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RELEASE: Governor and Legislature Must Adopt Final California Budget that Prevents Harm To Children and Families

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May 10, 2024, Pasadena, Calif.

“This is the year in which California can and must put our values to the test, prioritizing above all else the most vulnerable children and families. We look forward to working with the Legislature and Governor to achieve a budget with no cuts to children and families experiencing poverty.” 

Shimica Gaskins, President & CEO of GRACE & End Child Poverty California

Just two years ago, child poverty was at historic lows through a combination of landmark state and federal actions during the pandemic. Now we see the dramatic, preventable, rise in overall child poverty. With this uptick, we also see deep racial disparities. 

Based on our current analysis of today’s May Revision CA Budget summary, we commend the continued progress on previous anti-poverty investments, and the prevented cuts. At the start of his administration, the Governor made ending child poverty his North Star. Actions by the Administration and Legislature over the past several years have proven those values. 

However, the May Revise includes significant proposed cuts to the safety net, including to CalWORKs, foster youth support, and immigrant services, as well as delays to food aid and child care. 

Positive news in the Governor’s May Revise:

Proposed Eliminations Include at Least:

  • CalWORKs:
    • $47.1M ongoing cut to the Home Visiting Program (45%).
    • $126.6M permanent elimination of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services funding.
    • $272M one-time cut to the Single Allocation.
    • Including January proposed $1.2 billion double-cut to CalWORKs and the Safety Net Reserve, this is at least some $1.75 billion in cuts to CalWORKs
  • $94.7M eliminating the In-Home Supportive Services undocumented expansion for all ages.

Proposed Delays Include at Least:

  • Implementation of Food for All for elderly undocumented seniors under the California Food Assistance Program is now scheduled to begin automation in 2026-27, with benefits set to start in 2027-28. This marks a 2-year delay from its original October 2025 date.
  • Indefinitely halts and conditions on future revenues the promised expansion of over 200,000 child care slots, limiting the expansion to 119,000 slots.

2022 Trigger Investments not in the May Revise Include:

  • Continuous Medi-Cal Coverage for Children Aged 0 through 4.
  • Child Support Pass-Through to Currently Assisted CalWORKs Families.

We know that fiscally, cuts to the safety net are proven to backfire by pushing children into deeper poverty. 

It’s our job to understand what the numbers on the ledger mean. For families facing poverty, these programs are a lifeline. Often they are all that stand between homelessness, family separation, deportation, and irreparable harm to our children from toxic deep poverty.  

“This may not be the year to create new programs and close loopholes in our safety net, which is disappointing given the high levels of child poverty across California,” said GRACE & End Child Poverty CA CEO Shimica Gaskins.

However, we cannot repeat the failed austerity cuts of the Great Recession. Those cuts proved that if safety net cuts are made, it will be years – if not a decade – to regain ground. We fought hard to get where we are today in 2024. We cannot go back. 

We know that the Governor and Legislature have shared values to lift children out of poverty. We will fight against these cuts and stand ready to provide solutions to prevent irreversible harm. 

In addition, we support ongoing commitments made to our workforce, and underscore that increases to minimum wages are among the best tools for families to exit poverty, and will protect some communities from some cuts proposed in this budget.

We also stand with the Governor, legislative leaders, mayors, county boards of supervisors and over 550 organizations in opposing the draconian California Business Round Table (CBRT) Taxpayer Deception Act Ballot Proposal. If enacted, it will immediately and permanently worsen this problem while pushing many solutions out of reach.

RELEASE: Chairs Thompson and Stabenow introduce Farm Bill Frameworks

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[PASADENA, CALIF., UNITED STATES, May 2, 2024] — CAFB and GRACE/End Child Poverty Urge California Members to reject cuts and Instead Strengthen SNAP

This week, House and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairs Rep. Thompson and Sen. Stabenow released starkly different frameworks outlining their vision for the next Farm Bill. While Sen. Stabenow’s plan lays out a promising plan to protect and strengthen our country’s most important anti-hunger program — SNAP, or CalFresh in California – Rep. Thompson’s plan proposes deep, shortsighted, and harmful cuts to SNAP that will worsen hunger for the more than 5 million Californians who rely on the program today. 

