02/26/2008 GAAS:100:08 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Print Version |
Governor Schwarzenegger Announces First-in-the-Nation Cabinet Position for Service and Volunteering
Governor Schwarzenegger today took
first-in-the-nation action to encourage volunteerism in California and to improve
coordination of volunteer efforts between the state's departments and agencies.
The Governor signed an executive order to establish the new position of
secretary of service and volunteering. The secretary will be a member of the
Governor's Cabinet.
"Government can give direction, it can
provide an impetus, but real change has to come from each and every one of us. I
want to move civic engagement to the highest levels of state government, which
is where it belongs," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "Californians' desire and
will to serve are there in abundance. We must do everything we can to harness
this incredible resource."
The executive order below, signed today by
the Governor, will raise the profile of service in the Golden State to a
national level; improve coordination of vital volunteer activities statewide and
support local service efforts; encourage more Californians to become involved
with service and volunteerism; help California respond to natural disasters and
emergencies; and give California's volunteers a voice at the highest levels of
state government. This is all without adding any new net costs to the state
budget.
"I'm a big believer in uniting people to
create change and achieve a positive legacy in their own lives, in their
communities, in their state and beyond and it is through the act of service that
this goal can be attained. Today as we elevate service, we elevate our fellow
Californians to be 38 million strong," said First Lady Maria
Shriver.
California's volunteers have a positive
multi-billion dollar impact on the state's economy every year. In 2006,
volunteers contributed approximately 858 million hours of service to the
California
economy-a value of more than $17.4 billion. A one percent increase in the number
of Californians who volunteer would equal approximately 365,000 new volunteers
contributing 48 million hours-equal to nearly $1 billion in service to the
state.
The Governor's action gives volunteerism a
stronger voice and greater visibility and will encourage millions of
Californians to make their valuable skills available. As demonstrated by the
thousands of concerned Californians who stepped forward to volunteer during last
year's wildfires and the San Francisco Bay oil spill, a stronger, more
coordinated volunteer force will make California even better equipped to respond
to resident's everyday needs, as well as wildfires, floods, heat waves, winter
freezes, mudslides, earthquakes, disasters and
emergencies.
Governor Schwarzenegger and First Lady
Maria Shriver are committed to strengthening California's volunteer force. Under their
leadership, CaliforniaVolunteers launched CaliforniaVolunteers.org, which
features the largest and most sophisticated statewide online volunteer matching
system in the nation. Since the launch, the number of monthly web-based
referrals of volunteers from CaliforniaVolunteers' local partners to non-profits
has increased by nearly 500 percent. Maria Shriver serves as the honorary chair
of CaliforniaVolunteers.
"I commend California for taking civic engagement and
volunteerism to a new level by announcing a cabinet level secretary of service
and volunteerism. AmeriCorps and other service programs provide a wonderful
avenue for strengthening our communities while addressing our pressing needs in
education, environmental protection, public health, and the environment. This
new position will help to ensure that California's volunteers are fully integrated at the
highest levels into the state's efforts to build a better California," said Senator
Hillary Clinton.
"Service to one's country and community is
the most noble of things an American can give. For a state the size and
influence of California to elevate service and volunteering
to such a prominent position in government says a lot about the state's people
and about the priorities of Governor Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria
Shriver. I'm impressed and applaud California for working to harness and
spotlight the selfless time and energy given by its volunteers," said Senator
John McCain.
"America is a great nation precisely
because Americans have been willing to stand up when it was hard, to serve on
stages both great and small, and to rise above moments of great challenge and
terrible trial. At this defining moment in our history, the Governor's decision
to elevate civic engagement to such an important level reminds us that the call
to serve is one that transcends partisanship and has the power to unite this
generation around a common purpose," said Senator Barack
Obama.
For more information on events, programs
and volunteer opportunities through CaliforniaVolunteers, including the
California Volunteer Matching Network (CVMN) which connects Californians to
meaningful, high-impact volunteer opportunities in their communities through a
dynamic online volunteer matching system, please visit CaliforniaVolunteers.org.
The Governor also today announced the
appointment of CaliforniaVolunteers Executive Director Karen Baker as the
secretary of service and volunteering.
"Karen Baker does a fantastic job managing
CaliforniaVolunteers," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "By elevating the state's
volunteer profile we will make it easier for people to figure out where to go
and what to do when they want to give their time or their
resources."
