De La Torre Responds to Governor’s Budget Cuts

Assemblymember Hector De La Torre believes that the Governor’s proposed budget will severly cut Los Angeles County’s nonprofit community clinics and leave nearly one million low-income, uninsured and underserved individuals without services.

The proposed cuts would increase the number of uninsured in Los Angeles County, including our communities in the Southeast, and put more pressure on hospital and emergency rooms.  Local clinics and health centers strive to provide access to quality preventive healthcare for the communities they serve.  The Governor’s proposed budget would severely damage this cost-effective primary and preventative health care system.

Assemblymember De La Torre does not favor cuts to vital services such as Medi-Cal,

Assemblymember De La Torre addresses Governor’s proposed budget cuts at AltaMed’s Healthcare Town Hall in Lynwood

nor cutting over $1 billion in health care assistance to California’s children, elderly, and disabled.  Most Californians agree that there has to be a better approach to budgeting than cuts alone.

Medi-Cal provides six million Californians with the medical visits and preventative care they need to keep them healthy.  Proposed cuts in Medi-Cal’s doctor payment rates, already the lowest in the nation, will drastically reduce health care access by driving doctors, particularly specialists like pediatricians out of Medi-Cal.

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Protecting Californians from Unscrupulous HMOs

In response to a continuing pattern by the insurance industry of unfairly canceling health policies, Assemblymember Hector De La Torre continues to champion legislation to protect the rights of patients.   De La Torre introduced Assembly Bill 1945 to require health insurance companies to get prior approval from state regulators before canceling or rescinding policies.  The measure was introduced earlier this year and will be heard in the Assembly Health Committee in April.

“The insurance industry has made billions by unfairly canceling health policies when people need coverage most, with little to no oversight prior to canceling the policies,” said De La Torre.  “Consumers, who have already made payments to their HMOs, are being dumped by the insurance company when they need to receive coverage.  At some point, we must say 'enough!'  This bill will protect the rights of insured Californians against the unfair practices of insurance companies.”

The Los Angeles Times recently revealed that Blue Cross has been asking doctors to share confidential patient information with the insurance company.   Blue Cross would then use the information to cancel policies.  After outcry from the California Medical Association, and the public, Blue Cross reversed course and agreed to stop requesting the information.

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Access to Higher Education

In an effort to increase access to colleges and universities, Assemblymember De La Torre  introduced Assembly Bill 2365.  The measure will address inequities within the Cal Grant program, the financial aid assistance program.  Currently, the program is divided into a two-tier system in which Cal Grant A students receive aid throughout their four years in college, while Cal Grant B students do not receive an award for fees and tuition until their second year.

Specifically, Assembly Bill 2365 would require Cal Grant A and B recipients access to the same award amounts to cover costs for their first year in college.  

The average Cal Grant B recipient has a GPA of 2.9 and lives in a household where the combined annual income is less than $20,000.  In comparison, Cal Grant A recipients have only a slightly higher GPA of 3.4 and live in households with substantially higher incomes, $49,700.

“California State Student Association's mission is to maintain and enhance the accessibility of the CSU system.  We commend Assemblymember De La Torre for his continued commitment to making higher education accessible,” said Miguel Cervantes, a student at the Sacramento State University.  

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In the community…

2008 Women of the Year Award

In a special ceremony this month at the state capitol, Assemblymember De La Torre honored Retha Moye as the 2008 “Woman of the Year” for the 50th Assembly District.  The ceremony is held annually in Sacramento to recognize women that have made significant contributions to their communities.  

“Mrs.  Moye is an outstanding example of volunteerism.  For over 20 years, she has given her time to help others at the Bellflower Senior Center,” said De La Torre.  “Retha has lived in the City of Bellflower since 1951 and has demonstrated that age is not an obstacle.  She is about to turn 90 years of age and despite being recently ill, she has not missed one day as a volunteer.”

The 50th Assembly District continued to celebrate these and other contributions at De La Torre's annual Woman of the Year Awards to honor women from the cities and communities of Southeast Los Angeles County.  This year’s ceremony took place on Thursday, March 27, 2008 in the City of Downey.

