Campaign Update
Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Inside This Issue:

As you know, we are in the middle of a campaign to urge the Governor to include the funding and policy for covering all kids in his January State of the State address and budget proposal. Thank you for the many letters you have sent so far! If you haven't yet done so, there is still a narrow window of time to influence the Governor. Please let the Governor know that Californians need him to be a champion for children's health. We have just a few days left to demonstrate the widespread support for covering all kids this year. To multiply our efforts, please ask your colleagues, friends and family to send a letter as well.

Send your letter to:

The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor of California
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: (916) 445-4633

Feel free to use this sample as a starting point. And please send Californians for Healthy Kids a copy of every letter you send – via fax: 916-443-1204, email: acridge@childrennow.org, or mail: 1127 Eleventh St, Suite 452, Sacramento, CA 95814.

PICO California is organizing speech-watching parties all over California. Join friends, family and fellow advocates as we come together to watch – and rate – the Governor's State of the State address. To find a party near you, contact Rebecca Stark at 916-447-7959 x11 or rebecca@picocalifornia.org. Or, organize your own party! Please make sure to register your party at www.fulfillthepledge.org so that we can tally up the final count of speech-watchers. The web site will be updated shortly to accept your party registration and provide a guide for "rating" the Governor's leadership on children's health.

In addition to our budget efforts, Californians for Healthy Kids is sponsoring legislation to ensure we get the job done in 2007. We are fortunate to be working with Senator Darrell Steinberg and Assemblymember John Laird on legislation that will secure a statewide system of affordable coverage for all children. Both legislators introduced spot bills – SB 32 and AB 13 – in the first week of the new legislative session. The bills currently contain placeholder language and will be amended in the coming weeks and months.

Other influential legislators – including Assembly Health Committee Chair Mervyn Dymally – are critical to our success this year. Chairman Dymally has signaled strong support for kids' health coverage by introducing AB 1 to cover all children. We thank him for his leadership on the issue.

We also thank you for your continued commitment to children's health and look forward to continuing our work together in 2007!

The 100% Campaign, a collaborative effort of Children Now, Children's Defense Fund and The Children's Partnership, was created to ensure that all of California's children obtain the health insurance they need to grow up strong and healthy.
www.100percentcampaign.org

The PICO California Project is the united effort of 20 California congregation-community organizations affiliated with the PICO National Network. Collectively, we represent 350 congregations and 400,000 families statewide and are actively organizing in over 70 cities in Northern and Southern California.
www.picocalifornia.org