FOOD JUSTICE NEWS
To All Those Interested in Food and Justice...
A usually weekly update of news about hunger, nutrition, food prices and a host of other issues, focusing on things you can become involved in! (Targeted to the LA area, but we like all the rest of you too)
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@HungerActionLA
- Hunger Action LA News: City To Hear Resolution On Farm Bill, Dec 16
- Upcoming Actions for A Fair Budget
- Food Stamps : Hawaii, Frappucinos, And JP Morgan Chase
- What’s Next On the Farm Bill
- GE Food : Propaganda and Fact
- By The Way, There’s a Rest of The World Out There
- Food Prices:
- What Is Fracking And What Does It Have To Do With Poverty And Hunger?
- Occupy Wall Street Addresses Food Justice
- Arsenic In Apple Juice and Rice
- LA County Buries Unclaimed Bodies of Poor, Homeless
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City Considers Resolution on federal Farm Bill: Friday Dec. 16: City Council will take up a resolution introduced by Councilmembers Alarcon and Koretz, supporting principles on the Farm Bill, including initiatives to “rebuild local and regional food infrastructure, support small and midsized producers by ensuring that they are fairly compensated by buyers, promote sustainable and urban agriculture, and increase access to healthy food for all”, that were introduced by Hunger Action LA, Food and Water Watch, and supported by numerous allies. Council meeting begins at 10 AM. The resolution is Item 14 on the agenda (on pg 16 http://ens.lacity.org/clk/councilagendas/clkcouncilagendas374789_12162011.pdf )
The resolution itself and report from the Intergovernmental Committee is here:
http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2011/11-0002-S133_rpt_IGR_12-7-11.pdf
Next Hunger Action LA Meeting will be in January 2012, date and location to be determined.
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2. Upcoming Actions for A Fair Budget
Thursday Dec. 15 : Caroling for Revenues:
"YOU BETTER NOT CUT,YOU BETTER NOT BOW,YOU CAN CREATE A FAIR BUDGET, WE'RE TELLIN' YOU HOW..NEW REVENUES ARE NEEDED IN TOWN !"All we want for Christmas is a fair budget!
Join us in caroling at the local office of Speaker John Perez and at the Governor's Los Angeles office
to urge them to make this wish a reality.Thursday, December 15, 2011 . Join us for just one stop or the whole circuit!
11:30am - Governor Brown 300 S Spring St. Los Angeles
12 noon - Assemblymember John Perez 320 W 4th St. Suite 1050, Los Angeles
12:45 pm - Angelus Plaza (Press Conference) 255 S Hill St. Los Angeles
(TIMES ARE APPROXIMATE)They have already cut billions!It’s time to raise some revenue!
Can't sing? Don't worry! We're not trying to make them happy!
For more information call Cynde at 213 627-0477
Statewide Action Tuesday Jan. 10, 2012 :
A Budget for the 99% : Press Conference and Rally for the 2012 California State Budget Release
Where: Los Angeles Governor’s Office, 300 S Spring, LA CA 90013
Time: 12 Noon
Please bring a picture or small object on what the 99% means to you
RSVP/Contact: Astrid Campos 213-407-5840
California Partnership/Stop the Cuts Coalition is made up of:
ACLU of Southern California, SCRS, 9 to 5, Hunger Action LA, CURB, Families to Amend California’s Three Strikes Law, Health Access, Korean Resource Center, CALIF, Planned Parenthood, and many others
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3. Food Stamps : Hawaii, Frappucinos, And JP Morgan Chase
Drastic increase in poverty: “A new report on poverty by the Council on Contemporary Families concluded, “Poverty in the U.S. grew substantially more common during the last decade, with hardships increasing for millions of people and their families, especially with regard to food, medical care and housing…..instead of strengthening government assistance to the millions of struggling American families, the Obama Administration is using government resources to crack down on “food stamp fraud,” introducing stiff penalties for the trafficking of benefits.” Doug Henwood, author of “After the New Economy,” and editor of “Left Business Observer, is guest on the Uprising radio program with Sonali Kolhatkar:
http://uprisingradio.org/home/2011/12/12/food-stamp-use-at-an-all-time-high/
Texas welfare office shooting: Referenced in the above story is the case of a mom in Texas who, unable to qualify for food stamps after many attempts, shot herself and her kids:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/06/texas-welfare-office-shooting_n_1132281.html
Newt says food stamps can take you to Hawaii: Newt Gingrich, who loves to portray President Obama as “the food stamp president”, has claimed recently that food stamps can be given to millionaires, are given as cash, and can be used to go to Hawaii. Check out the claims and how they stand up to facts here:
A great letter about food stamp “fraud”: An astute reader points out that some food stamp “fraud” consists of selling desperately poor people some non-food items such as soap in this letter to a blog:
http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20111123/OPINION03/111230349
The Great Frappucino Flap: A local TV news station in Oregon says “it may sound shocking” but someone recently bought of all things a FRAPUCINO at Starbucks with a food stamp card. What a scandal, someone spent $5 on a “luxury drink.” This story makes Iran’s capture of an American drone pale in comparison. When the same $5 could have easily bought cocoa powder, marshmallows and coffee to make….essentially the same thing?
http://www.kptv.com/story/16160615/fox-12-investigators-find-food-stamps-used-for
Who really profits from food stamps: J.P. Morgan Chase and big grocers
J.P. Morgan Chase company can buy a hell of a lot of frappucinos with the money they make managing EBT (food stamp) recipient accounts. “ Asked last year about the role food stamps played in JPMorgan's business, Christopher Paton, managing director of JPMorgan's "Treasury Solutions" business, said:
"This business is a very important business to JPMorgan. It's an important business in terms of its size and scale…Right now, volumes have gone through the roof in the past couple of years
Not only that but J.P. Morgan routes many food stamp customer service calls to India.
http://dailybail.com/home/jp-morgans-food-stamp-monopoly-the-more-americans-that-fall.html
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4. What’s Next On the Farm Bill
“There is disagreement on the Senate Agriculture Committee about how to proceed on developing the 2012 farm bill. Chairman Debbie Stabenow wants to build on the proposal she developed with House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK), but Senate ranking member Pat Roberts (R-KS) said that plan should be scrapped and lawmakers should start over with an open process. Committee members would like to complete work on the new farm bill by May, but such a tight deadline is unlikely to be met and the current farm bill officially expires at the end of September 2012.”
http://www.cattlenetwork.com/cattle-news/DC-Watch-More-farm-program-cuts-135439768.html?ref=768
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5. Genetically Engineered Food: Propaganda and Fact
Matt Ridley on genetically engineered crops; “Despite opponents' fears that the technology would poison people, spread superweeds and entrench corporate monopolies, it's now clear that the new crops have reduced not only hunger but pesticide use, carbon emissions, collateral damage to biodiversity and rain-forest destruction”. But consider the source---the Wall Street Journal.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204770404577080264187783818.html
A scientist formerly inclined to support genetic engineering reports: “After its review of two dozen academic studies of corn and soybeans in the US, the title of a report by the Union of Concerned Scientists was telling: "Failure to Yield: Evaluating the Performance of Genetically Engineered Crops". It concluded that herbicide-tolerant soybeans and herbicide-tolerant ("Roundup ready") corn did not show increased yields while insect-resistant corn increased yields only marginally. The report also describes how, in industry assessments of GM crop yields, they manipulate the data by conflating different measures of yield. “
As far as Wall Street Journal’s claim that GE wouldn’t entrench corporate monopolies? “ The industry sues for "pollen drift". In 1999 Percy Schmeiser, a farmer in Saskatchewan, was sued by Monsanto for $145,000 because Monsanto's patented gene was found in the farmer's canola plants. Monsanto did not allege that Schmeiser had stolen the seed; it argued simply that plants on Schmeiser's land contained Monsanto's genes.”
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Seeds-of-destruction--It-by-j-dial-111211-50.html
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6. By The Way, There’s a Rest of The World Out There
With so many suffering in the U.S., what about the population of the world’s hungry, now reaching one billion out of our seven billion people?
Jose Graziano da Silva, former Brazilian minister of food security and now director of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, says “everything invested in the fight against hunger is good business….In the case of anti-hunger spending in Brazil, the consumption cycle immediately brings back revenue in taxes, and the expenditure leads to the generation of jobs and incomes.” (This is the case in the U.S. also, where SNAP expenditures help the local economy). He also advocates direct seeding to prevent soil erosion, and replacing chemical fertilizers with natural fertilizers and compost, not just for environmental but economic reasons, in the developing world.
He believes the fight against big agribusiness is counter-productive, suggesting that “It would make a lot more sense for family farmers to fight for the development of local markets, where fresh, nutritional food – which cannot be sold on the international market – is in demand.” Again, there’s a parallel to the movement here in the US where the food movement is promoting urban agriculture and farmers’ markets for fruits and vegetables, which are not commodities for long term storage and shipping overseas in huge quantities.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106145
Some of da Silva’s claims would be contested by the newly formed Alliance for Food Soveriegnty in Africa (AFSA). “Officially launched on Sunday 4th December, AFSA began amid joyful singing from African women farmers; sobering facts about the multiple threats from climate change and false solutions such as the Bill Gates-funded Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), GMOs, biofuel land grabbing and carbon trading; and inspiring discussions about agroecological solutions for food, farmers and biodiversity.”
“The Alliance for Food Sovereignty is working to promote agroecology as a solution to climate change, feeding people, biodiversity, livelihoods and healing the soils. It is about using and conserving the resources that are freely available to communities. These are appropriate for our economies, and our small scale farmers, who don’t need the expensive chemical inputs that are being pushed on us.” Said Agnes Yawe of Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM), a network with members in 10 countries.
http://www.africanbiodiversity.org/content/alliance_food_sovereignty_africa_afsa_launches_cop17
The climate conference in Durban, South Africa was hardly covered by America’s mainstream media. But the African continent suffers the worst from the effects of climate change---droughts, floods, and the subsequent impact on agriculture (and therefore, hunger.)
Canada, the U.S., and Australia pressured African countries into accepting plans in which African farmers would “sequester carbon” through processes such as “biochar”. Africa only produces 3% of the world’s greenhouse gasses, but the developed countries wanted them to adopt a scheme in which the burden would fall on them---convenient for the US, Canada, and Australia, but potentially a disaster according to some, for farmers on the continent of Africa.
(“Biochar involves the burning of woody biomass, usually from trees, to make charcoal for burial in the soil. It is claimed, by the proponents of biochar, that this permanently removes carbon from the atmosphere and sequesters it in the soil. It is also promoted as a major "geo-engineering" solution to global climate change, as well as a means of improving soils and addressing poverty.”)
“Anne Maina of the (African Biodiversity Network) ABN says climate smart agriculture comes packaged with carbon offset. "Soil carbon markets could open the door to offset for GM crops and large-scale biochar land grabs, which would be a disaster to Africa. Africa is already suffering from land grab epidemic - the race to control soils for carbon trading could only make this worse".
http://mg.co.za/article/2011-12-09-africa-divided-over-climatesmart-agriculture/
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7. Food Prices:
Prices rise and portions shrink
So what else is new? “Prices for food and beverages consumed at home have been creeping up steadily since about May of last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index.
As of October -- the most recent data available -- the index was up 6.2 percent over October of last year.”
http://www.bakersfield.com/news/business/economy/x500357207/Food-prices-up-portions-down
Dining In vs Eating Out: Try This One if you Want An Argument!
The Fiscal Times “ took a (virtual) trip to some large restaurant chains and compared the prices of meals there to the costs of preparing the same meals at home.” See what you think of their comparisons
http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Media/Slideshow/2011/12/02/Food.aspx?index=6
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8. What Is Fracking And What Does It Have To Do With Poverty And Hunger?