Specifically, Chair Thompson’s proposal includes forcing cost neutral reevaluations which will prevent the USDA from being able to make much needed periodic updates to the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), which is the basis for SNAP and other nutrition programs like The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and Summer EBT. In no uncertain terms, this would cut SNAP by about $30 billion over the next decade by restricting future updates to only count for inflation, ignoring science-based changes to dietary guidelines.

Hungry Californians would be harmed the most: Approximately $3.6 billion, or 12% of the $30 billion cut to SNAP would be taken from the 5 million Californians who spend SNAP benefits at 23,874 authorized EBT retailers across our state. This represents a loss of as much as $6.46 billion in total economic activity, hurting farmers, farmworkers, truckers, grocers, and others across our critical food sector.

Even after the recent TFP reevaluation, SNAP benefits still only average $6 per person per day – barely more than a cup of coffee, and still fall short of the cost of low-income meals in 98% of California counties. 

Forcing cost neutral Thrifty Food Plan reevaluations is not only a SNAP cut but will also impact other critical nutrition programs like the TEFAP and Summer EBT. These simultaneous cuts will hamper the ability of food banks to serve their communities, and will increase hunger for children during summer months when school is out. 

In sharp contrast to Chair Thompson’s proposal, Chair Stabenow lays out a forward-looking framework that builds on several of SNAP’s strengths to prevent hunger, fundamentally by preserving future Thrifty Food Plan re-evaluations, in addition to:

  • Removing the punitive drug felon ban and better supporting people coming home from incarceration to apply for SNAP, proven to support a healing re-entry to community.
  • Permanently ensuring that SNAP recipients who are victims of benefit theft such as “skimming” that has ravaged Californains can have their benefits replaced. 
  • Exploring pathways for SNAP recipients to purchase hot and prepared foods. 
  • Finally securing a pathway to SNAP for Puerto Rico.

At a time when 1 in 5 households in California are experiencing hunger with deep disparities for communities of color, we call on the California Congressional Delegation to prioritize bold policy solutions through:

  • The Closing the Meal Gap Act (H.R. 3037 Adams / S. 1336 Gillibrand) which would move SNAP benefit calculations to the more realistic Low Cost Food Plan
  • The Improving Access to Nutrition Act (H.R. 1510 Lee / S. 2435 Welch) which would repeals SNAP’s harsh and counterproductive three-month time limit for out-of-work Americans and improves SNAP access for families working their way up the economic ladder
  • The Enhance Access To SNAP Act (H.R. 3183 Gomez / S. 1488 Gillibrand) which would eliminate the outdated and unfair SNAP restrictions for college students

SNAP Emergency Allotments (EAs) allowed Californians to buy more and a greater variety of food, helped families weather income fluctuations, and stabilized households. Now that EAs have ended, food insecurity has intensified, households are making tradeoffs between food and other expenses, physical and mental health have declined, and local economies have suffered. 

We urge all California Members of Congress to reject any cuts to SNAP, including to the Thrifty Food Plan, and to build on the Senate framework to strengthen SNAP and the emergency feeding programs as our nation’s proven anti-hunger safety net. 

End Child Poverty in California (ECPCA) is a campaign jointly sponsored by GRACE End Child Poverty Institute and GRACE (Gather, Respect, Advocate, Change, Engage).

GRACE End Child Poverty Institute is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that uses advocacy, legislative advocacy and mobilization programs to achieve its mission.  The mission of GRACE End Child Poverty is to make a positive difference in the lives of low-income families and their children through value-based collaborations and by formulating, implementing, and expanding measures to reduce barriers to full personal development and economic stability.

RELEASE: GRACE & End Child Poverty CA Joint Statement with CalWIC Association on Opposing SNAP Restrictions and Supporting Fully Funding WIC

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[PASADENA, CALIF., UNITED STATES, February 28, 2024] — Statement attributable to Karen Farley, Executive Director of the California WIC Association, and Shimica Gaskins, President and CEO of GRACE/End Child Poverty California, regarding the Fiscal Year 2024 bill for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration:

We urge Congress to both fully fund the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and reject any efforts promoting a policy of limiting food choice in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).  

SNAP is the country’s most important anti-hunger program and the nutritional benefits of this program have been well documented. It has also been well documented that the best way to improve the nutrition of low-income households is to reduce stigma in the current program and to increase the benefits provided in the program. The proposal to pilot restricting food purchases endeavors to do neither. 

