BILL ANALYSIS
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Date of Hearing: April 27, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES
Jr., Jim Beall, Chair
ACR 110 (Conway) - As Introduced: January 27, 2010
SUBJECT : Step Up California Month and Step Up California Day.
SUMMARY : Designates February 2010 and February 2011 as Step Up
California Month and February 3, 2010 and February 3, 2011 as
Step Up California Day and encourages and supports activities
related to reducing poverty and increasing economic opportunity.
Specifically, this resolution makes the following legislative
findings and declarations:
1)California's poverty rate is projected to reach 17% by 2014;
2)Due to higher costs of living in the state, California
families need an income that is two to three times higher than
the poverty line just to make ends meet;
3)Families unable to save and that live paycheck to paycheck
make up the asset poor in California and significantly
outnumber those officially considered to be in poverty;
4)One in four homeless Americans is a Californian and the
housing crisis has significantly impacted California. Rising
foreclosures are putting families at risk and decreasing home
values are endangering elderly people whose main asset is
their home;
5)One in four families that lose their source of income would
only last three months or less on savings;
6)Three consecutive years of drought has resulted in record
unemployment rates, with over 40% in some communities, food
shortages, and adverse impacts on the stability of families,
businesses, communities, and ecosystems;
7)The demand for basic safety net services from public and
nonprofit service providers is dramatically increasing while
historic cuts in state funding and a deteriorating economy are
reducing or eliminating both public and private financial
resources for these services;
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8)The most vulnerable members of our communities who are poor,
including the severely disabled, the sick, the elderly, the
seriously mentally ill, and the dying, may always need
assistance from others to survive;
9)The poor are two to five times more likely to suffer from a
mental disorder than any other group and are more likely to
encounter significant barriers to obtaining treatment;
10)Poverty particularly affects the elderly and the young. More
than 800,000 California seniors are unable to pay for basic
needs, including housing, food, transportation, and medical
care. Approximately 22% of California's children are poor,
and the impact of poverty on young children is significant and
enduring; and,
11)Families where adults lack a high school diploma have a
poverty rate of 41% and single-mother families have a poverty
rate of 37%, highlighting the importance of education at a
time when education becomes more expensive and less available
to families.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : The recent recession, on-going drought and high
unemployment have exacerbated the financial difficulties for
many Californians. According to the sponsors, Catholic
Charities of California United and Jericho, poverty represents a
moral crisis that divides our communities and threatens the
common good. But, by taking concerted action in five key
areas-food, housing, healthcare, education, and income
development-poverty can be mitigated, reduced, and even
prevented. In September 2009, the sponsors formed Step Up
California, a coalition of non-profit organizations, to
encourage individuals and organizations to step up to do their
part to bring an end to poverty in California.
Other state governments (Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware,
Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Rhode
Island, Vermont, and Washington) are bringing political
attention to poverty and opportunity in many ways, including
poverty-reduction targets that set a specific goal and timeline,
commissions that conclude with recommendations for action,
legislative caucuses that seek to foster both legislators'
expertise and bipartisan solutions, and government-sponsored
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summits.
While this resolution on its own cannot solve the serious
problem of poverty in California, it will set the stage for
bipartisan dialogue and leadership on these issues.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Catholic Charities of California United (sponsor)
JERICHO (sponsor)
Insight Center for Community Economic Development (co-sponsor)
California AARP
California Catholic Conference
California Church IMPACT
California Federation of Teachers (CFT)
Catholic Charities of California United
County Welfare Directors Association of CA (CWDA)
Lutheran Office of Public Policy - California
New America Foundation
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Marina Wiant / HUM. S. / (916) 319-2089