Skip to main content
News release

Unhappy Birthday to You, Mr. Governor

July 30, 2009
Health Care

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

California Moms Visit Governor Schwarzenegger’s Office to Protest Cuts to Healthy Families Program
It may be Governor Schwarzenegger’s birthday, but California moms and kids certainly don’t feel like celebrating. Instead, a group of moms visited the Governor’s office today to deliver “unhappy birthday” cards protesting the cuts he made to the Healthy Families Program, which provides health insurance for California children. They are members of MomsRising.org, an online grassroots and on-the-ground organization for moms (and anyone that has a mom). They brought with them more than twelve hundred cards which were sent in by members across California over the course of only two hours.
 
“Children should not have to suffer because of the state’s budget crisis,” said MomsRising.org Executive Director Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner. “Other states have managed to maintain or even increase coverage for kids during these tough economic times, and we want the Governor to know that protecting uninsured kids is a priority for California families.”
 
MomsRising.org Campaign Director Ashley Boyd organized and led the birthday card delivery.
 
On Tuesday, Governor Schwarzenegger used his line-item veto authority to revise the state budget and add another $50 million in cuts to the state’s Healthy Families Program, bringing the total cuts this year to $179 million. As a result, approximately one million children will lose their health insurance.
 
In addition to the unhappy birthday cards that they have gathered from moms across the state, the group delivered a sleeping eye pillow decorated with kids’ hand prints to remind the Governor – even while he’s sleeping – that the state’s children are relying on him.
 

# # # #

MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.