WHEREAS, According to the decades-old federal poverty measure, California’s poverty rate was 12.8 percent and is projected to reach 17 percent by 2014; and

WHEREAS, Due to higher costs of living in the state, California families need an income that is two to three times higher than the poverty line just to make ends meet; and

WHEREAS, Families unable to save and that live paycheck to paycheck, just one layoff or hospital bill away from state support, make up the asset poor in California and outnumber those officially considered to be in poverty; and

WHEREAS, One in four homeless Americans is a Californian and the housing crisis has significantly impacted California. As of August 2007, four out of the top 10 metropolitan areas for foreclosures in the United States were in California. Nearly 250 residential developments with a combined total of 9,389 houses and condominiums, and an estimated worth of $3.5 billion, are now on hold. Rising foreclosures are putting families at risk and decreasing home values are endangering elderly people whose main asset is their home; and

WHEREAS, One in four families that lose their source of income would only last three months or less on savings. While a source of income maintains a family, savings and assets make higher education, entrepreneurship, debt reduction, and retirement possible; and

WHEREAS, 2009 is the third consecutive year of drought in California, resulting in record unemployment rates, with over 40 percent unemployment in some communities, food shortages, and adverse impacts on the stability of families, businesses, communities, and ecosystems; and

WHEREAS, The demand for basic safety net services from public and nonprofit service providers is dramatically increasing while historic cuts in state funding and a deteriorating economy are reducing or eliminating both public and private financial resources for these services; and

WHEREAS, The most vulnerable members of our communities who are poor, including the severely disabled, the sick, the elderly, the seriously mentally ill, and the dying, may always need assistance from others to survive; and

WHEREAS, The poor are two to five times more likely to suffer from a mental disorder than any other group and are more likely to encounter significant barriers to obtaining treatment; and

WHEREAS, Poverty particularly affects the elderly and the young. More than 800,000 California seniors are unable to pay for basic needs, including housing, food, transportation, and medical care. Approximately 22 percent of California’s children are poor, and the impact of poverty on young children is significant and enduring; and

WHEREAS, Families where adults lack a high school diploma have a poverty rate of 41 percent and single-mother families have a poverty rate of 37 percent, highlighting the importance of education at a time when education becomes more expensive and less available to families; and

WHEREAS, California has the eighth largest economy in the world, has the largest population of any state, and has been at the forefront of technological and cultural innovation throughout its history; and

WHEREAS, For the good of our great state, Californians must step up and apply this innovative spirit to reducing poverty and increasing economic opportunities; and

WHEREAS, There are multiple ways that individuals, organizations, and corporations can step up to cut poverty, regardless of political or religious affiliation, race, gender, and economic status; now, therefore, be it