Santa Monica : City Studies Elderly Services

The City Council on Tuesday night voted to direct the the city manager to examine ways to continue vital services that have stopped for about 100 disabled senior citizens because of the state budget impasse.

Mayor Pro Tem David Finkel requested staff to examine options to “keep the flow of work going” and to report to the council next week.

Because the governor and Legislature have yet to agree on a budget for the fiscal year that began July 1, employees who are paid by the state and work for the county are not receiving paychecks. “Those workers aren’t going to (the senior citizens’) homes because they’re not getting paid,” Finkel said.

According to the Commission on Older Americans, individuals who cannot perform three of five vital life functions--sight, movement, and the ability to feed, clothe and wash oneself--qualify for the service.