• Noreen's View: Budget Challenges and Health Care Reform
• Highlights of the Governor's Budget Proposals
• Mobile Home Residents Name Noreen ‘Legislator of the Year’
• Noreen Appointed to the Commission on the Status of Women
• Response to the President's State of the Union Address
• An Eye on the Governor

NOREEN'S VIEW: BUDGET CHALLENGES AND HEALTH CARE REFORM

This year we will have to make many difficult decisions about our state budget.  With a $3.3 billion shortfall this year and an anticipated $11.2 billion shortfall next year, crafting a budget consistent with California values will be challenging.

The immediate challenge is to fix shortfalls in this fiscal year’s budget.  Under the terms of the special session called by the Governor, we must revise our current budget by February 24, 2008.  We must also craft a budget for the next fiscal year, 2008-2009.

On January 10, the Governor released his budget proposals to resolve our state’s financial woes.  Overall, he is proposing massive cuts.  He is also asking the voters to change our state’s Constitution to give him more power to unilaterally make cuts without legislative oversight.

In order to eliminate the $14.5 billion shortfall, the Governor proposed across-the-board 10 percent cuts to every department of our state government.  He has even offered many extreme ideas, such as shutting down 48 of our state parks and cutting inspections which may affect the safety of our food supply.  See below for more budget specifics.

The Legislature has already begun extensive hearings to review these proposals and receive input from the public.  The Governor says these are only his initial budget proposals, which will be subject to negotiation.  As a member of the Assembly Budget Committee, I am focused on finding creative solutions to our budget so that we can preserve the state’s commitment to public education, safety nets for vulnerable citizens, public safety, and law enforcement.

With so much at stake, I want to hear from you about your budget priorities.  I have crafted a questionnaire and posted it on my website at http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a07/.  It will take only a few minutes to complete and will help me fight for your values this year.

We have already seen casualties in this year’s budget crisis.  At the end of January, the Assembly’s comprehensive health care reform legislation – the product of over a year of negotiations with the Governor - was killed in the Senate Health Committee.  It only received one vote in support.  The stated reason:  it could cost the state more than anticipated.

My response is that there will never be a perfect time to reform health care.  It is an extremely complicated and expensive proposition, no matter what.  And, with single payer health care off the table with the current Governor, there isn’t a perfect deal to be cut.  But we can make progress and help those who need it today.  Millions of Californians are uninsured and some are literally dying for lack of health care.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE GOVERNOR’S BUDGET PROPOSALS

The Legislature is now considering two budget plans submitted by the Governor.  One aims to eliminate a $3.3 billion deficit in the current budget year.  The other is his budget plan for 2008-2009, which is offered in the context of an estimated $11.2 billion deficit.  Some highlights of the Governor’s proposals are as follows.

K-12 Education – Cut $400 million this year.  For 2008-2009, he proposes a $4.357 billion cut and suspension of the Proposition 98 education funding guarantee passed by the voters for a total reduction of 9.2 percent if the funding guarantee were in place.

Health Services – Cut $47.6 million this year and $1.1 billion for 2008-2009, primarily within the Medi-Cal program.  Since we will lose matching federal funds on a dollar for dollar basis, the impact of these cuts will be doubled.

Safety Nets for the Poor – Cut $73.7 million this year and $389 million in 2008-2009.  These cuts largely victimize the children of parents who do not meet various requirements in our CalWORKS welfare-to-work program.  These cuts eliminate funds that would help make sure these children have food to eat and clothes to wear.

Public Safety – The Governor proposes the release of non-violent, non-sex registrant offenders to parole 20 months before their calculated release date.  This would save $4.3 million this year and $265.4 million in 2008-2009.

Transportation – The Governor proposes to delay payments to local governments for local road maintenance this year.  For next year, he proposes an $11 car registration fee increase to help pay for more California Highway Patrol officers.

Environmental Protection – The Governor is proposing the elimination of 38 unfilled game warden positions this year, leaving California wildlife more unprotected than ever from the threats posed by poachers.  This would leave virtually unprotected vast environmental resources to be acquired by the state through bond fund expenditures proposed for 2008-2009.

MOBILE HOME RESIDENTS NAME NOREEN 'LEGISLATOR OF THE YEAR'

The Golden State Manufactured-Home Owners League (GSMOL), an association of mobile home residents across California, named me ‘Legislator of the Year’ for my efforts to protect rent control provisions in mobile home housing.

Maurice Priest of GSMOL presents Noreen with her award as ‘Legislator of the Year’

I received this honor for authoring Assembly Bill (AB) 1542 last year, which was vetoed by the Governor.  This legislation would have closed a loophole in current law allowing mobile home park owners to subdivide and convert mobile home parks into condominiums, to avoid local rent control, and to potentially make huge profits in the process.  It would have also provided local governments with rent control ordinances the opportunity to review and approve applications to convert mobile home parks.

As ‘Legislator of the Year,’ I received a plaque from GSMOL featuring two real boxing gloves.  I keep this award in my office at the State Capitol to remind myself that the fight to protect affordable housing continues.  We have to keep the pressure on!

NOREEN APPOINTED TO THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN

I am delighted to announce that I was appointed to the Commission on the Status of Women by Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez (D-Los Angeles).

This is a tremendous honor.  I will be the only legislator from Northern California serving on the Commission.

Noreen is administered her oath of office as a member of the Commission on the Status of Women by Assemblymember Betty Karnette (D-Long Beach)

I look forward to working with the Commission to remove roadblocks for women trying to balance obligations with family and work.  As a mother of three, I know how challenging that juggling act can be.  Working parents are the backbone of this state and children are our future.  Our state government can and should do more to help working families succeed.

The Commission is charged to study, recommend, and advise the Governor and the Legislature on inequities in laws, practices and conditions that affect women.  It was established in 1965 as an Advisory Commission and signed into law as a permanent Commission in 1971.

RESPONSE TO THE PRESIDENT'S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS 

Check out my response to the President’s final State of the Union address on my website at http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a07/stateofunion.htm.

AN EYE ON THE GOVERNOR

Activities:

On January 24, the Governor announced a partnership with former President Bill Clinton’s foundation to launch “Bank on California,” an initiative to help more low- and middle-income Californians establish savings, build a credit history, gain access to lower-cost sources of credit and invest for the future.

On January 10, the Governor released his budget proposal for 2008-2009 and convened a special session of the Legislature to resolve a $3.3 billion shortfall in the current budget year.

On January 8, the Governor delivered his State of the State address.

On January 2, the Governor filed a lawsuit against the United States Environmental Protection Agency for denying California a waiver under the federal Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles based on a 2002 California law, AB 1493 by Assemblymember Fran Pavley.