Schwarzenegger signs bill to restore state money to California domestic violence shelters

During the summer budget battle, Governor Schwarzenegger slashed $15 million to support domestic violence shelters in California. Wednesday, he signed a bill that money back. The bill signing ceremony in Sacramento was less festive than most.

With a sweep of a pen, Governor Schwarzenegger undid what he had done this summer. He signed a bill that provides $15 million in state funds for domestic violence shelters. That’s $15 million he’d cut himself.

Schwarzenegger blamed state legislators.

"The legislature sent me a budget that wasn’t balanced," he said. "As a matter of fact, it was in the hole by $165 million.

"I was forced to make very, very difficult decisions – like cutting domestic violence shelters so that we could provide basic state services like firefighting. Some of the state’s 94 shelters had to close, but today we celebrate that they can re-open again."

For now.

The bill funds domestic violence shelters for just one year. That’s one reason State Senator Leland Yee, who pushed hard to restore the funding, skipped the bill signing ceremony. A spokesman for Yee said the San Francisco Democrat didn’t think it was time to celebrate.

The Coalition to End Domestic Violence also skipped the photo op with Schwarzenegger.

But Beth Hassett with the group Women Empowered Against Violence thanked the governor.

"We talk about the money and we get all caught up in the budget crisis," Hassett said. But we’re talking about people here, people that I’m proud to represent and to say thank you to Governor Schwarzenegger and the Legislature for finding the funding and restoring it for this year."

Hassett said her organization can use some of that money to help victims, like the woman who called their crisis line Sunday at 4 a.m.

The woman's partner assaulted her.

"Earlier that evening, her partner had smashed her head on the sidewalk in front of their house so hard that she needed to be taken in an ambulance to the hospital," Hassett said. "He was arrested. Her young children were taken into custody by Child Protective Services so she could get the help that she needed."

A shelter advocate drove to the hospital to escort the woman to a safe house. The woman was back with her children the next day, Hassett said.

She’s now trying to rebuild her life.

After the governor left, Hassett said she’s worried that Schwarzenegger’s initial decision to cut funding for domestic violence shelters set a dangerous precedent.

Shelters might have to fight even harder to get state money next year, Hassett said.