AB 605 (Arambula) passed out of its first hearing in the Assembly Human Services Committee yesterday on a unanimous 8-0 vote. Nourish California and SPUR, the bill’s cosponsors, would like to thank supporters of the bill for the strong showing at today’s hearing.
Over 20 organizations and individuals across the state submitted letters of support, and six organizations expressed support during the hearing’s public comment period. We are grateful for all who took time out of their busy schedules to make their voices heard. Together, we can help mitigate the CalFresh hunger cliff by dramatically increasing the number and geographic diversity of CalFresh households who can access supplemental benefits. Yesterday’s hearing moved the program one step closer to becoming a permanent supplement to CalFresh. Thank you.
We would like to give a special thank you to David Barber-Dunham of San Diego. David’s powerful testimony illustrated the challenges CalFresh participants face affording the foods they need and want to stay healthy. He also told the Committee how helpful supplemental benefit programs have been for him and that AB 605 would benefit more people in his situation. We appreciate his willingness to share his experience and expertise.
We would also like to thank Assemblymember Arambula for his leadership on AB 605, and for his ongoing commitment to improving food access for Californians with low income.
Click here to watch the video of the AB 605 Assembly Human Services hearing.
What’s next?
AB 605 now moves on to the Assembly Agriculture Committee. We invite you to submit a letter of support in advance of the hearing. Click here to download a sample letter with instructions on how to submit.
Have questions about upcoming advocacy opportunities? Contact Jared Call at jared@nourishca.org.
Background
Fruit and vegetable supplemental benefit programs, which provide CalFresh participants with matching dollars when they buy fresh fruits and vegetables, make food more affordable while also supporting California farmers. Numerous organizations have piloted these initiatives, also commonly known as healthy food incentive programs, at grocery stores and farmers’ markets in California. Evaluations from those programs in California, and others nationally, show that they reduce hunger, improve health, and boost the agricultural economy.
We applaud Assemblymember Arambula’s leadership to boost CalFresh and move a major step closer to a statewide supplement benefits program. We need your help to show broad support to the Legislature. You can support AB 605 by joining Nourish California and our co-sponsors, SPUR, in sending in a letter of support today.
