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In California, A New War on Poverty

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In September, new Census data were released that confirmed California still has the worst child poverty in the nation. The good news: organizations across California are working on bold initiatives to tackle the crisis. We’re proud to highlight what’s happening in California as we work to become the nation’s leader in fighting child poverty.

Here are three perspectives you should read:

  1. “In California, A New War on Poverty,” op-ed in Capitol Weekly co-written by our GRACE End Child Poverty Institute CEO Conway Collis and Professor David B. Grusky of the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality
  2. “Investing in California’s children is a moral imperative. But it’s also essential to our future,” op-ed in the Sacramento Bee by Shimica Gaskins, executive director of our partner the Children’s Defense Fund of California, and Tim Silard, president of the Rosenberg Foundation
  3. “Lobbying Isn’t Always a Bad Thing,” op-ed in Teen Vogue by Courtney McKinney of our partner the Western Center on Law and Poverty

The End Child Poverty in California coalition is getting ready for an incredibly exciting year. Make sure you’re subscribed to our email list for opportunities to stay educated and get involved.

CA Poverty Numbers Still Worst in Nation

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9/12/19 – New census data released this week put California just slightly below Washington DC with the highest rate of poverty in the nation – over 18%. The poverty rate has been declining since 2015, but much more needs to be done.

Luckily, in California we also have the nation’s only plan to end deep child poverty and cut overall child poverty in half. The ball is already rolling. June’s final California state budget puts almost $5 billion toward End Child Poverty Plan investments.

Read our CEO Conway Collis’ statement on the new census data and California’s unprecedented opportunity.

“It is indefensible that CA still has the worst child poverty in the nation. It is also tragic because the data and evidence are overwhelming that there are cost-effective solutions all laid out in detail with cost projections in the Lifting Children and Families Out of Poverty Task Force report. The Task Force analyzed 50 years of data. The result is the comprehensive End Child Poverty Plan that calls for specific actions that will result in predictable results — results that will end the suffering of children, provide them with brighter futures, and save money for taxpayers.

Led by Gov. Gavin Newsom and dedicated legislators, California has enacted substantial parts of the End Child Poverty Plan. But we need to implement the whole plan, particularly the proposals to eliminate deep child poverty – the cruelest and most extreme form of poverty. Join the fight. Let’s get this done!”

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and make sure you’re signed on to help us #EndChildPovertyCA.

Post image from screen shot of Sacramento Bee article, “California’s poverty rate among highest in nation once again, new census figures show,” retrieved 9/12/19

End Child Poverty CA Coalition 2019-2020 Budget Wins

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The final California state budget allocates almost $5 billion toward investments called for in the State Lifting Children and Families Out of Poverty Task Force’s End Child Poverty Plan.

State legislation created the Lifting Children and Families Out of Poverty Task Force to develop an anti-poverty plan that was released just before the new governor and legislature took their oaths of office in January. The End Child Poverty in California Coalition of 50+ partners rallied people, organizations and elected officials to adopt the Task Force’s End Child Poverty Plan, which would end deep child poverty in just four years when fully implemented. The End Child Poverty Plan would also reduce overall child poverty by 50 percent over the next decade.

As a result, the final state budget includes unprecedented investments to address deep child poverty. Furthermore, several pieces of legislation and budget proposals have been introduced to implement the comprehensive End Child Poverty Plan.

“This budget represents an unprecedented strategic investment to address poverty and inequality in California. Make no mistake, however — this is a down payment. Fully funding the Task Force’s plan would end deep child poverty in California in four years, and our campaign will keep working with our elected officials and all Californians to do just that. Thank you to the Governor and the Legislature with leaders on both sides of the aisle and across the political spectrum for their unprecedented action to help kids and families,” said Conway Collis, co-chair of the Lifting Children and Families Out of Poverty Task Force, and CEO of GRACE and End Child Poverty in California.

450,000 California children live in deep child poverty. If concentrated as a population, those children would comprise the state’s eighth largest city — larger than Oakland, twice as large as San Bernardino, and just smaller than Long Beach. When fully realized, savings generated by lifting these children from poverty would total $12 billion annually, on an ongoing basis, representing a dramatic return on investment.

