California budget deal eliminates virtually all help for poor [View All]

[Elmore Furth]

Where are the compassionate conservatives now? I don't see any of the the thousand points of light. All I see are talking heads for the top 2% of the wealthiest screaming for tax cuts.

California will likely be forced to cut back public spending to bridge its massive budget deficit.

In mid-May Schwarzenegger unveiled plans to plug the deficit by slashing billions of dollars worth of funding for services designed to help the state's poor.

His budget proposal called for 12.4 billion dollars in spending cuts, including the elimination of California's welfare-to-work program and virtually all child care for low income families.

Schwarzenegger's proposed spending cuts would also eliminate 60 percent of funding for community mental health, and low income families would also lose access to state-subsidized day care for children.

Schwarzenegger, California lawmakers in budget deal