Sometimes, what needs to happen in the Capitol in Sacramento is just too obvious. Tomorrow is one of those days.
On March 9th, California Partnership and California for SSI will be at a hearing demanding an investment in the vital anti-poverty program that provides income for people who are blind, seniors, or living with disabilities.
Currently, after years of deep cuts, Californians on SSI are receiving $889 per month to cover food, housing, medication, and other needs. That total is lower than the average rent in nearly every county in California. “That’s too bad, but where will we get the money to increase it?” legislators may ask us.
We’ll tell them: “Look across the hall”. That’s because the same day, the legislature will be talking about the $250 million more slotted to build jails across the state in the Governor’s current budget.
Isn’t there a better way to do this?
We know that every dollar that goes into building and expanding the wasteful prison system is not only money that could, and should, go into hands of people struggling to get by in California — it also furthers a system that preys upon people in poverty, and pushes us further from a state where everyone has enough to thrive.
So, how would you rather spend a quarter billion dollars?
Will you join us in standing up to eliminate poverty, stop expansion of prisons, and build a California we can all be proud of?
When: Tuesday, March 9, 2016
Where: California State Capitol, Room 437 (Jail Construction) and Room 444 (SSI)
Time: 1:30 P.M.
In solidarity,
Pete Woiwode
California Partnership
Member of Californians United for a Responsible Budget
P.S. Can’t make it to the hearing? Contact info@curbprisonspending.org for other ways to get engaged in our #CABudgetBattle!
