Written by Alyssa Gonzalez, NHF’s 2024 Public Policy Fellow
The 2024 California legislative session had significant highs and unfortunate lows. This year in California policy was marked by bold, new proposed legislation, collaboration amongst assembly members and state senate, positive wins, and impactful low points. Through our work, NHF addresses food access, built environment inequities, education disparities, and housing/homelessness services, and we work to remove barriers that prevent communities from achieving their highest level of health. This year, NHF supported legislation through advocating at the local, county, and state level while also forming and supporting coalitions.
About 1,000 bills were passed by the Legislature and introduced to Governor Newsom. Of these, around 18% were vetoed. The California budget was facing a $47 billion deficit, and vital programs were unfortunately considered for major cuts in the initial budget presented in May. The initial state budget included a $12 billion withdrawal from the Budget Stabilization Act and spread the withdrawal over the next two fiscal years, utilizing $3.1 billion in 2024-25 and shifting $8.9 billion to 2025-26. It also proposed to withdrawal all $900 million from the Safety Net Reserve, which would impose significant cuts to CalWORKs, homelessness and affordable housing programs, and rescinding investment proposals in TK and PreK facilities and behavioral health initiatives.
Nutrition & Food Access:
The proposed May budget from Gov. Newsom had a $33.2 million cut in the California Nutrition Incentive Program (CNIP) funding, which would have eliminated Market Match; the 15-year-old program that doubles the value of customers’ SNAP benefits at local farmer’s markets and other farm-direct sites. This would have had a direct impact on many of the community members we assist through our CalFresh Connection program, as many are referred to Market Match to increase their household’s food budgets. To reverse this decision, NHF drafted and released a press release sharing about the importance of Market Match to our communities and included example emails and call scripts for shared advocacy. We also sent direct letters to Governor Newsom, in partnership with the Save Market Match Coalition, to preserve CNIP funding and save Market Match. Our joint advocacy prevailed, and the final budget presented by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, which was signed by the governor on June 29, 2024, preserved all $35 million of CNIP funding and the Market Match program!
Unfortunately, in that final budget, the expansion of the eligibility criteria for the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) to income-eligible Californians aged 55 and older, regardless of immigration status was delayed. NHF diligently worked as part of the Food4All coalition on food program advocacy and this issue in particular, with the goal of elevating many of community member’s experience with being shut out of food benefits. We attended monthly strategy meetings with the coalition and trained a cohort of college students on advocating for the CFAP expansion. While our efforts advocating for CPAF expansion did not ultimately come to fruition, NHF will continue to participate as a backbone agency for the Food 4 All coalition and work to achieve our policy goals in the upcoming legislative year.
Alyssa (left) at a Food 4 All meeting.
NHF also tracked AB 1975: Medi-Cal: medically supportive food and nutrition interventions. This bill would have expanded the growing food as medicine initiative through the delivery of Medically Tailored Meals (MTM) and other nutrition services, providing an eligible individual enrolled in a Medi-Cal health plan with at least two medically tailored home-delivered meals, or a portioned equivalent, per day. After sending letters of support in partnership with other Food as Medicine advocates, including SPUR and Fullwell, to the state senate appropriations committee and Governor Newsom, this bill was unfortunately vetoed by the Governor on September 25, 2024.
As NHF’s nutrition and food access programs continue to grow in reach and reputation, we will continue to partner with likeminded agencies and coalitions to ensure our state implements policies that help families and households get the food they need to thrive and be healthy.
Built Environment:
This year, NHF made many efforts to advance policies that could improve the built environment in Southern California. In partnership with like-minded organizations, NHF elevated potential legislation and ballot measures through taking a lead role within the Park Equity Alliance (PEA), a coalition with the mission is to empower community leaders to mobilize and take action on improving and creating more equitable green spaces and parks in Los Angeles.
