State Budget Update: Judge Halts CalWORKs Child Care CutsNovember 8, 2010 |
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 The state will continue, temporarily, to fund the CalWORKs Stage 3 child care program that more than 60,000 California families rely on, an Alameda Superior Court judge has ruled.Judge Wynne Carvill said in a 19-page ruling issued Friday that a stay he put in place on Oct. 29 will remain in effect until recipients and providers are issued a notice by the California Department of Education (CDE) regarding termination of the program and availability of other child care services. Although the order does not stop the termination of the Stage 3 child care program, it does delay its implementation, giving families a brief reprieve. The CDE must instruct child care providers to notify families that termination of the program is stayed and advise them that screening assistance is available to see if they qualify for other child care services, such as CalWORKs Stage 1 or Stage 2, Carvill ruled. (A copy of the ruling is available here.)Carvill scheduled another hearing for Nov. 23 to determine whether a preliminary injunction should be issued, and other matters. Carvill’s original stay extended Stage 3 child care services until last Friday. The program was slated for shutdown on Nov. 1. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed more than $256 million in funding for Stage 3 child care in early October. The cut was part of the nearly $1 billion in line-item cuts he made to the state budget. In response to the governor’s actions, Parent Voices Oakland and several parents filed a lawsuit on Oct. 28. In addition to seeking an emergency temporary order to keep Stage 3 funds in place, the suit also requires the state to assist Stage 3 parents in finding other possible sources of child care assistance. Meanwhile, State Assembly Speaker John Pérez (D-Los Angeles) announced Friday that more than 30 First 5 county commissions have, collectively, pledged $40 million in transitional loans to keep the program running into January. On Oct. 28, First 5 LA commissioners approved $15 million in transitional funding to help the nearly 7,000 Los Angeles County children whose parents received assistance through Stage 3. |
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