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Successful ECPCA Member Briefing! Thank you!

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To see highlights from the day: Click here for Twitter, here for Facebook, and here for Instagram!

What a joy and pleasure it was to be joined by our partners, family and community leaders, and our legislators at the Lifting Children & Families Out of Poverty Legislative Briefing! Our community came together in the State Capitol to make our voices heard. We’re ready to take action on the issues facing Californians living in poverty in 2023. 

We know that poverty is a policy choice. We also know the solutions to end it. 

Thank you to Senator Nancy Skinner, Civil Rights Leader Dolores Huerta and all who spoke for your show of support and powerful words. Take a look at the full list of speakers below. We value our leaders who prioritize support for ALL California children!

“People don’t appreciate that families are living on the edge, and the toxic stress that poverty places on them and their children and families. It is imperative we prioritize ending poverty even in a year when we may be in deficit.”

Senator Nancy Skinner

“We cannot continue to brag about what a great state we are, if we don’t share the wealth. We need to bring the money back to the people who create it. My question to you all is, ‘Are you ready to do the work?’”

Dolores Huerta

Our coalition is ready for action in 2023. We will continue to lift each other up and push for policies that lift children and families out of poverty for good!

__________

Thank you to our speakers!

Senator Nancy Skinner

Civil Rights Leader, Dolores Huerta

Gia Mclean, Parent Voices

Maritza De León, Parent Voices

Josefina Ramirez Notsinneh, Children Now

Tiffany Whiten, California State Council of SEIU

Mayra Alvarez, The Children’s Partnership

Itzúl Gutierrez, California Association of Food Banks

Joel Campos, Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County 

Alexis Castro, California Immigrant Policy Center 

Mónica Lazo, Golden State Opportunity

Mandy Nand, United Ways of California

Christopher Sanchez, Western Center on Law & Poverty

Senator Nancy Skinner gives opening remarks during the ECPCA Member Briefing on January 25, 2023.

While we couldn’t live stream the event, the recording is on YouTube and also can be viewed on Senator Skinner’s website.

Lifting Children & Families Out of Poverty Member Briefing

Introductions & Opening Remarks

  • 0:00: Andrew Cheyne, GRACE & ECPCA
  • 2:30: Senator Nancy Skinner
  • 10:29: Gia Jones, Parent Voices CA (Q&A with Gia starts at 14:00)
  • 17:28: Shimica Gaskins, GRACE & ECPCA
  • 21:54: Devon Gray, EPIC
  • 27:06: Chris Hoene, California Budget & Policy Center
  • 34:29: Camila Chavez, Dolores Huerta Foundation
  • 41:15: Dolores Huerta, Dolores Huerta Foundation

Policy Area Presentations

Early Care and Education
46:45: Maritza de León, Parent Voices
50:25: Josefina Ramirez Notsinneh, Children Now

Labor
53:13: Tiffany Whiten, California State Council of SEIU

Health Care and a Whole Child Approach
58:18: Mayra Alvarez, The Children’s Partnership

Hunger Cliff and Anti-Hunger Priorities
1:04:19: Itzúl Gutierrez, California Association of Food Banks
1:07:00: Joel Campos, Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County

Safety Net 4 All
1:11:20: Alexis Castro, California Immigrant Policy Center

Tax Credit Equity
1:15:39: Mandy Nand, United Ways of California
1:18:46: Mónica Lazo, Golden State Opportunity

Access to Justice
1:21:30: Christopher Sanchez, Western Center on Law and Poverty

Reimaging CalWORKs
1:23:48: Andrew Cheyne, GRACE & ECPCA

IMAGINE: Forward Together. No Going Back. 2023 ECPCA Campaign Launch

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Our End Child Poverty California Coalition vision in 2023 is Forward together. No going back.

We’re ready to work together. We’re ready to get amazing things done. The financial outlook for the year looks tough. But our 170+ organizations are committed to action.

Together, our coalition can

  • Lift all children out of deep poverty
  • Create a more meaningful California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC)
  • Renew the Expanded Child Tax Credit
  • Get rate increases & critical support for child care providers and families
  • Invest in community cradle-to-career networks
  • Implement HOPE Accounts so vulnerable youth have hope for the future
  • End racist and sexist CalWORKs policies
  • …and so much more!

