New Calif. Budget Cuts Deep Into Medical and Social Services

The budget signed this week by California Gov. Jerry Brown will sharply cut programs to provide health care and services to the poor, elderly, and disabled, according to the San Francisco Chronicle and the Los Angeles Times.

Some adult day care centers in the state have already closed in anticipation of the cuts, and elderly, disabled, and blind recipients of in-home support services will get fewer hours of care a week.

Also slashed were mental-health programs, education for teenage mothers, and direct welfare payments. What’s more, some 70 state parks will close.

“These cuts will forever haunt our conscience,” said Bob Blumenfield, a Democrat who chairs the California Assembly’s budget committee. “However, those of us who do vote for this budget can take comfort with the knowledge that we did what was necessary to move ourselves toward stability.”

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