moves out or sells the house. The application deadline is December 10, 2007, for the 2007-2008 tax year.

• A Homebuyer Assistance Program has been launched by HEART of San Mateo County (The Housing Endowment and Regional Trust) to fund loans on very favorable terms for homebuyers in the county – one of the most expensive housing markets in the country. When the goal of $1.5 million is reached through private-sector contributions, a nonprofit social services manager (median salary, $61,000) would qualify for a loan. Other potential recipients include both public-service and private industry employees. Contact for more information is Chris Mohr, (650) 872-4444.

• The newly launched TRIP (Transportation Reimbursement Independence Program) for older adults in San Mateo County serves seniors 65 and older. It offers a free and easy way for seniors who have stopped driving to maintain their independence. The two-year pilot program, funded by a $250K grant from the MTC’s Lifeline Transportation Program, is operated via the Family Service Agency’s Intergenerational Center at Fair Oaks in Redwood City. TRIP reimburses volunteer drivers for transporting individuals who face barriers to accessing public transit or Redi-Wheels. For more information about TRIP eligibility requirements for drivers and riders, call Alan Yosef at (650)780-7546.

• The Silicon Valley Community Foundation, created in January by the merger of Peninsula Community Foundation and the Community Foundation Silicon Valley, has moved into new headquarters at 2440 W. El Camino Real in Mountain View. There are still satellite offices in San Mateo and San Jose. Current grant-making programs of the $1.9 billion foundation are now on hiatus while a comprehensive Community Input Project helps develop new funding priorities.

• The David and Lucile Packard Foundation will increase its level of local grant-making 40 percent in San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties (and add San Benito County) beginning in 2008. The commitment to local nonprofit organizations is being increased from $8 million to an expect $14 million next year. Grantmaking will continue to focus on the arts, food banks and homeless services for families with children, after-school youth services, and family planning and adolescent reproductive health services. The expanded program also will support increased youth development activities and programs that focus on children from birth to age three. Revised guidelines for grant applications will be posted on www.packard.org in early 2008; meanwhile the current application form is available on that website.

• For Santa Cruz County residents, an updated version of the Guide to Specialized Transportation Services for Seniors & People with Disabilities is now available. It comes in two formats: regular type and large print (limited number available). The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) updates the guide every few years as needed. It catalogues practical information about bus lines, taxis, vans, special shuttles, volunteer organizations and other resources in neighboring counties serving people who need specialized assistance with mobility. The guide is available from RTC offices, most libraries, and the website www.sccrtc.org/pdf/GUIDE.pdf.

• A new study by the Nonprofit Sector Research Fund is the most comprehensive effort to date to track the flow of Medicaid money to nonprofit providers, which received a third of total Medicaid spending in 2004. Medicaid Funding for Nonprofit Health Care Organizations by Courtney Burke of the Rockefeller Institute of Government points out revenues of many nonprofits – particularly smaller ones – are now inextricably tied to Medicaid funding as other sources diminish and the government increases the use of contracts for service. Burke projects that as states’ Medicaid funding changes and as the health-care market fluctuates, nonprofits are likely to experience even greater variation and volatility in Medicaid receipts. The publication is available by e-mailing Aspen Institute Publications at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or calling (410) 820-5433.

• The second edition of BoardSource’s Nonprofit Board Answer Book: a Practical Guide for Board and Chief Executives has just been published, with 80 questions and answers about board structure and process, meetings, board composition, orientation, board-staff relations, financial management and more. It has been updated with new material such as implications of Sarbanes-Oxley for nonprofit boards. Price is $30 for BoardSource members, $40 for non-members. It can be ordered online from www.boardsource.org/Bookstore.asp?Ittem=1075.

• In July, California Volunteers released California’s Aging Opportunity, Building a Legacy of Good Works by Older Californians, which highlights the significant yet untapped civic resource of older Californians to make an impact in their communities as volunteers. (California Volunteers, which administers the AmericaCorps portfolio in this state, is overseen by a commission appointed by the Governor. First Lady Maria Shriver is the Honorary Chair.) The organization, which can be reached at www.californiavolunteers.org, plans to weave senior service into state programs in the future.

• Nonprofits may post volunteer position descriptions on the new California Volunteer Matching Network through these contacts: Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz, www.scvolunteercenter.org or (831) 427-5070; Volunteer Center of San Francisco & San Mateo Counties, www.thevolunteercenter.net or (415) 982-8999; The Volunteer Center of Silicon Valley, Inc at www.vcsv.us or (408) 247-1126,ext. 301.

• Guides for local resources for seniors are available in all counties. Help at Home is an annual guide published by the San Mateo County Commission on Aging to assist residents to remain at home. Copies can be obtained at Rosener House or by calling the Community Information Program at (650) 802-7950 or accessing the web cip.plsinfo.org. Subjects include adult day centers, grocery shopping and food services, home care, hospitals, medical insurance assistance, senior centers, senior dining centers, support groups and transportation. Similarly comprehensive information is available online in Santa Cruz County from the Senior Network at www.seniornetworkservices.org/directory.html. In Santa Clara County, the Council on Aging Silicon Valley Senior Services has issued a 2006/2007 Senior Services Directory, available for $5; see www.scccoa.org for order form.

• As a service for homebound elders through the Bay Area, the Senior Center Without Walls offers activities, friendly conversation and an assortment of classes and support groups. No special equipment is needed and the telephone conference calls are completely free. The fall session is now under way and continues through December 22, with a number of new groups in addition to old favorites. Seniors can contact the nondenominational, nonprofit program by calling (877) 797-7299 or emailing .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Sponsor is the Episcopal Homes Foundation and Senior Resources at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Oakland.

• Helpful parenting information is available in a kit for new parents available free of charge from county offices of First 5. It contains a DVD, a parenting resource guide, and information on health, nutrition and obesity prevention, child safety, early literacy, setting limits and finding quality childcare. Kits may be ordered in quantities up to 100 with no limit on reorders. Contacts: First 5 San Mateo County, Cynthia Alvarez, (650) 372-9500; First 5 Santa Clara County, Char Caudle, (408) 260-3700; First 5 Santa Cruz County, Barbara Dana, (831) 465-2217.

• A comprehensive listing of upcoming meetings, workshops, camps and other activities, grants available and articles of interest is now available online in the CIP Resource Bulletin published by the Peninsula Library System’s Community Information Program and the San Mateo County Human Services Agency. CIP maintains a database of more than 2,600 nonprofit agencies, government programs, community clubs and social, service, environmental and fraternal organizations that serve residents of San Mateo County. To submit an article or add an event, e-mail Amy Shulman at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).