Similar to the bogus “it will end world hunger” argument for genetic engineering is a phenomenon that starkly illustrates the choices people are having to make in this economy: trading off environmental consequences for economic gain---in this case not getting rich but simply getting by.
“Hydraulic Fracking” is the pumping of chemicals into deposits of natural gas in the ground to sort of blast the gas loose so it can be collected by drilling rigs. It is an environmentally destructive process that also has health risks for people living where it is being done.
The author of this piece , Marty Hiller of Ithaca, attended a hearing in upstate New York in which impoverished, indebted farmers and residents accepted fracking in their community with all its attendant health risks because they needed the money.
He concludes “If we truly want to defeat fracking, instead of just putting it off a few months at a time, we need to fix our failed farm policy. Our farmers need immediate tax relief and debt relief. We need a food system that allows the people who grow our food to make a living at it. We need wages that allow us to buy real food at prices that reflect the cost of production, instead of supermarkets that are flooded with cheap tax-subsidized pseudofoods that make us sick and enrich huge corporations at the expense of our nation's farmers.”
“We need to pay attention to what's happening to our farms, and we need to do something about it. Because I don't for an instant believe that these people would be inviting drilling rigs into their backyards if they could make a living growing food.”
http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20111202/VIEWPOINTS02/112020304/1129/
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9. Occupy Wall Street Addresses Food Justice
Fracking entered the arena as someone in the crowd mentioned that big drilling companies have been leasing up farmland all over America such as in the southern tier of New York and in Pennsylvania. “Those of us who are running farms in different parts of the region,” said Severine von Tscharner, “are having to compete with the drillers and are then surrounded by the tanks and the effluent and the pipelines and the huge rigs of trucks, the millions of gallons of contaminated, radioactive water that are pumped out of these [gas] wells and the fumes that are in the wind and when you’re trying to grow gorgeous produce it’s not so wonderful.”
“I’m in Western Kansas, I have a meat company in Colorado Springs and so you all know that I’m in the Fox News, Rush Limbaugh land,” said Mike Callicrate . “We hear about Occupy Wall Street not in a good way. So what I say to people: What I see happening with Occupy Wall Street is a transition taking place, from people being these ravenous, aggressive, price shopping consumers transitioning and transforming into citizens.”
http://m.examiner.com/exNewYork/db_/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=OHgqkzOr&full=true#display
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10. Arsenic In Apple Juice and Rice
Apple juice and rice have high levels of arsenic. “Food Politics” author Marion Nestle describes how “The FDA allows a certain amount of toxins in our food and water supply, but the history of regulation is one of constant reduction in levels. They derive in large part from industrial processes, and attempting to regulate them confronts large and powerful industries eager to argue that low levels are safe.”
Consumer Reports found levels of arsenic in apple juice higher than what’s allowed for water, including types linked to cancer and diabetes. Over a third of kids under 5 drink more juice than pediatricians recommend. The arsenic gets into food from soil that has arsenic-containing pesticides. The FDA says there’ s nothing to worry about. But another source found high levels of arsenic in rice, as well.
Hundreds of farmers marched on Wall Street recently to decry farmers hurt by industrial food policy:
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11. LA County Buries Unclaimed Bodies of Poor, Homeless
Last week LA County buried over 1,000 bodies unclaimed by family members in a mass grave.
“The county performs the burial service every year in December. "These are individuals that, for one reason or another, have no one but the county to provide them with a respectful and dignified burial," Supervisor Don Knabe said in a statement.
"Some are homeless. Many are poor. Some have no families to grieve for them. Regardless of what their status in life was, each one of their lives mattered," Knabe said.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/12/hundreds-to-be-buried-in-mass-grave.html
- Hunger Action LA News:
- Secret Farm Bill Effort Collapses: Next Steps?
- Fri Dec 9: Community Forum on California Budget Crisis
- The Ongoing War on the Poor
- …And Now, The War on Vegetables
- How The New Hunger Is Affecting Americans
- Food Justice Wins in 2011
- Time To Ban Soda Ads On Prime Time TV?
- California Senators Will Pay For Their Own Lunch
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Wednesday Dec. 7 2-4 PM: City Hall: Intergovernmental Relations Committee Hearings on Food Security. The LA City Council’s Intergovernmental Relations Committee will discuss proposals at the state and federal level affecting CalFresh, sustainable agriculture, and promoting local food infrastructure. The hearing is open to the public. More information : frank@hungeractionla.org
Next Hunger Action LA Meeting will be in January 2012, date and location to be determined.
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2. Secret Farm Bill Effort Collapses: Next Steps?
A week ago, the Deficit Reduction Committee---the so called Super Committee charged with finding $1.5 trillion to cut out of the federal budget---admitted defeat. This is good news from the standpoint of preventing devastating cuts in some of our most important safety net programs, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP. However, we aren’t out of the woods yet as discretionary programs such as WIC are now under threat of cuts as part of the deal ---the “plan B” that is to go into effect because the committee’s main objective failed.
The chairs of the House and Senate Ag committees stated that their proposal, quickly crafted to be inserted into the deficit package before the intended Nov. 23 deadline, was dead.
http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/195511-secret-farm-bill-faces-uphill-climb-in-2012
Farm Bill Headed for More Open Debate: http://farmfutures.com/blogs.aspx?fcb=21&fcbp=2816&fcbpc=0&s=10/25/2011&e=12/25/2011
Farm Bill: Starting from scratch
http://m.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/11/farm-bill-starting-from-scratch/248939/
Bread for the World releases proposal to end hunger and help small farmers:
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3. Fri Dec 9: Community Forum on California Budget Crisis
A Teach-In on the California Budget Crisis: How It Impacts Our Communities and What We Can Do To Get California Back on Track
Registration begins at 10 am: Event time 10:30 AM-12:45 Pm
Press Conference to Follow to highlight the “Trigger Cuts”
Location: Planned Parenthood, 400 W. 30th St. Los Angeles CA 90007
Featuring: Jean Ross, California Budget Project
Community Dialogue
Invited legislators: Honorable John Perez, Bob Blumenfield, and Holly Mitchell
Spanish interpretation provided
RSVP Astrid Campos acampos@communitychange.org
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4. The Ongoing War on the Poor
As poverty increases in the U.S. , so does resistance in some quarters of acknowledging this fact, much less of suggesting doing anything about it. Let’s start here:
Anti Poverty Programs Actually Lift People Out of Poverty: Millions of people around the US are actually brought up out of poverty by the extra resources provided from programs like the Earned Income Tax Credit and SNAP. “The EITC does more to reduce poverty than any other cash assistance program, reducing the number of people in poverty by over 6 million (and 3 million kids). Food stamps come in a close second, at 5 million.”
Michelle Bachmann’s Response: So how does presidential candidate Michelle Bachmann feel about programs that lift people out of poverty? She suggests getting rid of them:
Michele Bachmann: Get Rid of the Earned Income Tax Credit, Food Stamps, Public Housing | Video Cafe
One in six children poor: This research showing an increase in children in poverty was released in September:http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/us-poverty-rate-hits-52-year-high-at-151-percent/2011/09/13/gIQApnMePK_story.html
Forbes’ response: Anyone with a TV or car must not be poor: That’s what the editors at Forbes say in response to the highest poverty rate in 52 years. They say the research is flawed and that anyone with a TV or a car, for crying out loud, couldn’t possibly be poor! I guess they never had to buy a cheap car in order to be able to even GET to a low paying job, and then be stuck with debt when inevitably your brakes, transmission, etc. each go out in turn….The idea that anyone with a TV set is by definition not poor is pretty absurd. I’m sure someone living on $800 a month could sell their TV and get, what, a half month’s rent out of it at best? But these standards are seriously argued by Forbes here:
Limbaugh says socialism almost killed Pilgrims: Thanksgiving always brings out historical revisionists. Rush Limbaugh says that the Pilgrims’ practices of sharing all their goods in common almost resulted in their death, and he throws in a snide comment about organic vegetables while he’s at it:http://www.mediaite.com/online/rush-limbaugh-recounts-the-true-story-of-thanksiving-or-how-socialism-almost-killed-the-pilgrims/
…so what does he think of the Acts of the Apostles? How would Rush refute this Biblical scripture describing the early Christians: Acts 4:32 And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. http://bible.cc/acts/4-32.htm
Gingrich calls child labor laws stupid: Newt Gingrich, architect of the 1990’s welfare reform, suggests defeating poverty by having school kids do janitorial work:http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/post/gingrich-calls-child-labor-laws-truly-stupid/2011/11/21/gIQAFYKHiN_blog.html
Gingrich also throws in some Thanksgiving pilgrim philosophy: “Captain John Smith said in 1607, in the first English speaking permanent colony, to the aristocrats who paid their way and didn’t want to work: ‘If you don’t work, you won’t eat.’” It’s hard to believe Gingrich is talking about the idle rich.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/21/1038790/-Newt-Gingrich-is-a-radical-socialist
Republicans Announce New Welfare Reform Proposal: Speaking of Newt, Republicans in the Senate have come back with another welfare reform proposal, having not completely gutted the programs the first time around:
http://www.fitsnews.com/2011/11/16/us-senate-republicans-announce-welfare-reform/
Food stamp “scammers” vs Wall Street con artists: Columnist Jack Spillane, commenting on all the criticism of what SNAP participants buy and accusations of fraud, says “Wall Street investment houses rip you and me off for much, much more money than our taxes have ever paid in food stamps” and notes that apparently, “Being poor doesn't mean you've given up your right to be human. It just means that everybody else gets to judge you more harshly about it.”
In more than a third of states you can go to Debtors Prison: Borrowers who can't or don't pay their debts can be sent to jail in more than one-third of states, the Wall Street Journal reports. Judges may issue a warrant when a borrower either misses court ordered payments or doesn't show up in court after being sued for payments on outstanding debt. Though there are no national statistics on the practice of jailing debtors, a WSJ analysis found that judges have issued more than 5,000 debt-related warrants since the beginning of 2010.
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5.…And Now, The War on Vegetables
“Congress recently blocked new USDA rules intended to improve nutrition in school lunches. Among them was a requirement that pizza slices have more than a measly 1/4 cup of tomato paste in order to qualify as containing a vegetable. Big food heavies such as Coca-Cola, Del Monte, the American Frozen Food Institute, and the National Potato Council weighed in to preserve the school-lunch status quo.”
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/23/1038686/-The-war-on-vegetables?detail=hide&via=blog_792316
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2011/11/15/congress-pushes-back-on-h_1_n_1094764.html
Republicans Want To Cut 20 Programs Including Healthy Food Purchase
GOP Proposes Cutting Twenty 'Wasteful' Programs That Combined Cost Less Than The Corporate Jet Owner Tax Loophole | ThinkProgress
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6. How The New Hunger Is Affecting Americans
Gallup: Americans’ Ability to Feed Their Families Nears 3-Year Low
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/10/hunger-food-insecurity_n_1087352.html
Hunger in America by the numbers:
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/11/24/375776/food-insecurity-by-the-numbers/
Hunger in America TV special:
Dr. Oz exposes the new hunger crisis striking America: middle-class families desperate to feed their kids, struggling to keep food on the table. Are you a paycheck away from a food pantry?
http://www.locatetv.com/tv/dr-oz-show/7364489
CBS 60 Minutes on families living in cars:
Food Stamp Challenge: How To Live on An extremely Low Budget If you’re Not Used To It: Writer Laura Clawson goes on an average SNAP budget diet for a week and comes to many conclusions including “Elizabeth Kucinich, who has advocated limiting food stamps to purchasing "foods such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits and legumes," can bite me. People's choices on this program are already restricted enough without a paternalistic government telling them that they should become vegans.”
