FCL's 2003-2004 Legislative Priorities
FCL?s statewide executive committee met with FCL?s staff in early December to determine how to best focus its legislative efforts during the new legislative session that begins this month. California?s fiscal problems present difficult challenges in those policy areas that are most critical to FCL. Undoubtedly, government services for the most vulnerable Californians will be in a defensive mode (see Governor Davis Proposes Huge Spending Cuts on page 3 of this issue).
By the same token, the state?s fiscal crisis provides lawmakers with an opportunity to reaffirm our collective values and to make intelligent choices in the interest of all Californians. This is not a time for cynicism, and FCL knows that much good is possible when lawmakers put aside political partisanship. We support our lawmakers in their efforts to find common ground, and we urge our readers to make their voices heard in Sacramento during these trying times.
What follows are FCL?s priorities for the 2003-2004 legislative session.
Death Penalty Moratorium and Abolition
Support for capital punishment has softened in recent years. A growing awareness that our criminal justice system cannot guarantee that innocent people are not executed has resulted in Californians favoring a moratorium on executions by a margin of nearly 3 to 1. Over 100,000 signatures calling for a moratorium have been collected. FCL will urge legislation for an immediate suspension of the death penalty. FCL supports SB 3, by Senate President Pro Tem John Burton (D., San Francisco), to conform California law to the recent Supreme Court decision in Atkins v. Virginia barring execution of mentally retarded people.
Reforming Juvenile and Criminal Justice
The high social costs of incarceration is becoming more evident with the state?s fiscal crisis. California now spends more for corrections ($4.7 billion) than it does for the University of California ($3.1 billion). FCL is concerned that the Department of Corrections will seek to reduce or eliminate ?non-essential? programs that benefit inmates and reduce recidivism. Reducing education, substance abuse and vocational education programs costs California taxpayers far more in the long run. It makes more sense to reduce the inmate population rather than gutting programs that help inmates transition back into society. Other states have reduced their inmate populations without jeopardizing public safety. Releasing nonviolent offenders, expanding the use of community correctional facilities and re-entry services, and reducing the number of crimes that are eligible for ?three strikes? will reduce the need for additional prisons.
Peace and Human Rights ? Education, Non-discrimination
With the war on terrorism and a possible war with Iraq, domestic militarization is likely to trickle down to the state level. FCL will resist proposals by the federal government to link drivers license registration to registration with the Selective Service Administration. We will continue to oppose military-style boot camps. FCL will promote peace education in our public schools and alternatives to violence programs in California?s prisons. FCL will also support legislation to qualify immigrants who are in the process of obtaining lawful immigration status to become eligible for drivers licenses.
Universal Health Care, Substance Abuse and Mental Health
California is facing a severe health care crisis. Over six million Californians have no health insurance and ten million lack prescription drug benefits. The San Jose Mercury News reports that families with incomes over $75,000 comprise the largest group of the newly uninsured as employer-provided health plans become less available. Uninsured persons typically use emergency room services when ill, which is far more expensive than providing primary care and preventive medicine.
Every dollar California provides for substance abuse treatment on demand saves seven dollars in additional costs for incarceration, health care, family services, education and lost wages. While Proposition 36 provides treatment for drug offenders instead of incarceration, many drug abusers are ineligible for treatment under Proposition 36. Furthermore, most private health plans do not cover treatment for substance abuse.
A report by the Little Hoover Commission in 2002 indicates that the state?s severe under-funding of medical services for persons with mental illness has essentially criminalized mental illness in California as many affected persons eventually turn up in jails and prisons.
Universal health care is on the Legislature?s agenda, and FCL will advocate for proposals that include quality substance abuse treatment on demand and needed services for people who suffer from mental illness.
Care for the Poor ? Housing, Food and Health Care
FCL will work in coalition with other public interest groups to oppose reduced spending for housing, public health and Cal-WORKS. With the state?s fiscal problems, lawmakers will have to consider new sources of revenue in order to avoid drastic cuts in services to those who are least able to withstand cuts in government services.
Assure All People Free Exercise of Their Faith
California enjoys a diverse multi-ethnic heritage, and the state constitution guarantees all Californians the free exercise and enjoyment of religion without discrimination. FCL supports ending discrimination against employees whose religious practices can be accommodated without providing undue hardship for employers. We also support religious access for all inmates in California prisons. ? Jim Lindburg
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This Month in FCL Newsletter History
Vol. 11, No. 1, January 1963
Capital Punishment
Before the session started, Assemblyman Lester McMillan (D, LA) announced that he would again introduce a bill for a four-year moratorium on the death penalty. It would be much the same bill, with exceptions for certain types of murders, that lost on an almost unprecedented 40-40 vote in the Assembly in 1961. In his inauguration speech yesterday Gov. Edmund Brown said he would ask the legislature to pass ?at least a moratorium.?
