The California Office of Family Planning (OFP), a branch of the Family Health Division, Department of Health Services, was established in 1973 to provide assistance and services relating to the planning of families. In July 1989, state appropriations for OFP were cut by two-thirds, leaving $12 million to support the provision of family planning and other health services. Funding was restored 7 months later. Prior to the restoration of funds, the California Assembly Committee on Health mailed a written questionnaire to OFP-funded agencies to document effects of the cutbacks. This survey revealed 28 clinic site closures and 4 clinics that discontinued providing family planning services. An additional 43 clinics stopped serving OFP-subsidized clients. Thus a total of 75 clinics were affected, leading to reduced accessibility to subsidized family planning services in 20 counties. The temporary reduction in funding has had long-term consequences. Most dramatic has been the inability to recruit the nurse practitioners who form the backbone of clinic services. Many of these professionals sought employment elsewhere because of the instability of program funding as well as the relatively low salaries. Continued state funding of the network of family planning clinics throughout California is imperative if women at risk of unintended pregnancy are to be served. As this study documents, even within the relatively short period during which OFP funds were curtailed, the subsidized clinics were severely affected. (LLL)