April Newsletter
Friends,
In last month’s newsletter I discussed the recently-passed 17-month state budget. I’ve received a great deal of feedback from constituents on this budget — understandably, much of it opposed to various provisions. As you know, I wasn’t happy with elements of the budget compromise either. Many of the spending cuts were, in fact, very painful, especially for top priorities including public education and health care. Increasing the sales tax during a recession will increase the hardship on working families, and also was very difficult to support. Try as we might, however, we could not find better options that could garner backing from the Governor and the two-thirds of the Legislature necessary to ratify the budget. One thing was certain: I was not going to vote to perpetuate a stalemate that would shut down the the government services on which we all depend.
So what will happen next?
There’s no way around it — the upcoming months will be very, very challenging. Already the state’s Legislative Analyst predicts that the recession’s grip on California is so tight that we can expect another $8 billion less in revenue than experts anticipated just a few months ago.
In May, voters will be asked to pass judgment on six state propositions, five of which (1A-1E) directly affect the state budget. If these propositions fail to pass, the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) estimates the state will have to contend with an additional shortfall of nearly $6 billion.
While California will receive billions of dollars in federal stimulus funds, it won’t be enough to meaningfully cushion the blow. So although we have an approved budget through June, 2010, we have our work cut out for us to bring it into balance. I serve on the Budget Committee, which is grappling with these issues now, along with doing everything possible to get bond-funded projects, and the jobs they create, on the street.
In addition, the Legislature is taking steps to help those most in need. In March the state passed a law accepting federal monies to extend unemployment insurance coverage for an additional 20 weeks. This provision, which costs California nothing, will help prolong coverage for an estimated 469,000 out-of-work state residents. We passed another law to allow seasonal workers to qualify for unemployment coverage – again, at no cost to the state. Finally, along with other state government departments, the Assembly has cut 10% of its operating budget. It is important that all levels of government share in the sacrifices we are asking of our constituents.
Also, as detailed below I have introduced legislation on an issue of great importance to many low-income Californians who face life-changing legal action in the year to come. AB 590 would, for the first time, give Californians the right to an attorney in specified civil cases where basic needs such as housing are at stake.
I’ve directed my District Office to seek new opportunities to help communities in need in the months to come. If you have ideas or projects to share, please contact my office at (310) 285-5490 or (818) 902-0521.
Passing the state budget was not a finish line, but rather the starting line for getting California back on its feet. It will take the combined resources of government, business, the non-profit sector, and community activists to put these troubled times behind us. But California has faced bigger challenges – many times over – and prevailed. I have great confidence that our dynamic state can build a better tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Assemblymember Mike Feuer
42nd District
Doctor Barbara Firestone Recognized as AD 42 Woman of the Year President and CEO of The Help Group Honored for Lifetime Dedication to Aiding Children with Special Needs
In March I was proud to recognize Dr. Barbara Firestone as the 42nd Assembly District’s 2009 Woman of the Year. Dr. Firestone is the President, CEO and Founder of The Help Group, the largest, most innovative and comprehensive nonprofit of its kind serving children with autism and other special needs. Dr. Firestone joined honorees from each of the other seventy-nine California Assembly Districts for special recognition at a Capitol ceremony. Dr. Firestone’s work with The Help Group has immeasurably improved the lives of countless children and families, both in Los Angeles and throughout the country.
In 1975, Dr. Firestone established a non-profit special education day school for children with developmental challenges, including autism, which would evolve into a family of agencies known today as The Help Group. Under her leadership, The Help Group now serves more than 1,300 children daily in its innovative day schools, and assists more than 5,000 children and families each year through its mental health, therapy, and residential programs.
With an impressive list of achievements, contributions to the field and honors, Dr. Firestone was appointed Vice Chair of the California Legislative Blue Ribbon Commission on Autism. Dr. Firestone has also authored the award-winning book Autism Heroes: Portraits of Families Meeting the Challenge, which chronicles 38 first hand accounts of families with autistic children.
Dr. Firestone dedicated her award to the children of The Help Group.
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AB 590 – Right to Counsel in Civil Cases
Many of you know that before I entered elected office I served for eight years as the Executive Director of Bet Tzedek Legal Services, a non-profit law center providing free legal representation to aging or disabled clients on critical issues including elder abuse, slum housing conditions, access to medical care, and consumer fraud. Organizations like Bet Tzedek serve a crucial role: Legal representation levels the playing field for low-income participants in our justice system, and court observers generally agree that without a lawyer, most people cannot win, even when the law and the facts are on their side.
Assembly Bill 590 would make California the first state in the nation to establish a model program providing a right to counsel for low-income people in critical civil cases. Currently Californians are guaranteed the right to an attorney in a criminal trial, but not in a civil case. Many issues decided in civil cases, however, can be just as significant as in criminal cases–when the basic need for adequate shelter is at stake, for example. In this economic downturn, many Californians are facing homelessness for the first time in their lives. Now more than ever, we must take steps to ensure that essential legal rights regarding basic human needs are not sacrificed or abandoned simply because someone cannot afford to hire a private lawyer to assist them.