“We could not have done this without the broad-based coalition of anti-poverty advocates, faith-based organizations, non-profits, education advocates, business and labor who worked tirelessly to build support for this important victory. This budget is a reflection of the beginning of a sea change, with ending child poverty in California, as the Governor has stated, his North Star.  We have more to do, but this is a significant step in the right direction and we are looking forward to continuing our work with this coalition, the legislature and the Governor,” said Jackie Thu-Huong Wong, Vice President for Policy and Advocacy at GRACE and End Child Poverty in California.

California has the highest number of children and highest percentage of children living in poverty of any state in the nation — almost 2 million children, who represent one out of every five California kids. Deep poverty is defined as families living at or below 50 percent of the federal poverty line, or less than about $12,500 for a family of four. In addition, 204,000 California children experience homelessness.

Infographic: Key End Child Poverty CA Coalition Budget Wins

Additional CA Budget Information & Reactions

  • State budget analysis from our coalition partner Western Center on Law & Poverty: click here.
  • Budget statement from CalEITC4Me on the California Earned Income Tax Credit expansion: click here.
  • Statement on child care wins from our coalition partners Parent Voices & Child Care Law Center: click here.
  • Article in Vox on the CalEITC expansion in California and its national relevance: click here.
  • Additional information on the End Child Poverty Plan: click here.
    LA Times story on the release of the End Child Poverty Plan: click here.

ACTION: Close CA’s Worst Tax Loopholes

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We know that income inequality in the U.S. is growing at a staggering pace. As our economy gets stronger, the poorest among us have less of their share of the pie. California shouldn’t be a state of winners and losers. Our Golden State should be a place of opportunity for ALL.

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) puts money back in the pockets of our lowest-income workers—money that families use in their local communities for food, rent, and school supplies. The EITC is one of the most powerful anti-poverty tools we have. California has plans to expand it, and fund the expansion by closing tax loopholes for elite corporations and the ultra-rich: tax loopholes that have already been closed in the federal tax code.

Our leaders need to hear loud and clear that we support closing corporate tax loopholes to open opportunities for low-income Californians.

TAKE ACTION NOW: SIGN THE PETITION

Californians don’t want more tax breaks for elite corporations and the ultra-rich. We want money in the pockets of those who work hard but still can’t make ends meet.

Stand with Governor Newsom and a broad coalition of labor, economic justice, anti-poverty, education, faith-based and small business voices to support the plan to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit and pay for it by closing California’s most egregious tax loopholes.

THANK YOU for your voice, your action, and your energy to keep up the fight for California families in poverty.

Help spread the word:

Urge our politicians who are on the fence to put low-income Californians first by retweeting:

Or copy and paste this link to share: https://www.endchildpovertyca.org/close-tax-loopholes/.

The End Child Poverty Bus Tour May 17-20, 2019 #ECPBusTour

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The End Child Poverty Bus Tour launches Friday, May 17, in Chula Vista, then heads to LA, Pomona, Weedpatch, Fresno, Salinas, Oakland, and closes with a rally in Sacramento on Monday, May 20. Parents, foster youth, elected leaders, and community advocates will be headlining the stops.

We want you with us.

Child poverty is a moral crisis, a public health crisis, and a state fiscal crisis. Before the state budget is finalized, we’re asking parents, children, and communities across California to demand action on our child poverty crisis. California has more children living in poverty than any other state. One in five California children lives in poverty. That’s almost 2 million children—with 450,000 of those children living in families trying to survive on less than $12,900 per year. But we also have a comprehensive plan to end deep child poverty. Let’s Pass the Plan.

Spread the word about the #ECPBusTour

Friday, May 17

  • Chula Vista | 9:15-10:30 am: Kick-Off Rally at Castle Park High School, 1395 Hilltop Drive, Chula Vista, CA, 91911, Organized by South Bay Community Services | RSVP for Chula Vista
  • Los Angeles | 1:30-2:30 pm: Community Meeting at St. John’s Well Child and Family Center, 808 West 58th Street, Los Angeles, CA, with Sen. Holly Mitchell & Asm. Autumn Burke, Organized by St. John’s Well Child and Family Center | RSVP for Los Angeles
  • Pomona | 5:00-5:45 pm: Community Event and Taco Line at Ganesha Park, Pomona, CA 91768, with Sen. Connie Leyva, Organized by Sen. Connie Leyva’s Office | RSVP for Pomona

