YOUR help is needed to stop California Governor Gavin Newsom from delaying a much-needed $1 billion investment in emergency disability funding for developmentally disabled Californians!

Importance of Disability Services In California

In 1969, the California State Legislature recognized how crucial supportive services are to people with developmental disabilities and their families. The Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, commonly called the Lanterman Act, guarantees adults with developmental disabilities the right to actively make decisions for their own care. Over the years, The Lanterman Act and other California laws have defined and expanded on these rights with the creation and funding of Regional Centers to provide appropriate disability services to those in need.

Consequences of the Delay on Individuals with Disabilities and Families

Organized disability advocacy in 2022 resulted in a commitment of $1 billion in disability services to be delivered to regional centers throughout the state of California by July 1, 2024. Now, Governor Newsom wants to delay that investment in an attempt to shrink the state’s $38 billion budget shortfall.

Delaying these funds would cut disability services in California dramatically, impacting not only developmentally disabled adults and their families, but the entire support services industry. Without the additional $1 billion in emergency disability funding THIS year, California will be unable to take planned steps to improve disability services such as:

• Attract high-quality disability services support professionals by offering competitive wages and benefits 
• Improve life for developmentally disabled adults and their families by improving access to appropriate housing options, transportation, respite care, and individualized programming through California’s regional centers.

Public and Political Support

Governor Newsom’s proposed delay of emergency disability funding completely ignores the needs and desires of Californians. The $1 billion investment was overwhelmingly supported by both major political parties and their constituents, in recognition of how vital these services are to 458,000 disabled Californians and their families. 

How Reject Delay Compares to Other Funding Decisions

Governor Newsom’s proposal to delay the $1 billion investment in disability services is one of the largest proposed cuts or delays in his 2024-2025 budget. Unlike many of the other programs that will retain support under the current budget plan, funding for disability services is an investment with high returns. Funding higher wages for support workers is a cost-effective way to ensure that individuals with developmental disabilities and their families are more equipped to become and remain independent and contribute back to society with a fairly fast turnaround.

How Government Spending Prioritizes Disability Services/Programs

Though disability spending has been lacking nationwide, the government has repeatedly recognized the importance of disability services funding. Under the vision of the Lanterman Act, Regional Centers can provide multiple types of support cost-effectively. This means that all arms of the government must act in a way to:

• Increase the capacity of Regional Centers to provide services to the 348.000 developmentally disabled Californians and their families
• Increase wages and benefits for committed disabled advocacy support workers 
• Provide adequate services to remove inclusion barriers for developmentally disabled individuals and their families by increasing access to housing, transportation and education

What are the Benefits of Investing in Disability Services

Providing funding for disability services and programs provides benefits to the entire community. Education and job training allow individuals with disabilities to hold rewarding jobs that offer sustainable income. 

• Disabled individuals are more able to support themselves financially and are less dependent on state and federal aid. 
• Family members of disabled individuals can continue their careers and reduce dependence on government support.

Reasons To Delay Investment

Budget cuts are never easy, and the current $38 billion deficit could become even steeper if revenues do not perform as anticipated. Governor Newsom has prioritized other programming over disability services to reduce the deficit, but the fact is that the vision of the Lanterman Act would bolster the economy by enabling individuals with disabilities to live up to their true potential while encouraging highly qualified workers to perform supportive services by offering them a living wage.

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Are you committed to disability advocacy? Follow our blog for updates on Governor Newsom’s emergency disability funding budget decisions as well as other updates on disability services. Together we can empower adults with developmental disabilities in California and beyond.

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