Karen Baker, 46, of Sacramento, has served as executive director of
CaliforniaVolunteers, formerly known as California Service Corps and the
Governor's Office on Service and Volunteerism, since 2005. From 2002 to 2005,
she served as a managing partner for Valley Vision, a non-profit committed to
building civic engagement while addressing regional issues and, from 2000 to
2002, was director of innovation for Share Our Strength of Washington, D.C., a
national anti-poverty non-profit. Prior to that, Baker served as director for
program coordination and special projects for the Corporation for National
Service, now known as Corporation for National and Community Service, from 1995
to 2000 and as deputy director for AmeriCorps VISTA from 1994 to 1995. From 1990
to 1994, she was executive director of Chrysalis, a Los Angeles based
non-profit serving homeless people. Baker earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology
from the University of California, Los Angeles. This position does not require
Senate confirmation. This position receives a compensation of $175,000, however
due to the budget deficit, she will voluntarily not accept an increase in
compensation and will remain at her current compensation of $130,332. Baker is a
Democrat.
The mission of CaliforniaVolunteers is to increase the
number and impact of Californians engaged in service and volunteerism.
CaliforniaVolunteers administers the AmeriCorps portfolio in California, Citizen
Corps, and the Cesar Chavez Day of
Service and Learning, developed and maintains the California Volunteer Matching
Network on CaliforniaVolunteers.org and
guides policy development to support the non-profit and service
fields.
The full text of the executive order is
below:
EXECUTIVE ORDER S-02-08
WHEREAS the State
of California has a long tradition of volunteer service and civic engagement
that has inspired millions of people from all across our great state to
actively contribute their talents and time to assist others and serve the
greater good of society; and
WHEREAS in 2006,
6.47 million Californians volunteered in their communities, performing more
than 858.5 million hours of service valued at over $17.4 billion to
California's economy; and
WHEREAS CaliforniaVolunteers, then the California Service Corps, was tasked by
Executive Order S-04-06 with ensuring the coordination of volunteer activities
related to disaster response and recovery, including necessary training,
equipment, and transportation provisions; and
WHEREAS through
CaliforniaVolunteers and local volunteer organizations, more than 10,000
Californians responded to California's call for volunteers to help those
affected by the Southern California Wildfires; and
WHEREAS since
1994, more than 69,000 men and women have committed a year of service to
California communities through AmeriCorps and these men and women have provided
such services as tutoring at-risk youth, restoring vital watersheds, and
building homes for the homeless; and
WHEREAS volunteers play an important role in helping state agencies and departments
provide services to Californians and supporting the significant contributions
of the state's public servants; and
WHEREAS volunteers help address critical issues that affect all Californians, such as
environmental protection, disaster preparedness, anti-poverty efforts, and
mentoring at-risk youth; and
WHEREAS state
government cannot solve all of the many challenges facing California and must effectively and
efficiently engage more volunteers to address community needs. The enhancement and better coordination of the
public and private sectors in support of volunteering is vital to improving California; and
WHEREAS service
and volunteering efforts in California
must be strengthened through improved collaboration to reach their maximum
potential; and
WHEREAS changes
to the current structure of CaliforniaVolunteers will help increase the
positive impact of volunteering and service in California; and
WHEREAS CaliforniaVolunteers can be strengthened without the need to add any new net
costs to the budget, by redirecting positions and funding from other agencies.
NOW, THEREFORE, I ARNOLD
SCHWARZENEGGER, Governor of the State of California,
by virtue of the power and authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws
of the State of California,
do hereby issue this Executive Order to become effective immediately:
IT IS
ORDERED THAT:
1. Executive Orders
S-04-06 and S-24-06 are supplemented by this Executive Order.
2. CaliforniaVolunteers
will be headed by a Secretary of Service and Volunteering, who shall be
appointed by, and who shall serve at the pleasure of, the Governor. The Secretary of Service and Volunteering
shall be a member of the Governor's cabinet.
3. The existing
CaliforniaVolunteers Commission will continue to serve as California's "State
Commission" for purposes of the National and Community Service Trust Act (42
U.S.C. § 12501 et seq.) and its implementing rules and regulations.
4. CaliforniaVolunteers
shall be the lead agency under the California Emergency Services Act (Gov.
Code, § 8550 et seq.) for the coordination of monetary and in-kind donations
during times of disaster. It will
cooperate with the Office of Emergency Services in fulfilling these duties.
5. The Secretary of
Service and Volunteering will collaborate with private organizations to
increase investment and participation in service and volunteering.
6. The existing
Governor's Mentoring Partnership, established as the California Mentor Council
by Executive Order W-132-96, shall be part of CaliforniaVolunteers, including
its staff and all its power and duties.
7. All state agencies
and departments are hereby directed to cooperate with and assist
CaliforniaVolunteers in carrying out its duties and increasing volunteer
opportunities within state government.
This Executive Order is not intended
to, and does not, create any rights or benefits, substantive or procedural,
enforceable at law or in equity, against the State of California, its agencies,
departments, entities, officers, employees, or any other person.
I FURTHER DIRECT THAT, as soon as hereafter possible, this Order be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State and that widespread publicity and notice be given to this order.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and
caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 26th day of
February 2008.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor of California
ATTEST:
Debra Bowen
Secretary of State