Daily Kos: Learning from the food stamp challenge
Thanksgiving Prices Up: No Surprise but If You Want To See The Details
The cost of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, including all the basic trimmings, has increased by about 13 percent since last year, according to an annual price survey.
http://www.livescience.com/17129-thanksgiving-dinner-rising-cost.html
Dozens march against hunger in Laredo
http://www.laredosun.us/notas.asp?id=19044
Why some Americans are shopping at night: their food benefits come on line at midnight
http://www.wkyc.com/news/national/216847/22/Why-some-Americans-are-food-shopping-at-night
Food Banks Not Just for the Poor: Fresno Bee
http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/11/18/2620181/food-banks-not-just-for-poor-these.html
South LA Turkey Giveaway Draws Unexpectedly Huge Crowd:
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=8441056
Feeding America Launches Fleet of Mobile Food Pantries:
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/11/17/4061591/feeding-america-launches-fleet.html
ABC7 : Local Food Pantry Donations Down as Need Increases:
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=8441056
Food pantry preference list includes rice and tuna, as well as food for diabetics and people with high blood pressure:
http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=14995777
LA Times editorial: End Food Drives, Donate Cash Instead
Hungry people will be thankful you gave: A record 330,000 residents are being served each month at the 600 pantries supplied by the L.A. food bank, up 73% from the start of the recession in 2008.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-lazarus-20111125,0,1228881.column
AARP Launches Online Campaign Against Senior Hunger
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7. Need a Reason to be Thankful This Year? Look at These Food Justice Wins
Brazil Commits To Quality Food For All:
Brazil Commits to Quality Food for All - IPS ipsnews.net
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8. Time To Ban Soda Ads On Prime Time Television?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-david/thanksgiving-conversation_1_b_1110056.html
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9. No More Free Lunch for California State Senators:
“Under fire for spending $111,316 in taxpayer funds to feed themselves this year, state senators have decided to end the practice.All members of the upper house will be billed $2,000 a year to pay for stocking the coffee room and to cover their meal expenses when sessions extend into the lunch or dinner hour, said Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento).”
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-me-free-food-20111109,0,1405872.story?track=rss
- Hunger Action LA News: Cornerstone Theater Panel Nov 17
- Tell Congress NO to Secret Farm Bill
- Wednesday Nov 9 Action: Defend Public Services
- Support South Central Farmers
- Poverty and Wealth Disparity
- What Is a Robin Hood Tax?
- Activists Hope To Ease Restrictions on Selling Homemade Food in California
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1. Hunger Action LA News:
Next Hunger Action LA Meeting: Friday November 18, 10 am to 12 pm, at the Miguel Contreras Room of LAANE, 464 S. Lucas 90017. All are welcome, no cost. We’ll be following up the farm bill (a lot going on there) and proposed changes federally to SNAP program as well as state legislation proposed for next year to protect senior meal programs. RSVP 213 388 8228 or frank@hungeractionla.org
Cornerstone Theater “Creative Seeds”Panel, Nov. 17 12 noon-2 pm: Cornerstone Theater Company invites you to learn about Los Angeles food policy coalitions/councils comprised of stakeholders from various segments of SoCal¹s food system impacting change, providing ideas and recommendations for improvement through public policy.
Panelists include:
Frank Tamborello - Hunger Action LA
Al Renner - Community Gardens Council
Neelam Sharma - Community Services Unlimited.
Thursday, November 17
12:00 2:00 p.m.
Atwater Crossing
Casitas Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90039
The event is FREE. To book tickets, go to www.cornerstonetheater.org
Creative Seeds is a two-week event across Los Angeles produced by Cornerstone Theater. It features original panel discussions, roundtables, exhibitions and performances that look at the issue of hunger through an artistic lens. “We've invited some of the region’s most innovative artists, food activists, farmers, chefs, food critics and thought leaders to participate - and we want you to join us!”
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2. Tell Congress NO To Secret Farm Bill
See the home page at www.hungeractionla.org for updates on what’s happening with the farm bill, sign on letters and other activities. Here is a critical one:
Call Rep. Nancy Pelosi 202-225-4965
And Rep. Xavier Becerra 202-202-225-6235
Tell Them: “I object to a Farm Bill being passed with no public input, behind closed doors, in an undemocratic process. America needs healthy, safe food grown sustainably with fair wages and treatment for workers.”
City Council resolution: Hunger Action LA has joined Food and Water Watch in co-sponsoring a resolution for City Council to support fair farm practices and no cuts to the SNAP (food stamp) program. Details soon at www.hungeractionla.org
Statewide petition and activism: From Kari Hammerschlag of Environmental Working Group: “Nearly 70 environmental, public health, nutrition, food and farm groups – including EWG – are calling on California’s congressional delegation to take a stand in the current debate over food and agriculture policy. In a letter sent on National Food Day (Oct. 24), the broad coalition urged California’s members of Congress to fight for healthy and sustainable food and farming policies…..The letter comes as big ag interests are working to short-circuit the 2012 farm bill process by pushing a secret farm bill through the deficit-reduction Super Committee…..The letter includes a petition signed by more than 14,000 Californians asking their 55 members of Congress to defend key farm bill programs that are critical to a state that generates more than $36 billion in agriculture revenue.”
http://www.ewg.org/agmag/2011/10/secret-farm-bill-should-focus-on-healthy-food-and-jobs/
Background:
Secret Farm Bill: With no public input whatsoever, a congressional supercommittee of four people plans to pass legislation that would gut food stamps, favor industrial-scale commodity farming quenched with GMOs through funding. If passed it will defund transitions to organic farming and funding to help communities start farmers markets.
The Farm Bill, a piece of legislation that gets reauthorized every five years, is being rushed ahead of schedule to squeeze it into the deficit reduction plan. According to The Nation, the Farm Bill is “sometimes called the food bill because of its enormous influence over what Americans (especially children) eat,” what our food costs at the grocery store and when exported, what foods are safe (GMOs), “and whether 45 million impoverished Americans (again, about half of them children) continue to receive food stamps.”
Alternative bill supporting organic and local food introduced: “On Tuesday, November 1, Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Representative Chellie Pingree of Maine along with 35 original co-sponsors, introduced the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act (LFFJA) – S. 1773 and H.R. 3286 – a comprehensive bill intended for inclusion in the 2012 Farm Bill.
The bill would provide critical support for a number of programs that benefit organic farmers and the organic industry, as well. It also assists consumers by improving access to healthy food. The measure provides secure farm bill funding for critically important programs that support organic and family farms, expand new farming opportunities, create rural jobs, and invest in the local food and agriculture economy.”
Show your support for this fair farm bill alternative: http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/7106/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=8664
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3. Wed Nov 9 Action: Defend Public Services
Wednesday, 11/9 @ 4:00 pm
End the Free Ride! Wall Street Corporations and the super-rich must pay their fair share before hard-working families, seniors & students are forced to sacrifice again with automatic “trigger cuts” that will cripple public services – healthcare, state colleges, and public schools.
MASS DEMONSTRATION
Make Banks Pay, Not Students and Working Families!
4:00 Gather at California Plaza, 350 S Grand
4:30 March
5:00 Rally at Chase Bank, 400 S Hope
BACKGROUND: The Governor’s budget agreement from this year called for massive cuts to human services if the tax revenues for California were $1 billion short of what was projected to be needed.
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4. Support South Central Farmers:
When the South Central Farmers were evicted forcibly from their 14 acre farm 5 years ago, the city promised to reserve 2.6 acres for soccer fields for the area residents. City Council is now intending to sell that remaining property as well, destroying the last vestige of proposed green space from the original property and further eliminating any chance that some farmland can be restored as well. The Farmers have written a letter to City Council to petition them to honor the original promise to save the 2.6 acres for a soccer field. More on this issue and how you can support them:
http://www.southcentralfarmers.org/
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5. Poverty and Wealth Disparity
From USA Today: The ranks of America's poor are greater than previously known, reaching a new level of 49.1 million — or 16%— due to rising medical costs and other expenses that make it harder for people to stay afloat, according to new census estimates. ….Without the earned income tax credit, the poverty rate under the revised formula would jump from 16 percent to 18 percent. Without food stamps the poverty rate would rise to 17.7 percent. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-11-07/census-poverty/51108410/1
Older Americans are now 47 times richer than the youngest generation, marking the largest wealth gap ever recorded between the two age groups.
In 2009, households headed by adults 65 years and older held a median net worth of $170,494, while households headed by adults 35 years and younger held a net worth of $3,662, according to a report by the Pew Research Center.
http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/07/news/economy/wealth_gap_age/
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6. What Is a Robin Hood Tax ?
The Tobin Tax or “Robin Hood Tax” is a tax on financial transactions that could raise billions to help struggling economies, fight hunger, and tackle climate change. It was proposed first about 40 years ago and many including Bill Gates feel its time has come. Here’s a clever YouTube animation by Oxfam to put it in simple language:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEeRsRddYQQ&feature=related
More here:
Oxfam is blogging from the G20 event, the meeting of the world’s largest economies, who are right now in France discussing who’s going to pay for the world’s financial mess, and how. They seem to be targeting Greece, with American TV going along for the propaganda ride---witness Diane Sawyer on ABC News saying “Blame it on the country of Greece”---and she wasn’t kidding---feeding a right wing talking point that it’s the folks in Greece with their easy workweeks and generous pensions who have bankrupted all of us, personally. Of course this is nonsense: there’s a lot of poverty in Greece and elsewhere and a lot of people don’t get these supposedly giant pensions. All of this talk really taking our minds off of the speculative gambling in financial transactions that led to the downfall of the economy.
The media spin:
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=4427
…But I digress.
The update from France G20 meeting, on the Robin Hood Tax:
http://robinhoodtax.org/latest/g20-verdict
And speaking of financial transactions and how we got into this mess….remember the subprime mortgage crisis? They gave all those loans to low income folks, then the payments ballooned, people couldn’t pay and they lost their homes?
Well, here’s the next "subprime" scam. Sell used cars to people on terms that will ultimately lead to their default: Repossess the car: Sell it again to a new victim: Bundle the loans and sell them as securities: Bet on them to fail: Clean their clocks again. See link:
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7. Activists Hope To Ease Restrictions on Selling Homemade Food in California
In our distressed economy more people are trying to make money any way they can. But everything from zoning laws to food safety and public health regulations are obstacles to people trying to sell homemade food items.
Janelle Orsi, a lawyer with Oakland, Calif.-based Sustainable Economies Law Center is working with LA home baker Mark Stambler on a “more permissive cottage food law for California that would allow casual cooks and aspiring pros to sell shelf-stable homemade goods like breads, cookies, cakes, jams, candy, granola, coffee, tea and baking mixes.”
According to the article below, “homemade foods have a $100 million impact on the economy of West Virginia, a state with fewer than 2 million residents and high poverty rates, said Buddy Davidson, spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture. The state even teaches home chefs how to market everything from pumpkin butter to baking mixes.”
http://www.dailybreeze.com/latestnews/ci_19275297#.TrbO8zfyBLM.twitter
Frank Tamborello
Hunger Action Los Angeles
961 S. Mariposa #205
Los Angeles CA 90006
213-388-8228
frank@hungeractionla.org
- Hunger Action LA News:
- Tell Super Congress Don’t Punish The Poor
- Farm Bill Updates:
- More Americans Than Ever Receive Food Stamps: But Program Is Under Attack
- Food Prices On The Rise
- Occupy LA Teach In, Nov 5 and Nov 6: City Hall
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1. Hunger Action LA News:
Next Hunger Action LA Meeting: Friday November 18, 10 am to 12 pm, at the Miguel Contreras Room of LAANE, 464 S. Lucas 90017. All are welcome, no cost. We’ll be following up on the Sept 22 rally and other efforts to help preserve programs that Americans fought for long and hard, that are now supporting a good number of working people, especially the SNAP (CalFresh) (Food Stamp) program, but also Social Security and others. We’ll be discussing other actions being taken across the country and how to coordinate better with others doing similar work here in LA.
