We spent an hour at today's chilly noon SEIU rally on the Capitol's south steps. It looked to us like well over a thousand state workers, some with their kids, showed up for the event despite the cold weather. Here's a little of what we jotted in our notebook:
Several people using walkers and wheelchairs. Shouldn't they be inside?
Signs:Fix the budget NOW!!
My landlord doesn't take IOU's!
I care about our seniors!
Cuts hurt our kids!
Have a heart -- new revenue is a start
Chants:"No more cuts!"
"Fired up, can't stand it no more!"
"Back to Hollywood!"
Yvonne Walker (president SEIU Local 1000) to the crowd: "The governor is into creating political theater, not political solutions!"
Eliseo Medina, executive vice president of SEIU International (when we asked what he would tell a discouraged state worker not at the rally): "Don't despair -- organize!"
rally speakers included:IMAGE: SEIU member Mariam Alvarez of Fresno holds a sign at the SEIU Rally against budget cuts for caregivers and student aid on Friday afternoon at Capitol.
- a retiree
- two union executives (Walker and Medina)
- a home care worker
- a hospital worker
- a children's social worker
- a case manager for the developmentally disabled
- a child care provider
- a college student
Photo by Jose Luis Villegas, Sacramento Bee
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