Blocked! A Quarter Billion In Child Care Cuts

Late last week, an Alameda County Superior Court judge blocked $256 million in cuts that Gov. Schwarzenegger had ordered to a program that pays for child care for people in the state's welfare-to-work program. The state must first notify these parents about their options to enroll in other programs.

Legislative Democrats have made a cause of this cut, which Schwarzenegger made using his line-item veto power. And one can see why. Parents who are trying to get off welfare have a hard time finding a job. But the task is even more difficult when they have no way to pay for child care when they're working.

But one can understand Schwarzenegger's frustration. The state constitution requires a balanced budget. But judges have blocked his cuts to health and human services programs, as well as prisons. It's another piece of a California governing system that makes balancing a budget nearly impossible in practice.

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