The measure reflects a growing national movement in the legal community known as “civil Gideon” after the name of the Supreme Court case establishing the right to counsel in criminal cases. The concept is endorsed by judges, legal leaders and scholars, including the American Bar Association, the California Commission on Access to Justice, and the Conference of California Bar Associations.
This bill is not just about fairness and justice; it is in our economic self interest. Just as health services can decrease the need for expensive ER treatment, timely access to legal services can prevent tragedies like homelessness, saving taxpayers money.
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Westside Extension of the Subway
You are invited to join Metro at one of the following public scoping meetings concerning the Westside Extension of the subway. Content presented at the meetings will be identical, so you can attend on the day and at the location most convenient for you.
This is your opportunity to provide suggestions about what you would like Metro to study during the environmental clearance stage of the project, such as the project’s purpose, alternatives, the potential effects of construction and operation, and possible mitigation measures. Your participation is crucial to development of the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR).
Metro has already completed an Alternatives Analysis, which recommended two “build alternatives†for further evaluation in the DEIR:
Metro Purple Line Subway Extension via Wilshire Boulevard to Santa Monica; and
Metro Purple Line Subway Extension via Wilshire Boulevard to Santa Monica plus Subway Extension from Metro Red Line Hollywood/Highland Station via Santa Monica Boulevard.
In addition, the Draft EIS/EIR must evaluate a “no-build†and a Transportation Systems Management (TSM) alternative.
At the conclusion of the Draft EIR process, Metro will recommend a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA). The LPA will identify the project that will move forward into the Final EIR process. The Westside Subway Extension project will receive partial funding from Measure R, the half-cent sales tax increase approved by voters in November 2008.
Wilshire/Fairfax area
Monday, April 13, 6 – 8pm
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, West
Terrace Room, 5th Floor
5905 Wilshire Bl, Los Angeles
Served by Metro lines 20, 720, 920, 217 and 780. Validated vehicle parking is available in the underground structure located at Sixth Street and Ogden Drive.
City of West Hollywood
Tuesday, April 14, 6 – 8pm
Plummer Park
7377 Santa Monica Bl (at Plummer Pl), West Hollywood
Served by Metro Line 4. Free vehicle and bike parking is available at the location.
City of Beverly Hills
Thursday, April 16, 6 – 8pm
Beverly Hills Public Library
Auditorium, 2nd Floor
444 N Rexford Drive, Beverly Hills
Served by Metro Lines 4, 14, 16, 704. Free 2-hour parking available in the adjacent structure.
Westwood area
Monday, April 20, 6 – 8pm
Westwood Presbyterian Church
10822 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles
Served by Metro Lines 20, 720, 920. Free parking available at the location.
City of Santa Monica
Thursday, April 23, 6 – 8pm
Santa Monica Public Library
601 Santa Monica Bl, Santa Monica
Served by Metro Lines 4, 20, 33, 333, and 720 and Santa Monica Big Blue Bus Lines 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10. Validated vehicle and bike parking is available.
You may provide verbal and written comments at the meetings. Comments may also be submitted in writing after the meetings. Please go to www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside for more information on the project and on how to submit comments by U.S. mail or e-mail.
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Jewish Free Loan Association
Recently my staff met with representatives of The Jewish Free Loan Association of Los Angeles to discuss how the organization can help as many people as possible in these difficult times. This nonprofit agency offers assistance to Los Angeles County residents of all faiths facing financial challenges. For more than 100 years, JFLA has provided a helping hand to thousands of people through interest-free loans for housing needs, transportation, subsistence, medical and dental emergencies, home healthcare needs, resettlement, victims of domestic violence, technical trade school, nursing school, college and university, graduate school, children with special needs and more. One or two cosigners will be required depending on loan amount. Repayment rates are established on a case by case basis. For more information please contact 323-761-8830 or 818-464-3331 (Valley Office). Visit www.jfla.org.
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Solving California’s Water Crisis
Along with my other responsibilities the Speaker has assigned me to join in a unique working group to find solutions to Calkifornia’s water crisis. Bipartisan and bicameral, our Water Working Group is taking up fundamental issues such as how to restore and sustain California’s Delta, the largest estuary on the west coast of the western hemisphere. We in the L.A. basin rely heavily on water from the Delta, which is suffering from years of environmental degradation.
OFFICE LOCATIONS
Capitol Office:
State Capitol P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0042
Tel: (916) 319-2042
Fax: (916) 319-2142 District Office:
9200 Sunset Boulevard, PH 15
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Tel: (310) 285-5490
Tel: (818) 902-0521
Fax: (310) 285-5499
