Policy & Advocacy
Latest Policy & Advocacy Updates
The San Diego Hunger Coalition stands with the nearly one million San Diegans experiencing nutrition insecurity and the more than 500 nonprofit organizations working to connect people to food.
In partnership with Hunger Free Activists, we elevate the experiences of people struggling to access healthy, affordable food and advocate for stronger hunger relief policies and programs. We act as a resource for county, state, and federal policymakers by providing research summaries, policy analyses, and case studies of what’s happening in San Diego County to inform their policy decisions. We coordinate local advocates through call-to-action to meet with policymakers, make phone calls, and write letters supporting state and federal legislation.
Hunger Coalition 2024 Legislative Priorities
Creating a Hunger Free San Diego requires clearing obstacles and driving government policies to make food assistance programs work better for everyone. Below are the state and federal bills that the Hunger Coalition has identified as moving the needle to end hunger in our region. If you have any questions concerning a specific bill or policy please contact Hunger Coalition’s Public Affairs Manager, Mauricio Medina at Mauricio@sdhunger.org.
CalFresh
School Meals
Federal School Meals Bills - Check back for updates at a later date
Additional Hunger Relief Efforts
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• Currently, many immigrants are excluded from CalFresh and the state-funded California Food Assistance Program (CFAP). Federal laws exclude undocumented immigrants, DACA recipients, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and certain visa holders from CalFresh. Food4All would expand CFAP eligibility to anyone excluded from CalFresh solely due to their immigration status.
• Intersection: Immigration Rights
San Diego Hunger Coalition Letter of Support for AB 311 sent to Human Services Committee
San Diego Hunger Coalition Letter of Support for SB 245 sent to Human Services Committee
AB 2033 (Reyes)—EBT on College Campuses
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• AB 2033 would make it possible for students to use their Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards in at least one location in college campuses across California’s three systems of public higher education. The bill would also ensure that students have easily accessible information on EBT vendors on and off campus so that they know where they can use their food benefits.
• Letter of Support Template to Human Services Committee (Due 4/9)
AB 3229 (Lee)—CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable Supplemental Benefits (Budget and Bill Request)
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This proposal would allocate new state funding to continue the CalFresh Fruit & Veggie EBT pilot project. This pilot is now operating at several locations across the state and provides a penny-for-penny CalFresh matching supplemental benefits all through the EBT system when people purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at a participating retailer. Those supplemental EBT benefits can then be spent by the CalFresh shopper anytime at any CalFresh retailer for any CalFresh-allowable purchase (bread, milk, cheese, whatever the household needs).
AB 3229 seeks to speed up the "scoping plan" that CDSS is required to provide that will outline the resources and capacity it needs to support an expanded program and become the "front door" for retailers (rather than having non-profit intermediaries, like SPUR, UC San Diego, and the Ecology Center play that role). Specifically, it calls for that report to be provided by the end of this year, moving the deadline up from March 2026.
• Intersection: Food Systems
AB 2150 (Arambula)—Public social services: higher education
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• Students should be supported by social services tailored to their unique needs. AB 2150 establishes a statewide knowledge sharing network of basic needs coordinators and county liaisons of higher education. AB 1326 (Arambula, 2021) requires every county to appoint at least one employee to serve as a county liaison of higher education. However, there is strong demand for regular meetings and coordination between all stakeholders to ensure that all students receive support
• Intersection: College Hunger
AB 274 (Bryan) –CalWORKs: CalFresh: eligibility: income exclusions
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• Currently, private scholarships are considered to be counted towards income and prorated for college students. It is confusing and convoluted to promote the educational expense deduction while also trying to count only private scholarships as income.
• Intersection: College Hunger
SB 1254 (Becker)—The F.R.E.S.H Act
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SB 1254 - the Food for Re-entry and Ensuring Stable Homes (FRESH) Act - will allow and assist incarcerated people in applying for CalFresh benefits up to 90 days before their release to better prepare them for reentry. The bill will also create a workgroup within the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to begin recommendations for a statewide reentry process.
