Coastal voices: Prop 10 funds could be compromised

This is a letter I sent to Helen Thomson, chairwoman of the Health and Human Services Committee of the California State Association of Counties:

This letter is to express my concern that the intent of California's Proposition 10 approved by a majority of California voters in 1998 will be compromised during ongoing state budget deliberations.

While I have a strong interest when a state Legislature changes the popular will of voters on any majority vote, I am especially concerned with regards to the current threat to the integrity of the Proposition 10 First Five funds.

Del Norte County has benefited in numerous ways from these funds and many measurable positive changes have occurred since established in 1998.

The F5 Del Norte has matched local funds with several initiatives including the earliest project, which brought the Wonder Bus (early family literacy) bringing reading and early child development activities to outlying areas of our community. The expressions of delight are loud and clear: "The Wonder Bus is here!"

Beyond the initial purchase and inventory, when the local library district was no longer able to maintain the Wonder Bus, the F5 Del Norte negotiated a partnership of city, county, schools, library and a local non-profit to manage and maintain the bus. It was clear from the constituents of Del Norte County the Wonder Bus was very important and well loved.

A second major initiative was the Comprehensive Approaches to Raising Educational Standards (CARES) for the Early Learning Workforce, which inspired and rewarded a tremendous effort by local child-care providers to refresh their early child development knowledge and skills in order to provide quality child care in our rural community. Several family child-care home operators and center-based staff participated in community college courses, UC Davis Extension classes and other resources to improve services to our families.

The First 5 DN Commission is also dedicated to the community goal of insurance coverage for all children in the county. It has provided funding for coverage and stipends for working families who are not eligible for Medi-Cal and Healthy Families, but still do not earn enough or are employed by businesses that do not offer dependent insurance coverage.

Mini-grants the local commission has awarded upgraded playgrounds, created two child friendly areas in the local courthouse for children of Family Court clients, Books For Babes and Well Baby Kits (providing books, early child development and health information for newborns in Del Norte County) and dental/hearing check-ups for young children. There are many more examples and it is a long list.

I would like to point out that these services would never have happened in a poor rural community like ours without the opportunity that a fully funded Proposition 10 provided. We simply don't have the capacity up here. To learn that this funding is to be compromised is very disheartening.

A very recent development is the establishment of a permanent home for the Family Resource Center that the F5 Del Norte created. With the purchase of a former grocery store building and partnership with the county, a beautiful new facility has been opened in the heart of our city. It is in proximity of a middle school, two of the largest low-income primary schools, one faith-based school and the Boys & Girls Club and a senior citizens housing complex. The neighborhood is very dense with low income, minority and elderly families. Since opening last fall, over 13,000 people have walked through the doors and used the services. Again, this would nave never happened without the fully-funded Proposition 10 opportunity.

Another aspect of this issue is tobacco abatement. We have experienced a reduction in the use of tobacco products in our county. The F5 staff and commissioners collaborate with the Board of Supervisors Safe & Healthy Children & Families and the Teen Tobacco Abatement program to educate and reduce the use of tobacco and other unhealthy substances.

While I understand the difficulty of balancing the state budget, it should not involve reversing what the voters of California have been very clear on regarding their belief in the value of Proposition 10 and its intent. To end-run or compromise the will of the voters is not a role for the Legislature or governor.

Council.