Saturday, May 18

  • Weedpatch | 9:15-10:30 am: Community Meeting at Sunset School, 8301 Sunset Boulevard, Weedpatch, CA, 93307, Organized by the Dolores Huerta Foundation | RSVP for Weedpatch
  • Fresno | 12:45-2:15 pm: Community BBQ at the Sunset Community Center, 1345 W. Eden Avenue, Fresno, CA, 93706, with Sen. Melissa Hurtado and Senator Anna Caballero, Organized by Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission & Fresno EOC Street Saints | RSVP for Fresno
  • Salinas | 5:00-6:00 pm: Community Meeting at the National Steinbeck Center, 1 Main Street, Salinas, CA, 93901, with Sen. Anna Caballero, Organized by Sen. Anna Caballero’s Office| RSVP for Salinas

Sunday, May 19

  • Oakland | 12:15-1:30 pm: Community Meeting at Saint Mary’s, 925 Brockhurst Street at San Pablo Avenue, Oakland, CA 94608, **NOTE LOCATION CHANGE**, with Sen. Nancy Skinner, Organized by Sen. Nancy Skinner’s Office | RSVP for Oakland

Monday, May 20

  • Sacramento | 9:15-10:00 am: Closing Rally at the Capitol Steps, 1315 10th Street, Sacramento, CA, 95814, with Dolores Huerta & Legislators | RSVP for Sacramento

The End Child Poverty Plan

The End Child Poverty Plan will eliminate deep child poverty in four years and cut overall child poverty in half in 10-20 years by investing in programs that support families. Over 30 bills representing the plan are moving through the State Legislature right now.

Our voices and energy will ensure the plan gets passed. Now is the time to act.

#ECPBusTour #EndChildPovertyCA

TAKE ACTION: Support the Targeted Child Tax Credit #EndChildPoverty #PassThePlan

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We need your help to spread the word that California families in extreme poverty need our support. The problem is dire:

  • 450,000 kids in California live in deep poverty–that’s more than the entire population of Oakland. 
  • Deep poverty means a family of four living off of less than $12,900 per year. 
  • The toxic stress of deep poverty can affect a child their whole life–poor health, lower education levels, and lack of lifetime earnings.
  • Families in deep poverty often have a child or a parent with a disability that makes it hard to work, or they can’t find child care that would allow a parent to keep a full-time job. 

It’s a moral outrage that in the 5th largest economy in the world, we’re okay with so many families living in deep poverty. That’s why the #EndChildPoverty Plan recommends an innovative new tax credit that makes sure no family is left behind. 

The Targeted Child Tax Credit directly addresses our families in most dire need. It will help us END deep child poverty, and disrupt the cycle of poverty. Investments like this pay off.

The Targeted Child Tax Credit puts money directly into the pockets of families. We know from research and experience that families spend money they receive on their kids, and almost all of it goes back into local communities.

The Targeted Child Tax Credit will be heard in the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee TODAY, Monday, April 29, at 2:30 p.m.

Here’s what we need you to do:

  1. Forward this email to a friend. We need more Californians to get educated about deep poverty.
  2. Tweet your support for the Targeted Child Tax Credit.
  3. Share this post on Facebook and let your friends know why this is important.

We also want to give you a HUGE THANK YOU for what you’ve already done. Your calls, tweets, and shares are pushing this movement forward. We’ve attended dozens of policy hearings in Sacramento so far this year. We’re hearing legislators talk about deep poverty, racial equity, and making sure our state policies create opportunity for ALL of us. This buzz is because of you and your fellow Californians. Thank you!

ACTION: Get Loud for Child Care & Foster Youth

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Child care and strong support for foster youth are two pieces of the End Child Poverty Plan facing upcoming hearings. (See below for good news about support for foster youth!)

The power of the End Child Poverty Plan is in its comprehensive approach. It tackles many factors that push families into poverty or keep them there. There’s no magic bullet. Get involved and stay involved: share this post and tweet or share to Facebook in support of the End Child Poverty Plan Legislation.

