Brown to Slash Proposition 10 Funding

In 1998 voters approved Proposition 10, which allows First 5 LA and other county First 5 commissions to use a 50-cent tax on tobacco products to fund community-based early childhood programs. Although the governor's proposal assumes that a $2 billion reserve exists in Proposition 10 funding, First 5 LA and other county commissions are demonstrating that the available amount is considerably less. In fact, most of the funds targeted by Brown for redirection to the state general fund for Medi-Cal are already allocated to specific programs, including those that provide preschool and other school readiness efforts, doctor's visits and vaccinations and successful child abuse prevention efforts. A $1 billion revenue grab by the state would effectively snatch funding for such existing local safety net programs and other direct services for young children.

Brown's proposed seizure of First 5 funding would take a major toll on L.A. County's children and families. As the county with the highest birth rate in California, Los Angeles relies on a substantial portion of Proposition 10 funding to support local programs such as preschool and health insurance for low income children. Brown's proposal could take away as much as 50 percent of current funds, along with half of First 5 LA's future revenue, a move that would significantly curtail existing, as well as future, programming.

Brown's proposal echoes similar past attempts to grab First 5 funding. In 2009, lawmakers placed Proposition 1D on the ballot in an attempt to take $550 million in Proposition 10 funding from counties over a five-year period. That initiative, which was significantly less draconian than Brown's proposal, was voted down by a nearly 2 to 1 margin. Last year, parents flocked to Sacramento to send a clear message to lawmakers: Please don't take Proposition 10 funding away from our communities.

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