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Bad news for poorest and neediest citizens of California. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday proposed a USD 83.4 billion budget cut that would reduce the aid which is being given by the government to the poor under the state's main welfare program, CalWorks.
The elimination of the program will affect 1.3 million people, including about one million children. Under the program, poor families and single mothers are given a maximum 694-dollar monthly cash allowance by the government.
Administration officials said that the elimination of the program would save the state 1.6 billion dollars. "California no longer has low-hanging fruits. I now have no choice but to ...call for elimination of some very important programs," Schwarzenegger said at a news conference in Sacramento, the California capital. "
The revised budget would also freeze funding for local schools, reduction the salary of the state workers and slashing of state money for local mental health programs by 60% The fiscal year will begins in July.
Schwarzenegger, however, spared state parks and higher education. He also proposed to reduce prison costs by shifting some state inmates to the prisons maintained by the local governments.
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