Campaigns Opposing Health Care-Related Measures Join Forces
On Wednesday, opponents of proposition 1D and 1E, measures that would shift funding for children's health care and education and mental health services, combined their campaigns to defeat the measures, Sacramento Bee's "CapitolAlert" reports (Smith, "CapitolAlert," Sacramento Bee, 4/8).
Proposition 1D would shift funds from First 5, which was created in 1998 when voters approved Proposition 10 to increase the state tobacco tax to fund early childhood health care and education programs (California Healthline, 4/8).
In fiscal year 2009-2010, the measure would shift as much as $608 million in Proposition 10 revenue to the state general fund for other state health and human services programs for children who are not older than age five. The measure would shift as much as $268 million to the state general fund in each of the next four fiscal years ("CapitolAlert," Sacramento Bee, 4/8).
Proposition 1E would shift $226.7 million from mental health care programs that Proposition 63 funds to the existing Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment Program for low-income children for two years.Â
In 2004, voters approved Proposition 63, which increased the state income tax on high-income Californians to fund mental health services.
The measures are part of the budget Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) signed in February that uses tax increases, spending cuts and borrowing to cover California's projected budget deficit through fiscal year 2009-2010.
Other ballot measures would implement a state spending cap and borrow against future lottery revenue (California Healthline, 4/8).
Together, the campaigns opposing propositions 1D and 1E have raised $128,000 ("Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 4/8). According to the San Francisco Chronicle, that amount of money will finance only a modest campaign in California (Wildermuth, San Francisco Chronicle, 4/9). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.