Panel on Sustainability at Occupy LA:HALA will be on the panel 1:30 pm Sunday Nov 6 at Occupy LA (at City Hall downtown), see bottom of e mail for more details about the two-day Saturday Nov 5-Sunday Nov 6 teach in at Occupy LA
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2. Tell Super Congress Don’t Punish The Poor
Here are some alerts from anti poverty organizations to help you get involved in preventing a massive slashing of programs in the federal budget:
Alameda County Community Food Bank: Dear Supporter,Anti-hunger programs are under SERIOUS THREAT in Washington, D.C. We're afraid that these programs may suffer major funding cuts in the federal deficit reduction negotiations currently underway.
WIC has already received one major cut. We're afraid that SNAP (formerly known as food stamps), WIC and other nutrition programs will face even more cuts under the Super Committee.
The Super Committee has until November 23rd to complete its plan, so we need to speak up now! We need you to email your Congressmembers and tell them that you oppose any cuts to anti-hunger programs. We already have an email drafted for you to send. This is our moment to make a difference and protect hungry children, seniors and families across the United States.
Please take a second to send an email to Congress today!
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/1934/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=6759
(Thanks to Cat Burton, Advocacy and Education Associate
Alameda County Community Food Bank | 7900 Edgewater Drive | Oakland, CA 94621
(510) 635-3663 ext. 307 | Fax (510) 635-3773)
Alliance for Retired Americans: The latest news from Capitol Hill is not good for retirees, people with disabilities, and people who receive benefits from Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid working Americans. As the "Super Committee" approaches its Thanksgiving deadline to cut at least $1.2 trillion in federal spending, the carving knives are coming out for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
Call your Senator at 1-866-251-4044TODAY and tell them to oppose any cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
A specific cut being talked about would lower the formula for Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs). This would be devastating for people who depend on these programs – in fact, if this change took effect, a worker retiring this year at age 65 would lose $6,000 in benefits by age 80. Take a minute today to stand up for today's retirees, people with disabilities, and for all of us who still believe in the American Dream of a safe and secure retirement.
Bread for the World: Call The Super Committee and tell them to oppose cuts in anti hunger programs:http://www.bread.org/what-we-do/resources/newsletter/oct-nov-2011/at-stake.html
LA Area: Especially if you live in Congressman Becerra’s district, please check out the following on Bread for the World’s blog:
http://blog.bread.org/2011/11/rep-xavier-becerra-were-asking-you-to-fight-for-our-town.html
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3. Farm Bill Updates:
Are They Trying To Sneak A “Farm Bill” Into The Big Deficit Cutting Process?
The farm subsidy lobby and a handful of their powerful Congressional allies are working overtime to skirt normal democratic processes, write a farm bill behind closed doors and slip it into law through the congressional Super Committee. But their plan to write a secret farm bill is finally showing up on the political radar.---Ken Cook, President, Environmental Working Group
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/don-carr/the-food-movement-must-fi_b_1035295.html
The 2012 Farm Bill will be hotly debated in Congress in coming months, as members look to cut spending from the federal budget. But recent reports detail a move to include major agricultural cuts in the deficit reduction plan to be developed by the so-called congressional “Super Committee,” as a way to ensure that legislators don’t make even more drastic cuts when they write the forthcoming farm legislation.
The current $284 billion Farm Bill, which was approved in 2008, expires on Sept. 30, 2012. Around $210 billion goes to programs like food stamps and school lunches, while slightly more than $70 billion subsidizes commodity crops and funds agricultural research, rural development and energy.
SF Gate Front Page, Sunday, October 30, 2011: State asks funds for healthy food in new Farm Bill
(by Stacy Finz, SF Chronicle Staff Writer)A patchwork of food, farming, conservation and environmental groups fear that lawmakers could act on the 2012 Farm Bill as early as this week with no input from California - the largest agricultural state in the nation.Leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture committees are proposing $23 billion in cuts - the 2008 Farm Bill's five-year budget exceeded $300 billion - and could take their proposed legislation directly to the new congressional "supercommittee" to be passed without votes in their own committees or in Congress.
Many in California's agriculture community are concerned the new bill will show favoritism to commodity crops - corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, rice and peanuts - leaving California, largely a specialty crop state emphasizing fruits, vegetables and nuts, with fewer funds for organic farming, environmental protection and research programs. Currently, California receives only about 5 percent of the money set aside for farm programs despite producing 12 percent of the country's total agricultural revenue. And with the proposed cuts, the state could get even less.
"To think that a Farm Bill is being written in a few weeks behind closed doors is crazy," said Kari Hamerschlag, a senior analyst for the Environmental Working Group, a Washington and Oakland nonprofit that is outspoken about toxic chemicals, farm subsidies and land use. "We think that it's important that California stand up and look out for what is best for the state."
Groups such as the California Association of Food Banks, California State Grange, Center for Food Safety, Community Alliance with Family Farms and the Ecological Farming Association have sent a petition with more than 16,000 signatures to California's congressional delegation and to Gov.Jerry Brown, urging them to make sure that the state gets funding to protect conservation, nutrition and research programs.
California's recommendations call for maintaining nutrition funding at current levels and removing eligibility barriers for programs such as SNAP (food stamps) and free school lunches. Last year the state received $6.3 billion in federal nutrition funding. "There isn't going to be any program that goes unscathed by the cuts," said Rayne Pegg, assistant manager of national affairs for the California Farm Bureau Federation. "But getting healthy food access is critical."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2011/10/30/MNED1LNMQ0.DTL
Young people can speak out:There is a special opportunity for young people to speak out on the 2012 Farm Bill. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack has initiated “The Secretary’s Challenge,” an online forum geared toward FFA and other youth in agriculture.
"These responses will help us educate Congress on what the younger generation is considering and thinking about,” Vilsack said in an exclusive interview with this correspondent.
“When you understand and appreciate that the average age of the farmer is somewhere in the neighborhood of 57 years of age, and 30 percent of our farmers are over the age of 65, you realize that there has to be a generation of folks coming into play here that will take those opportunities. This farm bill is really about shaping the kind of agricultural opportunities they are going to have. They actually have more of a stake in this farm bill than somebody who has been farming for 30 or 40 years,” he said.
http://secretaryschallenge.proboards.com/index.cgi
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4. More Americans Than Ever Receive Food Stamps: But Program Is Under Attack
Conservatives Scapegoating Food Stamp Participants: The right's scapegoating of the poor has also grown, with food stamps serving as a target -- even as disappearing jobs and falling wages have sparked a huge jump in the numbers of families needing help to get enough to eat.
Food stamp use up 62% in recession: The percentage of Americans receivingfood stamps increased 61.2 percent between 2007, when the recession began, and 2010, US researchers say.
GOP proposes food assistance cuts even as food prices increase:Congressman Jeff Sessions of Alabama Sessions favors a House Republican plan to devote $71 billion to food stamps next year, compared with the $80 billion championed by Senate Democrats.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/67376.html#ixzz1cZoarNSm
In August an additional 492,000 people were added to the food stamp rolls:
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Paper-Economy/2011/1101/Food-stamp-participation-on-the-rise
Connecticut representative takes the Food Stamp Challenge: “Around the country people have been challenging their congressional reps to live on a food stamp budget.
“Last week, the New London County Food Policy Council, following the lead of similar organizations around the country, sponsored a challenge of sorts, suggesting people try living on the typical SNAP benefits, an average of $32.59 a week.
Part of the idea of this "SNAP Experience" is to increase awareness about poverty and hunger.
“Given the meager budget, I was surprised to see such appetizing choices listed by some bloggers as kale and cumin tuna on toasted bread for lunch or sweet potato and split pea shepherd's pie for dinner. One woman was proud of herself for scoring an organic chicken from Walmart for $3.20.”
“The council was lucky to enlist U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney as one of its Snap Experience participants. As a member of the House Committee on Agriculture, Courtney is part of the oversight of the SNAP program”
http://www.theday.com/article/20111030/NWS05/310309937
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5. Food Prices On The Rise
Peanut butter to rise: “Your next visit to the grocery store could bring an unwelcome surprise. One family food staple is about to get a lot more expensive. Peanut butter prices are set to rise anywhere from 20 to 40 percent, but peanut butter is not the only item seeing an increase.”
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/consumer&id=8414845
Food prices up from last year: “Turns out it's not just the price of peanut butter that has risen.
According to the USDA, the cost of food is up when compared to last year.”
“They say the cost of ground beef is up 20 percent and you'll shell out 9 percent more for a steak. The cost of eggs is up 11 percent, pork chops are 9 percent more expensive than they were last year, and with Thanksgiving coming, whole turkeys are up 7 percent. Whole chicken may be the most cost-effective choice, since their price has raised 1 percent since last year.”
“It's not just protein prices that have risen. Tomatoes are up 5 percent from this time last year, lettuce is costing you 7 percent more, and potatoes are up 16 percent.”
http://www.9news.com/money/227529/344/Food-prices-up-from-last-year-
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6. Occupy LA Teach In, Nov 5 and Nov 6: City Hall
From Occupy LA:
Occupy LA - Nov.5 & Nov.6 Teach-In and More! is a weekend of actions, speakers, panel discussions and more created to educate, mobilize, unify and inspire people in regard to issues surrounding this amazing moment in history and the global Occupy movement. The teach-in is designed to discuss the existing conditions and systems which have led to the housing collapse,"recession", the corporate control of our legislature, courts, media and regulatory agencies. It also continues the dialogue on organizing movements for social and economic justice and sustainable alternatives for people and the planet. There will be further discussions on how the wealthiest individuals and corporations have dominated other aspects of life.
Saturday, Nov.5
2:30 - Introductory Remarks
2:45 - Robert Reich (Professor of Public Policy at UC Berkeley and former US Labor Secretary)
3:15 - Robert Scheer (Executive Editor, Truthdig.org, author of The Great American Stick Up:
How Reagan Republicans and Clinton Democrats Enriched Wall Street While Mugging Main Street)
3:30 - 5:00 - Economics Panel:
William Black (professor of Economics and Law at the University of Missouri)
Joel Rogers (professor of Law, Political Science, Public Affairs and Sociology at the University of Wisconsin and president of the Center for Wisconsin Strategies in Madison, Wisconsin)
Michael Hudson - (via livestream) President of The Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends (ISLET), a Wall Street
Financial Analyst, Distinguished Research Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri, Kansas City.
Robert Scheer (Executive Editor of Truthdig.org) - Moderator
5:00- Carol Wells (Executive Director of Center for the Study of Political
Graphics)
5:15 - George Lakoff - (via livestream) - (Professor of cognitive linguistics at UC Berkeley and author of Don't Think of an Elephant! Know Your Values and Frame the Debate
5:30 - Closing Speaker TBA
6:00 - Music - Performers TBA
8:00 pm - Sneak Preview of "Heist: Who Stole the American Dream?" Directed by Donald Goldmacher and Frances Causey - a documentary film which reveals how American corporations orchestrated the dismantling of middle-class prosperity through rampant deregulation, the outsourcing of jobs, and tax policies favoring businesses and the wealthy and gave rise to corporate power. The Director will present the film.
