Legislative Ask Lobby Day 2021

This page is an archive of the Lobby Day 2021 Bill Asks.

Our legislative ask this year centers on food justice, immigrant rights, and healthcare as they intersect with racial justice. Jesus’ life was a protest to the injustices of the Roman Empire under which people of certain backgrounds were marginalized and exploited. We are supporting bills that will positively impact systems of access and promote racial equity.

Lobby Day will focus on the following five bills/budget asks, each of which has been considered for its contributions toward racial justice in California. During legislative meetings, you can choose to talk about the bills you feel most passionate about among these five – no need to know them all.

AB 221 (Santiago): Emergency Food4All

In response the to continued challenges of the pandemic, AB 221 would provide emergency food assistance to millions of low-income Californians during COVID-19 regardless of their documentation status. This is a short-term response that would get grocery cards to people excluded from federal aid while advocates fight for longer-term solutions. For more details, see AB 221 Fact Sheet.

SB 464 (Hurtado): Food4All

Current laws exclude undocumented immigrants, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and certain visa holders from California Food Assistance Program and CalFresh eligibility. SB 464 would modernize the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) to provide vital food assistance to households who are currently ineligible due to their immigration status. There is an accompanying budget request. See Fact Sheet and Slides.

Click here for a more detailed take on these two food justice bills.

AB 937 (Carillo): The VISION Act

AB 937 would protect refugee and immigrant community members who have already been deemed eligible for release from being funneled by local jails and our state prison system to immigration detention. Prohibiting transfers to ICE would protect Californians from being subjected to inhumane and unsanitary conditions in immigration detention, would close the main pipeline filling immigration detention beds, and would reunite refugee and immigrant families and communities. See Fact Sheet.

CalEITC: Budget Ask and SB 691 (Rubio): CalEITC Expansion

SB 691 will permanently increase the California Earning Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) for workers excluded from the federal EITC, and extends eligibility for the Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC). A ⅔ vote is required. Accompanying Budget Ask to provide stimulus checks to undocumented Californians as part of the Golden State Stimulus package. See Fact sheet.

Click here to learn more about these two immigrant rights bills.

AB 1400 (Kalra): Guaranteed Health Care for All

AB 1400 would guarantee comprehensive, high-quality health care to all California residents as a human right. This bill, if enacted, sets in motion a single-payer health care coverage system in California, called CalCare, for all residents, regardless of citizenship status. By streamlining payments and lowering per-capita health care spending, CalCare guarantees quality health care and long-term care without creating barriers to care or out-of-pocket costs. See Fact sheet. AB 1400 is a 2-year bill.