“Forward Together. No Going Back.” is a nod to the fact that in financially tough times, across-the-board cuts to programs (austerity cuts) don’t work. In fact, they’re devastating for families. We’re not going back to the across-the-board cuts of the Great Recession.

We’re charting a new path. In lean times, we can make sure the most vulnerable Californians are protected. This is how we fight racism, xenophobia, and oppression in California. 

We imagine a future where all our children are: Nourished. Respected. Secure. Valued. Free. 

It IS possible. We will achieve this bright future together.

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Look for our simple action emails this legislative season. Get on the list. Email Evelyn@NectarCollaborative.com.

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

Interested in Baby Bonds? ECPCA Has You Covered

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Update: July 20, 2022

GRACE Celebrates Groundbreaking $115 Million Investment in HOPE Accounts for Children Orphaned by COVID-19 and Foster Youth!

Governor Gavin Newsom approved the state’s 2022-2023 budget with vital investments secured for over 32,000 children orphaned by COVID and children who are in long-term foster care.

GRACE & End Child Poverty California (ECPCA), John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY), End Poverty in California (EPIC), and Liberation in a Generation worked diligently alongside partners and California leaders for the inclusion of HOPE Trust Fund Accounts in the final budget. The Hope, Opportunity, Perseverance, and Empowerment (HOPE) for Children Act – championed by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) – will lay the foundation for future expansion of child trust accounts, or baby bonds, as a tool to support wealth building and economic opportunity for California children living in poverty. Approximately 1 in 5 children live in poverty in our state. 

HOPE Accounts will support children from low-income families who lost a primary caregiver to COVID-19, as well as children who are in long-term foster care. HOPE funds will be available when a child turns 18. They will allow children to invest in their education, start a business, or support purchasing transportation or housing. Access to wealth-building tools is critical to shrink the state’s persistent racial wealth gap. The budget agreement provides $100 million in one-time funding and $15 million in ongoing funding for the HOPE Account program.

“HOPE Accounts will provide a level of financial protection—of wealth—that allows children in foster care and children orphaned by COVID the ability to seed their futures with dreams instead of worries. HOPE Accounts give young people the power, agency, and dignity to build wealth now and into the future.

Shimica Gaskins, President and CEO at GRACE & End Child Poverty CA

Cody Van Felden, a foster youth advocate at John Burton Advocates for Youth said, “The guarantee of baby bonds means so much to me. I have done so much advocating for this because, as a first step, baby bonds will begin to eradicate generational poverty. I did not get a running start in getting out of poverty; therefore, I must work twice as hard to ensure my daughter does not stay stuck in poverty. Baby bonds will give others like me that running start to take control of their life.”

California has the highest child poverty rate in the country, with stark economic disparities that track along racial lines. Baby bonds work to close the racial wealth gap and end cycles of intergenerational poverty by providing guaranteed capital that recipients can use to build wealth and establish financial security. Providing access to this seed fund of capital directly combats the effects of racist and classist policy choices that created the racial wealth gap in the first place. Baby bonds are an increasingly prominent policy tool for combating the lasting effects of that history and charting a better path forward. In 2021, the state of Connecticut, and Washington, D.C. each enacted similar programs. Additionally, federal proposals have been introduced by Senator Cory Booker and Representative Ayanna Pressley.

Introduction to Baby Bonds & CA’s Hope Accounts

May 19, 2022

One of End Child Poverty California’s key legislative requests during 2022–and a topic that the GRACE team is championing–is the HOPE for Children Act. This request regards the establishment of Hope Accounts for California youth that are experiencing economic insecurity due to the pandemic and also those that have been involved with the child welfare system.

What will Hope Accounts Do? This proposal will create California’s first “baby bond program,” or trust fund accounts for foster youth in long term care and children orphaned by COVID-19.

Unlike their peers, these children–and other low-income California youth–do not have the cushion of parent or family wealth to rely on when they become adults. This makes it even harder for our young adults to finance an education, buy a house, start a business, and make other moves that would allow them to move out of poverty and into long-term financial stability for themselves AND their families.

A Quick Vocabulary Lesson. Wealth is what a person owns: a person’s net worth, or total assets minus liabilities. This includes items like cash, homes and real estate, cars, jewelry, etc. Income is what a person earns over a certain period, like a salary, sales profits, etc. These two are not the same. Income can generate wealth, but takes time to do so. Having a high paying job doesn’t automatically mean someone is wealthy.