CHILD CARE: BUDGET HEARING + AB 194 

ASSEMBLY BUDGET HEARING 3/26

TWEET THIS

We support expansion of #childcare for CA families. Parents are losing jobs because they can’t get care. Our families can’t wait. @AsmKevinMcCarty @Bill_Brough @J_GallagherAD3 @AsmMoniqueLimon @AsmJoseMedina @AsmMuratsuchi @AsmPatODonnell @PhilTing @JayObernolte #EndChildPoverty

CLICK TO RETWEET: https://twitter.com/EndChildPovCA/status/1110554014142197768

AB 194, Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes (D- San Bernardino) 

AB 194 will dramatically expand access to child care through a $1B investment, which is long overdue. Your tweets and social shares let our leaders know there’s deep support for expanding child care access and affordability.

TWEET THIS

Without child care, parents can’t work to provide for their families. Parents need affordable, reliable care. We support #AB194 (@AsmReyes47) to expand #childcare for CA families. #EndChildPoverty @AD26Mathis @AsmStevenChoi68 @laurafriedman43 @AsmMikeGipson @BMaienschein

Click to tweet: https://ctt.ac/bXm5Y

***

Child care is life-changing. Without it, parents can’t go to school to build their careers. We support #AB194 (@AsmReyes47) to expand #childcare for CA families. @AD26Mathis @AsmStevenChoi68 @laurafriedman43 @AsmMikeGipson @BMaienschein #EndChildPoverty #PassThePlan

Click to tweet: https://ctt.ac/yJOW4

SUPPORTS FOR FOSTER YOUTH: AB 531

Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale)

Foster youth experience homelessness and housing instability at much higher rates than their peers. In one survey, over 35% of youth experienced homelessness while enrolled in extended foster care. California has expanded its transitional-age programs for foster youth aged 18-24 in recent years. Now we need to fulfill our promise to support them with AB 531: increased access to safe, stable housing.

GOOD NEWS: AB 531 will be adopted unanimously. Help us say THANK YOU to the members of the Assembly Human Services Committee. 

TWEET THIS

CA made a promise to #fosteryouth. THANK YOU @AsmReyes47 @AD26Mathis @AsmStevenChoi68 @laurafriedman43 @AsmMikeGipson @BMaienschein for helping keep it. #AB531 provides transitional housing support for foster youth as they become adults. #EndChildPoverty #PassThePlan

Click to tweet: https://ctt.ac/6yeET

 

 

 

End Child Poverty Plan: The Power of Promise Neighborhoods

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End Child Poverty in California/GRACE visit to Mission Promise Neighborhood/MEDA in San Francisco, 2019

The End Child Poverty Plan offers California a groundbreaking path to end deep child poverty for 450,000 kids and cut overall child poverty in half. Expanding California’s successful Promise Neighborhoods network is a key part of the plan.

What’s a Promise Neighborhood?

Promise Neighborhoods are powerful, family-centered networks rooted in communities. They use the power of collective impact–many programs and services working together–to support families in neighborhoods facing intense economic pressures. Promise Neighborhoods create easy entry points for services and break down red tape. They work to improve kids’ lives “from cradle to college to career,” focusing on the whole child, the whole family, and the whole community.

Promise Neighborhoods are:

  • Results driven
  • Place based (located in one specific geographic area, allowing for community strength)
  • Community powered
  • Equity focused

California currently has five Promise Neighborhoods (including our End Child Poverty in California partners Hayward Promise, Mission Promise, and YPI), and more are needed. This year Senator Ben Allen (D-Los Angeles) introduced Senate Bill 686, the California Promise Neighborhoods Act of 2019, that would expand this successful, community-centered model to more neighborhoods.

Find out more:

  1. Click here to find out more about SB 686.
  2. See a map of all Promise Neighborhoods from the California Promise Network.
  3. Read about the incredible impact of one Promise Neighborhood in the blog post below by our partners at the Mission Promise Neighborhood and MEDA (Mission Economic Development Agency) in San Francisco.

2019: THE MISSION AND BEYOND, FOR ALL CALIFORNIA KIDS

Photo from MEDA blog. Read the full, original blog post here. 

[…]

Our numbers [at Mission Promise Neighborhood] spoke for themselves. Over the six-plus years of our initiative, we used a shared case-management tool to connect 2,744 families with 5,590 different program referrals, ranging from housing and tenants’ rights to job readiness and health care. We were a collaborative of 20 community organizations, aligning our efforts to provide wraparound services to our students and families to work toward common goals. We broke through silos and shared data along the way. Together, we held ourselves accountable to turning the curve on community indicators.

