GARDENA, April 1, 2008 – In an effort to inform senior residents about recently proposed state budget cuts and how they will be impacted by them, Assemblymember Curren Price spoke to a group of seniors at the Graceful Senescence Adult Day Care Facility in Gardena.  Approximately 100 residents attended the special Town Hall, which was organized by Gardena City Councilmember Steve Bradford.   Most of the participants were concerned about how the recently proposed budget cuts would impact their ability to maintain health care.  Price was joined by Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas to answer their questions.  

 The Governor has signed off on more than $2 billion in emergency budget cuts impacting education, healthcare and social service programs.  The cuts include a 10% reduction in payments to Medi-Cal providers, doctors and hospitals for a savings of $544 million in the 2008-09 budget.  Every dollar cut means the state loses a dollar of federal Medi-Cal matching funds, so in effect the state health system loses over $1 billion in funding.  The cuts are scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2008.

"The Governor’s budget cuts will harm the people and services that most need our support, while wealthy corporations that can afford the cuts remain unscathed," said Assemblymember Price.  "My Democratic colleagues and I continue to push for a more targeted approach to balancing the budget." This approach includes generating $2.7 billion in revenues by closing or reducing tax loopholes.   ALL 21 of the other oil-producing states already leverage similar taxes on big oil. 

Assemblymember Curren Price serves the 51st Assembly District, which includes Inglewood, Hawthorne, Gardena, Playa Vista, Westchester, Lawndale, West Athens, Lennox, Alondra Park, West Compton, Del Aire, Willowbrook, and  portions of unincorporated Ladera.