ACT/UP, Aids Project Los Angeles, the AIDS Housing Alliance and other advocates plan rallies in Los Angeles (June 5) and Sacramento (June 10) to protest Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's massive, proposed budget cuts from state HIV/AIDS funding.
California faces a $24 billion deficit and Schwarzenegger's health care budget cuts target "everything from housing and medical treatment to access to
drugs and prevention services", reports the Bay Area Reporter. "The governor's latest
proposal cut[s] $67.8 million from state HIV programs and ask[s] for an
additional $12.3 million cut in the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. ADAP's total budget is $362 million, with the general fund
contribution from the state accounting for $96 million. But federal
allocations for ADAP are based on how much California budgets toward the
program, so any reduction in state dollars would mean less money for ADAP from
national revenue sources"
Also: On Friday June 5, HIV/AIDS advocates and patients will be at the
state Capitol in the Legislature's Budget Conference Committee as the
lawmakers vote on whether to accept Schwarzenegger's proposed
health care cuts.
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