Results tagged “welfare”

Since Californians overwhelmingly rejected his propositions last week in the special election, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger released his latest budget plan detailing $5.5 billion in cuts from a deficit estimated to be $24.3 billion by July 1 (that's higher than the $21.3 billion that was touted in the last few weeks).

LA prides itself on being a standout among other American cities for its weather, celebrities, and attractions. One distinction, however, points to the darker side of life in our troubled metropolis--the fact that over "two million people living in Los Angeles County - about 20 percent of the area's population - receive welfare or other public aid," according to the Daily News. In fact, our county tops the list nationwide, per Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who said: "We have the highest human service burden of any county in the country in sheer numbers. Two million people is the size of some countries; that's how big our problem is." Officials believe numbers will continue to rise as our economic woes continue. Local offices are "ill-equipped to deal with the growing throng of indigent people," and, as of the end of 2008 LA County was drawing $334 million a month from local, state, and federal governments.

After deferring a $150 million payment to Los Angeles County, the Board of Supervisors has voted to take California's controller, John Chiang, to court. The payment was withheld because of the ongoing budget crisis; the Board, however, calls the deferment unconstitutional and says the revenue the state owes the county is badly needed," abc7.com is reporting. Los Angeles is not the first, or only county in California to sue the state and the controller. San Bernardino County's Board of Supervisors also voted to sue when a $204 million payment needed for welfare and other programs was deferred this month. Other lawsuits are coming from San Diego, Sacramento, and San Joaquin Valley, too.

Why do all these prisoners love our governor? Because in his budget cuts that were released today, it proposes just that -- an early release for 22,000 low-risk inmates. "The governor says the cuts are necessary to erase a $14 billion revenue shortfall over the next 18 months. Schwarzenegger's new budget would spend 3 percent less than the one he signed last summer," according to the AP.