Sunday, Nov.6
11:00 - Opening Speaker TBA
11:30 - 1:00 - Organizing and Civil Disobedience Panel:
Madeline Janis - Executive Director of LAANE
Kent Wong - Director of the Center for Labor and Research at UCLA
Erick Huerte - Organizer at Dream Team Los Angeles
Peggy Mears - Organizer of the Home Defenders program for ACCE, the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment
Jill Furillo - California Nurses Association, National Nurses United Union
Peter Drier - Chair of the Urban and Environmental Policy Department at Occidental College - Moderator
1:00 - lunch
1:30 - Sustainable Living Panel
Frank Tamborello - Hunger Action LA
Autumn Rooney - Echo Park Time Bank
South Central Farms
Open Neighborhoods
Joan Stevens - Los Angeles Permaculture Guild and the NELA Permaculture Guild, Organizer of the West Coast Women's Permaculture
Gatherings and the 2011 SoCal Permaculture convergence.
3:00 - American Civil Liberties Union - speaker TBA
3:15 - Iraq Veterans Against the War - speaker TBA
3:30 - 5:00 - Corportacracy Panel
Alex Caballero - Brave New Foundation
Tracy Rosenberg - president, Media Alliance
Mary Beth Fielder - Organizer Move to Amend
Derek Cressman - Common Cause, director of Campaign to Reverse Citizens United
Lauren Steiner - Local political activist, - Moderator
5:00 - Jim Lafferty of National Lawyers Guild
5:15 - David DeGraw - Organizer at Occupy Wall Street, publisher of ampedstatus.org
Additional speakers/updates to be announced. Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=117112968398746
The Occupy LA Education and People's University will also be holding workshops at various times of the day to discuss some of the topics addressed for those who are interested. http://www.olapeoplescollectiveuniversity.org/
Actions:
Bank Transfer Day/ Move Your Money
March Through Financial District - Rally begins at 10:30am at California Plaza
To see the most up to date schedule, please visit www.occupylosangeles.org. (This will be updated soon.)
Search the Facebook event page: Nov.5 & Nov.6 Occupy LA - Teach-In and More!
Frank Tamborello
Hunger Action Los Angeles
961 S. Mariposa #205
Los Angeles CA 90006
- Food Day Activities Monday Oct 24, 2011:
Sign the Food Day Petition TODAY!! - South Central Farmers to Occupy LA City Hall: Farmers Join with Central–Alameda Residents To Halt Sale of Last Piece of Urban Farm
- United Farm Workers: Send Personalized Messages to Farm Workers Today
- And Don’t Forget The Fundraiser
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1. Food Day Activities Monday Oct 24, 2011:
Sign the Food Day Petition TODAY!!
Please sign the California Food Day Petition by the end of today!: As the Farm Bill debate begins, statewide sustainable agriculture organization Roots of Change joins forces with nineteen partner organizations to help thousands of Californians make their voices heard to our elected officials on critical food and agriculture issues. We must do a better job of supporting small and mid-sized farms, protecting the environment, promoting food safety, ensuring healthy rural economies and improving the nation's and our state's health by investing in programs that support more diversified farming and livestock systems, healthy food access, conservation and research.
http://rootsofchange.org/citadv/sign-californias-food-day-petition
Los Angeles Food Day Events:
http://www.choosehealthla.com/eat-healthy/foodday/
2,000 Food Day Events in 50 States:
http://cspg/new/2inet.or01110241.html
http://www.foodday.org/
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2. South Central Farmers to Occupy LA City Hall: Farmers Join with Central–Alameda Residents To Halt Sale of Last Piece of Urban Farm
Time: Monday, October 24, 2:00pm - 5:00pm
Location: Los Angeles City Hall, Room 1010, 200 N. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Los Angeles Councilmember and Mayoral candidate Jan Perry just can't give her constituents in the Central-Alameda neighborhood a break. On Monday, October 24, Perry will meet with City Council’s Budget & Finance Committee to propose that the Central-Alameda residents give up a proposed City soccer field at 41st and Long Beach for improvements to another park eight blocks away.
The South Central Farmers, who lost their Farm of two generations to Perry's determination to industrialize the east side of her district, will be at the meeting with area residents to demand that the City fulfill its promise to the community and build the park.
The proposed soccer field isn't just any park. It's what remains of the South Central Farm, just 2.7 of the original 14 acres that provided this impoverished neighborhood in the heart of a food desert with fresh produce. Six years ago, the City sold the South Central Farm, the largest urban farm in the United States, for $5.3M and stood by as developer Ralph Horowitz demolished it. The City left the neighborhood with only the promised soccer field.
Again with the help of Perry and his allies on the City Council, Horowitz now hopes regain the 2.7 acres to sell all of original fourteen acres as a block to PIMA Development, a garment industry conglomerate rumored to be affiliated with Forever 21. In an Associated Press story, the San Jose Mercury News reported that PIMA is requiring all 14 acres as a condition of sale. In exchange, the approximate $3M price tag for the 2.7 acres will, according to Perry, be invested in improvements to Fred Roberts Park.
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3. United Farm Workers: Send Personalized Messages to Farm Workers Today
Today is Food Day. I thought you might be interested in this United Farm Workers e-activism campaign sending personalized messages to the farm workers who labor to put the food on our tables @ http://action.ufw.org/foodday
An unprecedented number of consumers across America are questioning the system that puts food on their tables. From examining high fructose corn syrup to buying local to tracking food miles to supporting organic production, consumers are demanding more sustainable sources of food. Yet all too often, farm workers are left out of this discussion.
In California, farm workers have literally been paying with their lives when their employers fail to provide shade and drinking water during extreme temperatures. Nationally, farm workers die in workplace incidents five times more often than non-agricultural workers. Agriculture for most farm workers is hardly a sustainable profession.
Yet it should be, as we depend upon farm workers to put the wine, milk, fruits, vegetables and other products on our tables every day.
Today, consumers around the country are celebrating Food Day. Please add our voice to this movement for a healthier, more nutritious, just, humane and sustainable food supply. We ask that you take a moment not only to remember but to thank the workers who are in the fields rain or shine, hot or cold, to make sure our families enjoy the rich bounty of food we have come to expect.
We’ve drafted a message you can send to farm workers. We encourage you to personalize that message. We’ll take your responses, print them and distribute them to the thousands of UFW members across the U.S. so they know how important you think they are in creating a more just food system.
http://action.ufw.org/foodday
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4. And Don’t Forget The Fundraiser
Don’t forget the Hunger Action LA Fundraiser this Friday October 28, drop in anytime between 6 pm and 10 pm to TiGeorge’s Haitian Restaurant at
307 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90026
In Echo Park
Tickets $20 Advance
$25 At The Door
Please RSVP: frank@hungeractionla.org
Or (213) 388---8228
A Great Haitian Dinner Included
Vegetarian Options Too!
Your choice!: Cash at the door * PayPal at www.hungeractionla.org * or
Check can be mailed to : HALA, 961 S Mariposa # 205, LA CA 90006
Celebrate LA’s glorious fall foliage with us!
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- Hunger Action LA News:
- Governor Brown Signs Historic Legislation Improving Access to Food Assistance
- Food Days October 16 and October 24: Petitions and Activities
- Upcoming LA Food Justice Events:
- Farm Bill Updates:
- WIC Program In Danger Of Funding Cuts Food Prices:
- Food Prices
- Sesame Street Tackles Hunger Issue
- Head of Nestle Fears More Food Riots Ahead
- Free Dental Vision and Medical Services Coming to LA
- First Annual Diabetes Vigil: Placita Olvera, Nov. 1
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1. Hunger Action LA News:
Next Hunger Action LA Meeting: Friday October 21, 10 am to 12 pm, at the Miguel Contreras Room of LAANE, 464 S. Lucas 90017. All are welcome, no cost. We’ll be following up on the Sept 22 rally and other efforts to help preserve programs that Americans fought for long and hard, that are now supporting a good number of working people, especially the SNAP (CalFresh) (Food Stamp) program, but also Social Security and others. We’ll be discussing other actions being taken across the country and how to coordinate better with others doing similar work here in LA.
HALA Fundraiser Oct 28: Join us for a great Haitian dinner and fun meeting other great folks from around LA on Friday October 28 at 6 pm at TiGeorge’s Restaurant in Echo Park, at 307 Glendale Blvd. LA 90026. $20 advance and $25 at the door to support HALA’s Veggie Voucher program and other projects. Donate online and see the full size spectacular flyer at www.hungeractionla.org . RSVP to frank@hungeractionla.org or 213 388 8228
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2. Governor Brown Signs Historic Legislation Improving Access to Food Assistance!
(Thanks to CFPA, Western Center on Law and Poverty and others for material)
Governor Brown has signed several pieces of legislation that readers of this newsletter are long familiar with, and that many of us traveled up to Sacramento to push for earlier this year.
This represents the culmination of years of work by California Food Policy Advocates, California Association of Food Banks, Western Center on Law and Poverty, and all the various organizations making up the California Hunger Action Coalition. The bills include:
AB 6 –reducing paperwork and eliminating fingerimaging in the CalFresh program, and recalculating light bill payments to increase benefits overall (a simplified description). Contact: Alexis Fernandez at 510-433-1122 x111or alexis@cfpa.net for more information.
AB 69 will implement best practices in enrolling seniors into CalFresh program by using information they’ve already submitted to Social Security. Contact: Kerry Birnbach at 510-433-1122 x110 or kerry@cfpa.net for more information.
Senate Bill 43 helps out-of-work CalFresh recipients meet the program's work requirements and removes benefit sanctions for recipients living in an area of high unemployment.
Assembly Bill 402 by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley). authorizes schools to work with county social services agencies to develop a fast track from a school meal application to a CalFresh application.
AB 581 by Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles) establishes a fund to address food deserts. “Through this legislation and the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative, we have the opportunity to create a pathway to increase access to healthy food,” said Speaker Pérez.
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3. Food Days October 16 and October 24: Petitions and Activities
Healthy Food and Farm Petition: Congress is about to make key decisions about food and farm policy. Tell Governor Brown, your U.S. senators and representative to stand up for healthy food and farms today, before our October 24 deadline! By October 24, National Food Day, we are aiming to gather tens of thousands of signatures from citizens on a petition (linked here) urging California’s decision makers to stand up for healthy food and farm policies. You can find the petition here: http://action.ewg.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY
=1947&tag=201110cafooddaypetitionother
World Food Day Oxfam Sunday Dinners: This World Food Day, Oxfam America is teaming up with allies across the USA and around the globe to encourage people to take a simple yet profound action. We're asking you and thousands of others to dedicate your Sunday Dinner on October 16th to a conversation about where your food comes from, who is behind its cultivation and how we can make the food system more just and sustainable.Just click here: http://actfast.oxfamamerica.org/index.php/events/party for free materials and more information.
From Doctors Without Borders: This World Food Day, Help Us Rewrite the Story of Malnutrition for 195 Million Children. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and VII Photo launched the Starved for Attention petition to stop the world's top food aid donor countries, particularly the US government, from sending food to malnourished children overseas that fails to meet their nutritional needs. We need your support to speak out for malnourished children who have no voice to rewrite the story of malnutrition.
http://www.starvedforattention.org/take-action.php
Petition For Labeling GMO Food: (Thanks to Tanya Selig): LabelGMOs.org is fighting for a California ballot initiative for mandatory labels on genetically engineered food. If you think food that contains GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) should be labeled, please sign on.We need to get 504,760 qualifying signatures to get the issue on the 2012 ballot. Can you help? Signature gathering will begin in October and we'll only have 150 days to meet our goal. Thanks!
