When Catholics across California converge in Sacramento for Catholic Lobby Day April 27, they'll be urging the state legislature not to balance the multi-billion dollar deficit in the state budget by cutting social services to the poor.

Some 1,000 Catholics will gather for Catholic Lobby Day, including about 60 parishioners and clergy from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The day will include a Mass, a march to the state Capitol and a rally, followed by legislative office visits.

"It makes a great impact when we tell [legislators and staff] we come from Los Angeles where there are four to five million Catholics," said Maria Elena Perales, director of the archdiocesan Office for Justice and Peace. "We represent a large constituency and we speak for the voiceless. We want them to know that the decisions they make will affect mostly the poor --- women and children."

The California Catholic Conference (CCC) is opposing several proposed cuts to the state budget. They include capping and/or eliminating certain services for immigrants; capping enrollment in the Genetically Handicapped Persons Program (GHPP); capping enrollment in California Children's Services (CCS) for children with special health care needs; reducing CalWORKs Grants; and eliminating transitional Food Stamps for former CalWORKs recipients transitioning from welfare to work.

At press time, parishes from the archdiocese participating in Catholic Lobby Day include San Miguel and St. Raphael in Los Angeles, Sagrado Corazon y Santa Maria de Guadalupe in Cudahy, St. Francis Xavier in Pico Rivera, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Sun Valley, St. Anne in Santa Monica, St. Clare in Canyon Country, and Holy Family in Glendale. Members of the St. Vincent de Paul Society are also participating.

Carmelite Father Vicente Lopez, associate pastor at St. Raphael Church, said that participating in Catholic Lobby Day is the next step in developing lay leadership at his parish.

"[Parish leaders] are ready to take a step beyond parish concerns, which is more about witnessing to the Gospel in the social and political field," said Father Lopez. "To go to Sacramento is the next step in their own development and my own journey in walking with them."

Parish leaders, who are mostly immigrants, "don't know how things work, who legislators are," he added. "This is a tremendous big step to engage the way the country operates with the assembly, legislation and the California Catholic Conference. They are learning the levels of civic responsibility."

This is the sixth annual Catholic Lobby Day in Sacramento and most legislative offices take advantage of the opportunity to meet with Catholic constituencies, said Perales. The experience for parishioners is significant.

"When someone actually listens to what parishioners have to say, they come back empowered, energized, and wanting to do more at the parish," said Perales. "They realize the impact they have."

Additionally, there are several bills in the legislature which the CCC is supporting:

AB 1946 (Sentencing, Compassionate Release): Would extend the possibility of release to state prisoners with a terminal illness prognosis of 12 months or less to live or who are permanently dependent upon medical intervention for survival and whose release does not threaten public safety.

SB 1160 (Highway: Drivers Licenses): Proposes improving California public safety by ensuring that all drivers are properly licensed, tested and financially responsible. Currently, 20 percent of motor accidents involve unlicensed and uninsured drivers. The law would allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses

SB 1221 (Pupils, Confidential Medical Services, Parental Notification): Would require that schools inform parents and guardians about existing law that allows students in grades 7-12 to leave school campus for confidential medical services (including contraceptive and abortion services) without parental/guardian permission. This bill would educate and make parents aware of current law.

AB 2832 (Minimum Wage): Would set the minimum wage at $7.25 per hour as of Jan. 1, 2005 and $7.75 per hour as of Jan. 1, 2006. Currently it is $6.75 per hour, and there are approximately 1 million minimum wage jobs in the state.

ACR 193 (Higher Education): A resolution affirming the legislature's commitment to access to higher education for all qualified Californians.

The CCC recommends opposing and lobbying against AB 1967 Gender-Neutral Marriage. The bill would take existing law defining a valid marriage as being between a man and a woman, and instead define marriage as a personal relation arising out of a civil contract between two persons, thereby recognizing homosexual unions as marriages.

Editor's note: For more information on Catholic Lobby Day priority issues, see www.cacatholic.org. The site includes the article, "How to Lobby and Understanding the Legislative Process."