California
Column: Already devastated by the coronavirus, seniors stand to lose again in Newsom’s budget
People line up to pick up food for seniors at the Jim Gilliam Recreational Center in Baldwin Village.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times )
By
George SkeltonCapitol Journal Columnist
June 15, 2020
12 AM
SACRAMENTO —
Do you kick impoverished old people in the shins now or wait until the feds can join in?
Or maybe Washington will protect the
seniors by sending Sacramento billions more to fund their critical services. It’s unlikely but possible.
Or perhaps legislators and the governor will agree to ease up on seniors and pick on something else — such as good government.
These are the options the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom have been arguing over in their efforts to negotiate agreement on a new pandemic-pummeled state budget.
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Lawmakers must pass a budget by midnight Monday or lose their pay for every day it’s delayed. So they’ll pass something.
But in violation of the deadline spirit — if not letter of the law — their product won’t be a complete budget. It will contain huge holes to be filled later by what’s being called “Budget Junior.” Junior presumably will be negotiated and passed before the new fiscal year begins July 1. Or in late summer. Who knows?
So Monday’s budget will mainly be a stopgap salary-saver. In coming days, there’ll also be budget “trailer bills” that will follow with details.
It’s ironic: COVID-19 hit vulnerable seniors the hardest. To control the coronavirus spread, Newsom and other state governors crippled the economy. Inevitably, this greatly diminished tax revenues that fund programs for needy seniors. Now, seniors are hammered not only by the virus but also by the potential loss of crucial government services.
WTF is this..
In California, the Governor is cutting the budget to the seniors.. The most vulnerable to the virus that everyone is supposedly concerned about..
And im posting articles that are no more than a day old..
So from coast to coast, local officials are fcking over seniors..
Where's the outrage?