AB 1975 (Bonta)—Medically Supportive Food and Nutrition
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• AB 1975 will transition MSF&N services to permanent benefits ensuring access to all eligible Medi-Cal recipients. Medically supportive food and nutrition (MSF&N) interventions, commonly known as “food as medicine,” are food-based interventions integrated into healthcare used to prevent and treat medical conditions. The spectrum of medically supportive food and nutrition interventions includes medically tailored meals, medically supportive meals, food pharmacies, medically tailored groceries, medically supportive groceries, produce prescriptions and nutrition supports when paired with the provision of food. Providing the full spectrum of food-based services allows a medical provider to match the acuity of a patient’s condition to the intensity of the intervention. AB 1975 sets up the transition of MSF&N services from pilot to permanent in two phases
AB 2241 (Alvarez)— Simplifying Public Benefits Reporting
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• A number of counties refuse to accept reports of changes of income or other circumstances of public benefit beneficiaries and requested verification through email. This ends up beneficiaries being accused to failure to report changes that often lead to referral for welfare fraud and overpayments.
Current law requires by CalWORKs and CalFfresh beneficiaries report to the county when their income exceeds the “income reporting threshold” to avoid overpayments.1 Counties receive 12.5% incentive payments for collecting overpayments that were allegedly caused by fraud.2
Counties also deny applications for failure to provide verification, also known as “procedural reasons”.
AB 1967 (Jackson)—Food Insecurity Officer
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The Food Insecurity Officer will focus on increasing enrollment for seniors, families with children, individuals leaving incarceration, and formerly incarcerated individuals.
The Food Insecurity Officer will have a position similar to the County Liaison for colleges in San Diego.
AB 1968 (Jackson)—CalFresh : Enrollment for Senior Citizens
2024 Federal CalFresh Bills
H.R.1510 (Lee and Adams)—Improving Access to Nutrition Act of 2023
H.R. 706 (Brown)—SNAP Access for Medically Vulnerable Children Act of 2023
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Currently only older adults and people with disabilities can deduct medical expenses for Calfresh. This bill adds children with chronic medical condition.
Intersections: Children
H.R. 309 (Bonamici)—Opportunity to Address College Hunger Act
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Currently students who are enrolled in at least half time are considered ineligible for SNAP unless they meet one of many exemptions, one being that they work more than 20 hours in a federal work study program, but students may not be aware that they could be eligible. This bill would require institutions of higher education to notify those students receiving work-study assistance about potential eligibility for SNAP.
Intersections: College Hunger
San Diego Cosponsors
Rep. Levin
Rep. Jacobs
Rep. Vargas
Rep. Peters
H.R. 205 (Ruppersberger)—SNAP Theft Protection Act of 2023
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Intersections: EBT Skimming
San Diego Cosponsors
Rep. Levin
Rep. Jacobs
Rep. Vargas
H.R. 3183 (Gomez)—EATS Act of 2023
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Expands eligibility to college students who are enrolled at least part time.
Intersections: College Hunger
San Diego Cosponsors
Rep. Levin
Rep. Jacobs
Rep. Vargas
Rep. Peters
H.R. 3037 (Adams)—Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2023
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Intersections: Older Adults
San Diego Cosponsors
Rep. Levin
Rep. Jacobs
H.R. 4170 (Jayapal)— Lift the Bar Act of 2023
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Under current law, immigrants with legal permanent resident (LPR) status must wait five years before being able to access critical supports like Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and SNAP/CalFresh.
