Act now to remind Governor Schwarzenegger that California’s budget crisis is no laughing matter. To close a structural deficit of $26.3 billion, the governor’s cuts-only approach to fixing the budget would drastically cut education, health and human service programs. It would devastate California’s seniors, people with disabilities, working families and the poor.

Legislators are getting ready to vote on the budget. Don’t let the governor or our state legislators off the hook – Demand now that they stand up for a budget that is committed to fighting for and protecting those most at risk.

Schwarzenegger has already vowed to veto the Legislature’s joint budget committee proposal, which includes a mix of program cuts and revenues to close the state’s deficit without gutting California’s social service safety net. Instead, the governor and the legislative minority are holding out for deeper reductions and the elimination of many health and human services in California. The difference between these philosophies means life and death to many Californians.

This week will be critical. Your action is needed to ensure that California’s budget is not only a fiscally responsible solution, but a humane one as well.

There are better solutions.

Over the last 20 years, California’s corrections budget has increased by 450 percent.

The ACLU supports the following simple proposals that would trim the waste in the correction’s budget while also increasing community safety and helping to preserve the programs and services Californians value and need:

• Replacing the death penalty with permanent imprisonment – We throw away hundreds of millions of dollars each year on the largest, most dysfunctional death penalty system in the country, even though permanent imprisonment is cheaper and just as effective.
• Closing the youth prisons – California taxpayers currently pay $380 million each year to keep 1,624 young people in youth prisons, even though local programs have proven cheaper and more effective at rehabilitating.
• Keeping the response to petty drug possession local – We currently house 24,000 people in state prison for drug possession, at a cost of $5 billion per year, even though community-based treatment of these non-violent offenders is cheaper and actually keeps communities safer.
• Reserving prison and parole for only serious and violent offenders – California currently incarcerates thousands of people for low-level property crimes and certain “wobbler” offenses, which currently can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony. These offenses should be converted to misdemeanors only, which would correct California’s policies that have led to mass incarceration. Parole for non-violent offenders should be terminated and the Three Strikes Law should be reformed.

Instead of wasting more money on the most dysfunctional prison system in the country, it is time to re-evaluate our priorities. Adopting these changes would save California billions of dollars and would help preserve the programs and services Californians value and need, especially in the current harsh economic climate.

Take Action NOW. Send the letter below to the Big 5 and your legislators. Tell them you do not support a cuts-only approach to balancing the state budget. Urge them to adopt more common-sense and fair solutions. And call Gov. Schwarzenegger today at (916) 445-2841 to tell him not to politic with California’s most vulnerable community members.

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

A state's budget should reflect its priorities. Californians deserve a fair and humane budget - not one that risks the health and welfare of our state's most vulnerable.

I oppose the governor's proposed cuts-only approach of closing the state's $24.3 billion deficit. We need a fairer and more balanced approach that does not make drastic cuts or program eliminations to the education, health and human services safety net.

I urge you to consider the following common-sense solutions that would trim the waste in the corrections budget while increasing community safety and helping to preserve the vital programs Californians value and need: - Replace the death penalty with permanent imprisonment. California spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year on the largest, most dysfunctional death penalty system in the country, even though permanent imprisonment is cheaper and just as effective. Converting death sentences to permanent imprisonment will ensure that we keep our communities safe without wasting critical resources. - Close the youth prisons. California taxpayers currently pay $380 million each year to keep 1,624 young people in youth prisons, even though local programs have proven cheaper and more effective at rehabilitating. Youth should be kept in local facilities where they have access to effective treatment programs for the entire family. - Keep the response to petty drug possession local. California currently houses 24,000 people in state prison for drug possession, at a cost of $5 billion per year. Instead, nonviolent drug offenders should be shifted to community-based treatment, which is less costly to the state and actually keeps communities safer. - Reserve prison and parole for only serious and violent offenders - California currently incarcerates thousands of people for low-level property crimes and certain "wobbler" offenses, which currently can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony. These offenses should be converted to misdemeanors only, which would correct California's policies that have led to mass incarceration and waste. Parole for low-level property theft crimes and other less serious offenses - which has been found to be ineffective - should be ended. Nonviolent offenders currently on parole should be terminated; and the "three strikes" law should be reformed.

Instead of wasting more money on the most dysfunctional prison system in the country, it is time to re-evaluate our priorities. Critical services for California's seniors, people with disabilities, working families and the poor must be preserved and protected, especially in these difficult economic times. These safety-net programs often mean the difference between life and death for many Californians.

I demand that you stand up for a budget that is committed to fighting for and protecting the most vulnerable among us.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
June 22, 2009