2008 Women of the Year

City of Bell
Julie Gonzales
Julie has been active in the community of Bell since 1968 and has touched the lives of many of its residents for over 40 years.  Mrs. Gonzales currently serves as the General Manager for the Bell Chamber of Commerce and has also served her community through her participation with the Friends of Bell Foundation, the Salvation Army Southeast Corps and the City of Bell’s Child Care Taskforce Committee.

City of Bell Gardens
Sally Ortiz-Hoyt
A resident of Bell Gardens since 1963 and active in the community for the past 30 years, Sally is a dedicated volunteer.  She provides support to the Bell Gardens Police Department, the Salvation Army and to many local school children.  Sally also serves on the City of Bell Gardens’ Planning Commission and Heritage Commission where she worked diligently to restore the Peterson Farm House, a historical site in the City of Bell Gardens.

City of Bellflower
Retha Moye
Retha has lived in the City of Bellflower since 1951.  Ms.  Moye has volunteered for the Bellflower Senior Center for over 20 years.   She is a dedicated food server for the Meals on Wheels program and is responsible for organizing various social activities for her peers.  Ms. Moye is about to turn 90 years of age and despite being recently ill she has not missed one day as a volunteer.   

City of Commerce
Beret Norsworthy
Ms. Norsworthy became very active in the community after her retirement as City Clerk 20 years ago.   As a volunteer Beret contributes to Food Distribution Programs, serves as Secretary to two senior clubs and Treasurer to a third club.  A resident of Commerce for 50 years, Beret is well-known for her kind and giving heart.

City of Cudahy
Michelle Gessner
Michelle and her family have been residents of Cudahy since 1960.  She graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Psychology in 1996 and has worked as a drug counselor for two different organizations.  Michelle is an active neighborhood watch member as well as a member of Volunteers on Patrol.  Currently, as a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission, she has taken on the responsibility of overseeing the Senior Services Department.

City of Downey
Lois Buchanan
Lois has been a resident of Downey for 45 years and has spent the last 13 years volunteering at the city as well as at her church.  Ms. Buchanan has organized clean up and tree-planting activities, interfaith and multi-cultural song festivals, toy drives for underprivileged children in the city and food-basket drives for the needy.

Florence-Firestone
Paula Trejo
Paula serves as the head of the Public Safety Committee for the Florence-Firestone Community Enhancement Team.  She has worked to bring together the community and the local sheriffs department to combat the proliferation of gang control in her community.  Recently, Paula’s house was targeted by gang members.  A bullet entered her daughter’s bedroom while she was sleeping.  This heinous crime only hardened her resolve to make her community safer.

City of Lynwood
Maria Negrete
Maria has been living in the City of Lynwood for over 15 years.  She is an active member of the District Advisory Council for Lynwood Unified School District and has received several school leadership and parent trainings.  A mother of 3, she donates her time unselfishly to all three of her daughters’ schools.  Her contributions are just another example of Maria’s hands-on approach to being an involved parent and educational advocate.

City of South Gate
Virginia Johnson
A long-time resident of South Gate, Virginia has a strong commitment to her community and its residents.  She is an active member of the Community in Action Committee and is also a member of the city’s Community Development Commission.  Virginia was also instrumental in the recall effort of 2003, which returned power to the people of South Gate.

Walnut Park
Alma Angelina Perez
A long time resident of Walnut Park, Alma has continued to give back to the community while raising two boys on her own.  As a small business owner and member of the Walnut Park Chamber of Commerce, Alma has worked diligently to create job opportunities in her community.  She has also provided support to local schools, the American Cancer Society and the City of Huntington Park.   

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Legislative Bond Briefing

Assemblymember De La Torre co-hosted a second annual infrastructure bond briefing along with Senator Alan Lowenthal for elected officials and staff from cities across southeast Los Angeles County last month at the Gateway Cities Council of Governments headquarters in Paramount.

This briefing, provided by state agency representatives, gave city leaders additional details on the funding opportunities available to local governments as a result of the Nov. 2006 passage of over $42 billion in infrastructure bonds.  The bonds available will help fund park, housing and transportation projects.

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Awards & Achievements

• Pat Brown Institute: Public Servant of the Year
• California Small Business Association: Legislator of the Year
• California Parks and Recreation: Legislator of the Year
• Arc of California: Legislator of the Year
• League of California Cities
• Latino Issues Forum: Legislator of the Year
• WateReuse: Gordon Cologne Award
• California Redevelopment Association

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