Nutrition Action Alert 
October 12, 2016
In This Issue

2016 State Legislative Session Reflection

The 2016 California legislative session recently concluded with action by the Governor on several items of interest to anti-hunger, anti-poverty and public health advocates. This session brought some key victories, including the passage of a statewide minimum wage increase through SB 3 (Leno & Leyva) and the state budget repeal of the CalWORKS Maximum Family Grant rule, which unjustly relegated hundreds of thousands of California's most vulnerable children in deep poverty.

CFPA's sponsored policy initiatives met with mixed success this year. We were thrilled that our state budget advocacy led to new state investments to improve access to school breakfast in high-need schools. We secured a new $2 million allocation for after-the-bell breakfast start-up and expansion grants that prioritize schools with at least 60% of students eligible for free and reduced-price meals.  link 

Additionally, CFPA partnered with other advocates in the Drinking Water Advocacy Coalition to secure $10 million for schools to provide safe drinking water to students.  PDF

Unfortunately, CFPA's sponsored legislation, AB 2099 (Stone) - Safe Drinking Water for Food Insecure Families, and AB 2054 (Thurmond)- Summer EBT for Children, did not progress to the Governor's desk. Though the legislature failed to act on these targeted nutrition bills, CFPA will continue efforts to ensure that nutrition programs provide an equitable solution to hunger in our state.

There were a number of other hunger and nutrition-focused bills introduced by the Legislature this year. Out of the twenty-eight nutrition bills on CFPA's support agenda, eleven bills of interest were signed into law by the Governor. CFPA's complete 2016 State Legislative Agenda can be viewed here.

We appreciate the work and support of all the diverse stakeholders who supported CFPA's legislative efforts, and applaud the successes of our partners. We will continue working together to identify policy solutions that improve the health and wellbeing of low-income Californians by increasing their access to nutritious, affordable food. Stay tuned for more!

Read more about 2016 State Legislative and Budget efforts to alleviate hunger and poverty in Californian here.

Questions?  Contact Tracey Patterson  at 510.433.1122 ext 101
CFPA's 2017 Policy Development: 
Stakeholder Input 

A big thank you to all of you who participated in CFPA's annual policy development outreach! Your input plays a vital role in setting CFPA's advocacy priorities.

The 2017 policy survey solicited input from the CFPA network on nutrition issues affecting California communities and promising policy solutions. The complete set of survey questions is available. PDF

We will consider the information gathered, along with a review of research, our strategic plan, and capacity as we develop our 2017 state policy priorities. In the coming months we will share our priorities in a 2017 legislative agenda, an administrative advocacy agenda, and a research agenda.

Looking Forward to 2017

We received detailed input from hundreds of key stakeholders throughout the state over the past few months. Administrators, advocates, community members, community leaders, benefit recipients, and researchers all contributed to the survey and stakeholder engagement.

Stakeholders believe that efforts aimed at increasing access to and participation in the federal nutrition programs (e.g., CalFresh, school meals) must continue. Respondents strongly support improvements to modernize program enrollment, improve program quality, ease the process of maintaining benefits, and alleviate administrative burdens for providers. A detailed summary of the 2017 policy survey key issues and results can be found here.

What's Next?

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to complete the survey or participate in interviews. Your feedback has already proven useful as we begin to narrow down our 2017 policy priorities. In the coming a gendas.

Questions?  Contact Tracey Patterson  at 510.433.1122 ext 101
Alliance to Transform CalFresh Webinar:
Horizontal Integration, the New CalHEERS Portal, and Cross-Benefit Reporting Confirmation

Join the Alliance to Transform CalFresh for our latest webinar on making connections between Medi-Cal and CalFresh.

October 19, 2016 at 1:30 PM PDT. 

Attendees will learn about:
  • What the data is telling us about the status of horizontal integration in CA 
  • What you should know about applying through the CalHEERS portal 
  • Laying the groundwork for improvements to the portal 
  • Reporting requirements for multi-benefit recipients 
  • The new CalFresh Calculator and the IRT (Income Reporting Threshold) 
Presenters include:
  • Diana Jensen, SF-Marin Food Bank (SFMFB)
  • Jessica Bartholow, Western Center on Law & Poverty (WCLP)

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Questions?  Contact Jared Call  at 213.482.8200 ext 201
We've Moved! 

Please note that our Oakland office has a new address: 

1970 Broadway, Suite 760 
Oakland, CA 94612 

Please update your records, and we look forward to your next visit to our new Oakland office location!
Main Office | 1970 Broadway, Suite 760 | Oakland, CA 94612 | 510.433.1122
Los Angeles | 205 S. Broadway, Suite 402 | Los Angeles, CA 90012 | 213.482.8200

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