Intersections: Immigrant Rights
San Diego Cosponsors
Rep. Jacobs
Rep. Levin
Rep. Peters
Rep. Vargas
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Specifically this bill will:
Increase the minimum monthly SNAP benefit for all participants
Simplify application and certification processes for eligible individuals in nutrition programs, including SNAP, and ensure they can stay enrolled in programs for longer periods of time
Support outreach efforts to enroll more older adults, grandparent and kinship caregivers, and adults with disabilities in nutrition programs
Enable adults with disabilities to participate in additional programs that provide shelf stable, supplemental food and fresh, locally sourced food
Provide grants to non-profits, local aging and disability service providers, and related organizations to bring fresh, local food to accessible locations
Expand SNAP food delivery options through public-private partnerships and strengthen retail delivery options for older adults and adults with disabilities
Intersection: Older adults
H.R. 3847 (Bonamici)— Support for SNAP Act
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The recently-passed Debt Ceiling Bill expands work requirements for some people who receive SNAP benefits, but also creates new exemptions to those work requirements for people experiencing homelessness. The Securing Unhoused Peoples’ Program for Outreach Resources and Transportation (SUPPORT) for SNAP Act will provide dedicated outreach, application aid, enrollment assistance, and access to transportation for people experiencing homelessness so they can benefit from SNAP. The SUPPORT for SNAP Act would provide the necessary funding to establish outreach programs and provide training about SNAP applications for staff who work with people experiencing homelessness. The program would be established at USDA in consultation with HUD, which has expertise on issues related to homelessness. The bill includes:
Application assistance for people who are experiencing homelessness and seeking SNAP benefits;
Street outreach activities to connect caseworkers with individuals about their potential eligibility;
Engagement with Continuums of Care, Community Action Agencies, and other organizations with experience supporting very-low income families or people experiencing homelessness;
Allowance for funding to provide transportation to SNAP offices for people who need to apply in-person because of technology access;
Funding for training on SNAP benefits, including the shelter deduction and homeless household deductions that can improve benefit values for vulnerable SNAP recipients.
Intersection: Homelessness
H.R. 1230 (Carson)— Food Deserts Act
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Underserved communities are communities that have (1) limited access to affordable, healthy foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables, in grocery retail stores or farmer-to-consumer direct markets; and (2) a high rate of hunger, a high rate of food insecurity, or a high poverty rate.
San Diego Cosponsors
Rep. Vargas
H.R. 3519 (Meng)— Hot Foods Act of 2023
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Of the more than 42 million SNAP participants nationwide, almost 70% of participants are children, elderly, or those with disabilities. The ability to purchase hot foods or hot foods ready for immediate consumption would provide enormous flexibility to those who rely on this program to supplement their nutrition and dietary needs.
San Diego Cosponsors
Rep. Vargas
Rep. Jacobs
2024 California State Child Nutrition Bills & Budget Items
AB 2595 (L. Rivas)—Summer Caregiver Meals Pilot
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•Currently, the Summer Food Service Program mandates that only children and teens ages 18 and younger are eligible to receive free, reimbursable meals. But if children of a food insecure household are hungry, it is likely that the parents or caregivers are also facing hunger.
In the summer, households experience an increase in grocery spending. Parents and caregivers from food insecure households who depend on free school meals for their children are more than likely unable to financially compensate for the lack of meals when their children are home.
AB 2595 will combat food insecurity, promote healthy child development, and provide families with opportunities to bond over a warm meal, by establishing a pilot for state reimbursement for federal summer meal program operators at public libraries to provide meals to parents and caregivers of children in the summer meal program.
• Intersection: Child Care
• Template Letter of Support to Asm. Appropriations Committee (due 4/9)
Help us create a Hunger Free San Diego through policy change. By influencing local, state, and federal legislative and administrative policy, and by increasing awareness among legislators and the public about the solutions to hunger we can create measurable change in San Diego.
That’s why we need you to be a
Hunger Free Activist!
As a Hunger Free Activist you will:
Increase your understanding of hunger and promising solutions in San Diego County.
Receive insider reports and curated action alerts on key hunger relief policies impacting your community.
Get advocacy training to champion hunger relief that works.
Advocate for hunger relief in ways that work for you - whether it’s joining a legislative visit, making a media appearance, or participating in an advisory group.
Whether you struggle with food insecurity yourself, or you believe in food justice for all, your voice can make a real difference in the lives of everyday San Diegans struggling to feed their families.
