New Food Law Helps Poor

reprinted from the California Catholic Conference:

Since 2003, the California Catholic Conference has made food security a top priority for Catholic Advocacy (Lobby) Day and thousands of you have added your voice through the Network, phone calls and visits. Yesterday, Governor Brown signed AB 6 CalWORKs and CalFresh (Fuentes, D-Los Angeles) helping to fight hunger, especially for children, in the Golden State. Well done!

AB 6 will simplify the reporting process and eliminate the fingerprinting requirement that impedes low-income Californians from getting federally funded assistance. The Governor also signed AB 69, which will help low-income seniors access nutrition.

The CalFresh program is a critical component of the safety net for Californians, providing modest nutritional aid that helps avert hunger for families living below or near the poverty line. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has also shown that for every dollar of expenditure, CalFresh generates $1.79 of economic activity in local communities. Thank you to all Network members who became engaged in this issue over the years by emailing or speaking to their representative.