Lutheran Office of Public Policy - CaliforniaJoin LOPP-CA and other partners for an afternoon celebrating the ending of the ICE contract at Yuba County Jail! The event will take place on Sunday, March 19th, from 1-3 pm outside of Yuba County Jail. More details, including the link to RSVP, can be found on the flier below.
Join us for the celebration of the end of the ICE contract at Yuba County Jail on Sunday, March 19th from 1-3 pm! RSVP & register for transportation at www.bit.ly/YubaClosure
Registration is open for Lutheran Lobby Day 2023! Register here: Lutheran Lobby Day 2023 Sign-up and invite your friends, congregations, family, everyone!
Committee hearings for some of the bills we are monitoring will be coming soon. Hearings of note:
SB 253 (Wiener, Gonzalez, Stern)– Climate Corporate Leadership & Data Accountability Act; hearing set for March 15
AB 1128 (Santiago)– YCTC expansion; can be heard in committee March 18
AB 1498 (Gipson)– CalEITC minimum amount; can be heard in committee March 20
SB 245 (Hurtado, Rubio)– Food4All; hearing set for March 20
An important piece of legislation will be announced on Monday, February 27th starting at 8 am from Los Angeles. Assemblymember Santiago, joined by the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) Coalition, will hold a press conference on AB 1128.
AB 1128 (Santiago) would expand the $1,083 Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC) to one million more families who are eligible for the CalEITC, helping fight poverty amid record costs in the state.
If you’re in the area, you can come out to show support for this bill at Central City Neighborhood Partners, 501 S Bixel St, Los Angeles, CA. For those not in the area or unable to attend, tune into the press conference from home and make a note of AB 1128 for your advocacy efforts!
About the CalEITC Coalition (LOPP-CA is a member!): The California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) Coalition is a broad group of 35+ advocacy and community and faith-based organizations, including policy advocates, low-income service providers, and labor organizations across the state of California committed to expanding access to the CalEITC and other cash-back tax credits.
it is with joy that we announce that the last U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement contract with a California county’s jail has been terminated.
The Yuba County Jail has had a more than three-decade-long contract with ICE for a detention center. On Friday, officials announced that the contract would be ending within in the next 60 days. The news comes after years of public outcry over substandard and dangerous conditions in the facility. This is an answer to prayer!
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!
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.
ELCA Advocacy is urging all of us to contact our senators urging them to support the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. If you have friends or relatives in states other than California, especially urge them to contact their senators. This is crucial to saving our democracy. Here is a link to an ELCA Advocacy contact form. https://support.elca.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1426
AAMPARO
July 12th:
Title: Stories from the Southern Border
Presenter: Rev. Ray Schellinger, Global Consultant on Immigration and Refugees, International Ministries, American Baptist Churches
Summary: Join us to hear stories of resilience from asylum seekers themselves as well as stories from Rev. Ray Schellinger, Global Consultant on Immigration and Refugees International Ministries of the American Baptist Church. Ray will share about his work at the southern border and share some of the stories he has heard from people there. Participants will learn the types of challenges asylum seekers face and learn about ways they can be involved in providing support and welcome.
Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2496147996837632784
July 19th:
Title: Ethical Storytelling – How to tell stories with human dignity
Presenter: Laura Curkendall, Director of Program Communications, CWS and Christopher Plummer, Director of Media, CWS
Summary: It’s natural to want to share the stories of our refugee neighbors with our own friends and family. But how can we ensure that we’re doing it in a way that we feel good about? Members of the CWS Communications team will share their advice to help you tell refugee stories in an ethical, dignified way.
Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8658618200429138448
July 26th:
Title: What is Preferred Communities? Intensive Case Management and the Community in Partnership
Presenter: Melissa Berger, Program Specialist, Vulnerable Populations
Summary: Many refugees, asylees, and other new arrivals with complex needs gain access to extended, intensive case management and group services through the Preferred Communities (PC) grant. Learn who is eligible, how the program works, and how PC staff work closely with local communities to ensure that refugees are able to access and navigate the resources they need.
Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8898774629702595856