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News for Nonprofits, October 2010

NEWS FOR NONPROFITS connects nonprofits in Santa Clara, San Mateo, and Santa Cruz counties with news and resources. The content provided is for informational purposes; 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:


The value of what you do
I want to take a moment to let you know how much I respect and appreciate the work that you do.  As you know all too well, these are difficult times for individuals, families, and institutions throughout California and the nation.  Unemployment remains high, households are stretched to and sometimes beyond the breaking point, and safety net services are being eroded by continued budget cuts at all levels.

Your work has always been important, but it’s particularly crucial to our communities now as folks struggle to make ends meet.  I know your staffs are overwhelmed, your budgets are shrinking and your work can be emotionally draining.  And yet you continue to protect and shelter; you organize and advocate; and you feed multitudes—sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively—with limited resources and boundless dedication.  You are also nimble, adjusting to the changes in your environment in a way that government often can’t.

Your continued service is a vital and valuable asset to California, and your resilience and resourcefulness are an inspiration.  Please know that I am deeply grateful for all that you do.

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How my office can help
I was inspired to create a Nonprofits Liaison role on my staff when I was a County Supervisor in the late 1990s because I wanted you to have a point person in my office who understood your work and the challenges and opportunities you face in doing it.  I continued that tradition when I became a State Assemblymember and later a State Senator.  Hema Sareen Mohan, who was a nonprofit program director before joining my office five years ago, currently serves as my Nonprofits Liaison.  Here are some ways that she and our office can help:

  • Certificates of recognition – Would you like to recognize your dedicated volunteers for their commitment to your organization’s mission?  We would be happy to prepare certificates for them (at no cost, of course), which we could arrange to send directly to your organization.

  • Information about legislation – Have you heard about a bill that might affect your organization or the clients you serve?  Give us a call and we can help you research the legislation.

  • Information about how the legislative process works – As service providers, you know what systems work and don’t work, and how to help your clients navigate them.  You may have an idea for how to deliver a government service a different way or about how to address a gap in services.  Would you like to learn how policy is made so that you can help improve it for the people of California?  We can explain how the legislative process works and how you can be a part of it.

  • Support for your grant applications – Are you applying for a grant and would like a third-party reference to support your application?  If so, you are welcome to send us a description of the work you do and a sample letter of support.  With that information, we can work together to figure out how we can best support your worthy efforts.


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Budget and legislative update
Governor Schwarzenegger and state leaders announced they are close to reaching an agreement on how to close the state’s projected $19 billion deficit.  The budget impasse has had a profound impact on some of our neediest populations as child care centers that serve low-income families struggle to keep their doors open and health care providers that were ineligible to receive compensation from the state during this impasse had to tap into reserves and other resources.

Even when we get past this record-breaking gridlock, the work of finding solutions to our systemic problems continues.  We have to overhaul the process by which we reach decisions and also find common ground on how to raise revenues.

With the emphasis on the budget, there was less of a focus on legislation this year.  It might, however, interest you to know about three bills that might impact your clients or their families.

AB 12 – California Fostering Connections to Success Act – Signed into law
This bill by Assemblymembers Jim Beall and Karen Bass will allow certain foster youth to receive state support until they reach 21 years of age (instead of the current 18) and could qualify the state for $80 million in federal funds to support this extension.

SB 1381 – The Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010 – Signed into law
Two elementary school teachers inspired me to author SB 1381 to require that students starting kindergarten must turn 5 by September 1st of the school year instead of the current December 2nd cut-off date. Teachers’ experiences and extensive research support the idea that 4-year-olds—particularly in California where our standards are more rigorous—are not developmentally ready for kindergarten.  Under SB 1381, the new age requirement will be phased in over three years beginning in 2012 and would include the following provisions:

  • Students will need to be 5 years old by September 1 instead of December 2 of the school year in which they are entering kindergarten
  • For those “young fives” (i.e., children turning five from September 2 – December 2) whose kindergarten is delayed, the bill creates a transitional kindergarten program.
  • The $700 million in annual cost savings resulting from having fewer children in kindergarten would provide an age and developmentally appropriate transitional kindergarten program for those children whose entry to kindergarten would be delayed.
  • A child born after September 1st may still be admitted to kindergarten on a case-by-case basis, if the parent or guardian applies for early admission and the school district agrees that it would be in the best interest of the child.


SB 1431 – Children’s Health Care Access – Vetoed by the Governor
This bill, which I authored, would have allowed counties who participate in the County Health Initiative Matching Fund program (CHIM) to provide health care coverage—at no cost to the state—to qualified low-income children who are unable to enroll in the Healthy Families Program or whose family income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty level (FPL).  SB 1431 would have served an additional 1,200 children that currently lack health insurance.  I was disappointed with the Governor’s veto message, which stated that “…the practical impacts of this bill will be short-lived, given that families with eligible children will have the opportunity to purchase subsidized insurance through the health insurance exchange in 2014.”  Some families can’t wait until 2014.  We should be maximizing the use of all available federal funds to help California children and families now.

