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Automatic State Budget Cuts Appear Certain

In June of this year the California Legislature, and the Governor, enacted a budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. That fiscal year runs from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012.

The budget predicted how much revenue the state would receive during the fiscal year. It also directed that, if revenue fell short of the prediction in that first 6 months, specified, automatic cuts would be made in state spending.

The cuts were put in two lists; Tier 1 and Tier 2. Tier 1 cuts would occur automatically if the short fall was minor. If the revenue was way below expectations both Tier 1 and Tire 2 cuts would go in to effect. Spending for a lot of state programs would be sharply reduced.

Recently the California Legislative Analyst issued a report saying that he expects revenue to be $3.7 billion less than anticipated by the 2011-2012 budget legislation. He went on to say; "Under the provisions of the 2011-2012 budget package, this revenue shortfall would translate into $2 billion of trigger cuts to various state programs."

He also said all the Tier 1 and about 3/4 of the Tier 2 cuts would go into effect. Those cuts are due to kick in on January 1, 2012.

To read the rest of this article, and see the Legislative Analyst's report, click here.

Boyce Hinman

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Group Seeks Personhood Amendment in California

A group in California has petitioned to have an initiative placed on the California ballot which closely follows a similar measure that was recently defeated in Mississippi. It also mimics similar initiatives which were defeated twice in Colorado.

The Mississippi initiative proposed amending their state constitution to define a embryo as being a person right from the moment of conception. That would have made abortion, at any stage of pregnancy, a murder. The same would be true of taking the morning after pill and conceivably other forms or contraception.

Fertility clinics usually create many fertilized embryos when helping a woman to become pregnant. Some of them are used to induce the pregnancy, but most are usually discarded. If Mississippi's personhood initiative had passed most of those clinics would have had to close.

Now a group called the California Civil Rights Foundation is seeking to put a similar initiative on the ballot in 2012. Currently their application is in the Secretary of State's office for creation of the official wording of the initiative petition.

Once that has been accomplished, the group will begin gathering signatures in an effort to put the initiative on the ballot. They will need to collect 504,760 valid signatures in four months in order to qualify the initiative for placement on the ballot.

Please do not sign this initiative petition.

Boyce Hinman

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Anti - Immigrant - Sentiment A Long Sad Tradition

Recently, Tim Donnelly, A Republican State Assembly Member, submitted a proposed initiative to ask California voters to overturn Assembly Bill 131.

AB 131 was approved by the legislature, and signed by the Governor earlier this year. The bill would allow some undocumented immigrants to qualify for student assistance to pay their fees as they attend California's public colleges and universities.

If Donnelly's initiative were approved by the voters, these students would be denied access to student assistance with college fees.

In order to get the initiative on the ballot, Donnelly and his supporters would have to gather 504,760 valid signatures on petitions asking that it be put on the ballot. They must gather those signatures by no later than January 6, 2012.

Please do not sign the petition. To Read why we think this is a bad initiative, click here.

Boyce Hinman

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Senator Evans Turns Against LGBT Rights And Seniors Rights Bill

Senator Noreen Evans

In December of 2004, AB 12 was introduced in, and then approved by, the California Legislature.

It's original purpose was to create a document called a Revocable Transfer on Death Deed (RTODD).

During the legislative process the bill was changed to simply ask the California Law Revision Commission to review the concept of an RTODD, and advise the legislature on whether or not it was sensible for the legislature to create such a document.

An RTODD is a form that a home owner could fill out naming someone to inherit the home on the death of the home owner. The home would not have to go through the long and expensive probate process before the beneficiary got title to the property.

I will explain how this helps seniors and same sex couples later in this article.

In 2007 the Commission returned with its recommendation. It recommended that the legislature should pass legislation to create such a document. In fact, the Commission sponsored a bill to do just that. That bill, AB 250, was approved unanimously by the Assembly but died in the Senate.

In 2009 a new version of the bill (AB 724) was introduced in the Assembly. Again, it was approved by the Assembly, but defeated in the Senate.

Finally, in 2011 another version of the bill was introduced in the Assembly (AB 699) But suffered the same fate.

Senator Noreen Evans was an Assembly Member during the years that the first three bills were being considered. She voted for those bills a total of 7 times.

But she was Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee when AB 699 was voted on by that committee. As Chair she helped kill the bill.

To read the rest of this article click here.

Boyce Hinman

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HIV Tests At The DMV?

Washington, DC is trying a new model for testing people for HIV. It might be worthwhile for California to consider using the same or a similar model.

In Washington, DC, people are being offered HIV tests when they visit one particular Department of Motor Vehicles office to get a drivers license, ID document or tags for their cars.

People there, as in DMV office in our state, often have to wait a long time to get services. They are being offered HIV testing while they wait.

This program is offered as a collaboration between the DMV and an agency called Family and Medical Services, Inc. The program was started last October at one Washington, DC DMV office. Since then more than 5,000 people have been tested. They got their test results while they waited.

The testing is done by staff of Family and Medical Services in a private room loaned to them by the DMV. They also get their test results in that private room. This provides privacy to the person being tested.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Boyce Hinman

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The Homophobes Just Don't Quit

Harvey Milk

As we reported to you previously, the opponents of LGBT people had proposed a referendum on an LGBT rights bill (SB 48) signed by the Governor earlier this year.

They wanted a referendum on the ballot in 2012 in which they hoped the voters would overturn the bill.

SB 48 requires California's schools to teach students about the contributions of LGBT people to the state and the nation. The official proponent for this referendum was Paulo E. Sibija.

To qualify this referendum for the ballot, its supporters had to gather 504,760 valid signatures on a petition asking that it be put on the ballot. They had to submit those signatures no later than October 25, 2011. They failed to do that by the deadline, so this particular referendum will not get on the ballot.

However, a person named Richard Rios has submitted two versions of a new proposed referendum. The purpose of each of these versions is again to put a referendum on the ballot to overturn proposition 48.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Boyce Hinman

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