CDCAN DISABILITY RIGHTS NEWS REPORT
CDCAN LOGOCalifornia Disability Community Action Network
Advocacy Without Borders: One Community
News Impacting People With Disabilities, Mental Health Needs, Seniors & others, including Asian Pacific Islanders, Latinos, African Americans communities across California and beyond
Goes out to over 45,000 people, organizations, policy makers across California
REPLY TO: MARTY OMOTO -  martyomoto@rcip.com   website:   www.cdcan.us
 REPORT #086-2008  -  APRIL 29, 2008 - TUESDAY
 
 
California Budget Crisis:
APRIL 30TH 1 PM (WED) CDCAN TOWNHALL TELEMEETING ON REGIONAL CENTERS, DEVELOPMENTAL CENTERS FEATURING DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES DIRECTOR TERRI DELGADILLO
Opportunity For Hundreds of People With Disabilities, Families, Workers, Community Organizations and Others To Ask Questions, Make Comments and Hear Latest Updates - More Townhalls To Be Scheduled Covering Medi-Cal, IHSS, Access, Transportation, Housing
 
Photo of Terri Delgadillo, Director, Department of Developmental ServicesSACRAMENTO (CDCAN) - With California's budget situation growing worse and projections of a budget shortfall of well over $14 billion, a CDCAN Townhall Telemeeting is scheduled for April 30, Wednesday afternoon from 1 to 2:40 PM featuring the director of the Department of Developmental Services, Terri Delgadillo, [pictured left] and also other senior staff covering updates and information about regional center funded community-based services and supports, and also developmental centers.  
 
State policymakers and legislators have warned off more "difficult choices" regarding more proposed spending reductions that could impact many critical programs and services to health and human services - including regional centers, developmental services. 
 
The CDCAN Townhall Telemeetings are free and open to everyone, and include question and answer period.  The last townhall featuring Delgadillo and other department officials attracted hundreds of people across the state. This townhall - and the others soon to be scheduled, are being held to help people with disabilities, mental health needs, seniors, their families, community organizations and workers to stay connected together with information directly with state policymakers and other advocates.  [Note: CDCAN issued a budget action alert last week - see CDCAN website at www.cdcan.us for details]
 
Persons interested in being part of the "response panel" for this and other townhalls or if there is a suggestion for a topic, should send email to Marty Omoto, director of CDCAN at martyomoto@rcip. com
 
APRIL 30, 2008 (WEDNESDAY) 1:00 PM to 2:40 PM
TOPIC: DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES (Regional Center funded community-based services and supports, Developmental Centers, Early Intervention Programs & latest on budget related issues, including status of recently approved permanent "cost containment" measures)
Featuring: Terri Delgadillo, Department Director, Julia Mullen and Rita Walker and other senior department officials. 
TOLL FREE LINE: 1-800-608-4143 (there is NO passcode)
Can ALSO access on the web (if you have access to high speed internet)
Step 1: Go to RollCall Conferencing website: http://www.800rollc all.com/webprese nter/
Step 2: Enter the Guest login participant code: 68147694  
Step 3: Type in your first name and (if you want), your last name your organization and email address. You don't have to do that however.
Step 4: Click on the "Log In" button
Step 5: Your computer will flash a security warning - click "yes" and click on audio stream. 
Note: You can ask a question by typing it in
 
Townhall Telemeetings Have Attracted Thousands Of Participants Since 2003
The first townhall "telemeeting" was organized in August 2003 by CDCAN in an effort to connect people with disabilities, mental health needs, seniors, their families, community organizations and workers who provide services and supports, and others, together with information and the opportunity to hear updates and ask questions of major policy makers. 
 
Since then thousands of people have participated in the non-partisan telemeetings, which are accessed by toll free lines and also through an internet website via highspeed internet connection.  It has been the only opportunity for people with disabilities, mental health needs, seniors and others across the State to hear and ask questions directly of top legislators, advocates and top state officials. 
 