WIC served nearly a million Californians in 2023, and more than half (54%) of all infants born in California were certified by WIC in 2018. Full funding for WIC is urgently needed to ensure continuity of the nutrition, breastfeeding, and other critical supports that pregnant and parenting adults, and babies, rely upon every day.

Funding for WIC is in no way related to funding for SNAP, and the programs should not be pitted against one another. 

Policymakers have a responsibility to keep America’s children fed and ensure their long-term health and success. WIC must be fully funded, and SNAP recipients must be allowed to continue make their food purchasing decisions based on the needs of their family.

End Child Poverty in California (ECPCA) is a campaign jointly sponsored by GRACE End Child Poverty Institute and GRACE (Gather, Respect, Advocate, Change, Engage).

GRACE End Child Poverty Institute is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that uses advocacy, legislative advocacy and mobilization programs to achieve its mission.  The mission of GRACE End Child Poverty is to make a positive difference in the lives of low-income families and their children through value-based collaborations and by formulating, implementing, and expanding measures to reduce barriers to full personal development and economic stability.

RELEASE: GRACE & End Child Poverty CA Statement on Proposed Federal Tax Deal

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ECPCA & GRACE urge Congress to improve the poverty-fighting potential of this package and to adopt proposal, benefitting more than 2 million children in California left out of the CTC under current law

[PASADENA, CALIF., UNITED STATES, January 16, 2024] — Statement attributable to Shimica Gaskins, President & CEO, GRACE & End Child Poverty California (ECPCA):

Today, chairs of the Senate Finance Committee and House Ways and Means Committee announced a deal that would be transformative to roughly 77% of the children nationwide whose families have been unable to claim the federal Child Tax Credit (CTC) since the pandemic-era expansion expired in 2021. Biden expanded the CTC under the American Rescue Plan Act, giving cash to families who needed it most and directly benefiting over 8 million children in California alone. This version of the CTC – one that offered larger credit amounts, was inclusive of children regardless of immigration status, fully refundable, and without an earnings requirement – remains our North Star. We remind stakeholders of the historic rise in poverty after its expiration and that ending poverty is a policy choice. 

The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 has meaningful restorations that make the refundable portion of the credit larger for families, especially those with multiple children. Initial estimates are that once the deal takes full effect, over half a million children would be lifted out of poverty, likely including tens of thousands of California children.  

Given the proven record of the enhanced CTC, this deal falls short of what our families need and deserve – including children with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs), full refundability, especially for low-income families, removing the arbitrary $2,500 earnings requirement, and increasing the overall size of the credit. Under current law, 98% of children in families in the lowest 20% tax bracket do not receive the full CTC, and the Wyden-Smith proposal only brings that figure down to 93%. 

Ultimately, this means that more unrestricted cash will largely not flow to the lowest-income families. Our families deserve more, and we know Congress is up to the task – we proved as much in 2021. These important, yet modest, improvements in the CTC are also paired with tax breaks to corporations which are projected to balloon in cost over time and threaten the parity of this package.

We therefore urge members of Congress to improve the poverty-fighting potential of this package and quickly take action to pass this proposal, benefitting more than 2 million children in California left out of the CTC under current law. This deal is an important step towards ending poverty nationwide, and we thank the California members fighting to maximize the poverty-fighting focus of these provisions.

Congress should prioritize investments in our nation’s children on their own, and should not need to be tied to other provisions that do not advance a more redistributive system of revenues and investments. Nevertheless we urge Congress to swiftly enact these provisions in order to ensure children and families benefit in time to file their taxes, then to continue making strides that bring us back to the expanded CTC under ARPA, providing what families truly need and advance an end to child poverty.

Infographic Source:
Hughes, Joe. (2024). Children Not Receiving Full Child Tax Credit Under Current Law vs. Proposal [Infographic]. Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. https://itep.org/congress-tax-deal-child-tax-credit-corporate-tax-breaks/

End Child Poverty in California (ECPCA) is a campaign jointly sponsored by GRACE End Child Poverty Institute and GRACE (Gather, Respect, Advocate, Change, Engage).

GRACE End Child Poverty Institute is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that uses advocacy, legislative advocacy and mobilization programs to achieve its mission.  The mission of GRACE End Child Poverty is to make a positive difference in the lives of low-income families and their children through value-based collaborations and by formulating, implementing, and expanding measures to reduce barriers to full personal development and economic stability.

