SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's insistence on cost-cutting measures to weed out what he has described as "waste, fraud and abuse" in California's social service programs has struck a nerve with Democrats, welfare advocates and the frail.
They say the Republican governor is using the poor as a scapegoat for the state's $26.3 billion budget shortfall. They also fear his proposals, if approved by the Legislature, would trigger increased unemployment and homelessness, and force thousands of people from their homes into expensive nursing facilities.
