NOTE - this action alert is for CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS ONLY!

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UPDATE  August 15, 2009 --  On July 28, Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed all state funding for Domestic Violence programs - as a result, several shelters will be forced to close their doors; many will have to cut back on services. Senator Leland Yee. Ph.D. has written two bills to restore this life-saving funding, but they need the support of the Speaker of the Assembly, Karen Bass, before they can move forward for a vote.

The first bill will restore the $16.3 million in funding approved by the conference committee that the Governor has vetoed.  The second bill will temporarily allow more flexibility in how federal funding from California Emergency Management Agency (CalEMA) is allocated and used.  Because the service cutbacks programs have been forced to make, they no longer qualify for CalEMA federal funding - a domino effect that is making the Governor's shortsighted actions even more problematic. 

CLICK HERE to send Speaker Bass a free, pre-written fax urging her to support these life-saving bills!

 

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July 28, 2009—Governor Schwarzenegger line item vetoed the Department of Public Health’s Domestic Violence Program, which provides $20.4 million for 94 domestic violence shelters and centers.

Domestic violence shelters are often the only thing standing between victims and grave physical danger, and California’s communities cannot sustain their loss.

Services provided by these agencies include emergency shelter, transitional housing, legal advocacy, assistance with restraining orders, counseling and other vital support services.

“We are appalled to see the Governor eliminate funding to vital programs that save lives,” said Tara Shabazz, Executive Director of The California Partnership to End Domestic Violence (CPEDV). “State funding to domestic violence programs has been proven to save lives, and also millions of dollars in health care, law enforcement and other social costs. It is fiscally irresponsible to propose such cuts; the Governor is balancing the budget on the backs of our state’s most vulnerable citizens.”

“If the Governor’s budget cuts are allowed to stand, victims will not have a place to turn for help and lives will inevitably be lost.”

ACT NOW!!  Click here to urge California lawmakers to REINSTATE FUNDING for these life-saving programs.