PEA led discussions and advocacy efforts for Prop 2: Bonds for Public Schools and Community College Facilities and Prop 4: Bonds for Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, and Protecting Communities and Natural Lands from Climate Risks on the California ballot. NHF and PEA tracked the progression and advocated for Prop 2 as it was formerly known as AB 247 and was making its way through the assembly and state senate. Although adequate funding allocated within the state budget would have been ideal, both Props 2 and 4 are the most effective ways for Californians to improve their schools and built environment through both sliding scale matching funds for low-income communities and expansion of financial hardship assistance criteria. On the federal level, PEA member organizations promoted S. 448: Outdoors for All Act within their networks by drafting a sample letter to send to U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, urging its passing.
NHF and PEA partners look forward to expanding efforts, creating objectives for the new year, and finding additional organizations to collaborate with to achieve our goals.
Education:
Throughout this legislative year NHF tracked the progression of SB 954: Sexual Health, a bill that would have required the State Department of Education to monitor compliance with the California Healthy Youth Act; which includes ensuring condom access to students grades 9-12, along with public health educational programs for grades 7 – 12. As equity in education was a priority within this bill, it had the potential for very positive, informative, and long-lasting impacts on pupils.
NHF’s Be a STAR program similarly focuses on sexual and reproductive health resources for youth at select LAUSD high schools. With a focus on wellness, goal setting and becoming community leaders, Be A STAR builds the capacity of young people to gain knowledge and build skill sets to increase school achievement and overall health. The need for Be a STAR and the successes it has had is proof that bills such SB 954 are necessary for our schools. This bill could have had similar positive implications as our program and for students across California. However, the proposed bill ultimately failed as it was vetoed by Governor Newsom on September 25, 2024.
In the future, NHF intends to stay vigilant for proposed legislation that could have an impact on improving the educational and health resources for students in California.
Housing & Homelessness:
NHF made several efforts to address the housing and homelessness crisis Southern California is currently facing. As an organization with recuperative care sites, NHF understands the need for both interim housing as well as more affordable and widely available units to reduce the number of individuals experiencing homelessness in the first place. Similar to food access programs however, the annual state budget did not prioritize housing programs and initiatives as hoped.
NHF strongly supported SB 37: Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities Housing Stability Act, which would have created a pilot program providing housing subsidies for older adults and adults with disabilities who are experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness. NHF sent letters of support to senate members, several committees, and the Governor advocating for its passing; however, it ultimately did not receive the funding it was requesting and was vetoed by the Governor.
NHF also came out in strong opposition to the SCOTUS ruling in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson that allowed local governments to enforce anti-camping laws, which are seemingly a direct attempt to criminalize homelessness. Governor Newsom unfortunately decided to take full advantage of the SCOTUS ruling and urged the rest of California to enforce such anti-camping laws. However, as many reports and research has shown, these types of laws, such as 41.18 in Los Angeles, have proven to be ineffective encampment responses.
In response, NHF has widely supported both Measure A and ULA. Measure A, also known as “Bold New Way,” is a county level community-led initiative on the November ballot that gathers funds for preventing those at risk of homelessness from becoming homeless and through ensuring more sustainable resources are available to efficiently get homeless people into housing through a ½ sales tax. Measure A passed in November with over 57% of voters in support. ULA is a city level tax on real estate sales over $5 million that is dedicated to affordable housing production and homelessness prevention. NHF has actively participated in and supported efforts for both initiatives by participating in Advocates United bi-weekly coalition meetings and United to House LA, both hosted by United Way of Greater LA. Prior to the election, NHF held a Measure A teach-in for staff and community members in both English and Spanish, as well as endorsed the measure. Similarly, NHF has sent letters of support to the Housing and Homelessness committee for the city of Los Angeles to approve ULA guidelines for implementation as presented by the United to House LA Coalition.
In conclusion:
NHF had a busy and exciting legislative year. Although there were disappointments with some of our failed efforts, mainly due to State budget shortfalls, we feel encouraged by what we were able to accomplish and the partnerships we were able to develop or deepen. We are proud to have elevated the needs of the people we serve in recuperative care to state and local law makers and elevate community voices in the legislative process. We believe policy change is one of the more significant ways we can improve the health and lives of under-resourced communities in Southern California, and we are committed to using advocacy as a tool to help us accomplish our mission.