SB 882 (Wiener) Needs Your Support! Call, Tweet, & Email Key Senators Today

Published on May 19, 2020 in CalFresh, Older Adults, State Legislation

SB 882 needs your support to clear its next legislative hurdle, the Senate Appropriations Committee. Join us in asking the Committee to move the bill on to the Senate Floor!

Call, tweet, and/or email the following Senators (this should take you just a few minutes):

Prioritize your outreach to Senator Anthony Portantino (D-Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena), the Chair of the Committee on Appropriations, and Senator Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), the President pro Tempore.

Senator Anthony Portantino, Chair (D-25) (916) 651-4025

Senator Toni Atkins, President pro Tempore (D-39) (916) 651-4039

Please also spend a few minutes contacting your Senator if they are listed below as members of the committee:

  • Patricia Bates, Vice Chair (R – 36) (916) 651-4036
  • Steven Bradford (D-35) (916) 651-4035
  • Jerry Hill (D-13) (916) 651-4013
  • Brian W. Jones (R-38) (916) 651-4038
  • Connie Leyva (R-38) (916) 651-4020
  • Bob Wieckowski (D-10) (916) 651-4010
  • Sample script:

    Hi, my name is _____ and I live in ______. I’m calling to urge Senator ______ to support SB 882, a bill that will make it easier for people to access CalFresh, our most powerful anti-hunger program. It is urgent that we simplify the CalFresh application process as more and more people are out of work and need help putting food on the table. SB 882 will make permanent improvements to the program, especially for older adults and people with disabilities. Please support SB 882. Thank you. [Or choose one or more of the following reasons or tell them your own]

    • Californians struggling to make ends meet during the COVID-19 crisis need quick access to CalFresh, but the process is often overly complicated. We need SB 882 to simplify access to food assistance.
    • Only 19% of eligible adults age 60+ receive CalFresh. SB 882 will make it easier for people, especially seniors, to enroll and stay connected to our most powerful anti-hunger program.
    • CalFresh applications are up more than 200% due to spiking unemployment. We need SB 882 to simplify access and keep people connected to food assistance during and after this crisis.

    Sample tweets:

    • Californians struggling to make ends meet during the COVID-19 crisis need quick access to CalFresh, but the process is often overly complicated. We need SB 882 to simplify access now! @Portantino @SenToniAtkins @SenatorPatBates
    • Only 19% of eligible adults age 60+ receive CalFresh. SB 882 make it easier for people, especially seniors, to enroll and stay connected to our most powerful anti-hunger program. Plz support SB 882!
      @Portantino @SenToniAtkins @SenatorPatBates
    • CalFresh is a proven positive public health intervention and powerful economic stimulus. SB 882 will help maximize its dual role in California’s immediate and long-term COVID-19 response. Plz support SB 882! @Portantino @SenToniAtkins @SenatorPatBates
    • CalFresh applications are up more than 200% due to spiking unemployment. We need SB 882 to simplify access and keep people connected to food assistance. Let’s cut the red tape to put food on their plates!
      @Portantino @SenToniAtkins @SenatorPatBates

    As the COVID-19 crisis continues to make clear, meeting the nutritional needs of low-income households is an urgent and ongoing need. No one should go hungry in the great state of California, and it is our collective responsibility to use all the tools we have to make it easier to access our most powerful anti-hunger tool, CalFresh.

    Help spread the word!

    Here is a one-page document with sample emails, calls and tweets that you can share with partners and colleagues.

    Stay up to date on SB 882 as it advances through the Legislature, and receive timely calls to action to make your voice heard in support of improved CalFresh access. Sign up to receive our email action alerts at https://nourishca.org/subscribe/

    Questions? Contact Jared Call at 213.482.8200 ext 201, or visit https://nourishca.org/SB882/

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