Long Beach : Child-Care Proposal Wins Reprieve for Further Study

A proposal to reimburse members of city commissions and other groups for child care and senior citizens care won a reprieve this week at a Long Beach City Council meeting.

A council committee had recommended that the proposal by the city’s Board of Health and Human Services be rejected because it could cost the city about $65,000 annually.

But several council members questioned the committee’s finding, which was based on a $25 reimbursement fee instead of the $15 that was recommended. Also, the committee estimated that half of the city’s commissioners and board members would seek the reimbursement. That number is highly inflated, according to supporters.

The council sent the matter back to its Economic Development and Finance Committee for further analysis.

Supporters argue that helping people pay for child care opens local government to those who may otherwise not be able to participate.

Reimbursing members of commissions and other groups for child care and senior citizens care was suggested earlier this year by the local branch of the National Organization for Women. In a study of the city’s 47 committees, commissions and boards, the group found that women compose 38% of the appointments.

Most of those appointments deal with social services and the arts. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to be appointed to the more powerful groups that set policy and administer funds, according to the NOW study.