He said: ?[W]ith the passing of time, my own conviction has grown stronger that capital punishment affronts the conscience of man. Most often we execute the felon whose skin is darker than our own ? whose position in life is lower than our own. And, to our shame, we let live the felon whose crime we believe less odious because he is more like us.?
Vol. 16, No. 1, January 1967
Disaster Drills Again
Back in the 1961 legislative session, the FCL opposed a State Disaster Office bill to require ?civil defense? drills in schools. FCL opposition was based not only on the FCL?s rejection of measures building a war climate but also on the damage which the drills and accompanying fears might do to sensitive small children.
In its work against the ?civil defense? drill bill, the FCL was aided by the California Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO. The bill died in committee.
The State Disaster Office, frustrated at the legislative level, then went to the State Board of Education. It succeeded in getting the board to adopt a regulation for the state?s schools that was almost verbatim the defeated bill. What the elected representatives had refused to enact, an appointed board put into effect.
Vol. 26, No. 1, January 1977
Sunset Laws
A ?sunset law? for government agencies in California was first proposed in 1975 by Bill Campbell (R., Whittier). The concept, which has been put into law recently in Colorado, Alabama and Florida, involves automatic termination of government agencies unless they can prove their effectiveness to the legislature. Three such bills have been introduced in the first month of the 1977-78 Session. Campbell, in the press release accompanying his SB 62, says: ?The bureaucracy has become so big, and so unwieldly, that it is unable to serve the people or to meet their needs. . . . The Legislature creates these agencies and then gives them virtually a free rein.?
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Governor Davis Proposes Huge Spending Cuts and Seeks Budget Reforms
Governor Davis plans to cut billions of dollars of state spending for health care, social services, housing and education to help solve California?s burgeoning budget deficit. The proposed cuts, if adopted by the Legislature, will be especially hard on the working poor.
For example, Medi-Cal eligibility would be reduced to 61 percent of the federal poverty level ($18,100 for a family of four). Stage 3 childcare benefits, for working people transitioning from welfare to work and who cannot afford childcare, are phased for elimination and would presumably save the state $98 million. The governor?s plan would trim spending for the California Department of Corrections (CDC) by only $14 million, which is 0.3 percent of the CDC?s total budget, and less than 0.1 percent of the governor?s $10.2 billion in proposed cuts. A Davis spokesperson was recently quoted in The Sacramento Bee as saying that the Department of Corrections ?has been underfunded for a long time.?
According to a report by the Legislative Analyst?s Office, California faces a $21 billion deficit over the next eighteen months and $10 to $15 billion deficits continuing into the foreseeable future unless corrective measures are taken. An unofficial estimate by the Department of Finance places the budget deficit for next year at $34.8 billion. A sluggish national economy has led economic forecasters to revise revenue estimates downward. The gap between revenues and spending is exacerbated by the fact that the 2002-03 budget agreement included many one-time fixes.
In 1978, Californians passed Proposition 13, which greatly reduced property taxes. Since then California has relied heavily on personal income taxes and sales taxes to provide government services and finance its operations. Revenues generated by income taxes and sales taxes decrease significantly during economic downturns. Property taxes provide a more stable source of revenue through hard economic times because property values tend to remain stable. On January 10, Governor Davis will release his proposed budget for 2003-04. The governor indicated that his new budget would include reforms designed to stabilize the state?s volatile revenues.
California is one of three states that require a two-thirds majority vote by both houses of the Legislature to pass the budget, an arrangement that guarantees the minority party extraordinary leverage in budget nego-tiations. Republicans gained three seats in the November 2002 elections so that eight Republican votes are now required to approve the budget.
Assemblymember John Longville (D., San Bernardino) has proposed ACA 1, a constitutional amendment to replace the two-thirds majority requirement with a simple majority vote. FCL SUPPORTS.
AB 4, by Wilma Chan (D., Oakland), expresses the Legislature?s intent to increase personal income tax rates for incomes over $130,000 ($260,000 for joint returns). FCL SUPPORTS.
SB 5x, by Gloria Romero (D., Rosemead), would assess a 5-cent fee per drink on alcoholic beverages to generate $500 million for emergency rooms and trauma centers. FCL SUPPORTS.
