In two protest events coordinated in both Southern and Northern California, protesters made their voices heard in extraordinary unison.:

Upwards of 1,000 people from across the state came to Sacramento to hear from key figures in the past and present of California’s developmental services community, and march to the Capitol to #Speak4Justice and urge the Legislature to provide 10%+Reform.

In what they called a last desperate plea, more than 100 protesters gathered in front of state Sen. Kevin de Leon’s district office Tuesday to press him and other lawmakers to boost funding for programs for those with developmental disabilities.

Demonstrators, including those with special needs, were joined by supporters from the San Fernando Valley, Pasadena and all over East Los Angeles. Read more.

On Wednesday, September 2 NBRC welcomes Jose Ayala of Napa to the NBRC Board of Directors meeting starting at 5:00pm at 10 Executive Ct. in Napa, to share his experiences as an Olympian at the World Games. Jose won a silver medal in javelin and a bronze medal in the 4-by-100-meter relay at the 2015 Special Olympics World Games held in Los Angeles. Ayala also placed seventh in the 200-meter dash. “Jose is an amazing athlete with a heart of gold,” said coach Serenity Ryan. As a result of his achievements, Jose threw out the first pitch at a recent Giants game. Join us at the meeting to hear about Jose’s experiences.

See photo in Napa Register here.    See Jose throw out the First Pitch here.

When Kausha King’s son Christian was born with cerebral palsy, along with a seizure disorder and lung disease, doctors told her he would not live past the age of 3. Today, Christian is 18, and although he cannot walk or speak, he is happy and thriving, King says.

She credits much of her son’s progress to a little-known state program known as California Children’s Services, or CCS, which pays for specialized medical care for children with severe illnesses or birth defects.

Beginning next year, state officials essentially want to fold the $2 billion program, which serves an estimated 180,000 children younger than 21, into its vast system of Medi-Cal managed care. Read more.

Santa Rosa, Calif. – The First 5 Sonoma County Commission announces the release of multiple contracts totaling $10.97 million to 12 different community partners. First 5 Sonoma awards this critical funding as part of the Commission’s 2010-2020 Strategic Plan prioritizing support of all children entering kindergarten ready to succeed. First 5 Sonoma specifically focused on areas of critical need in Sonoma County with an emphasis on programs aimed at ensuring early care and education is high quality, engaging with the community on the importance of supporting children ages 0 to 5 and providing a complete system of health care to help our families and their children. Read more here: First 5 Sonoma Services Agreements Release August 7

When the Americans With Disabilities Act was passed 25 years ago, many people may have assumed that the law was written only to protect the rights of people with physical disabilities. But that’s never been the case, said Cindy Held Tarshish, ADA Minnesota program manager for the Metropolitan Center for Independent Living.  Read more.

When it comes to treating chronic conditions, diabetes drugs aren’t nearly as sexy as say, Sovaldi, last year’s breakthrough hepatitis C drug that offers a cure for the chronic liver infection at a price approaching six figures.

Yet an estimated 29 million people have diabetes — about 10 times the number of people with hepatitis C — and many of them will take diabetes drugs for the rest of their lives. Cost increases for both old and new drugs alike are forcing many consumers to scramble to pay for them. Read more.

Philosophically, Republicans in the California Legislature are correct in their view of the state’s failure to properly fund developmental services in the 2015-16 budget.

It was a cynical move by Gov. Jerry Brown and the majority Democrats in the Legislature to leave that funding flat, even though there was ample revenue to give developmental services the immediate 10 percent funding boost that is desperately needed after years of budgetary neglect. Instead, Democrats allocated money to their major supporters and causes, and stiffed those with developmental disabilities — kicking the problem into a special session of the Legislature. Read more.