1,000 Rally for Higher Wages for Caregivers

A crowd of about 1,000 filled the streets near the governor’s downtown Los Angeles office Friday to demand better wages for caregivers of people with developmental disabilities.

People arrived as early as 9 a.m., many in wheelchairs or using crutches and walkers.

They hoped the rally, in front of Gov. Gray Davis’ Spring Street office, would help persuade him and members of the Legislature to reevaluate funding for the Department of Disability Services in the May budget revisions.

Demonstrators were concerned that the January budget did not provide enough funding to increase caregiver wage rates to a competitive market level, said Steve Miller, executive director of the Tierra Del Sol Foundation. The foundation serves individuals with developmental disabilities such as autism, mental retardation and severe cerebral palsy.

Their protest followed a similar protest several months ago against the state and the county on behalf of workers in social service areas.

“It is unsafe to have an entire system responsible for the care of California’s most fragile population predicated on entry-level employees working night and day,” Miller said. He said many employees are lured from the $8-an-hour jobs as caregivers to the developmentally disabled into similar positions at schools and state institutions, or even jobs in fast-food restaurants.

“The state has chronically and repeatedly refused to fund community-based services,” said Miller, citing the 30-year-old Lanterman Act, which entitled developmentally disabled individuals to community-based care. Placing those institutions in jeopardy violates the law, he said.

But state officials contend the $2.7 billion allocated to the Department of Developmental Services in the 2001-2002 budget as well as last year’s funding is a major improvement.

“Last year, the governor allotted the biggest infusion of capital to the Department of Developmental Services . . . they have seen in over a decade,” said Byron Tucker, spokesman for the governor. Still, he said, funding for health services will be examined and revisions considered.

Joining the Friday protest, Pat Cambern, 70, the mother of a 47-year-old daughter who is epileptic, autistic and mentally retarded, addressed the huge crowed from a fading microphone.

“The most important thing today,” she said after the rally, “is the loss of good employees because we can’t pay them enough.”