This article originally appeared in the May-June 2005 issue of the Children's Advocate, published by Action Alliance for Children.

Children’s Advocates Roundtable

Californians for Healthy Kids

Action: Get involved in a campaign to extend health insurance to all kids living in California.

Background: The 100% Campaign has joined with PICO California to form the Californians for Healthy Kids coalition, “committed to insuring all children in California.” They write: “The time is right and the goal is achievable. Nine out of ten children in the state have health insurance. California is now poised to finish the job and cover all its children.”

Two bills now in the legislature, AB 772 (Chan) and SB 437 (Escutia) would put the legislature on record making a commitment to provide health care for all children, modeled on Children’s Health Initiative programs in 10 counties.

For more information: 100 Percent Campaign, 510-763-2444, www.100percentcampaign.org, or PICO California, Rebecca Stark, Program Coordinator, 916-447-7959 Ext. 11, www.picocalifornia.org

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“Fighting for California’s Future” budget statement

Action: Consider endorsing a statement of principles on the state budget.

Background: A coalition of organizations advocating for health, human services, and education programs is asking organizations to sign a statement of budget principles called “Fighting for California’s Future.” The statement begins

“We believe California’s budget should invest in California’s future:

• We believe in a California that provides high-quality public services for all Californians, protects consumers, the environment, and our quality of life, builds the infrastructure we need to prosper, and that fosters opportunity, economic growth, and strong and vibrant communities.

• We believe that a responsible California budget would keep its commitment to meet the basic needs of our children, our seniors, our families, and our future. We believe there are budget choices beyond cuts.

• We believe in a balanced budget that invests in the future, rather than one that mortgages our future with more borrowing to fill a structural budget gap.”

The statement calls for a “balanced solution” to the state’s budget problems that increases revenues as well as cutting spending. It opposes automatic cutting formulas and measures that would give the governor new powers to cut spending unilaterally.

For more information: Louise Jones, Health Access, 916-497-0923, ljones@health-access.org

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Paid family leave—spread the word!

Action: Inform yourself and other families about California’s paid family leave benefit.

Background: The Paid Family Leave Collaborative has launched a campaign to make sure all families—workers, seniors, new parents, non-native English speakers, gays and lesbians—understand their rights to paid family leave. They offer legal trainings, workshops, sample newsletter articles, information sheets, and more.

For more information: Labor Project for Working Families, 510-643-7088, lwpf@berkeley.edu or Paid Family Leave Collaborative, 415-864-8848, www.paidfamilyleave.org

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Preschool for All initiative announced

Action: Get involved in the movement for preschool for all children in California and share your views about the best way to achieve this goal.

Background: Preschool California is working to get signatures for a ballot measure that would provide “a place in quality preschool for all California four-year-olds whose parents choose to send them.” The program would:

• be free, part-day, and voluntary

• be run by county superintendents of schools, who could either provide the program directly or contract with school districts or nonprofit or for-profit early care and education programs, including family child care

• plan to meet the needs of working families for full-time child care

• meet the needs of children learning English

• include children with special needs

• require teachers to hold a Bachelor of Arts degree by 2014 and a new Early Learning Credential by 2016

• pay teachers and aides “comparably to K-12 teachers and aides”

• provide financial aid to help staff meet the education requirements

• build in quality control, including a Parent Advocate in each county.

Funds for Preschool for All would come from a 1.7 percent additional tax on taxable income over $800,000 for couples or $400,000 for individuals.

For more information: Preschool California, 510-271-0075, www.preschoolcalifornia.org

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Weigh in on federal budget

Action: Let your U.S. representative and senators know your views on federal budget issues.

Background: Proposed federal budgets would make President Bush’s tax cuts permanent and make major cuts in many programs for children and families, such as Head Start, subsidized child care, Section 8 housing vouchers, the Women, Infants, and Children nutrition program (WIC), and more.

The Children’s Defense Fund and Parents Action for Children (formerly the I Am Your Child Foundation) are calling on supporters to protest the tax cuts, which go mainly to higher-income people, and the cuts in services.

For more information: Children’s Defense Fund, 202-628-8787, www.childrensdefense.org, Parents’ Action for Children, 310-285-2385, www.parentsaction.org. For an overview of how federal budget cuts would affect children, go to www.voicesforamericaschildren.org

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Promote healthy food and activity environments

Action: Get involved in changing children’s environments to promote more healthy food and activity.

Background: The Strategic Alliance has published detailed recommendations for ways that the food and beverage industry, employers, entertainment and sports leaders, health care insurers and providers, state and local governments, and schools should act to promote health and reduce obesity. From these recommendations they have identified 10 priorities:

• Eliminate the advertising of unhealthy foods and beverages to children and youth

• Increase availability of healthy foods in low-income neighborhoods

• Increase access to healthy food and exercise in the workplace

• Support new mothers in breastfeeding

• Increase access to community facilities that provide opportunities to exercise

• Make communities safer and more convenient for pedestrians, bicyclers, and wheelchair users

• Provide frequent, quality physical education in schools

• Adopt nutrition standards for all foods in schools, after-school programs, and preschools

• Create programs linking local farms to schools, workplaces, etc.

For more information: 510-444-7738, www.eatbettermovemore.org

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May in Sacramento

May 10: Hunger Action Day is an opportunity for advocates to talk with legislators about hunger issues and anti-hunger legislation, as well as to get information on hunger in California. For more information, contact California Hunger Action Coalition, Danika Choe at 415-777-4422 x 101 or Frank Tamborello at 213-439-1070 x 115

May 17: United For A Fair Budget is a joint rally by anti-hunger advocates, working families, immigrants, seniors, people of faith, and people with disabilities. Sacramento. For more information, contact California Association of Food Banks, Kim McCoy Wade, 916-321-4435; information online from Health Access at www.health-access.org/calendarhome.htm

May 23 to 24: Annual Environmental Health Legislative Education Days, sponsored by the Environmental Health Legislative Working Group. To register email Nick Guroff at nickguroff@earthlink.net

May 23: Celebrating California’s Immigrant Legacy. Immigrant Day 2005 is an opportunity for immigrants and advocates to meet with elected officials and make their views known about the need for safety-net services for immigrants and the working poor, also to celebrate immigrant contributions to California’s economy and culture. Sacramento. For more information: California Immigrant Welfare Collaborative, Candice Palaspas, 916-448-6762; Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, Alvaro Huerta, 213-353-1789

May 25: Better Choices for Children Day is an opportunity for people to make their views known to legislators about the effects of the proposed state budget cuts on children—and ways to balance the budget by raising revenues. Events in Sacramento and Los Angeles. For more information: Children’s Defense Fund California, 213-749-8787, http://www.cdfca.org

May 25: California Interfaith Coalition Legislative Briefing on the theme of Economic Justice, featuring Susan Pace Hamill, University of Alabama Law School, author of The Least of These—Fair Taxes and the Moral Duty of Christians. For more information: Mark Carlson, 916-447-6666, lutheranadvocate@earthlink.net

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