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The Terminator Tour will bring to light the severe impact of the budget cuts and the dismantling of our critical community programs.  Behind all of these cuts are real people!  It is important that everyone understand the harsh effects that cuts to essential services will have on our community.

What is needed now more than at any time in our lifetimes are social programs that help people who have nowhere else to go – folks who just need a leg up. The actual costs of these programs are relatively small and they are critical to the lives of many. And they are good, they do help people. They often save lives.

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“The Governor is proposing that they do away with the Cal Grant program.  That affects 44,000 students in the state of California,” said Abel Guillen, Peralta Community College Board President.  “Some students have to make the decision whether or not they’re going to be able to pay their rent or childcare.  Some students are even opting to bring their children to class because they just can’t afford to pay a sitter.”

Marlene Hurd, former Senator for the Student Senate for California Community Colleges said, “One of the things that I witness a lot is students lining up for financial aid and those lines get long.  What I see are students who need this service and can’t get it.  Where do those students go?  Some of them may end up dropping out of school and maybe they’re right at the end about to graduate and they need that extra cushion to pull them through.” 

Nakia Dillard, a student who is looking forward to transferring to SF State in the Fall said, “It’s going to be really hard for our youth to have hope if our Governor is putting these budget cuts on education and making it harder for youth to get into college.  It’s really hard to get jobs, it’s sad to say (students) might turn to the streets and other negative ways to make money…they have to make a living somehow.”

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“Cutting programs for the most fragile in our society is not the method to solve the budgetary problems,” said Dr. Carol Brosgart, Chief Medical Officer at Children’s Hospital Oakland.  “Very few hospitals throughout the state are even taking care of children anymore. We don’t want to limit our service in any way, and there’s no backup if we’re not here. We’re going to have to do more, for more, with less.”

“When you don’t have much money you don’t pay for preventative services and you don’t go into the dentist until you have a big need,” said Wynne Grossman, Executive Director of the Dental Health Foundation.  “When you have a big need it’s expensive. And if you have no insurance, it’s a problem. A couple of root canals and you’re up to three to four thousand dollars without blinking.”