Other Townhalls To Be Scheduled
Other CDCAN Townhalls will be scheduled soon focusing on Medi-Cal, including implementation of the Deficit Reduction Act and updates on efforts to impose a moratorium on seven of the federal Medicaid regulations and also update on budget issues. Other townhalls will be scheduled covering In-Home Supportive Services, SSI/SSP, civil rights including access rights and housing, depending on resources available.    (CDCAN Townhall Telemeetings are free to anyone but it does cost CDCAN a lot funds to put on a single townhall - donations and contributions are helpful - see below)
 
SOME DEADLINES & NEXT STEPS
April 18:
This was deadline for policy committees in either house to pass bills out that have a possible impact on the spending of state money ("fiscal impact") and must also be heard in the Appropriations Committees of either house. 
May 02:
Deadline for policy committees to report out bills not having spending state money ("fiscal impact") and not being referred to Appropriations Committees.
May 14:
* Scheduled date when Governor will release changes (revisions) he wants to include in his proposed State Budget for 2008-2009 that he released on January 10th. 
* CDCAN Townhall Telemeeting at 4 PM to provide opportunity for people with disabilities, mental health needs, seniors and others to hear directly what the Governor is proposing (Capitol Action Day is the day after on May 15th). 
Week of May 19th:
* This week and possibly the next week are the final round of hearings of the budget subcommittees on new proposals the Governor made on May 14th and likely final action on what he proposed in January.  These hearings are the LAST opportunity for public testimony before a budget subcommittee. CDCAN will send out action alerts when dates are known. 
May 23:
Deadline for Appropriations Committees in either house to report out bills to the floor.
May 30:
Deadline for State Senate to pass Senate bills to the Assembly, and for the Assembly to pass Assembly bills to the Senate. 
June 15:
State Constitutional deadline for Legislature to pass a State budget and send it to the Governor (a date that in last 30 years is almost never met)
July 1:
Start of the 2008-2009 State Budget year (which ends June 30, 2009)
June 27:
Deadline for policy committees in either house to hear and report out bills to the floor (meaning Senate bills in the Assembly or Assembly bills in the Senate) (any bills held in these committees after this deadline are considered "dead" unless there is a waiver of the rules)
August 15:
Deadline for the Appropriations Committees in either house to hear and report out bills to the floors (any bill held in these committees are considered "dead")
August 31
Last day to pass bills on the floor in either house (Legislature adjourns for the year on this day)
 
URGENT!!!  YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS NEEDED
Townhall Telemeetings, reports and alerts and other activities cannot continue without your help!
Advocacy Without Borders - ONE Community:
Connecting People With Disabilities, Mental Health Needs, Seniors, Traumatic Brain & other injuries, People with MS & other health needs, including People of color, different languages, cultures,  Families, Workers, Providers, & Organizations to Rights & Unified Action.
This report - and the CDCAN townhall telemeetings, and other events and projects are for all of them and for promoting advocacy without borders toward unified action.  We are one community.
To respond to this report reply to: Marty Omoto at martyomoto@rcip.com    CDCAN website: www.cdcan.us
To continue the CDCAN website, the CDCAN News Reports.  sent out and read by over 45,000 people and organizations, policy makers and media across California and to continue the CDCAN Townhall Telemeetings which since December 2003 have connected thousands of people with disabilities, seniors, mental health needs, people with MS and other disorders, people with traumatic brain and other injuries to public policy makers, legislators, and issues. Please send your contribution/donation (make payable to "CDCAN" or "California Disability Community Action Network):

CDCAN
1225 8th Street Suite 480
Sacramento, CA 95814
Note: the paypal option on the CDCAN website is temporarily not working and will be fixed soon. 

 The CDCAN Townhall Telemeetings are partially funded by a small grant from the USC UCEDD, Grant #90DD0540 from the Administration on Developmental Disabilities. (note: the opinions expressed or content in these reports do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the USC UCEDD.
MANY MANY THANKS to Alta California Regional Center, FEAT (Families for Early Autism Treatment), Friends of Children with Special Needs, Life Steps, Easter Seals California, Parents Helping Parents, UCP of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, Work Training, Foothill Autism Alliance, Arc Contra Costa, Pause4Kids, Manteca CAPS, Training Toward Self Reliance, UCP, California NAELA, Californians for Disability Rights, Inc (CDR) including CDR chapters, CHANCE Inc, , Strategies To Empower People (STEP), Harbor Regional Center, Tri-Counties Regional Center, Asian American parents groups, Resources for Independent Living and many other Independent Living Centers, several regional centers, People First chapters, IHSS workers, other self advocacy and family support groups, developmental center families, adoption assistance program families and children, and others across California