MPN saw the following outcomes in our schools and with our partners:

  • Latino graduation rates increased from 63 percent to 88 percent
  • African American graduation rates increased from 46 percent to 93 percent
  • Ninety-four percent of elementary school families feel a sense belonging at their schools
  • Rate at which students change schools mid-year decreased from 13.9 percent to 7.9 percent
  • Eighty percent of all Latino 4-year olds in the Mission are now enrolled in preschool
  • Social emotional development scores for 3-year-olds jumped from 24 percent to 82 percent

These outcomes are even more impressive when you take into account the extreme pressures our families are experiencing: unprecedented levels of housing displacement, growing income inequality, all coupled with a national political climate translating to an assault on our community. Our collective work of providing families with coordinated access to mental health services, legal representation, asset building, housing services and more has helped MPN stabilize the Mission by using schools and affordable housing as community anchors.

The U.S. Department of Education grant is an affirmation of the work our partners have done. Our second iteration of MPN is focused on aligning with the City of San Francisco and its School District’s Beacon Initiative, expanding from four to nine schools in the Mission District, increasing our presence at early learning centers, developing parent leaders and reaching out to Family Child Care providers to give their families access to our network of supports. We estimate that we will now be serving approximately 8,000 children and their families in the Mission. With our collective-impact approach, MPN is on pace to have the scale of the solution match the scale of the challenge.

Joining with other Promise Neighborhoods
Other Promise Neighborhoods across the state have seen similar outcomes. Together, the five Promise Neighborhoods in California created a network called CPNN.  The results from the CPNN network, informed the development of a statewide plan to end child poverty. This plan includes a recommendation for the investment by the State of California into a total of 20 Promise Neighborhoods at $5 million per neighborhood, complemented by increased spending on child care, CalWORKS and much more. The plan estimates that the combination of these factors will result in benefits to state and local governments of more than $12 billion annually.

The plan lays out the seven unique characteristics of Promise Neighborhoods:

  1. Cradle-to-college-to-career continuum to move families out of poverty
  2. Place-based to focus on high-need geographies
  3. Collective impact: collaborate with partners to provide solutions at scale
  4. Align funding streams to achieve shared outcomes
  5. Results-driven, with a focus on population-level results
  6. Equity-focused and explicit in addressing disparities
  7. Community powered to address local needs and build on local strengths

Data sharing, collaboration, accountable to results, good for the economy: Promise Neighborhoods are the embodiment of what we call “good government.” MEDA will be calling for these pilot initiatives to move beyond being simply boutique operations and for them to become the normal way that government delivers services….

One community is not waiting for the State to approve funding for Promise Neighborhoods; instead, it is taking the lead in using its current budget to create Promise Neighborhoods. San Diego County has approved $4 million for a pilot Promise Neighborhood based on the success of its existing Chula Vista Promise Neighborhood. If the pilot is also successful, the plan is to create even more Promise Neighborhoods throughout that county.

Closer to home — and based on  the success of San Francisco’s Promise Neighborhood in the Mission District — we believe it’s time for the City and County of San Francisco to begin asking itself if other neighborhoods in the City would benefit from a Promise Neighborhood, particularly during this time of widening income inequality and displacement of working-class families and people of color.

From School Board to Mayor, State Superintendent of Schools to Governor, all the way to the House of Representatives, we are seeing inspiring new leaders take the reins of government. As they highlight the need for a more just society, now is the time for bold equity initiatives based on proven models. Perhaps 2020 will put us on pace to end child poverty.

After all, much can happen in a year!

***

Read more about the End Child Poverty Plan strategies here. Join in by signing on to the campaign for updates.

Let’s Get Loud: Social Media for End Child Poverty Plan Budget Hearings

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Big decisions are being made right now about the End Child Poverty Plan. Let’s make our voices loud: 450,000 kids living in deep poverty depend on it. 

The CA Legislature is in the middle of its budget process. Leaders are deciding where money goes and which programs get funded. We know that these End Child Poverty Plan recommendations take financial commitment:

  1. The Targeted Child Tax Credit
  2. Expanded CalWORKs grants
  3. An expanded California Earned Income Tax Credit

These three programs will eliminate deep child poverty and have a significant impact in reducing overall child poverty. We need to make sure our leaders know we want them funded. The State Assembly Budget Committee on Tax Credits meets to discuss budget priorities at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12. 

