I don’t
envy the Governor.He is concerned about
State Government’s solvency while awaiting a budget from the Legislature.To address this concern, he has issued an
Executive Order laying off several thousand part time and temporary State
employees and reducing all other State employees’ salaries to minimum wage
level.Bold action indeed.
Was this
the right step to take?Many say
no.But it is not the purpose of this
commentary to say whether the Governor’s action was correct or not.Rather, it is our intent to remind decision
makers of the impact of such an action on the State’s 19,000 plus employees who
are persons with disabilities [PWDs].
In keeping
with our drive to reinvigorate and revitalize this important organization, at
the August 7, 2008, Board of Directors Meeting ACSED adopted a new symbolic
emblem and letterhead.
Our new emblem is a double oval which
includes the Association of California State Employee’s acronym (ACSED), an
outline image of a map of California,
ACSED’s mission statement, and the year the organization was founded [1976].
Aside from
its appearance on our official letterhead stationery, the new emblem (shown
here) will be proudly displayed at public meetings we sponsor, events and
activities ACSED supports, and other appropriate opportunities.You may download a copy of the new ACSED
emblem and/or ACSED Letterhead by following the embeded links to those items.
The emblem
and letterhead layout is based on an idea originally put forward by President Les
Treece-Sinclair, with suggestions from Board members; Lisa Brown in
particular.The Board expresses its
sincere thanks to Pam Treece-Sinclair, who took an idea and made it into a
graphic reality.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 14 August 2008 )
ACSED Prez to Steinberg: Support AB-851
Written by Patricia McPartland
Wednesday, 06 August 2008
ACSED's
President Les Treece-Sinclair has sent a letter to the State Senate's incoming
President pro tem, Senator Darrell Steinberg, calling on the latter to support
AB-851.The proposed new legislation is
extremely invaluable to California workers with disabilities, including those
in state service or considering state service.Following is the complete transcript of President Treece-Sinclair's
letter to Steinberg:
Legislative Alert: Urgent AB851 July Action Needed
Written by Patricia McPartland
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Legislative Alert!
Legislative Alert!
TO: ACSED Assn of CA State Employees
with Disabilities (formerly DISS) membership and other
disability rights advocates
FROM: Pat McPartland, ACSED Legislative
Coordinator
SUBJECT: AB851 (Brownley)
Medi-Cal 250% Working Disabled. Please
contact your Senator! Remove the sunset date of Sept 2008, and make
this program permanent.
This is such an important bill! The
Medi-Cal 250% Working Disabled program really makes it possible for
persons with disabilities who can’t afford to leave Medi-Cal or who
need personal care services to work and keep a reasonable portion of
their earnings. We need to make sure the program is made permanent
and is improved to provide even better coverage. AB851 is currently
in the Senate Appropriations committee suspense file. We need to show
support for the bill so it is passed out of there and for vote in the
full Senate. Please help.
On
Monday April 21, ACSED President Les Treece-Sinclair and Vice-President Pat
McPartland met with Suzanne Ambrose, Executive Officer, State Personnel Board
[SPB]; Mary Fernandez, Assistant Executive Officer; Chila Silva-Martin, Chief,
Consulting Services Division; and Becky Tietz, Manager, Exam Services Program.
The
purpose of the meeting was to introduce ourselves and indicate ACSED's
interest in continuing the close working relationship it has had with previous
SPB Executive Officers and
their staffs. Based on the meeting, it is our impression that our two
organizations will continue to work together, in close common cause, to
address disability issues and to increase employment opportunities for persons
with disabilities in State government. This stems in no small part from
the commitment Suzanne articulated to address such issues and a determination
to make things better than they are currently.
All
State departments are required by the Government Code to have a Disability
Advisory Committee [DAC].DACs, which
are to be comprised primarily of persons with disabilities [PWDs], are to
advise and assist a department to address disability issues and to promote an
increase in employment opportunities for PWDs.While some DACs have been quite active and effective, others are much
less so.Thus ACSED has developed a DAC
Survey which is designed to gather information on how DACs are organized and
their membership; how they are supported by their departments; what activities
they undertake; and what their needs are. Such information will help to identify
best practices as well as problem areas. From this, appropriate DAC
training and technical assistance can be developed, needed policy guidance
provided and the SPB's "How to Have an Effective DAC" can be updated