Click on this URL to take action now: http://capwiz.com/grassrootsnetroots/utr/2/?a=53834826&i=110265481&c=
&u=capwiz.com%2Fgrassrootsnetroots%2Fissues%2Falert%2F%3Falertid%3D53834826
Los Angeles Food Day Week of Oct 24 Events: (Thanks to LA Food Policy Council) See Choose Health LA’s website: http://www.choosehealthla.com/eat-healthy/foodday/
National Food Day website has lots of great open source resources, including curriculum, and signage: www.foodday.org
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4. Upcoming LA Food Justice Events:
Tomato Workers Campaign Targets Trader Joe’s in Monrovia, Oct 21: From various sources: “On Fri., Oct. 21, tomato workers and their supporters will march to Trader Joe's headquarters in Monrovia to demand that the company sign a pledge that ensures the pickers a fair wage for their backbreaking labor. Participants will gather outside of Trader Joe's at 604 W. Huntington Dr. at noon, then march east on Huntington Dr. to the corporate offices on 800 S. Shamrock Ave. For information about the march and rally, including carpools from your area, contact info@justharvestusa.org or 239-503-0605. For additional information about the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' Campaign for Fair Food, visit www.ciw-online.org.
CHC 2011 Grocery Store Tour Oct 21: For years residents of South LA have been looking for more options for fresh, healthy food. Join community leaders and industry as we tour innovative grocery stores that may open in South LA. Stores scheduled on the tour include Fresco Market, Fresh and Easy, Sprouts, and more! Lunch provided: Space limited. RSVP to Anthony Crump at Anthony@CHC-Inc.org or 323 295-9372.
Friday October 21, 2011: Noon to 4 pm. Community Health Councils, 3731 Stocker St., Suite 201 Los Angeles CA 90008.
More on grocery stores and corner store converstions: Healthy Food Financing –The California FreshWorks fund was publicly launched in July. California FreshWorks is a private-public partnership loan fund that has raised $200 million to invest in bringing grocery stores and other forms of healthy food retailers to underserved communities. – see http://www.cafreshworks.com/
Corner Stores – RENEW's Community Market Conversion activities continue, working toward increasing access to healthy foods in South Los Angeles.Visit the website to learn about the stores participating in the project. – see http://communitymarketconversion.org/
“Navigating the Lunchline” Panel Examines School Meal Changes Oct 19: From Healthy School Food Coalition: Navigating the Lunchline: How School Meals Shape Today's Children" is a panel discussion including Dennis Barrett, LAUSD Food Services Director, Suzanne Borgert, RENEW Project Director at Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Matt Sharp from California Food Policy Advocates and Elizabeth Medrano, Coordinator of the Healthy School Food Coalition at UEPI. Time and Place: Wednesday, October 19th @ 7 PM in Johnson 200 at Occidental College.More information and RSVP: Elizabeth Medrano, emedrano@oxy.edu 323 341 5097
Montebello School District Launches Food Drive: Montebello Unified kicked off a month-long “War on Hunger” food drive Sept. 29, at Suva Intermediate in Bell Gardens. Donations can be made to the school district, as well as the Camino Federal Credit Union’s main branch, located at 520 N. Taylor Ave. in Montebello, right up until Oct. 28 when the drive ends. In Los Angeles County alone, 400,000 children go hungry. Last year the (Montebello) district identified 350 students as homeless, and eighty percent of students in the district are categorized as low-income and qualify for free and reduced lunches.
http://egpnews.com/?p=31538
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5. Farm Bill Updates:
Dateline October 7: Senator Dick Lugar targets $40 billion in farm spending cuts and 2% cut in nutrition spending:
http://missouriruralist.com/story.aspx/farm-bill-proposal-would-save-40-billion-8-53769
House Ag Committee Chair Frank Lucas (R-OK) expresses dismay at the idea of $33 billion in cuts to agriculture, especially to direct payments. On the Tea Party, he says they’re “idealists” but that the majority has “the responsibility to govern”. Without overtly bashing the SNAP (food stamp) program he indicates he’d rather see more money cut from there than is currently proposed.
http://www.agweek.com/event/article/id/19204/
Debbie Stabenow, (D-MI), head of Senate Ag committee says "What we're hearing from others, colleagues outside of the Agriculture Committee, there is clearly a bull's eye on direct payments." She said that committee members are generating an outline of farm safety net programs contains revenue protection and federal crop insurance, but not direct and counter-cyclical payment programs.
http://www.bccourier.com/Archives/Farm_detail.php?contentId=9001
Attacks on school meal programs are an old (and long discredited) page from the far right wing political playbook. But some representatives apparently never got the new playbook. Dennis Rehberg, a Montana congressman, is concerned that families may be “gaming” the system to get free school lunches, and he’d like to “punish systems that rip the taxpayer off.”
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/10/01/1021857/-Denny-Rehberg-fights-corruption,-one-half-pint-of-milk-at-a-time?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=
Feed%3A+dailykos%2Findex+%28Daily+Kos%29
While Rehberg’s attacking the school lunch program, we learn from the Billings Gazette that “In May, efforts to repeal nearly $4 billion in yearly oil industries subsidies fell flat in Congress. Representative Rehberg voted against ending the subsidy. Rehberg also voted for the TRAIN Act, which includes provisions to block public health safeguards on air pollution. “So, free lunch for the oil companies but not for kids.
http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_ce3d0126-1053-571c-8d98-b328f8db16b7.html#ixzz1ahvXZx2B
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6. WIC Program In Danger Of Funding Cuts
From California WIC Association: “For the first time in 15 years of bi-partisan support, WIC could face dangerous and unacceptable funding cuts as Congress weighs deficit reduction decisions. WIC is vulnerable during the Super Committee process, when everything is “on the table.” Moreover, if the Super Committee fails to make a deal by November 23, WIC is not exempt from devastating across-the-board cuts (sequestration) that would automatically follow. We must ensure that WIC is protected.While scary, these cuts are not in any way inevitable. The WIC community has fought back cuts before, and we can do it again.” To find out about the WE NEED WIC campaign, go to:
http://calwic.org/storage/We_Need_WIC_Short_Version.pdf
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7. Food Prices:
Supermarket Chain Offering Locked-In Prices For Three Months on Some Items: Anybody know if any California chains offer this? From Indiana: “As food prices in Indiana and across the nation rise, Marsh Supermarkets Inc. is lowering prices on thousands of the most popular items in its stores, beginning this month, as part of new pricing programs that guarantee everyday low prices for an extended period of time. Known as Good ‘Til, these new pricing programs assure Marsh shoppers that many of their favorite grocery items won’t increase in price for at least three months, even if industry retail prices increase, as they have for four straight quarters, according to the most recent market basket survey by the Indiana Farm Bureau.”
http://www.progressivegrocer.com/top-stories/headlines/industry-intelligence/id33891/marsh-debuts-good-til-pricing/
Alabama’s Harsh Immigrant Law May Cause Food Price Rises: “A wave of immigrant workers, both documented and undocumented are leaving the state of Alabama. Last week, a federal judge upheld the majority of the state's new immigration law .It’s considered the toughest in the nation. With the state's new immigration bill in full effect, immigrant workers are getting out of town, leaving farmers with fewer hands to tend to crops. Experts forecast, people will eventually pay more to put food on the table.
http://www2.alabamas13.com/news/2011/oct/06/states-immigrations-law-impacting-food-prices-ar-2519111/
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8. Sesame Street Tackles Hunger Issue
Lily, a pink Muppet in a blue dress, appeared last week in a PBS special addressing food insecurity, or the lack of a reliable access to food. The special told the stories of families who are going hungry. In the show we see Lily, uncomfortable with both her economic situation as well as potential public stigma, go to a community garden and meet Sesame Street mainstays such as Grover and Elmo.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/04/lily-new-sesame-street-mu_n_994026.html
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9. Head of Nestle Fears More Food Riots Ahead
The head of the world's biggest food company Nestle said on Friday that rising food prices have created conditions "similar" to 2008 when hunger riots took place in many countries.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iVGNj_X2Q2b2kBpo6nKSId5dTUiw?
docId=CNG.e8fbdb7962bb43fdf2294f71e6099162.c1
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10. Free Dental Vision and Medical Services Coming to LA
Free dental, vision, and medical services are coming to LA from Thursday Oct 20-Sunday Oct 23, 2011 at the LA Sports Arena. Register on Monday Oct. 17 . Dental services such as cleanings, fillings, extractions: eye and vision, prescriptions, glasses, : medical exams and screenings, women’s health, medical specialists, chiropractors, acupuncturists.
October 17, 2011: Interested participants can pick up wristbands
Gates open at 7 am: Distribution begins at 1 pm
LA Sports Arena , 3939 S. Figueroa St.
First come first served until all wristbands are gone: one wristband per person
More information 310 309 8117
http://www.carenowusa.org/la/index.html
(Thanks to Rosa Romera for the alert)
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11. First Annual Diabetes Vigil: Placita Olvera, Nov. 1
Please join the Latino Diabetes Association (LDA), families, friends, City of L.A. 1st District Councilman Ed Reyes, and many other Diabetes and healthy community advocates for the 1st annual Diabetes Vigil being held:
Tuesday November 1, 2011
La Placita Olvera Church
535 N. Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90021
Diabetes in our communities is an epidemic we cannot afford to ignore. Conservatively, there are self-reported 650,000 diabetes cases in L.A. County, and 303,000 are Latino! The LDA asks the community to come together this night to help bring awareness to this deadly crisis. Everyone of all ages and ethnicities are welcome to come and bring pictures of their loved ones and share their own stories or stories of loved ones who are fighting with or have fallen to this disease that has taken way too many lives and destroyed many people’s quality of life.
Please carpool; parking is available for $8 cash at parking lots on Main Street and Los Angeles Streets surrounding the church and “Olvera Street”. Aztec dancers, hot coffee, and light healthy snacks will be provided. For more information, please call our office at (323) 837-9869.
Thanks you,
Randy Muñoz
Latino Diabetes Association
www.LDA.org
(323) 837-9869 Fax (323) 837-9931
Frank Tamborello
Hunger Action Los Angeles
961 S. Mariposa #205
Los Angeles CA 90006
213-388-8228
frank@hungeractionla.org
- Hunger Action LA News:
- CalFresh Legislation Goes To Governor
- Food Days Approaching
- Food Prices Are Going Up Everywhere….. And You Too Can Profit >From Suffering
- Free Dental Vision and Medical Services Coming to LA
1. Hunger Action LA News:
Next Hunger Action LA Meeting: Friday October 21, 10 am to 12 pm, at the Miguel Contreras Room of LAANE, 464 S. Lucas 90017. All are welcome, no cost. We’ll be following up on the Sept 22 rally and other efforts to help preserve programs that Americans fought for long and hard, that are now supporting a good number of working people, especially the SNAP (CalFresh) (Food Stamp) program, but also Social Security and others. We’ll be discussing other actions being taken across the country and how to coordinate better with others doing similar work here in LA.
Big thank you to all who participated in the rally---we had some new groups there and a lot of energy from the youth contingent! Hopefully this enthusiasm will be ongoing.
HALA mentioned on RealFoodJustice blog: This is a really good blog a lot of you may be interested in. You can also follow on Twitter: @RealFoodJustice
http://www.RealFoodJustice.com/
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2. CalFresh Legislation Goes To Governor!
From our friends at California Food Policy Advocates: Both AB 6 and AB 69 (and SB 43) have made it through the State Assembly and Senate and are now off to the Governor! It's more important than ever to continue voicing your support for these two important pieces of legislation. Ask Governor Brown to sign AB 6 and AB 69 (and SB 43) and support struggling California families and seniors.
