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Gov's Budget Prioritizes Restraint, Not Hunger and Poverty
Last week, Governor Brown proposed a fiscally conservative budget of $122.5 billion for 2017-18. This budget, which is slightly less than the spending set in the current 2016-2017 state budget, was set with the expectation of an economic downturn on the horizon, and amidst great deal of uncertainty with respect to federal policy. An impending economic downturn- along with any cuts to the federal safety net- would have a disproportionate impact on struggling Californians who have yet to feel any economic recovery in their own household budgets.
California must be proactive by making investments that address economic instability, improve health, and provide a path for Californians to get ahead. This budget neglects to provide critical economic and nutrition support to low-income families through programs like CalFresh, school nutrition, CalWORKS, and Supplemental Security Income. The proposed budget also eliminates $400 million in General Fund (GF) spending for affordable housing that was committed last session and does not include any new spending to address California's dire housing crisis.
We should note that the Governor's proposed budget generally continues investments pertaining to current federal policies, without assumptions about some of the harmful federal changes the Trump Administration and Congress have announced they will pursue, including the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. State leadership will be closely monitoring any federal changes and will revise the proposed budget as needed.
CFPA applauds the strong stand that Governor Brown and our Legislature have taken in asserting California's intention to fight any harmful federal changes and protect the values that California holds dear. Now is the time to strengthen the state with a plan to invest in public services and systems. We look to the Legislature to take action on behalf of low-income Californians as budget negotiations get underway.
Read CFPA's Overview the Governor's Proposed 2017-18 Budget.
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What's Next?
The Legislature will begin discussing state budget proposals this month. The Governor will release his revised budget by May 15, at which point some areas of federal budget implications should be clearer. The final budget must be presented to the Governor by June 15.
Learn More
Read the Governor's Proposed 2017-18 Budget.
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Read the LAO Overview of the Governor's Proposed Budget.
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Read the California Budget and Policy Project's Overview of the Governor's Budget.
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Grants to Expand School Breakfast
Register Now for February 9 Webinar
New funds are now available -- are you prepared to apply? On January 16, 2017, the California Department of Education kicked off the grant application process for new school breakfast funds. These competitive grants are open to all applicants and will prioritize high-poverty schools implementing or expanding after-the-bell breakfast.
Find out how you can access these important grant funds!
Join us for a webinar on February 9, 2017 from 2-3pm.
- Learn about key dates and critical steps for the grant application process
The webinar will be hosted by California Food Policy Advocates and will feature:
Read an overview of the grants.
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CalFresh ABAWD Time Limit: Statewide Waiver Extended to August 31, 2018
8-Month Extension Will Provide Crucial Time for the State and Counties to Prepare
The California Department of Social Services CalFresh Branch recently announced that USDA FNS has approved an extension of the statewide waiver of the three-month CalFresh time limit for unemployed adults without minor children. The statewide waiver will now expire August 31, 2018.
The state is to be commended for securing the waiver extension, which will provide additional time to prepare and train program administrators in the implementation of the complex ABAWD time-limit rules in order to mitigate loss of benefits for CalFresh recipients who could be subject to the time limit.
Read the Statewide Waiver Approval Letter from FNS.
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Stay informed on the return of the time limit on CFPA's ABAWD Time Limit page.
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Learn more about the return of the three-month time limit from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
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