RELEASE: GRACE & ECPCA Are Pleased Gov. Newsom’s Proposed Budget Protects Anti-Poverty Investments

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Statement on Governor Newsom’s Proposed 2024-25 Budget

ECPCA & GRACE urge adoption of revenues and investments needed to advance a more equitable California

[PASADENA, CALIF., UNITED STATES, January 10, 2024] — Statement attributable to Shimica Gaskins, President & CEO, GRACE & End Child Poverty California (ECPCA):

GRACE and ECPCA dare to dream of a future in which every child is valued and free. We applaud Governor Newsom’s Proposed 2024-25 Budget for protecting important investments for children and families and continuing critical progress toward making our shared vision a reality.

From day one, Governor Newsom has made ending child poverty his north star – and today is no different. We thank Governor Newsom and his Administration for continuing that commitment, again rejecting harmful austerity cuts and recognizing that when the state falls on hard times, the programs that help lift children and families out of poverty are needed more than ever.

In particular, the January budget reaffirms ongoing commitments to community-informed ECPCA IMAGINE priorities, including:

  • Universal School Meals so all our children are nourished
  • The California Earned Income Tax Credit and Young Child Tax Credit so families have much-needed financial security
  • Aligning systems from Cradle to Career to create freedom and opportunity for families as they raise their children 
  • A national pilot opportunity to advance a reimagined CalWORKs program that centers family’s needs and dignity

In the effort to resolve the state’s budget problem, we will be looking closely at the proposed withdrawal from the Safety Net Reserve and the proposed cuts to the CalWORKs Family Stabilization Program (FSP) and Housing Supplement for Foster Youth in Supervised Independent Living Placements. The FSP was created to ensure housing, mental health, safety, and family stability for some of our most vulnerable families with children. It is a program CalWORKs parents and advocates have prioritized for expansion. 

Governor Newsom and legislative leaders have much to be proud of in creating and strengthening programs proven to prevent child poverty and build broad prosperity. These measures, along with federal investments made during the pandemic, drove child poverty to historic lows and closed long-standing racial inequities. As important as those gains are, income inequality in California continues to grow, and California still has the highest poverty rate of any state in the nation.

Our federal and state policymakers must continue to take decisive action. The good news is that the state and federal governments have unequivocally shown that poverty is a policy choice – and the state budget is a fundamental opportunity to advance a poverty-free future. 

We urge the Governor and Legislature to continue to take the actions needed to lift every California child and family out of poverty. This requires a combination of revenues to ensure that wealthy corporations pay their fair share and investments in programs proven to lift children and families out of poverty and reverse long-standing racial inequities.

Again, we thank Governor Newsom for his continued leadership to put wealth to work. We ask the Governor to ensure that the values of California’s budget, both in revenues and investments, prioritize the future free from poverty we know is possible. 

We look forward to engaging with all stakeholders throughout the budget process.

End Child Poverty in California (ECPCA) is a campaign jointly sponsored by GRACE End Child Poverty Institute and GRACE (Gather, Respect, Advocate, Change, Engage).

GRACE End Child Poverty Institute is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that uses advocacy, legislative advocacy and mobilization programs to achieve its mission.  The mission of GRACE End Child Poverty is to make a positive difference in the lives of low-income families and their children through value-based collaborations and by formulating, implementing, and expanding measures to reduce barriers to full personal development and economic stability.

GRACE & End Child Poverty CA Statements – April 26, 2023

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Celebrating the CA Senate Budget Plan and Denouncing U.S. House Debt Ceiling Bill

GRACE & End Child Poverty California Celebrate Senate Budget Plan

Urge Adoption of Revenues & Investments Needed for a More Equitable California

April 26, 2023 / / Pasadena, CA

Statement attributable to Shimica Gaskins, President & CEO, GRACE/End Child Poverty California: 

“We at GRACE dare to dream of a future in which every child is valued and free, and the Senate Budget Plan released today by Pro Tem Atkins and Budget Chair Skinner would make enormous progress in achieving that goal. We applaud the Senate for embracing a comprehensive approach that would move California forward together toward a more equitable future through a combination of revenues to ensure that wealthy corporations pay their fair share, and investments in programs proven to lift children and families out of poverty and reverse long-standing racial inequities. 

