SACRAMENTO, CA, October 17, 2006--Today, senior organizations, disability groups, homecare workers, community leaders and elected officials joined with homecare consumers to speak out against Governor Schwarzenegger's unilateral vetoes of legislation written to protect and enhance the State's In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Program.   Today's event kicks off a statewide "virtual caravan" to denounce the Governor's attacks on the IHSS program and call for a commitment to protecting homecare.   The caravan launched in Sacramento and is being followed by events in Counties throughout the state, including San Francisco, Butte, Santa Cruz, San Bernardino, Riverside, Kings, Contra Costa, Fresno, and c ulminating in Los Angeles on October 26.   The Caravan is being coordinated by the Quality Homecare Coalition and Californians Care --organizations comprised of homecare consumers, senior and disability organization representatives, and homecare workers.

More than 300,000 Californians rely on homecare for assistance with their tasks of daily living, such as eating, dressing, bathing, cooking and cleaning.   It allows seniors and people with disabilities to continue living safely and independently in their own homes, instead of unnecessarily and prematurely entering nursing homes, which cost up to seven times what homecare costs.

IHSS bills vetoed by the Governor includes legislation that would have provided additional training for homecare workers, assisted rural counties in making homecare available for their residents, provided for background checks for new workers, and would have made it possible for low-income individuals to purchase homecare services from an IHSS Public Authority.

The vetoes come at the same time that the State Legislature has committed itself to developing a strategy to ensure there are adequate programs and services available for a senior population that is expected to increase exponentially in the coming years. According to the Assembly Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care, about 4 million of California's 36 million residents are senior citizens.   That number is expected to double in relation to the total population by 2020.

Governor Schwarzenegger's past record on the IHSS program includes proposals to cut the wages of homecare workers to minimum wage and take away health benefits, as well as abolish the "Residual Program" which makes it possible for thousands of family members to provide care for their elderly or disabled loved ones.

The goal of the "You Can't Veto Our Voice!" campaign is to raise awareness of the important role homecare plays in the lives of so many Californians, and the need to make the program a top priority in Sacramento.