What You Can Do FCL urges everyone to bear witness and to put a human face on the statistics. Contact your state repre-sentatives and ask them to consider how these proposed budget cuts will unnecessarily increase hardships for real people in your district.
The full text of Governor Davis? midyear bud- get proposal is available online at http://www.documents.dgs.ca.gov/osp/midyrbudget/pdf/midyr02.pdf. ? Jim Lindburg
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Educating Legislators and the Public on Issues of Concern to FCL
FCL can only be effective if the facts that underlie its positions are widely understood. The FCL Education Fund seeks to build wide understanding of important issues by supporting staff research, publications, and speaking opportunities. Recent activities of the FCL Education Fund have addressed the following major issues:
Humane Treatment of the Mentally Ill: The vast majority of mentally ill people can be treated rather than incarcerated, yet California is thought to have some 25,000 people with severe mental illnesses in its prison system. The current budget emergency could cause this number to rise even higher, if mental health treatment is curtailed. As one means of increasing awareness of the issue, FCL organized a panel of mental health presenters at the fall conference of the Association for Criminal Justice Research of California. The panel included legislative and corrections staff with mental health experience. FCL distributed a summary of the 450-page national Criminal Justice/Mental Health Consensus Project to all conference participants, outlining 46 different recommendations to reduce incarceration of people with mental illness. Addi-tional copies of the project?s executive summary are being made available to key legislative members and can be downloaded at http://consensusproject.org/
Abolition of the Death Penalty: Public awareness of death penalty issues is enhanced by FCL?s participation in monthly vigils at the Capitol, as well as its work with groups such as Death Penalty Focus, Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation, and related organizations. The 2002 revision of This Life We Take: A Case Against California?s Death Penalty is being distributed to groups and individuals with an interest in the issue. In speaking to youth groups and other forums, concerns about the death penalty often lead to discussion of flaws in the criminal justice system that reveal the advantages of a more restorative approach to justice in a broad range of cases.
Treatment for Drug Dependency: FCL has been active in numerous meetings and conferences, both inside and outside the Capitol, that have highlighted the value of high-quality drug rehabilitation treatment on demand, both in and out of the Capitol. FCL staff has worked with representatives of rehabilitation centers to make legislators aware of the high cost of untreated addiction and its impact on families, law enforcement, health care, schools, and employers. At the same time, some policymakers are becoming acquainted with individuals who have successfully conquered addictions to heroin, cocaine, amphetamines, and other substances. Probing discussions have explored the costs and consequences of shortsighted policies that under-rate the potential for recovery among persons dependent on illicit drugs.
Alternatives to Violence: FCL is introducing corrections and legislative staff members to the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) through briefings and other presentations. AVP provides workshops on the transforming power of non-violence for prisoners throughout the world. Participants acquire new skills and attitudes that can lead to more productive lives. Recent evaluations confirm the effectiveness of these workshops. As policymakers become more familiar with the effectiveness of these programs, we may see changes in their own approaches to situations that have a potential for violence. ? Steve Birdlebough, FCL Education Fund Chair
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New Year Brings Changes and Challenges
FCL Builds on Fundraising, Outreach Efforts and Success in 2002
2002 was a challenging and rewarding year for FCL. We appreciate outgoing Development &Outreach Committee (D&O) Clerk Chris Mohr (San Francisco Friends Meeting) for his initiative and contributions, and all the others who have made our successes this year possible. Chris will continue as an important member of our D&O team.
Thanks to the Palo Alto Friends Meeting for the record-setting Fall Bazaar, Diana Egly (Palo Alto Friends Meeting) for her fundraising efforts, other Meetings and individuals for their support of special events and financial contributions, Carrin Bouchard and others from the Whittier First Friends Church for helping to make our September dinner so successful, and Ernest ?Bick? Bicknell (Berkeley Friends Meeting) for providing the reason and inspiration for our most successful fundraising event of the year, a celebration marking his 90th birthday.
Special thanks to two highly dedicated, valued volunteers who are stepping back after generously sharing the gifts of their spirit and skills with FCL: former Statewide Co-Clerk Shirley Price (Orange County Friends Meeting) and Lee Storey (Santa Monica Friends Meeting).
The new D&O Co-Clerks for 2003 are Carole Lutness (Orange Grove Friends Meeting, Pasadena) and Betsy Morris (Strawberry Creek Friends Meeting, Berkeley). Carole?s video was a highlight of our outreach initiatives this year. Betsy also has been an active committee member. We welcome participation from others interested in outreach or fundraising.