Here’s what to do:

  1. Send a tweet or two (tweets & social graphics below)
  2. Make a call (script & phone numbers below)
  3. Join us at the hearing at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, 3/12 (RSVP details below)

1. TWEET THESE

Copy, paste, and download a graphic OR push “click to tweet” without a graphic.

A. ==> CLICK TO TWEET <==

A strong California economy should make all of us stronger. Let’s support #CalEITC #CalWORKs and a #TargetedChildTaxCredit. With these powers combined, we can end deep child poverty. @autumnrburke @AsmJimCooper @GavinNewsom @Rendon63rd @PhilTing #EndChildPoverty #PassThePlan

–

B. ==> CLICK TO TWEET <==

We can END poverty for 450K kids in CA with this triple threat:

-a Targeted Child Tax Credit

-an expanded Earned Income Tax Credit

-expanded CalWORKs

Let’s dream big: #EndChildPoverty #PassThePlan

–

C. ==> CLICK TO TWEET <==

Young or old. Big or small. Brave or bold… The California Dream is for ALL OF US. Let’s push for a #TargetedChildTaxCredit and expanded #CalEITC & #CalWORKs so the CA Dream is in reach for everyone. #EndChildPoverty #PassThePlan

–

D. ==> CLICK TO TWEET <==

Californians are doing everything they can to make ends meet. That’s why ALL low-income workers in CA should get the Earned Income Tax Credit. Spread the word—the #CalEITC is for everyone. @autumnrburke @AsmJimCooper @GavinNewsom @Rendon63rd @PhilTing

2. MAKE TWO CALLS BEFORE NOON ON 3/12

  1. Committee Chair Asm. Jim Cooper: (916) 319-2009
  2. Committee Chair Asm. Autumn Burke: (916) 319-2062 

CALL SCRIPT:

Hi, my name is ___. I live in ___. I’m calling, in advance of this week’s budget hearing, to support the End Child Poverty Plan. Almost half a million kids in our state live in extreme poverty. This is a moral crisis. Please help by supporting a Targeted Child Tax Credit and expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit and CalWORKs for low-income families and families in deep poverty. I support the California Dream for all of us. Thank you!

3. JOIN US for the hearing on 3/12 at 1:30 p.m. in Sacramento

We want to pack the room with as many End Child Poverty Plan supporters as we can. We’ve already heard from legislators that they’re seeing our red stickers all over the capitol. We need to keep it up! If you can make it, email Evelyn at evelyn@grace-inc.org to let us know you want to come. You can also mark your calendar for one of our next big dates:

  1. March 25 hearing for SB 298 (Caballero) the End Child Poverty Act
  2. April 11 Senate Budget Committee Hearing

–

Thank you! The End Child Poverty Plan is a coordinated set of solutions that will eliminate deep child poverty and cut overall child poverty in half. Stay tuned for more action opportunities focused on these and the other End Child Poverty Plan recommendations.

PETITION TO OUR LEADERS: Make Ending Child Poverty a 2019 Priority

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We have to make sure our California leaders know that for 2 million kids, ending child poverty can’t wait.

We’re at a key juncture as Governor Gavin Newsom revises his proposed California budget and legislators fight for their bills. SIGN ON to tell our elected leaders that the End Child Poverty Plan should be a key priority in 2019.

  • It’s comprehensive and achievable.
  • It invests in families and communities.
  • It will END extreme poverty in California for 450,000 kids.

Let’s do this! The End Child Poverty Plan letter has already been signed by over 60 esteemed California organizations. Seventeen pieces of legislation supporting the plan have already been introduced and the list is growing. We have to keep the momentum going so Governor Newsom and California State Legislators know this movement is only growing. Click to sign on:

Read the full letter below and click here for the press release. Help amplify the movement by sharing on social media:

    

Dear Governor Newsom and Budget Leaders of the California State Legislature:

We are writing as a broad coalition of Californians to ask that you urgently and immediately take actions to end deep childhood poverty and substantially reduce overall child and family poverty in California by implementing the End Child Poverty Plan.

