The Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club is horrified by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s draconian budget cuts to the Office of AIDS Prevention and Treatment. Using questionable line-item veto authority, the Governor cut nearly $500 million in General Fund with nearly 80 percent coming from health and human services programs, including $52.1 million in HIV/AIDS healthcare and prevention programs administered by the Office of AIDS. This is over and above the over $30 million cut from the State Office of AIDS in the budget revision deal last week.
The State Office of AIDS is California’s first-line of defense in the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS. Eliminating important HIV/AIDS programs such as counseling, management, and educational services that prevent the spread of the disease will undoubtedly increase HIV/AIDS infection rates, particularly among groups such as African-Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Latinos, young adults, and the LGBT community. In a very real way, Arnold Schwarzenegger has ensured that scores of Californians will become HIV-positive over the next few years. These cuts are extremely short-sighted, as the expenses of increased sero-conversion rates will ultimately outweigh any short-term fiscal benefits.
The Governor’s cuts also force lower income residents and many of our seniors to choose between food and medication. In extreme cases, some residents will have to forego purchasing medication because they cannot afford them. By removing these safety net programs, people living with HIV/AIDS will have no choice but to access emergency medical services, which creates additional and unnecessary costs for our already over-burdened emergency rooms.
This $52.1 million cut to critical HIV/AIDS services is just another failure of Governor Schwarzenegger’s two-term administration. The Governor has balanced the State’s budget on the back of our poorest and most vulnerable populations. This is his legacy.
