Fresno/Redding Vet Homes Victorious In Budget Struggle

[boardman]

California veterans victorious in Fresno and Redding veterans homes struggle

By Pete Conaty
Legislative Advocate

California veterans scored a major victory with the adoption of the state budget for FY2012/13 on June 27th. The budget contained start up funding of $4.2 million for opening the newly constructed Redding and Fresno veterans’ homes. At the same time this funding was approved, the Governor vetoed $195 million in funding requested by the Legislature for other programs

By leaving this funding intact in the budget, the Governor and his Administration acknowledge the work on behalf of all veterans’ service organizations beginning earlier this year to restore this funding to the budget.

In January, the state budget faced an overall budget deficit for the FY2012/13 of $11 to $16 billion. Many programs such as education, prisons and health care were proposed to be slashed by $500 million to several billion from the previous year. There was no funding in the Governor’s budget for opening the two new veterans’ homes which were due to be completed by June of this year.

Faced with this issue, all veterans’ service organizations (VSOs) began campaigns to convince the Legislature and the governor to fund these new homes. Also, the VSO support groups located in Redding and Fresno areas were instrumental in organizing petitions, letters and emails to legislators and the Governor to restore the funding.

Beginning in February with American Veterans (AMVETS) annual capitol lobbying day, legislators began hearing from each VSO’s during their capitol lobbing days that these homes should be funded. The Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) repeated the message at its March capitol lobby day in conjunction with Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.

The crowning event was on April 18th when both the American Legion, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), held legislative days and visited every legislative office in support of the veterans homes. Also, over 200 veterans came from Fresno and Redding in busses and vans. There were over 400 veterans roaming the Capitol on April 18th. The commanders of both the Legion and the VFW testified in support of funding the homes before the Assembly Budget Sub-committee that day which then voted to place $10.6 million in the budget to begin to open the two homes in FY2012/13. The California Association of County Veterans Service Officers (CACVSO) also lobbied the Legislature in support of funding at their annual legislative day in May. Other members of the California State Commanders Veterans Council (CSCVC) such as the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Military Officers Association of America, Reserve Officers Association of America, Jewish War Veterans of the USA, and the Legion of Valor also mobilized their members to write and contact their legislators and the Governor on the issue.

As the budget progressed, the Assembly, under the leadership of Speaker John A. Pérez, kept this funding in the budget and continued to resist efforts to remove it from the budget from a variety of quarters. With the state budget still in deficit to the tune of $8 billion in June, during final budget negotiations, the funding was reduced to $4.2 million but was kept in the budget (see attached editorial).

Why this action is important to California’s veterans:


Ø For the first time in recent memory, all veterans’ service organizations united behind a common goal and worked together for the good of all California veterans. While this action will affect mostly veterans living near the Redding and Fresno areas, veterans from the entire state supported this effort.

Ø This budget action commits the state to a timetable to open these two homes from which there is no turning back. While many legislators helped and assisted in securing this funding in the budget, several are worthy of special note. In the Senate, Senator Doug La Malfa (R), Senator Michael Rubio (D), and Senator Lou Correa (D) were the two most visible supporters. In the Assembly, besides Speaker John A. Pérez, Assemblymembers Jim Nielsen (R), Henry Perea (D), Linda Halderman (R), Paul Cook (R), Richard Pan (D) and Joan Buchanan (D), were the most active in support of the homes, sometimes working quietly behind the scene.


Ø Governor Jerry Brown is to be complemented for listening to the outpouring of support from California’s two million veterans and not removing this funding from the budget while he was having to cut other programs.


Ø Moreover, with a firm start date, local veterans groups as well as other interested parties in the Redding and Fresno areas can now begin to “adopt” these homes and can get organized to assist the new homes by supplying comfort items and providing volunteer services that the state is not authorized to provide to the veterans home residents. This effort will go a long way to ensure that the state stays on schedule to open these homes and will prove to the Governor and the Legislature that California's veterans support the eight California Veterans Homes.

Pete Conaty
Pete Conaty & Associates
1107 9th Street, Suite 530
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-492-0550
916-492-8957 fax
916-768-8940-cell
www.peteconaty.com