Governor Brown has until October 9th to sign all legislation. The sooner you voice your support the better! We've put together a few action steps that you can take today.
http://cfpa.net/calfresh/ab-6-ab-69-headed-to-the-governor-for-signature#more-1433
AB 6: Streamlines the application process for CalFresh by ending the fingerprinting requirement, as was recently done in Texas, and simplifies reporting for the program to make us like 49 other states. Passed out of the Senate and now goes back to the Assembly for them to vote on it in its amended form. This is a likely pass since the Assembly has already passed it in its original form
AB 69: Plans for creating an easy process for low income seniors to apply for CalFresh benefits. Has now passed the Senate and now goes back to the Assembly for votes in its new amended form. This is a likely pass since the Assembly has already passed it in its original form
SB 43: Ends the penalties against CalFresh participants who don’t have jobs, during economic hard times. It’s going back to the Assembly in a modified form: the provision that participants can create their own workfare projects has been dropped. However, the bill will still help adults who have no children and no disabilities maintain support while looking for work.
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3. Food Days Approaching
World Food Day has been observed for decades on October 16. It’s joined this year by Food Day, declared for October 24 (a Monday) by Center for Science in the Public Interest. Both days have events you can join in: Food Day in particular will feature numerous events highlighting the progress that’s been made in promoting healthy food here in Los Angeles.
World Food Day: October 16
From Oxfam: Join Oxfam America and make this World Food Day, Sunday October 16th, a cause for celebration and action!This World Food Day, Oxfam America is teaming up with allies across the USA and around the globe to encourage people to take a simple yet profound action. We're asking you and thousands of others to dedicate your Sunday Dinner on October 16th to a conversation about where your food comes from, who is behind its cultivation and how we can make the food system more just and sustainable.
Just click here: http://actfast.oxfamamerica.org/index.php/events/party for free materials and more information.
We are all tied to a global food system that is broken. Yet there is a strong and growing movement of individuals and organizations working torepair and improve the system. In a world facing the challenges of thecurrent famine in East Africa, constrained land and water, and an erratic climate, one of the best ways to combat global food insecurity is to invest in farmers and remove the barriers that limit their productivity.
Creating this awareness is what a World Food Day Sunday Dinner is all about..
For your Sunday World Food Day Dinner this October, Oxfam America will provide free resources so you can host a fun, educational and engaging conversation about food justice, including videos, discussion guides and recipe ideas. All these and more can be found at
www.oxfamamerica.org\worldfoodday<http://www.oxfamamerica.org/worldfoodday
Food Day Events in Los Angeles: October 24
(Thanks to LA Food Policy Council)
• RENEW LA is organizing a large sugar demonstration press event in partnership with California Center for Public Health Advocacy. Dr. Fielding, Director of Public Health will speak, as well as elected officials from cities that have adopted healthy food and beverage policies in LA County over the last year. They are also promoting Food Day events throughout the County on their website: www.choosehealthla.com
• Los Angeles Food Policy Council will launch its new website on October 24, will widely distribute food system facts/talking points to use as a resource for Food Day LA activities, and will develop a media strategy to promote Food Day events throughout the County
• California Center for Public Health Advocacy will host its annual awards lunch on Food Day in Los Angeles at L.A. Live. Guest speakers include Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis.
• Community Market Conversion will host a healthy food cooking demo, followed by a Zumba class at Las Palmas Carniceria in South LA. The demo is free and the Zumba class is $2. The whole program is in Spanish.
• Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles will screen a food system film near the Hollywood Farmers’ Market on Food Day and the Farmer's Kitchen will serve farmers' market fare after the film. SEE-LA's Echo Park Farmers' Market will celebrate their five year anniversary on Friday, October 21st, in conjunction with Food Day.
• The LA Community Garden Council is organizing its fifth annual Gathering of Community Gardens on October 22 at the Loma Alta Park in Altadena. It's a free educational and networking conference that connects gardening activists across Los Angeles County with local resources, inspiration and food growing fun!
• Occidental College, in partnership with the Urban & Environmental Policy Institute, is hosting local food month and organizing a number of food-related activities throughout October.
The list of local Food Day activities will be posted on RENEW LA's calendar of events and on their Choose Health LA Facebook page.
Additional Resources:
• Choose Health LA's 2011 Food Day website,
http://www.choosehealthla.com/eat-healthy/foodday/
• National Food Day website has lots of great open source resources, including curriculum, and signage: www.foodday.org
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4. Food Prices Are Going Up Everywhere…..
A NEW round of food inflation with severe hikes in the price of basic foodstuffs is plunging many of the world’s poorest people into deeper poverty and into situations of severe hunger and malnutrition, warns a report by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) released yesterday.
http://www.businessday.co.za/Articles/Content.aspx?id=154192
And You Too Can Profit From Suffering
So some of the same magazines that tell you about the price of food going up tell you how you can profit off of that increase, with the resultant increase in human suffering. Here’s some investor’s advice from one such publication. (Ever wonder why there is still hunger in the world? If there’s a considerable segment that’s making money off of it, will it ever go away?)
“If you've visited the grocery store lately, then you've probably noticed prices for basic food items such as bread and ground beef have soared this year. The increase is mainly as result of skyrocketing prices for commodities. Wheat prices, for instance, have climbed 65% just in the past year, while corn prices have nearly doubled. “
“Rising grain prices reflect a growing imbalance between food supply and demand. Farmers are ramping up crop production to feed more humans and livestock, but global food output will need to expand by 70% in the next 30 years just to match increasing food demand resulting from the growing global population. “
“As demand for agricultural commodities grows, so does the need for fertilizer to boost crop yields. This is causing fertilizer prices to zoom as well -- fertilizer costs are approaching record levels set in 2009. Next year, U.S. corn growers are expected to fork out $165 an acre for fertilizer, which is a 35% jump in just two seasons.”
For investors who own fertilizer stocks, this means increasing profits and returns. Instead of just bracing for higher food prices, you should take benefit from long-term trends in food prices by holding fertilizer stocks in your portfolio. Below are two stocks in particular that offer double-digit growth, safe dividends and rich yields. (Italics mine)
http://www.streetauthority.com/income-investing/get-7-plus-yields-growing-global-food-demand-458598
Not just starving people: why, the whole economy! There’s plenty money to be made off misery at every scale.
The BBC interviewed an investor recently and the interview went like this:
BBC: Can you pin down exactly what would keep investors happy, make them feel more confident?
TRADER: That's a tough one. Personally, it doesn't matter. I'm a trader. I don't care about that stuff... We don't really care how they're gonna fix the economy, how they're gonna fix the situation. Our job is to make money from it. And personally, I've been dreaming of this moment for three years. I have a confession, which is, I go to bed every night, I dream of another recession, I dream of another moment like this.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/09/27/1020635/-Class-war-profiteering:-London-trader-rejoices-at-recession,-dreams-of-another-?via=blog_1
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5. Free Dental Vision and Medical Services Coming to LA
Free dental, vision, and medical services are coming to LA on the weekend of October 20, 2011 at the LA Sports Arena. Dental services such as cleanings, fillings, extractions: eye and vision, prescriptions, glasses, : medical exams and screenings, women’s health, medical specialists, chiropractors, acupuncturists.
October 17, 2011: Interested participants can pick up wristbands
Gates open at 7 am: Distribution begins at 1 pm
LA Sports Arena , 3939 S. Figueroa St.
First come first served until all wristbands are gone: one wristband per person
More information 310 309 8117
(Thanks to Rosa Romera for the alert)
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Help us raise $2,500 for Veggie Voucher program: Through the Good LA fund, together with our partners SEE-LA (Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles). Collectively we’ve helped thousands of low income families access more fresh fruits and vegetables at seven farmers’ markets across the county, from Long Beach to South LA to East LA. Vote at http://goodla.maker.good.is/projects/VeggieVouchers
- Hunger Action LA News: Hunger Action Day Sept 22
- State Anti-Hunger Legislation Update : Progress and Disappointment
- Panel on Health Reform and Child Obesity Sept. 30
- Good Food Festival and Conference: September 14-18, Santa Monica
- Nutrition and Anti-Obesity News
- The Coming Battle Over The National Budget
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1. Hunger Action LA News: Hunger Action Day in LA Sept 22 3:30 PM
Hunger Action Day is now Thursday Sept 22 at 3:30 pm at City Hall in Downtown LA. Activities begin on the Spring St. steps, between Temple and 1st st. downtown. Invited speakers include LA City Council members and Congressman Xavier Becerra, who is on the 12 person committee that will be deliberating over $1.5 trillion in cuts to the federal budget---likely to impact SNAP, Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. We need a large strong showing to get the message across that people do care about these programs and aren’t going to take huge slashes in benefits without a fight.
The messaging needs to change too, as the media seems to think of these programs as handouts and giveaways. They are work supports: there hasn’t been a raise in real wages for workers in the USA since the 1970s. One paycheck used to support a family: now even families with two paychecks struggle. 40% of SNAP (food stamp) participants are working people. We all pay into this system with our taxes and don’t need to apologize for accessing these benefits any more than we would with an insurance policy.
Contact frank@hungeractionla.org to let us know you are coming to the rally or for help with bringing large groups. If you can’t make it there are other ways to help too.
Thursday Sept 15: All day: Sign making and preparations for Hunger Action Day. Call 213 388 8228 to let us know you’re dropping by! At the Hunger Action LA office
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2. State Anti-Hunger Legislation Update: Progress and Disappointment
The long state legislative season is winding down. Most of the agenda we supported when our huge contingent went to Sacramento in May is looking good, although there is a major disappointment with the loss of the Nutritional Assistance for Families Act. Here is a quick rundown:
AB 6: Streamlines the application process for CalFresh by ending the fingerprinting requirement, as was recently done in Texas, and simplifies reporting for the program to make us like 49 other states. Passed out of the Senate and now goes back to the Assembly for them to vote on it in its amended form. This is a likely pass since the Assembly has already passed it in its original form
AB 69: Plans for creating an easy process for low income seniors to apply for CalFresh benefits. Has now passed the Senate and now goes back to the Assembly for votes in its new amended form. This is a likely pass since the Assembly has already passed it in its original form
SB 43: Ends the penalties against CalFresh participants who don’t have jobs, during economic hard times. It’s going back to the Assembly in a modified form: the provision that participants can create their own workfare projects has been dropped. However, the bill will still help adults who have no children and no disabilities maintain support while looking for work.
AB 828: Ends the rules that prohibit people with past drug felonies for which they’ve already done time, from getting CalFresh benefits. Was frozen for the remainder of the year in the Senate Appropriations Committee. (Meaning it has to start over next year.)
From Women’s Policy Institute, one of many organizations supporting AB 828: “ The bill's author, Assemblymember Swanson stated, "if a person's most critical needs are not met when they re-enter society after being in prison, they won't be able to successfully return to their communities. In fact, without basic support, many of them will be inclined to return to criminal activity and drug use instead of attaining sobriety and gainful employment."………..Member Swanson remains deeply committed to providing critical food services to individuals released from prison for certain non-violent feloniesHe, greatly appreciates all of your ongoing support. Said Member Swanson, "thank you for your dedicated and continued support each year I have carried this bill. “
Please look for next steps to be posted on our facebook page in the coming weeks at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Support-AB-828/227210493968835
Stay tuned for campaign to call the Governor when these bills head to his desk!
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3. Panel on Health Reform and Child Obesity Sept. 30
First 5 LA’s Policy Department is sponsoring a panel discussion on how the Affordable Care Act affects the 0-5 population and specifically how it addresses the childhood obesity epidemic.
Children’s Health:
Obesity Prevention Under Health Care Reform
Friday, September 30
Registration begins at 9:30 a.m.
Discussion begins at 10 a.m.
750 N. Alameda Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Panelists will tackle a range of questions, including: How does health care reform affect the 0-5 population? What portion of health care reform is at risk of repeal or defunding? What does the health care reform law say about childhood obesity prevention? What state and federal legislation is focused on children’s nutrition?
