Update on 2016 Advocacy Efforts

From January through September, FSD staff has been engaged in important advocacy efforts to ensure that local, state and federal public policy reflects the needs of those we serve in the community.

Some of our key priorities this legislative year included the Farm to Food Bank Tax Credit, which aimed to extend and expand a current tax credit that allows Feeding San Diego and other food banks across the state to procure healthy produce that would otherwise go to waste; Assembly Bill 2054, which aimed to help fight child hunger by getting California ready to operate the federal Summer EBT for Children program, should it become available; and securing Breakfast After the Bell Funding, a budget item that would help California maximize federal programs to expand school breakfast, which allows more children to fuel up for the school day.

Through visits and outreach in both Sacramento and San Diego, FSD and our collaborative partners such as the Hunger Advocacy Network and the California Hunger Action Coalition achieved great results on many of these measures. For example, the Farm to Food Bank Tax Credit was included in the final state budget signed by Governor Brown, as was $2 million in funding for expansion grants for Breakfast After the Bell alternative breakfast models, which is a great step in the right direction.

However, there is still work to do as AB 2054 did not make it through the legislature and other priorities were amended to remove important aspects of the legislation. The 2016 legislative session is now complete and all advocacy-related activities will be on hold until after the election as we formulate priorities for next year.