---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Frank Tamborello <fr...@hungeractionla.org> Date: Wed, Aug 21, 2013 at 9:22 AM Subject: food justice news august 21 To: food-advoca...@aumlist.com
*To All Those Interested in Food and Justice... * * * A (usually) weekly update on food issues, promoting access to sufficient, affordable, healthy food ---with a focus on campaigns you can become active in! **** Welcome to all the new people on the list. If you wish to respond, or use a different e mail, or be removed from the list, please respond to fr...@hungeractionla.org . DO NOT reply to THIS email: it wont go anywhere. Use fr...@hungeractionla.org **** ** ** *Follow us *on Twitter @HungerActionLA .**** Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hunger-Action-Los-Angeles/133467296826961**** *2013-2014 Peoples Guide is here!* Place your order at ord...@hungeractionla.org . This 72-pg booklet covers rights, responsibilities, who qualifies, and how to access financial assistance, free and low cost food, health care, housing, and other services in Los Angeles County. Spanish version also available beginning Sept. 1. $1.25 per copy: inquire about discounts for orders over 10. See last years version for a sample www.hungeractionla.org/peoplesguide **** ** ** *August 21, 2013:* ***1. ****Community Legislative Briefing Friday August 23 * ***2. ****City Council Considers Resolution Opposing Cuts to Senior Meal Funding, Friday Aug. 23** * ***3. ****California Struggles with CalFresh Enrollment* ***4. ****Next Hunger Action LA Meeting Friday August 30* * * * * ** ** ************************************** ***1. ****Community Legislative Briefing Friday August 23* * * California Partnership is presenting a Community Legislative Briefing: Developing Champions to Restore the Golden State!**** *Day/Time:* Friday, August 23, 2013 10:00 am 12 noon *Location:* ACLU-SC 1313 W 8th St Los Angeles, CA 90017**** Community members will share their stories and advocates will speak about programs and policies that impact the lives of the most vulnerable in California. Weve invited all Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside and San Bernardino legislators to attend and hear our concerns. *For the hunger community in particular this will be a chance to turn out in force to make a final push for a couple of bills that have just been put in the suspense file and need to be passed out by the end of August.* Segments will focus on health, human services, criminal justice, hunger, and homelessness. **** *Community members, advocates, and policy-makers are all invited. *For more information and to RSVP contact: Astrid Campos at acam...@communitychange.org or 714-396-8242.**** ** ** ** ** ************************************************************************* *2. City Council Considers Resolution Opposing Cuts to Senior Meal Funding, Friday Aug. 23* * * The sequester resulting from the hyper-political struggles over the federal budget is going to result in cuts to programs funded by the Older Americans Act---meaning, the home delivered meals served to seniors and the meals served at senior centers to low income seniors. Often these meals are the only food seniors get in a day, and the only chance for companionship and escape from constant isolation for many. **** Cuts to these programs could result in the loss of 111,000 meals delivered to homes and 89,000 meals at senior centers. Thousands could be left on the waiting lists for home delivered meals, and thousands more turned away at centers for the group meals.**** ** ** Councilmember Paul Koretz has introduced a resolution for the City to go on record opposing these cuts, either supporting or sponsoring any legislative or administrative action that would overturn them. It will be heard in council this Friday (unfortunately at the same time as the legislative briefing listed above) but please turn out if you can, especially if you are a senior who benefits from the meals, or you know someone who does and can help them get to City Hall. If you are a senior who uses home delivered or meals at senior centers, or works with this program, contact us fr...@hungeractionla.org 213 388 8228. We are collecting testimony for this Friday and for future hearings on the issue.**** * * *************************************************************** *3. California Struggles with CalFresh Enrollment* ** ** Sunday LA Times article points out California discourages needy from signing up for food stamps**** The state's participation rate is the lowest in the U.S. only about half of those qualified get the aid making it the envy of more-conservative states. **** http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-california-food-stamps-20130818,0,3317166.story **** An editorial appeared soon afterward supporting expanding access, pointing out the new rules for youth transitioning from foster care, allowing them to get needed help, and the current bill for people in recovery:**** http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-california-food-stamps-editorials-20130819,0,1987773.story **** ** ** Our state took a long time to overturn the finger-imaging requirement (which only 2 other states had), and is the last state to finally move to a semi annual reporting system for participants. Even now two major reforms---aligning CalFresh with MediCal, and removing barriers for persons with certain feloniesare stuck in the Appropriations committee. In spite of evidence that CalFresh not only reduces hunger but is good for business, why does the California legislature consistently find that adding people to the program costs too much?**** A Sacramento Bee editorial suggests integrating CalFresh application process with the new health care reform could help millions of eligible people enroll in food benefits while they access health care:**** http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/20/5664509/health-reform-could-boost-use.html **** Advocates for the poor blame the state's low participation rate on a still overly complex application process, poor customer service at the county level, and antiquated and incompatible county computer systems, according to the article. In other words, theres a lot to do right here in LA County not to mention Sacramento and D.C. Led by California Food Policy Advocates, a group is coalescing to address some of the changes that can be made locally. If you have had past or current experience with the CalFresh program either as a participant or helping people who were dealing with the program, and would like to share information, contact fr...@hungeractionla.org **** ** ** ************************************************* ***5. ****Next Hunger Action LA Meeting Friday August 30* * * Next Hunger Action LA meeting is Friday August 30, at LAANE, 464 S. Lucas Ave, LA 90017. This is a week later than usual, but we are encouraging people to attend the Community Legislative Briefing-Developing Champions to Restore the Golden State being held on August 23 (see below in the news). All are invited to attend: free parking. **** We are going to review recent HALA members activity in legislative visits to support AB 191 and SB 283, as well as the city action suspending enforcement against sidewalk gardens, and consolidate our next steps as action may heat up on the Farm Bill nationally. **** * * * * * ***** ** ** ************************************************************** ** ** ** ** Frank Tamborello**** Hunger Action Los Angeles**** 961 S. Mariposa #205**** Los Angeles CA 90006**** 213-388-8228**** fr...@hungeractionla.org**** -- JAI RAC-LA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:laamn-unsubscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:laamn-subscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:laamn-dig...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:laamn-ow...@egroups.com?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:la...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/laamn@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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