Why Are HOPE Accounts Important? HOPE Accounts are a pathway toward ensuring low-income children in California will have the opportunity to realize their dreams. We are urging the Legislature to create these accounts ASAP for 32,500 children orphaned by COVID and foster youth.

A video primer featuring GRACE President & CEO Shimica Gaskins and End Poverty in California founder Michael Tubbs is available here for everyone to watch and share.

Current Status: This budget proposal is championed by Senator Skinner (D-Berkeley) and is a budget priority for the Senate. Sign on here to tell our policymakers that we need HOPE Accounts NOW.

Read our one-pager and policy brief, included below, for more information on both the Hope for Children Act and baby bonds.

UPDATED-HOPE-for-Children-Act-of-2022Download
GRACE-ECPCA-Hope-Accounts-Brief-March-2022Download

2020 Wins for the End Child Poverty California Movement

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We want to share End Child Poverty California movement wins from the most recent California budget.

In spite of the fact that this continues to be an incredibly difficult year, we are moving forward together. We’re proud to work with such a phenomenal group of partners, parents and advocates. We believe ALL our children deserve to be healthy, housed and fed.

On June 29, 2020, California’s newest state budget was finalized. For the first time ever, undocumented families are included in the poverty-fighting CalEITC cash-back tax credit.

This means money going directly to working families who have been left out of economic relief and necessary income supports during the COVID-19 pandemic. We know this money will be used in local communities. We know it will support some of our most vulnerable undocumented families who urgently need money for food, bills, and health care.

End Child Poverty California quote box: For the first time ever, undocumented families with young children are included in the poverty-fighting CalEITC cash-back tax credit

The CalEITC tax credit change applies to undocumented families who have children under six, and who file taxes using an Individual Tax Identification Number. These families don’t have Social Security Numbers, but they pay taxes. The change also includes the $1,000 Young Child Tax Credit for any family with children under six earning $1 or more. These changes go into effect next year. For the first time, ALL California families with young children who file taxes and make less than about $30,000 per year will be eligible for these life-saving credits.

We will continue working hard alongside our partners and the CalEITC Coalition and the Safety Net For All Coalition (a network of over 125 organizations) so that more California families can be included in immediate and ongoing relief.

And there is more good news: Both of our End Child Poverty California Senate bills passed out of the State Senate with bipartisan support!

Senate Bill 1103: Workforce Support Services for Californians (Authored by Sen. Melissa Hurtado)

Many promising youth and community members haven’t been able to complete career training programs that lead to higher wage jobs and a path out of poverty, due to the daily challenges of living in poverty. These include lack of child care, commutes of two- to three-hours each way, and the need to work multiple low-wage jobs to support their families while going to training. 

End Child Poverty California Senate Bill 1103 quote from Alma Moreno of Sanger: Many of us have wanted to go back to school but the lack of child care and support makes it very difficult. It’s very difficult to take night classes when you don’t have transportation or resources. We would like to have a brighter future and fight child poverty in California. On behalf of the California Farmworkers Foundation, we strongly support SB 1103.

SB 1103 by Senator Melissa Hurtado (D – Fresno, Kern, Kings and Tulare Counties) creates the High Roads Workforce Training Program that addresses the issues that stop people from graduating. This is an important commitment to families and brighter futures. SB 1103 is particularly important to California’s economic recovery from COVID-19.

Read Alicia’s and Lesly’s stories about why SB 1103 is so important.

Senate Bill 1409: CalEITC Tax Credit Auto-filing Pilot for Families with Low Incomes (Authored by Senator Anna Caballero)

We know that many families earn so little that they are not required to file taxes, yet they are eligible for the CalEITC tax credit and Young Child Tax Credit that would help them with stability and basic necessities. 

SB 1409 authored by Senator Caballero (D – Salinas Valley and parts of the Central Valley) seeks to develop efficiencies in tax filing, so that families can directly receive their CA EITC  and other tax benefits.  Research has shown that as much as $2 Billion State and Federal Tax Credits are left unclaimed.  This bill would cut through bureaucracy and would create methods for direct payments to families.

End Child Poverty California Senate Bill 1409 quote from Senator Anna Caballero: Many of California’s most economically fragile households do not receive CalEITC because they may be unaware they qualify for this critical tax credit or simply do not file a tax return because they earn too little.

