It’s not enough to say it once: Jobs, jobs, and jobs are clearly what families need most right now -- and they are finally beginning to come to California, thanks to the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act from last February. As of early 2010, several funding streams have begun flowing into California’s economy and creating opportunity. But many more jobs are needed – and a much more robust and direct investment by the federal government -- to really help families bounce back and the California economy recover from persistent, devastating double-digit unemployment.
What jobs and opportunities are being created now by the Recovery Act?
ACTION NEEDED: Congress must allow these jobs to continue until the recession has receded; they must invest in the TANF Emergency Contingency Fund beyond September 2010. The President has proposed an expansion; Senator Boxer and Feinstein are promoting an extension (see Senator Boxer’s attached letter); and a new House bill, HR 4564, has been co-sponsored by California Representatives Judy Chu (D-LA) and Pete Stark (D-East Bay). Despite these champions, the current versions of the Jobs Bill being debated in the Senate and already passed in the House do not include a TANF ECF extension. More advocacy is needed to prevent the end of these jobs in September -- and deep state budget cuts, if not wholesale elimination, for TANF/CalWORKs.
2. Weatherization workersare getting to work now, as local Energy Service Provider agencies received their final contracts in January from the state to weatherize 100,000 low-income people’s homes. However, the lead state agency, Community Services and Development (part of DHSS), came under fire this week by State Auditor Elaine Howle for its slowness in implementing the expanded recovery funds ($185 million) and weaknesses in its oversight and monitoring capacity.
http://www.bsa.ca.gov/pdfs/factsheets/2009-119.2.pdf In fact, a few local agencies, including the Economic Opportunity Council of San Francisco, have been recently disqualified by CSD, due to concerns over the local agency’s fiscal and programmatic management.
http://articles.sfgate.com/2009-11-04/bay-area/17179736_1_stimulus-funds-child
Local advocates, public officials, and journalists need to continue to shine a spotlight on the weatherization program as it experiences unprecedented growth and stretches to provide excellent jobs and services to hard-hit communities. Check here for your local lead agency:
http://www.csd.ca.gov/Programs/Energy%20Service%20Providers.aspx
Despite these bright spots, it’s striking how modest these initiatives are in the face of the deepest job losses in decades. New proposals to directly create jobs – as President Roosevelt did during the Great Depression – are surfacing from advocates and Members of Congress, like Keith Ellison (D-MN), and drawing increased support from economists. One million new community jobs would be created in a proposal advanced by the Center for Community Change:
http://www.communitychange.org/our-projects/jobs-and-the-economy. A new national coalition, Jobs for American Now, also calls for public jobs as part of a comprehensive response to the recession.
www.jobs4americanow.org
Here in California, two dozen state groups called on Congress and the President in January to quickly pass a comprehensive Jobs Bill that includes, among other priorities, continued subsidized jobs (via TANF’s ECF) and new, direct job creation, plus health care (via FMAP/Medicaid) and support for out-of-work workers (via Unemployment Insurance and COBRA).
http://www.hhsnetworkca.org/PDF/jobsletter.pdf To be sure, as great as SNAP/food stamps and refundable tax credits are for families struggling to make it through these tough times (each the subject of a previous blog post in this Recovery Act series), the fact remains: Nothing is more important for our economy, and for families’ health, stability, and well-being, than jobs, jobs, and jobs – and there’s nothing Congress, the President, our Governor, and all government leaders should be more focused on right now.
Kim McCoy Wade