County Supervisors Approve Legal Action to Protect First 5 Funds

 SOLANO COUNTY – Acting on last week’s recommendation by the First 5 Solano Children and Families Commission, the Solano County Board of Supervisors directed its County Counsel to initiate litigation to protect local First 5 funds. 

The move was spurred by recent state legislation that sweeps $1 billion from county First 5 commissions across the state to address the state budget deficit.  “The voters of California have on several occasions, now specified these dedicated tobacco sales tax revenues were not to supplant existing spending on children’s programs and that counties have control of their share of First 5 funds,” said Michael Reagan, Chair of the Solano Board of Supervisors.  “Taking these funds from our county without voter approval is just wrong and flouts the voters’ will.” 

First 5 Solano served over 20,000 young children and their families across Solano County last year with programs such as health insurance, prenatal care, support for neighborhood family resource centers and pre-kindergarten programs in 5 school districts.  Solano First 5 funds support dental care, emergency services such as payments to avoid utility shutoff or eviction, quality child care and home visits for children at risk of falling into the foster care system.

“What can the state be thinking?” said County Supervisors Linda Seifert, who represents the Board on the First 5 Commission.  “First 5 Solano has saved the state millions of dollars by keeping families out of crisis programs like welfare, foster care and the courts. We also make the First 5 dollars go farther by leveraging other funds into our county. So when you cut a First 5 dollar in Solano County, you are in effect cutting $2-$2.50.” 

A group of First 5 Commissions in the Central Valley filed suit against the state takeaway last week, along with a similar suit in Orange County.  Solano County may join an existing suit or take separate action. 

The First 5 Solano Commission, which stands to lose about $8.8 million if the state takeaway goes through, voted on April 5 to spend up to $100,000 on legal costs.  “I applaud the Commission and the County for taking action to protect children by fighting the state takeaway,” said Danny Ayala, who chairs the First 5 Solano Commission.  “While I can think of 100,000 things our children need more than spending $100,000 on legal action, it’s a small price to pay to keep $8.8 million here in our community.”

Despite the pending legal action, the Solano First 5 Commission is considering cuts to its upcoming budget in light of the state’s action.  “The money the state is trying to take could be tied up for years now, so either way, the Commission is facing a future with greatly diminished resource,” said, Christina Arrostuto, Executive Director for First 5 Solano.  “It is terrible to be faced with cutting services to young children who are at risk of abuse, neglect and homelessness when the voters have already said three times that First 5 money should be spent as the local community decides.” 

“We are putting our grantees through torture,” said Commissioner Dana Dean of Benicia, a sentiment echoed by Commissioners at their April 5 meeting, as grantees in the audience were invited to comment on the impact of the proposed reductions.  Staff outlined one scenario that included cutting $1.1 million from the 2011/12 First 5 budget without affecting current grants, and other scenarios that would cut current grants by 20% or end some or all grants earlier than expected.

“We all got on the commission to do positive things for the community” said First 5 Commissioner and County Superintendent of Schools Jay Speck. “We are now being forced to make decisions that harm our community and our only choices are which cuts create the least amount of harm to our children’s future.”

Commissioners were particularly dismayed at the prospect of eliminating funding that was to be used for emergency services for basic needs such as housing, food and utilities, and directed staff to come back with options to continue these services over the coming year.  They set a special meeting was set for Tuesday, May 10 to hear a more detailed analysis of proposed cuts. 

For more information about First 5 Solano, call 707.784.1332 or visit www.first5solano.org.

About First 5 Solano:  Approved by California voters in November 1998 under Proposition 10, state and local First 5 Commissions rely on revenues generated by tobacco taxes to fund early childhood development programs for children up to age five.