We are thrilled that the Senate Budget Plan would adopt many community-informed IMAGINE priorities, including critical investments to: 

  • CalWORKS: End deep child poverty, remove the WPR penalty, support sanction reform, invest in menstrual equity
  • Increase the minimum CalEITC payment to $275
  • Child care: invest in rates to help stabilize providers and protect families from harmful fees
  • CalFresh: provide a $50 minimum, prevent the 3-month time limit, and achieve Food For All
  • School meals: maximize the new Summer EBT program and support kitchen infrastructure 
  • Homelessness prevention and affordable housing – landmark $1 billion ongoing
  • Support schools, bolster health programs, and much more. 

We again thank the Senate for their continued leadership to put wealth to work and ensure that the values of California’s budget, both revenues and investments, prioritize the future free from poverty we know is possible. We urge the Legislature and Administration to adopt these critical proposals in the 2023-24 Budget, and look forward to engaging with all stakeholders as the budget process continues.”

GRACE & End Child Poverty California Statement on House Debt Ceiling Bill

House bill would worsen poverty for children and families and deepen racial inequities. Urge Senate and President to reject this approach, and invest in programs proven to lift children and families out of poverty.

April 26, 2023 / / Pasadena, CA

Statement attributable to Shimica Gaskins, President and CEO, GRACE/End Child Poverty California:

“The House bill passed today includes unconscionable policies that balance the budget on the backs of the very Califfornians with low-incomes that the federal government should prioritize. It is a shocking, anti-family bill that would reverse the historic gains in reducing child poverty – achieved just two years ago – and deepen already unjust inequities for Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and other disenfranchised communities.

The bill would make across the board 22% cuts that harm children and families, and cap annual spending growth at 1% for key domestic federal programs such as WIC, housing, veterans’ health care, child care and preschool, public health, Pell Grants and college work-study, K-12 education, and environmental protection, among many others. 

Perhaps the most odious element is that the bill doubles down on punitive, failed work requirements across the safety net, policies rooted in racist & sexist stereotypes that families with low-incomes need to be coerced to work in order to receive basic assistance: 

We thank the many Members of the California delegation who spoke out against and opposed this legislation. We thank President Biden for issuing his veto message on the bill, which highlights many of the harmful policies that would punish Californians with low-incomes. We urge the Senate and President to reject this approach, and instead build on the proven pathways to lift children and families out of poverty and advance a more equitable future.”

RELEASE: End Child Poverty California Statement on Governor Newsom’s Proposed 2023-24 Budget

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We Commend the Governor for Protecting Progress, and Call For Continued Action to End Poverty

January 10, 2023 / / Pasadena, CA

Statement attributable to Shimica Gaskins, President and CEO of GRACE and End Child Poverty California:

Today, Governor Newsom released his 2023-24 Proposed Budget Summary. We commend Governor Newsom for his clear call to prioritize Californians on the front lines of economic hardship, a theme he echoed throughout his press conference, including protecting vital programs proven to prevent poverty and build prosperity. 

We further applaud the Governor for some of the key decisions made to balance the state’s budget given the fiscal conditions. This includes the prudent choice to withdraw the $750 million payment on the state’s outstanding federal loans for unemployment benefits, which the LAO noted would “provide no near-term economic relief to employers or workers.”

We urge the Governor and Legislature to build on this strong first step to take actions needed to address the moral imperative to lift every California child and family out of poverty. As Langston Hughes reminds us, a dream deferred is a dream denied. 

We must act now to make sure all our children are valued, healthy, secure, and free from poverty.  

The Governor wisely proposes increased support for families experiencing homelessness, to help keep families housed, as well as nation-leading health for all, in this year’s budget. He offers new proposals such as the Health and Human Services Innovation Accelerator Initiative, that if includes CalWORKs and CalFresh, could make bold improvements to access of critical safety net programs.

Those investments build on transformative actions taken during the pandemic including baby bonds, health care, tax credits for families, cradle to career supports, and other End Child Poverty Plan recommendations. 

It is not an overstatement that those gains, and the lives of California’s children living in extreme poverty, are at risk. They are struggling to survive as their families face the toxic stress of inflation, food insecurity, homelessness and other challenges as key federal interventions like the expiration of the expanded Child Tax Credit that brought poverty to historic lows and closed racial inequities.

While we continue to call on Congress and the White House to take continued action, California must continue to lead. Budgets are statements of our values, especially in a challenging year. 

We again commend the Governor for protecting critical progress made, and call on all budget stakeholders to maximize opportunities to advance the future free from poverty we know is possible. GRACE and End Child Poverty California look forward to working with the Governor, Administration, and Legislature to ensure that investments to end poverty are prioritized – our children and families simply cannot wait.