In the new year, our fundraising efforts will emphasize solicitation of gifts from major donors and encouraging supporters to make longer-term donations to FCL through planned giving. A generous bequest we received this year from a supporter in Bakersfield enabled FCL to address the organization?s financial needs and plan more confidently for the future.
In the upcoming year, the D&O will be emphasizing training and leadership development. We are planning a seminar with Russ Jorgensen (Grass Valley Friends Meeting) that will focus on fundraising strategies and skills. A new, shorter video produced by Carole Lutness will be released and used in community education and outreach forums, facilitated by trained representatives of the FCL Speakers Bureau.
Our outreach activities are being designed to appeal to a broader range of people from diverse perspectives and faith backgrounds, extending beyond Meetings to others interested in the issues with which we are concerned.
We have invited FCNL to participate in community forums with FCL so state and national issues and our respective efforts can be considered together. A huge California budget deficit forces deeper reexamination of public policy and priorities. The push to counter terrorism threatens to erode core freedoms and peacemaking efforts. May we rise and move in spirit, deed and word (?preaching what we practice?), joining others who are working for a more compassionate and just society and world. ? Ira Saletan, Development &Outreach Coordinator
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Contact Your New State Legislators Now!
Thirty-one new Assemblymembers and seven new Senators were sworn in to the California State Legislature on December 2nd. Republicans picked up two seats in the Assembly and one seat in the Senate. Democrats still hold a 48 to 32 seat advantage in the Assembly and a 25-15 seat advantage in the Senate. FCL Newsletter readers are urged to contact your new state representatives and to make your views known.
ASSEMBLY
To write to your Assemblymember, address letters and postcards to ?Assemblymember _______________, State Capitol, Sacramento CA 95814.? All phone numbers are (916) 319-20 (district number); e.g. dial (916) 319-2026 for district ?26.?
Greg Aghazarian (R-26, Turlock)
John Benoit (R-64, Riverside)
Patty Berg (D-01, Santa Rosa)
Rudy Bermúdez (D-56, Bellflower)
Robert D. Dutton (R-63, Rancho Cucamonga)
Mervyn Dymally (D-52, Compton)
Bonnie Garcia (R-80, Palm Desert)
Loni Hancock (D-14, Berkeley)
Ray Haynes (R-66, Temecula)
Shirley Horton (R-78, San Diego)
Guy Houston (R-15, Walnut Creek)
Rick Keene (R-03, Chico)
Doug LaMalfa (R-02, Redding)
John Laird (D-27, Seaside)
Mark Leno (D-13, San Francisco)
Lloyd E. Levine (D-40, Van Nuys)
Sally J. Lieber (D-22, San Jose)
Bill Maze (R-34, Victorville)
Kevin McCarthy (R-32, Bakersfield)
Cindy Montañez (D-39, Mission Hills)
Gene Mullin (D-19, Millbrae)
Alan Nakanishi (R-10, Lodi)
Fabian Nuñez (D-46, Los Angeles)
Nicole Parra (D-30, Bakersfield)
George A. Plescia (R-75, Poway)
Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-48, Los Angeles)
Sharon Runner (R-36, Lancaster)
Steven N. Samuelian (R-29, Fresno)
Todd Spitzer (R-71, Orange)
Lois Wolk (D-08, Vacaville)
Leeland Y. Yee (D-12, San Francisco)
SENATE
To write to your State Senator, address letters and postcards to ?State Senator _________________, State Capitol, Sacramento CA 95814.? All Capitol phone numbers are area code 916 and are given below.
Samuel Aanestad (R-4, Redding) 445-3353
Roy Ashburn (R-18, Santa Barbara) 445-5405
Gilbert Cedillo (D-22, Los Angeles) 445-3456
Jeff Denham (R-12, Modesto) 445-1392
Denise Moreno Ducheny (D-40, La Mesa) 445-6767
Dean Florez (D-16, Fresno) 445-4641
Dennis Hollingsworth (R-36, Riverside) 445-9781
Subscribe to the FCL Newsletter
You can have each issue of the FCL Newsletter mailed to your home or place of business, simply by mailing a request to our office, together with a check for $35 ($12 low-income). Bundle subscriptions to a meeting, congregation, or other group may also be arranged at a cost of $75.
Friends Committee on Legislation
717 K St., Suite 500-B, Sacramento, CA 95814-3408
(916) 443-3734
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