This crisis has had an outsized impact on our families in poverty and together we can make sure we change the way we support and create opportunities for families. Looking forward to sharing more good news in support of children and families soon.

More California budget news and analysis from partners:

Support #SB1103 & #SB1409 California’s Current End Child Poverty Plan Legislation

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Lesly Henriquez smiling at the camera wearing a maroon tank top.

Join us: ask leaders to pass two important pieces of legislation right now that fight economic inequality. We want to build a better California with high-wage, high-earning jobs for solid futures. We want families to get the support they need without obstacles. We don’t want to recover from crisis to the way things were before.

Your clicks matter in getting these two End Child Poverty Plan policies passed now:

  • SB 1103 the High Roads Workforce Training Program focuses on making sure promising workers don’t face obstacles to finishing job training programs (authored by Sen. Melissa Hurtado)
  • SB 1409 the CalEITC autofiling pilot tests out a way to get Californians who qualify for critical tax credits auto-enrolled so that we can cut red tape and get families the money they are owed. This money goes directly into local communities and supports children and families (authored by Sen. Anna Caballero)

We must recover from COVID-19 into a new California
that prioritizes equity.

Click here to email elected leaders

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The High Roads Workforce Training Program removes obstacles to great jobs. #SB1103 is economic justice at work. Let’s take the #HighRoadToRecovery. @portantino @SenatorPatBates @SteveBradford @SenBrianJones @SenatorLeyva @BobWieckowskiCA @SenToniAtkins #CALeg #EndChildPovertyCA

Let’s remove roadblocks that stop youth from launching careers. With #HighRoadToRecovery, Eustolia can build her future again.➡️Pass #SB1103⬅️@portantino @SenatorPatBates @SteveBradford @SenBrianJones @SenatorLeyva @BobWieckowskiCA @SenToniAtkins #CALeg https://youtu.be/ZwNa3Sub-2g 

We believe in the power of proven poverty-fighting tools like #CalEITC. Let’s make it simpler for everyone who qualifies to get it. #SB1409#EndChildPovertyCA#CutRedTape@portantino@SenatorPatBates@SteveBradford@SenBrianJones@SenatorLeyva@BobWieckowskiCA@SenToniAtkins

Call A Leader on the Senate Appropriations Committee

These two bills need to pass out of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Choose an elected leader on the committee to call:

  • Senator Anthony J. Portantino (Chair) (916) 651-4025
  • Senator Patricia C. Bates (Vice Chair) (916) 651-4036
  • Senator Steven Bradford (916) 651-4035
  • Senator Jerry Hill (916) 651-4013
  • Senator Brian Jones (916) 651-4038
  • Senator Connie M. Leyva (916) 651-4020
  • Senator Bob Wieckowski (916) 651-4010

Hi, my name is _________ and I live in __________. Thanks so much for everything you’re doing to help communities recover from COVID-19. I’m calling to ask for your support of two bills that are part of California’s End Child Poverty Plan: SB 1103 and SB 1409.

The High Roads Workforce Training Program, Senate Bill 1103, will create pathways to high-wage jobs for disconnected youth, youth-at-risk and farm workers. These Californians face some of the biggest roadblocks to recovery. This bill is a chance for California to offer new, better futures for people living in poverty. 

The CalEITC autofiling pilot tests out a way to get low-income Californians the money they are owed in important tax credits. This money is a life-saver for families and helps parents take care of kids.

Thank you!

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Share These Videos

  1. Sophia speaks in support of SB 1103 and discusses trying to build her future while managing school, full-time fast-food work, and parenting: https://vimeo.com/427918005 
  2. Lesly talks about the critical importance of having child care in order to fulfill career dreams: https://vimeo.com/427916652
  3. Eustolia talks about how not having transportation stopped her from finishing her welding program even though she was at the top of the class and a consistent over-achiever: https://youtu.be/ZwNa3Sub-2g 
  4. Alicia talks about how youth who have to work multiple jobs to help their families can’t access may internship and training opportunities: https://youtu.be/JeQHZuGOxlw

BREAKING: AB 1520, The Lifting Children and Families Out of Poverty Task Force, Passes CA Legislature without a Dissenting Vote

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Just a day after the U.S. Census Bureau released new numbers that show that California still has the highest rate of child poverty in the nation, California took a groundbreaking step to address the problem by sending AB 1520, the Lifting Children and Families Out of Poverty Task Force, to the Governor’s desk.