One in five children in California live in poverty. We are the 5th largest economy in the world with the highest percentage and largest number of children living in poverty of any state in the nation. This is a human and a fiscal crisis that we have the ability to solve.

According to the Harvard Center on the Developing Child, the toxic stress of extreme poverty has a life-long negative impact on a child’s brain development. The same research indicates that the impact can be reversed by making the proven investments recommended by California’s Child Poverty Task Force that reduce or eliminate the need for more costly remediation in the future.

The Task Force’s End Child Poverty Plan is comprehensive, research-based, and community-informed. When fully implemented, the plan will end deep poverty for the 450,000 children in California living under 50% of the federal poverty line within four years and substantially reduce California’s highest-in-the-nation level of overall child and family poverty.

As children’s advocates, non-profits, religious leaders, business organizations, and concerned individuals we urge that the comprehensive End Child Poverty Plan be acted on immediately.

Reducing child and family poverty by 50% will also have a net positive impact on state and local government budgets of an estimated minimum of $12 billion annually in reduced remedial health, social service and educational expenditures and increased tax revenues.

The Governor’s proposed budget is an excellent starting point to begin reducing childhood poverty, especially for children living in deep poverty. The California Legislature can take the important step to eliminate deep poverty among families with children in the short term and to reduce overall childhood poverty by fifty percent by 2023 by adopting the Task Force’s science-based budget proposals. They include:

Primary Investments

  • Increase grants in the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program to bring families up above deep poverty as proposed in the Budget Act of 2018.
  • Increase and expand access to the Earned Income Tax Credit.
  • Adopt a Targeted Child Tax Credit (TCTC) that would put money back in the pocket of families and put it to work in the economy. This proposal also serves to provide a rental subsidy for families living in deep poverty or experiencing homelessness. Research conducted by the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality shows that cash or near cash subsidies have a long-term positive impact on reducing childhood poverty and increasing the overall economic health of a community. The TCTC alone, when fully implemented will eliminate deep child poverty within four years.

Foundational Investments

  • Guarantee access to early care and education for children 0–8 years of age who are living in poverty in order to support child early development and families’ employment, education, health and upward mobility.
  • Expand voluntary home visiting programs to support pregnant women and families with young children.
  • Add 20 state-funded Promise Neighborhoods offering coordinated, community-driven support services.
  • Secure Healthcare for All Californians.
  • Fully fund transitional housing programs and supports for foster care youth up to the age of 21.

We urge these investments for the children of California today, to support the California Dream for each of our children.

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

Also signed and supported by:

GRACE

Children Now

Children’s Defense Fund

County Welfare Directors Association of California

First 5 CA

First 5 Los Angeles

Fresno EOC Street Saints

Home Start, Inc.

Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce

St. John’s Well Child and Family Center

Western Center on Law and Poverty

Youth Policy Institute

The Actors Gang

Alameda County Community Food Bank

Alliance for Children’s Rights

American Academy of Pediatrics

Barrio Logan College Institute

California Alternative Payment Program Association (CAPPA)

California Association of Food Banks

California Catholic Conference

California Emerging Technology Fund

California Interfaith Coalition

CalEITC4ME

Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County

Child Care Law Center

Child Care Resource Center

Children’s Advocacy Institute

Children’s Institute

Children’s Network of Solano County

Clinica Romero

Council on American-Islamic Relations

Cradle to Career Fresno County

First 5 Alameda

First 5 Association of CA

Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano County

Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission

Friends Committee on Legislation of California

Good Samaritan

Jamestown Community Center (The)

Jewish Center for Justice

John Burton Advocates for Youth

JPAC – Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California

Lutheran Office of Public Policy- CA

Marin Promise Neighborhoods

Maryvale

Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA)

Mission Graduates

National Association of Social Workers

National Center for Youth Law

National Council for Jewish Women

National Foster Youth Institute

Parent Voices

Pathways LA

Policy Link

Rise Together Bay Area

SALEF (Salvadorian American Leadership and Educational Fund)

Shields for Families

South Bay Community Services

United Way Bay Area

United Way California

United Way of Greater Los Angeles

 

cc: Members of the California State Legislature

IMAGINE: End Child Poverty California's Vision for a Just Future
ECPCA: 2019 Bus Tour
Gov. Newsom Signs Historic Budget
John Lewis, Civil Rights Leader

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