Disability Advocates Call-Out Governor Schwarzenegger for Honoring Mother-In-Law...

Disability Advocates Call-Out Governor Schwarzenegger for Honoring
Mother-In-Law While Cutting Vital Services

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Advocates for seniors and people with
disabilities spoke out against the Governor on Friday in response to
statements he made in an LA Times story that ran earlier that morning and
further comments he made on Twitter.

"As the Governor stepped in to stop eviction notices for the twenty disabled
residents of Regency Court Apartments, his office was preparing to send out
similar notices to an estimated 140,000 seniors and people with disabilities
informing them of drastic cuts to their home care services," said Laphonza
Butler, Co-Trustee of SEIU-ULTCW. "How can he explain that?"

The September 18, 2009 online story, entitled "Remembering late mother-in-law,
Schwarzenegger intervenes to stop Monrovia evictions" credits the Governor for
stopping the evictions of twenty mentally and physically disabled residents.
The Governor stated in the LA Times story that he was inspired to take action
as he thought about his mother-in-law, Eunice Kennedy Shriver who founded the
Special Olympics and was an advocate for people with disabilities. "All of a
sudden I heard [her] voice in my ear," Schwarzenegger said. "She says, 'Arnold
why are you sitting around now, you just read the story, do something!'" The
Governor later posted on his Twitter page that "My mother-in-law fought so
that people like Lily Hixon could live independently."

"If the Governor is truly listening to the voice of Eunice Kennedy Shriver,
he'll stop attacking seniors and people with disabilities and do whatever is
necessary to reverse the drastic and dangerous cuts he's made to the State's
home care program," said Hugh Hallenberg, long time disability advocate. "If
he doesn't, it's obvious that this was nothing more than a press stunt."

An estimated 140,000 seniors and people with disabilities who rely on In-Home
Supportive Services (IHSS) for vital home care services will be notified by
mail that the hours of care they receive each month will either be eliminated
or reduced due to State Budget cuts. Notice of Action statements were
originally scheduled to be sent out on September 1, 2009, but have been
postponed to October 1 due to the State's inability to reach such a large
number of people.

"Yes, Governor, you are correct. Your mother-in-law did fight so that people
could live independently," said Lillibeth Navarro, Executive Director of
Communities Actively Living Independent and Free. "So how would she feel
about you honoring her fight in one breath and at the same time cutting the
vital services that allow seniors and people with disabilities to live
independently?"

SOURCE SEIU-ULTCW

Scott Mann, +1-323-333-4850, for SEIU-ULTCW