“California is a global leader in climate change and progressive politics, yet we have the highest rate of child poverty in the country—almost 2 million children,” said Conway Collis, CEO of the nonprofit GRACE, a sponsor of the bill. “We have a chance to turn that around. Governor Brown now has AB 1520 in his hands, bipartisan legislation that passed the legislature without a dissenting vote, that will take a crucial step towards reducing child poverty in our state.  On behalf of the almost 50 organizations supporting AB 1520 we urge him to sign it.”

AB 1520, the Lifting Children and Families Out of Poverty Task Force, will convene a group of experts from inside and outside of government who will set a framework for California to dramatically reduce its child poverty rate by investing in proven solutions such as voluntary home visiting; high-quality, affordable early childhood education; after-school and summer programs; earned income tax credits for working families; and job training. Learn more here.

Child poverty is a problem that can be solved, and AB 1520 is a critical first step to doing just that.  

For updates and action alerts, join the campaign. 

***

AB 1520 Supporters

  • GRACE (sponsor)
  • Alameda County Board of Supervisors
  • Bonnie M. Dumanis San Diego County District Attorney
  • California Alternative Payment Program Association
  • California Catholic Conference
  • California Coverage and Health Initiatives
  • California Legislative Black Caucus
  • California State Parent Teacher Association
  • California Health+ Advocates
  • Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County
  • Children Now
  • Children’s Defense Fund
  • Crystal Stairs
  • First 5 California
  • First AME Church of Los Angeles
  • First Focus Campaign for Children
  • Golden State Opportunity
  • Health Access California
  • Jewish Public Affairs Committee
  • Junior Leagues of CA
  • LA PROMISE
  • Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
  • Los Angeles Promise Neighborhood
  • Los Angeles Urban League
  • Moneta Gardens Community Center
  • Mothers In Action, Inc.
  • National Association of Social Workers, CA Chapter
  • National Foster Youth Institute
  • One For All (OFA)
  • Public Counsel
  • San Diego County District Attorney
  • SHIELDS for families
  • Social Justice Learning Institute
  • South Bay Community Services
  • South Bay Universal Child Development Center
  • St. John’s Well Child & Family Center
  • St. Joseph Center Planting Hope & Growing Lives
  • University of Southern California
  • Western Center on Law and Poverty
  • Youth Policy Institute

AB 1520 Author

Assembly Member Autumn R. Burke

AB 1520 Co-Authors

Assembly Members

Assemblymember Catharine B. Baker (R, District 16)

Assemblymember David Chiu (D, District 17)

Assemblymember Jim Cooper (D, District 9)

Assemblymember Cristina Garcia (D, District 58)

Assemblymember Todd Gloria (D, District 78)

Assemblymember Monique Limón (D, District 37)

Assemblymember Chad Mayes (R, District 42)

Assemblymember Blanca E. Rubio (D, District 48)

Assemblymember Marc Steinorth (R, District 40)

Assemblymember Tony Thurmond (D, District 15)

Senators

Senator Joel Anderson (R, District 38)

Senator Steven Bradford (D, District 35)

BREAKING: Landmark legislation to reduce child poverty by 50% introduced in California State Assembly

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ECPCA Girl-Pink-Lead-Nation

Assemblywoman Autumn Burke (D–Inglewood) just introduced The Lifting Children and Families out of Poverty Act, AB 1520, in the California State Assembly.

This landmark legislation commits California to a goal of reducing child poverty by 50% over 20 years, and provides a framework of research-backed solutions to achieve it.

California has the highest rate of child poverty in the nation according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Supplemental Poverty Measure that accounts for the high cost of living in our state. That translates to 1.9 million, or one in five California children. Child poverty of this magnitude will take a generation to change: AB 1520 provides the tools to do it.

Join in supporting The Lifting Children and Families out of Poverty Act:

Yes, I support AB 1520.

AB 1520 gives California the opportunity to set a model for the nation in reducing child poverty—dramatically improving the lives of California’s children and families, and strengthening our economy.

Groundbreaking change will take a groundswell of support. Learn more about AB 1520 here, and let your network know that California is leading the way by sharing on Facebook and Twitter.

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