- a weekly column published in the Pioneer Press

STATE BUDGET UPDATE: Currently, the Controller is holding back County
payments from three to seven months that are in reimbursement for various
social services, welfare and mental health benefits that have been paid
out. It appears that several Counties, (including San Diego and
Sacramento,) have decided to sue the State Controller to force payment to
the Counties for CalWORKS (welfare to work) and other benefit programs.
Other Counties are considering suing for authority to stop providing the
programs, if no timely reimbursement by the State is to be provided.

When payments are not received, the cost of programs and benefits must be
backfilled internally by using County reserves from other departments and
borrowing money from other participants in the Treasury Investment Pool –
such as county schools and the college. When that is pool is drained, the
County must borrow the money externally to operate. It is estimated that
the backfill could result in a loss of from $2-300,000 in interest that
the Pool would otherwise earn. After a few months, the County may be
forced by financial circumstances to discontinue providing all unfunded
State-mandated services.

At the same time that the State is de-funding benefits and services, the
County has seen a recent increase of as much as 50 percent in applications
for public assistance. The number of people receiving food stamps has
increased to 4,132. Current unemployment is in excess of 12 percent and
unemployment insurance applications have increased dramatically to as much
as four times the norm. The telephone filing process with the State has a
wait of as long as three hours. For October, November and December 2008
Siskiyou County Human Services had an average of 1,700 people per month
come through their reception doors. This is an increase of 500 per month
over historic numbers. Workforce Connection, a partner that provides GED
assistance and training in job skills, has see a growth to about double
its normal clientele.

RURAL HEALTH CARE: On a more uplifting note, on the way home from visiting
our legislators in Sacramento, I attended a meeting with the College of
Siskiyous (COS) to provide input on their new regional Rural Health
Sciences Institute. A new $8.8 million high-tech training center is
currently under construction on the Yreka campus, funded in part by a
local bond initiative that is repaid through your property taxes. This
will include classrooms with mechanical patients capable of simulating
medical conditions, laboratories, and a theater capable of sophisticated
teleconferencing. COS has a vision to become a leader in providing online
and videoconferencing learning in rural health care and plans on
delivering the instruction widely to locations throughout Siskiyou County.

COS is among twenty community colleges that have received an economic
development grant from WalMart International for needs assessment,
partnership development, job analysis, curriculum development, training,
certifying and testing. The Rural Health Sciences Institute will become a
training center for the region, helping to increase California’s training
capacity for health care workers and training the local workforce for
family waged jobs.