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Where you can find me in the District
With government resources limited, it’s more important than ever for elected officials to engage with the people they represent.  In that spirit, I’ll be hosting six town halls in the district this fall.  I held the first last night in Los Altos.  Following is information about the remaining five town halls.  Please feel free to attend and share your concerns and potential solutions:

Saturday, October 2
10:30 AM - noon
Palo Alto City Hall Council Chambers
250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto

Wednesday, October 6
6:00 - 7:30 PM
Redwood City Council Chambers
1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City

Monday, October 25
6:00 - 7:30 PM
Willow Glen Library Community Room
1157 Minnesota Avenue, San Jose

Tuesday, October 26
6:00 - 7:30 PM
Campbell Library Community Room
77 Harrison Avenue, Campbell

Wednesday, October 27
6:00 - 7:30 PM
Cupertino Community Hall
10350 Torre Avenue, Cupertino

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Regional Announcements

     
  • Following the graduation of its first class from the Green Jobs Academy last December, the County of San Mateo will train more classes through October 2010 for growing careers in green industries.  All participants must be un- or underemployed parents who receive support through the CalWORKs program.  The academy’s eight-week curriculum includes environmental literacy; math skills; reading and writing skills; hands-on skills in weatherization, plumbing and green building techniques; career planning and job interviewing.  Funding comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), including wage subsidies for local employers to hire low-income residents for green jobs.  The academy is administered by the county’s Human Services Agency, along with the Sequoia Union High School District, JobTrain, and ILM Partners.  For more information, contact http://www.smcworks.org.
     
  • Friends for Youth, the mentoring program for at-risk youth ages 8-17 in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, is now accepting referrals (from the Probation Department,  counselors, school and agency professionals) of children with incarcerated parents.  Children voluntarily enter the program.  Each adult mentor makes a one-year commitment to spend a minimum of three hours per week with the youth.  Once matched, youth and mentors meet weekly in the community.  There is no charge for participants or referrals.  Call (650) 482-2864 or visit http://www.friendsforyouth.org for more information.
     
  • Some infants and children with severe to profound hearing loss may have a serious heart problem, which a simple, non-invasive test (an EKG) may be able to identify.  The National Institutes of Health has funded a two-year study to make it possible for all children who qualify to be screened free of charge.  To arrange an in-home screening or at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, call (408) 885-4415 or visit http://www.infant-heart.com.
     
  • Thrive: The Alliance of Nonprofits for San Mateo County, which provides a strong voice for the vital work the nonprofit sector performs, will hold its next quarterly meeting on Thursday, December 9, 2011 from 9:00 am to 11:00 am.  For more information, visit http://www.thrivealliance.org.
     
  • A Memory Screening Day will be held November 16 at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, 3801 Miranda Avenue, Building 5, 4th Floor Conference Room, Palo Alto, from 10 am to 11:30 am.  This screening is part of a national effort to promote early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and related illnesses, and to encourage appropriate intervention such as medical treatments and social services.  To register, call (650) 852-3287.
     
  • Connect the Dots is a nonprofit that consults with other nonprofits on ways to “go green” by using fundamental conservation practices.  For three months it partners with a nonprofit to audit existing programs, create and implement action lists, and help set up an internal “Green Team” for future action.  Areas addressed include waste management (such as reducing office-paper consumption), and conserving energy and water, along with education on sustainability. Visit http://www.connectthedotsnetwork.org.
     
  • The “Over 40” job seeker in the Bay Area now has a resource in Phase2Careers, a new nonprofit in San Mateo County.  It provides job search and career development workshops, networking and recruitment events and special career presentations.  It is co-sponsoring a free monthly Employment Roundtable with the San Mateo County Library System, with four to six employers talking about their companies’ current and future openings, corporate culture and the hiring process.  Upcoming roundtables:  Oct. 14, Pacifica Sharpe Library; Nov. 4, East Palo Alto Library.  For more information, see http://www.phase2careers.org.
     
  • San Mateo County has a 24-Hour Parent Support Hotline, (888) 220-7575 or (650) 579-0358, to provide concrete support for families dealing with child abuse and neglect.  Research has shown that risk factors, among others, are parent or caregiver substance abuse, stress, poverty and unemployment, disabilities of children, and family structure including marital conflict and domestic abuse.
     
  • The San Mateo County Library has a new Chinese language website http://www.smcl.org/zh-hant.  The new Chinese eBranch reflects the library’s commitment to offer virtual library spaces where their various communities can connect and share.
     
  • The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health has issued an updated Resource Guide to the report Putting It All Together:  Guiding Principles for Quality After-School Programs Serving Preteens issued in 2008.  It provides recent research and tools to strengthen after-school programs.  Call (650) 724-5778 or contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to find out more.
     
  • Rebuilding Together Peninsula (RTP), a nonprofit, volunteer organization dedicated to repairing nonprofit community facilities and homes of those in need, is accepting applications until October 15, 2010 (extensions permitted as needed through October 30) for free repair services.  The services provided will not affect any other benefits homeowners receive.  Providing safety, warmth, and independence is RTP’s priority.  Volunteers complete all of the repair work primarily on National Rebuilding Day—April 30, 2011.  For more information or an application, please call (650) 366-6597 or download an application here: http://www.rebuildingtogetherpeninsula.org/pages/apply_homeowners.html .



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Related Pages: Nonprofit Newsletter