Jewish California lobbied a package of bills that address poverty and homelessness by increasing State funding to help impoverished families, seniors and other individuals meet their most basic needs; provide badly needed support for elderly Holocaust Survivors who are struggling to live out their days in dignity; and, a new program to make California a national leader in combating hate, safeguarding free speech, and promoting inclusive climates on its university campuses. And finally, we continue to advocate for the California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which provides funding for nonprofits that are at high risk of a hate crime or terrorist act.

AB 3171 (Ting): Homeless Persons Services Block Grant: This bill creates the Local Homelessness Solutions Program, which will provide matching funds to cities with programs to combat homelessness. These funds must be matched by the recipient city and may be spent on a range of homelessness activities, including shelter diversion, rapid re-housing, rental assistance, emergency shelter, navigation centers, bridge housing, and permanent supportive housing. The bill will seek up to $1.5 billion in one-time state funding for the program.

AB 3200 (Kalra): Public Social Services: SSI/SSP: This bill has become known as the $100 for 100% bill and would increase State Supplementary Payment (SSP) grants by $100 a month to reach nearly 100% of the Federal Poverty Level and restore the annual Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA) in the program. While the FPL itself is still an insufficient income level in California to care for aged, blind and disabled members of the community, this bill would nonetheless make important progress.

SB 982 (Mitchell): CALWorks: SB 982 endeavors to eliminate deep poverty in the CalWORKs program by requiring a minimum grant level of 50 percent of the federal poverty line. By doing so, this bill would help protect children from the harms of chronic poverty and better enable the CalWORKs program to achieve its goals.

Budget ask: $1.25 million, making California a national leader in combating hate, safeguarding free speech, and promoting inclusive climates on its university campuses. The California Responding to Hate on Campus Grant Program will enable the State of California to take the lead in working with colleges and universities on blunting these troubling trends and challenges on their campuses.This initial step will demonstrate that a small public investment can make a significant difference in shaping how people think and respond when confronted with hate.

Budget ask: $3.6 million to ensure that Holocaust survivors are able to live in dignity in their communities. While the size of the survivor population is decreasing, the number of survivors needing and seeking assistance is increasing. The California Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program will help ensure that Holocaust survivors are able to live out their lives with dignity and prevent the very things Survivors should never have to face again — eviction, hunger, inadequate medical care, social isolation, and despair – while avoiding the financial and emotional costs of unnecessary institutionalization. This allocation will be used to fund and supplement funding for services including Home Care, culturally appropriate case management, home-delivered meals, transportation, and emergency financial assistance. At an estimated average expenditure of $6,000 per Holocaust survivor, a $3.6 million investment would serve approximately 600 frail survivors throughout California. This competitive grant program within the appropriate State of California department will be used to meet the unique and urgent needs of vulnerable Holocaust Survivors.

Jewish California also had significant input into AJR 35, a resolution introduced by Assemblymember Marc Levine regarding Poland’s disturbing legislation limiting speech about that country’s role in the Holocaust. We are awaiting it’s hearing in the Senate, though it has already passed in the Assembly. Read the Resolution here. Our Letter of Support can be read here.