For a summary of California’s latest investment in supporting our low-income children and families, read our recap of the 2022-23 legislative session and ECPCA priorities below.

CA-Legislature-Imagine-Investments-2022Download

RELEASE: Western Regional Anti-Hunger Joint Statement Opposing SNAP Cut Offset in the 2023 Federal Omnibus

Written by

December 20, 2022

Our organizations are members of the Western Regional Anti-Hunger Consortium (WRAHC), a coalition of anti-hunger groups across the Western United States. We write with deep appreciation by leaders in Congress to secure badly needed investments in programs that prevent hunger in the end of year omnibus spending bill. This includes some of the first improvements to child nutrition programs in over ten years. We cannot, however, support an offset to create a Summer EBT program by cutting SNAP benefits, and urge Congress not to consider any sources that are dedicated to existing anti-poverty programs.

The pandemic proved unequivocally that hunger and poverty are a policy choice, and that government can solve these crises when it acts. In 2021, child poverty fell to a record low of 5.2%, and food insecurity for households with children fell to a two-decade low.1 Expanded federal response to the pandemic-induced economic crisis, including Emergency Allotments provided through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and temporarily available nationwide school meals for all, made key contributions to that success.2

The West has long led the way in identifying the need for3 and championing4,5 the effort to create a permanent, nation-wide Summer EBT program that would provide a grocery card to children in low-income families during the summer, the hungriest months for children. It has been shown as one of the most effective interventions to fight child hunger.6

As much as we support Summer EBT, we cannot support the offset to cut SNAP by prematurely ending the Emergency Allotments, which will on average mean a loss of $82 per person a month.7 This is consistent with our position against the 2010 Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act that funded improved school meal nutrition standards by prematurely sunsetting the SNAP boost from the ARRA. This created a major hunger cliff,8 which contributed to the decade long period of elevated hunger and poverty.9

These programs are extremely valuable on their own merits and should not be pitted against one another. SNAP is the first and best line of defense against hunger for these children and their families. And for many children in low-income families, meals offered through child nutrition programs in and out of school provide invaluable nutrition assistance. Taking money from one nutrition program that benefits low-income children and families to pay for another does little to alleviate the struggle with hunger these families are experiencing especially in these times when food prices have increased 13% over the last year.10

Additionally, reducing SNAP benefits now will be more harmful for our economy which stands on the brink of recession. Research shows that in a slowing economy, every $1 of SNAP spent generates between $1.50 to $1.80 in economic activity or contributes $1.54 billion to our GDP.11 Ending the Emergency Allotments means less spending in local food economies, the loss of jobs, and most importantly, less food on the family dinner table.

We urge Congress to pass an omnibus that includes comprehensive child nutrition reauthorization including long overdue improvements to the Community Eligibility Provision as well as establish nationwide permanent Summer EBT before the end of the 117th Congress, without cuts to SNAP or any other antipoverty programs as an offset. We believe this is the best way to ensure that all children have access to healthy meals through SNAP and child nutrition programs.

Sincerely,

Anti-Hunger & Nutrition Coalition

California Association of Food Banks

Coalition of California Welfare Rights Organizations

Equal Rights Advocates

Food Bank of Northern Nevada

GRACE & End Child Poverty CA

Hunger Free Colorado

Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force

Northwest Harvest

Nourish California

Oregon Food Bank

Partners for a Hunger Free Oregon

Western Center on Law and Poverty

1 https://www.cbpp.org/blog/food-insecurity-at-a-two-decade-low-for-households-with-kids-signaling-successful-relief

2 https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/09/record-drop-in-child-poverty.html

3 https://voiceofsandiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Summer+Meals+Report_April+2014_SDHC.pdf

4 https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3519

5 https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1831

6 https://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/summer-electronic-benefit-transfer-children-sebtc-demonstration-summary-report

7 https://www.fns.usda.gov/tfp/blog-083021

8 http://foodbanknyc.org/wp-content/uploads/HungerCliff_ResearchBrief.pdf

9 https://rules.house.gov/sites/democrats.rules.house.gov/files/Impact-COVID19-Californias-Emergency-Food-System-Maxde-Faria-CAFB.pdf

10 https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2022/prices-for-food-at-home-up-13-5-percent-for-year-ended-august-2022.htm

11 https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/93529/err-265.pdf

Omnibus_NoSNAPCuts_SEBT_WRAHC_12.20.2022Download

RELEASE: End Child Poverty California Coalition Statement of Principles on the Special Legislative Session

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PASADENA, CA | November 29, 2022

We applaud Governor Newsom and Legislative leaders for calling to meet in a special session focused on reclaiming a portion of the record windfall profits that oil companies have taken by gouging Californians. 

