ADVOCATE ALERT FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 5, 2008


WEEKLY BUDGET WATCHDOG

1. Will Mayor Newsom be the first Mayor in the history of the San Francisco Children's Fund to cut baseline funding down to the bare minimum required?

We hope not. The children's baseline has been funded above the legal requirement since its very beginning, back in Mayor Frank Jordan's administration. The baseline is the level of funding for children, youth and family services required by the city every year, based on the voter-approved Children¡¦s Amendment set-aside. The Family Budget Coalition has called on Mayor Newsom and the Board of Supervisors to protect the children's safety net and preserve the true children's baseline, the amount the city is actually spending this fiscal year on children, youth & family services, or about $103 million.

The Family Budget Coalition this week began a month of daily deliveries to the Mayor asking him to support their agenda for a fair city budget for struggling youth and families. The deliveries come in the form of a hand made card from the children, youth, families, and providers of the Family Budget Coalition. The deliveries begin May 1st and end on June 1st when the Mayor submits his proposed budget to the Board of Supervisors. We hope by June 1st, Mayor Newsom will "Say Yes"! Check out our new blog, documenting our deliveries to the Mayor at http://familybudgetcoalition.blogspot.com/


2. The SF Firefighters Say "Yes"? Kudos to the Newsom Administration for Asking Law Enforcement Unions to Share the Burden of the Budget Crisis.
According to news sources, Mayor Newsom has asked the city's police and firefighters unions to renegotiate their cushy 25% wage increase contracts. He's apparently asked for a 3% giveback - essentially half of their raise for one year. We hope this means an end to sacred cows like the law enforcement unions which have historically been protected from budget cuts even in tough times, despite high salaries, outrageous overtime, and budgets padded with perks. (Coleman tried for years to cut millions in well-known waste from the firefighters union & lost that battle when the union went to the voters to guarantee their funding annually.) We commend the Mayor for his leadership, and want to recognize the firefighters union leadership for saying in the press that they "would be glad to help"!

3. How You Can Stop Threatened Cuts & Keep The Safety Net for Families

* Attend the next Family Budget Coalition Meeting: Tuesday, May 13, 1-3pm at the Children¡¦s Council of San Francisco. Please join us as we move forward with our budget agenda and strategizing our next steps!

* Attend the big San Francisco Budget and Revenue Town Hall: Monday, June 9, 2pm-5pm at the Koret Auditorium (SF Main Library). Coleman, the Human Services Network and a wide range of provider networks serving low income and vulnerable populations throughout the city will convene to discuss the collective impacts of the budget cuts on our programs, and explore long-term budget policy and solutions. Please join us!

*Please contact Chelsea with any questions regarding these events and the Weekly Budget Watchdog: (415) 239-0161 x19 or cboilard@colemanadvocates.org.


DON'T MISS THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO TELL OUR STATE LEADERS TO STOP CUTS TO PUBLIC EDUCATION

Get On The Bus To Fight The Cuts To Education-Our Kids Deserve Better--On Friday May 9th, join the California Caravan in Support of Funding Public Education and investing in the children of California. Join Teachers 4 Social Justice, ARE (Association of Raza Educators), SFABE and many other community based orgs for a Rally on the steps of City Hall in San Francisco and then join the caravan and GET on the BUS to Sacramento for the day to carry our "No Cuts to Education" message to the State Capitol. Rally at City Hall at 10:30am. Bus departs for Sacramento at 11:45am. Return to SF at 8pm. SPACE on the Bus is limited. RSVP today and get more information by calling 516-0338.

California Students & Parents Mobilize Against Gov's Ed Cuts May 15th--Attend The SF Planning Meeting--On May 15th, thousands of students, parents, community advocates and supporters will mobilize in Sacramento to demand the Governor keep his promise to make 2008 the "Year of Education". The Governor's proposed $5 billion cuts to education (for 2008-2009 budget) will have a devastating impact on our already under-funded schools. On May 6th from 5-6:30pm at Coleman Advocates, there will be a informational briefing for organizations that are planning to endorse and/or transport students, parents, community advocates and supporters to the Sacramento mobilization. Carmen Iniguez, the Campaign for Quality Education statewide coordinator, will provide an update on the statewide mobilization and May 15th day of program. For more information, please call Pecolia Manigo at 239-0161x21.


TO GET ON THE LIST TO RECEIVE OUR ADVOCATE ALERT CALL 239-0161x10 OR SIGN UP ONLINE AT www.colemanadvocates.org