Lutheran Office of Public Policy - California3 of our 4 Lobby Day bills passed out of their Appropriations committees! SB 4 (Wiener), AB 249 (Holden), and AB 660 (Irwin) will be heard and voted on in the Senate and Assembly in the coming weeks. Reach out to your Senator and Assemblymember to urge them to support these bills.
SB 4 (Wiener) is likely being acted on TODAY (5/25)! If you haven’t already called your Senator, do so early today!
SB 4 (Wiener)- The Affordable Housing on Faith & Higher Education Lands Act of 2023 will be heard in Senate Appropriations on 5/15. Call your senator to voice support for this bill!
NO AIQ ON MAY 17TH!
There will be no AiQ on Wednesday, May 17th as that day is Lobby Day! We look forward to seeing you all at Lobby Day. Join us for AiQ again at noon on Zoom on May 24th!
Check out the short video linked below to hear LOPP Director, Regina Banks, testify on SB 4 (Wiener). SB 4 would streamline and make easier the process for nonprofits and religious organizations to develop affordable housing projects on their land. The bill is onto Appropriations and needs our continued support. SB 4 will also likely be a Lobby Day bill!
At AIQ today Andrew shared with us links to several resources related to housing, including a voter guideline for people facing homelessness.
Call the Governor’s Office and urge him to sign the budget! Then enjoy your summer until the first week in August when we meet again!
Please contact Governor Newsom and ask him to sign the revised state budget! This budget includes funding for many of the bills we have been working on.
Register now at https://advocacydays.org/2022-fierce-urgency/
Bill Priorities for LOPP-CA 2022 for the 2022 Legislative Session:
SB 854 (Skinner), the HOPE for Children Act. This bill would establish California’s first baby bond program for children who lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19 and eligible foster youth. The bill also lays the groundwork so one day California can expand the program to all children living in low-income circumstances.
AB 2180 (Wicks), The Children of Incarcerated Parents and Caregivers Taskforce. This bill would establish the Taskforce for Children with incarcerated parents and caregivers as California lacks a statewide entity that focuses on identifying and addressing the needs of system-impacted children. Asm. Wicks will be including this bill in her working class families package of bills as an emphasis to the disproportionate impact mass incarceration has on working class families, especially women, and the destabilization that leads to.
AB 2589 (Santiago) This bill will would provide a 1-time payment of $2000 per child dependent to California residents who made less than $30,000 in 2021 and file their taxes. Increase the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) minimum tax credit to about $255 per eligible tax filer. AB 2589 would benefit approximately 5 million Californians, including 2 million children.
AB 1615 (Ting) Foster Youth Housing: This bill would extend housing assistance for former foster youth to 36 months.
These are 3 bills LOPP-CA may be supporting during this legislative session.
This bill would establish California’s first baby bond program for children who lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19 and eligible foster youth. The bill also lays the groundwork so one day California can expand the program to all children living in low-income circumstances. I’ve attached the support letter template for more details.
This bill would establish the Taskforce for Children with incarcerated parents and caregivers as California lacks a statewide entity that focuses on identifying and addressing the needs of system-impacted children. Asm. Wicks will be including this bill in her working class families package of bills as an emphasis to the disproportionate impact mass incarceration has on working class families, especially women, and the destabilization that leads to.
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: | Contact: Governor’s Press Office |
| Monday, May 10, 2021 | (916) 445-4571 |
Two-thirds of Californians set to benefit from Golden State Stimulus checks amounting to nearly $12 billion in total – the largest state tax rebate in American history
Billions in funding for rental relief and water and utility assistance
Part of the Governor’s $100 billion California Comeback Plan, a comprehensive recovery plan to tackle five of California’s most persistent challenges
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today previewed his $100 billion California Comeback Plan – the biggest economic recovery package in California’s history – including unprecedented investments to address the state’s most persistent challenges, starting with nearly $12 billion in direct cash payments to Californians hit hardest by the pandemic.
Chief among the new proposals is a major expansion of the Golden State Stimulus, providing additional direct payments to middle-class families that make up to $75,000. Under the plan, two-thirds of Californians will benefit from $600 direct payments. Qualified families with dependents, including undocumented families, will also now be eligible for an additional $500. The plan triples California’s previous investment, reaching more people and giving bigger benefits.
“California’s recovery is well underway, but we can’t be satisfied with simply going back to the way things were,” said Governor Newsom. “We are tripling the Golden State Stimulus to get money in the hands of more middle-class Californians who have been hit hard by this pandemic. Two in three Californians will receive a check from the state and more than $5 billion in aid will be made available to those who need help paying their rent or utility bills.”
Under Governor Newsom’s California Comeback Plan, the state would also offer the largest renter assistance package of any state in America, with billions of dollars to help low-income Californians pay back 100 percent of their back-rent, their rent for the months to come and overdue water and utility bills.
Throughout the week, Governor Newsom will highlight other major investments and key initiatives of the California Comeback Plan.
Governor Newsom’s California Comeback Plan seizes this once-in-a-lifetime moment to address long-standing challenges by taking on threats to our state’s future and ensuring every California family – regardless of their race or zip code – can thrive.