A majority of low-income California families – disproportionately Black, Latinx, and other Californians of color struggle to meet their basic needs. An astonishing 1 in 3 of all California adults reported cutting back on food, with nearly as many avoiding health care, putting in stark terms the urgency needed for state policymakers to continue to act. 

The good news is that COVID has shown that government is effective when it invests in programs proven to fight poverty and drive shared prosperity. Statewide, our safety net programs – collectively – cut poverty by a remarkable 10.3% and narrowed long-standing racial disparities. 

These results were possible because of combined federal and state leadership, and we continue our call on Congress to expand the Child Tax Credit and invest in Child Nutrition and other programs proven to reduce poverty. 

California must also continue to lead. In order to do so, state budget stakeholders must acknowledge that gouging at the pump affects all of us – that profiteering ripples throughout our economy, raising the price of food and other basic necessities. And, the high cost of gas disproportionately hurts those with low-incomes, regardless of whether they own a car. 

As a result, any relief should recognize that shared hardship, and not be exclusively for those who are able to afford cars and pay the price of gas. State budget stakeholders must prioritize revenues for Californians with the lowest incomes, who have the greatest need, to continue addressing record inequality.

We again thank Governor Newsom and the Legislature for proactively seeking new ways to continue supporting Californians. Government action during the pandemic demonstrated with great success that poverty is a policy choice, and we need only the political will to act. We encourage budget stakeholders to look at all opportunities to ensure that wealthy corporations are paying their fair share and we look forward to working together to develop new revenues that will help the state meet its goals for a more equitable future. 

Members of Executive Steering Committee  

CAPPA | California Alternative Payment Program Association  

California Association of Food Banks  

California Budget & Policy Center

California Immigrant Policy Center  

California Interfaith Coalition/Friends Committee on Legislation  

Child Care Resource Center  

Children Now 

Children’s Defense Fund California  

Dolores Huerta Foundation  

Economic Security Project  

End Poverty in California  

First 5 California 

Marin Promise Partnership Marin County  

MEDA | Mission Economic Development Agency  

National CORE/HOPE Through HOUSING Foundation  

National Foster Youth Institute  

Saint John’s Well Child and Family Center  

South Bay Community Services  

The Children’s Partnership 

United Ways of California  

Western Center on Law and Poverty 

For a full list of all our partners please visit our website: https://www.endchildpovertyca.org

This release can also be read on EIN Presswire.  

GRACE @ White House Conference on Hunger, Health, and Nutrition

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Last week our policy associate Yesenia Jimenez was in Washington DC at the White House Conference on Hunger and Health. The next weekend she was back in LA celebrating her birthday with family. Just a few days before her birthday, Yesenia sat two rows away from the President of the United States.

What. A. Week.

#WHConfHungerHealth brought together people from the advocacy, business, political, and influencer communities. Everyone shared the goals of ending hunger and improving the health of Americans.

Many policies that have gotten us to where we are today, with so much poverty and hunger in our country, are driven by racism, sexism, and classism. There has been value in keeping people just barely surviving instead of thriving with more than their basic needs met. For example, our agricultural workers who grow and pick the food that arrives on the most elite tables in America, were intentionally left out of the fair labor laws of the 1930s because of racism. Inequality in labor practices still persists almost 100 years later, making it hard for the people who grow our food to afford food themselves. Let alone high quality food that truly nourishes.

Yesenia (left) with CA Senator Melissa Hurtado & Jess Bartholow, CA Senator Skinner’s Chief of Staff.

We’re so grateful we had Yesenia at the White House to represent End Child Poverty CA and California. CA was mentioned as a model for so many successful programs.

There is a huge groundswell of momentum for programs that WORK to end poverty and hunger: the Child Tax Credit and universal school meals. Champions in Congress are moved to fight for these tools that support our families’ basic rights.

We imagine a future where all of our children are valued and free. Where their families are secure and nourished. Where we live in abundance, rather than scarcity.

Onward! 

#EndChildPoverty

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