Panel moderator:
Matt Sharp, California Food Policy Advocates.
Panelists:
• Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes, California Assembly, 39th District
• Assemblymember Roger Hernández, California Assembly, 57th District
• Lucien Wulsin Jr., Insure the Uninsured Project
• Anthony Crump, Community Health Councils
• Kiran Saluja, Public Health Foundation Enterprises WIC Program
• Dr. Paul Simon, L.A. County Department of Public Health
To RSVP, please visit www.First5LAHealthPanel.eventbrite.com . Seating is limited— Register early!
For additional questions, please contact Ruel Nolledo at RNolledo@first5la.org or at 213.482.7505.
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4. Good Food Festival and Conference: September 14-18, Santa Monica
Santa Monica Farmers Market celebrates its 30th Anniversary with the very first Southern California Good Food Festival and Conference. This unprecedented multi-day event wil focus on regional and national issues integral to building a local and sustainable food system whil supporting California family farmers. Produced by FamilyFarmed. Org, the Good Food Festival and Cofnerence brings together farmers, food businesses, sustainable food advocates, chefs, families and people who care about good food.
Over 70 speakers!
Gala Celebration with 30 Farmers and 30 Chefs!
Agricultural Art Opening!
Films
Street Fair Saturday and Sunday
Conferences and Trade Shows
Cooking Demonstrations by famous chefs
Go here for full list of vendors, events, and how to get tickets:
http://goodfoodfestivals.com/santamonica/good-food-festival-santa-monica/
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5. Nutrition And Anti-Obesity: Recent News
LAUSD students taste test new foods: “In coming weeks, the district will do away with canned and frozen fruits and vegetables, chicken nuggets and corn dogs and begin incorporating more locally grown produce into the daily fare…..Over many months, the district has been bringing in students like Israel and others from a variety of schools and grade levels for taste tests at the Newman Center, near downtown, where 225,000 meals are prepared daily and shipped to campuses.”
Los Angeles Unified students grade district's new menu choices - latimes.com
(Los Angeles Unified School District are implementing a new staff wellness initiative as part of its efforts to improve the district’s overall nutrition environment. The wellness initiative will empower them to become better health advocates, especially as the district rolls out its brand new menu.. For more information, please contact Ariana Oliva at ariana@cfpa.net)
Sugary drinks: “The latest analysis shows that half of people in the USA drink sugary beverages on any given day, and about 25% consume at least 200 calories a day from them. About 5% of people ages 2 and older consume at least 567 calories a day from such drinks.”
Stanton Peele: The Cultural Reasons America's Underprivileged Struggle With Nutrition. Particularly in the African American and Latino communities there are barriers, especially economic but also from tradition, that hinder changes in diet:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stanton-peele/why-do-poor-people-eat-to_b_935033.html
Habit makes us eat food even if it tastes bad: “A new study reveals that taste is not the only factor when it comes to chowing down -- the environment in which we eat the food could also make us eat more, even if the food doesn't taste very good. (In a test where people were given fresh and stale popcorn)…..people who reported being regular movie popcorn-eaters ate the same amount of popcorn whether it was stale or not, researchers found. But people who said they didn't usually eat popcorn at movies ate significantly less stale popcorn than fresh because it didn't taste as good”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/02/mindless-eating-environment-location_n_945712.html
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6. The Coming Battle Over The National Budget
Setting the stage: America is in a crisis of poverty unseen since the 1930s.
“The number of children living in poverty in the U.S. is up nearly 20 percent from 2000, according to the NCCP, because of higher unemployment and foreclosures. It's a problem across the nation but children are the worst off in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. They fare better in New Hampshire, Minnesota and Massachusetts……U.S. food banks say they face slow and steady starvation rather than sudden African famine……
Across the country, nearly 5.5 million children live in families that have lost homes to foreclosures and 8 million children live in families where at least one parent has lost a job, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation.”
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/US/hunger-children-america-slow-steady-starvation/story?id=14328390
LA’s poor demand jobs: “The pressing issue of Los Angeles is unemployment, Congressman Xavier Becerra told hundreds of workers, some of them unemployed, during a meeting at LA Trade Tech Community College to gather testimony on the economy.
Jonetta Rivers, a real estate agent now 52, stated "I had to return to school after having been earning above 100 thousand dollars a year most of my life. Now I get money from welfare, $ 221 per month and $ 200 in food stamps.” Rivers could not find work since losing her job in December 2007. (Article originally in Spanish: use the translate function for a generally accurate but occasionally humorous version in English.)
The “Gang of 12”: Rep. Becerra is the only California representative on the 12-person deficit reduction commission that will be making $1.5 trillion in cuts, most likely in programs that help unemployed or low income working people, people with disabilities, and children. But who makes up that commission generally and where do their interests lie?
Writer Bruce K. Gagnon in OpEd News: “Now that the new 12-member Congressional "Super Committee" has essentially been given the power of God (and the Devil) the military industrial complex, and …the corporate media, are swinging into action. Their message? We can't cut Pentagon spending because it will hurt an already tight job market.....and we need these troops to keep knocking countries off the "Non-Integrating Gap" list (those countries that refuse to play ball with corporate globalization).
"The six Republicans and six Democrats represent states where the biggest military contractors - Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics Corp., Raytheon Co., and Boeing Co. - build missiles, aircraft, jet fighters, and tanks while employing tens of thousands of workers." ….In fact the former head of Raytheon, William J. Lynn III, was brought into the Obama administration to serve as Deputy Secretary of Defense.”
http://www.opednews.com/articles/TWISTED-UP-BY-A-SUPER-COUP-by-Bruce-K-Gagnon-110826-744.html
Nurses call for tax on Wall Street: The national nurses’ union is swinging into action. 10,000 nurses across the county converged for protests at 61 Congressional offices in 21 states . They called for a tax on Wall Street financial transactions---the ones that caused our economic crisis. They are sponsoring a variety of creative actions including setting up soup kitchens to call attention to America’s job and health care crisis, suffering while Wall Street which has already been bailed out, has not yet been called out for its responsibility.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/08/31/MNOB1KTSHP.DTL
Join us on September 22 to send the message that the federal government should not be cutting successful programs at a time when more people need them than ever before.
- Hunger Action LA News: Hunger Day Will Be Rescheduled
- State Anti-Hunger Legislation Update: Call Senators Before Thursday
- Rep Becerra Hosts Coffee With Your Congressman Tuesday Aug 30: Urge Him To Reject Cuts : Other Upcoming Actions with Congressional Reps
- Farm Bill Town Hall: RSVP by Wednesday Aug 24
- Good Food Festival and Conference: September 14-18, Santa Monica
- Swipes for the Homeless Nominated for Classy Award---Vote By Friday Aug 26
- Hunger And Poverty In the United States: Recent News
Remembering The Clash “Know Your Rights”
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1. Hunger Action LA News: Hunger Day Will Be Rescheduled
Hunger Action Day Will Be Rescheduled: We hope you won’t mind getting another e mail soon. The Hunger Action Day scheduled for Friday Sept. 30 is going to be moved so that more of our partner organizations can participate. (There’s also a major panel on health reform and child nutrition that morning.) We will have more details before the end of the week, and the time frame will still be toward the end of September. We needed to get this e mail out though because of some other time sensitive issues……
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2. State Anti-Hunger Legislation Update: Call Senators Before Thursday
The CA State Senate Appropriations Committee will be hearing suspended bills on Thursday, August 25th. What does that mean? Well, it means that some of the new legislation that’s been proposed to help hungry people has been trapped for much of the summer, and this committee will decide whether those proposals live on or have to wait for another year.
Here are four Los Angeles-area Senators who are on that committee:
Senator Ted W. Lieu (D-Torrance) 916 651-4028
Senator Fran Pavley (D- Santa Monica) 916-651-4023
Senator Curren Price (D- Los Angeles) 916-651-4026
Senator Sharon Runner (R-Lancaster) 916-651-4017
Here are the bills we’d like to see them pass out of this committee:
AB 6: Streamlines the application process for CalFresh by ending the fingerprinting requirement, as was recently done in Texas, and simplifies reporting for the program to make us like 49 other states.
AB 69: Plans for creating an easy process for low income seniors to apply for CalFresh benefits.
AB 828: Ends the rules that prohibit people with past drug felonies for which they’ve already done time, from getting CalFresh benefits.
SB 43: Ends the penalties against CalFresh participants who don’t have jobs, during economic hard times.
Please call the Senators above today, and urge them to pass these important bills!
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3. Rep Becerra Hosts Coffee With Your Congressman Tuesday Aug 30: Urge Him To Reject Cuts: Other Upcoming Actions With Congressional Reps
If you’re in Rep Becerra’s district, please go to this meeting! Rep. Becerra is on the “Gang of 12” Congressional super-committee that’s going to decide on what could be massive cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP, and many other government funded programs. Go to the meeting and tell him how vital these programs are to his constituents…and millions of others.
Coffee With Your Congressman
When: Tue, August 30, 6:30pm – 7:30pm
Where: 3201 West 8th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90005 (map)
Description: At New Open World Academy Parking entrance on the north side of 8th Street at Kenmore Avenue
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4. Farm Bill Town Hall: RSVP by Wednesday Aug 24
California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross is hosting a town hall discussion focusing on the upcoming Farm Bill on August 30, 2011 in Los Angeles. This informal discussion will provide you the opportunity to offer comments and ask questions concerning national food and farm policy, as well as help to determine the program priorities for California in the upcoming farm bill.
The local and regional food movement has reconnected individuals to our food supply and this town hall is a step in connecting the local sustainable food movement to national farm policy.
Covering such issues as research, conservation, nutrition, commodities and rural development – the farm bill is omnibus multi-year legislation for major food and farm programs. The legislation funds critical programs such as nutrition assistance (food stamps), technical assistance for farmers and ranchers, research, invasive species prevention and management, and initiatives that support food production and environmental conservation.
This town hall is being held in coordination with Roots of Change and the Los Angeles Food Policy Council.
Event Details:
August 30, 2011
1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
City Hall – Room 1060
200 N. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Please RSVP by August 24, 2011. We look forward to your participation in this town hall meeting.
FARM BILL TOWN HALL INVITATION - AUG 30, 2011 . To fill it out, visit:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?
formkey=dGNxekVNNDhZdDR1bDM2bnBJTWUyN0E6MQ
House Ag Committee Chair Frank Lucas on Farm Bill: Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) is concerned about the number of freshmen on the Ag Committee, and in the House of Representatives in general, when it comes to the 2012 Farm Bill. The new Congress clearly has an appetite to demolish federal spending. And that includes Farm Bill programs that help 45 million Americans eat sufficient food (the SNAP program) as well as billions in spending that support small as well as large corporate farms.
"As federal spending comes down we will come down with it," Lucas said. "What I have attempted to tell the House leadership is that agriculture will do its part but it will not do two times or four times its part. Give us the numbers and let the committees decide the best way to use the money that is available."
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5. Good Food Festival and Conference: September 14-18, Santa Monica
Santa Monica Farmers Market celebrates its 30th Anniversary with the very first Southern California Good Food Festival and Conference. This unprecedented multi-day event wil focus on regional and national issues integral to building a local and sustainable food system whil supporting California family farmers. Produced by FamilyFarmed. Org, the Good Food Festival and Cofnerence brings together farmers, food businesses, sustainable food advocates, chefs, families and people who care about good food.
Over 70 speakers!
Gala Celebration with 30 Farmers and 30 Chefs!
Agricultural Art Opening!
Films
Street Fair Saturday and Sunday
Conferences and Trade Shows
Cooking Demonstrations by famous chefs
Go here for full list of vendors, events, and how to get tickets:
http://goodfoodfestivals.com/santamonica/good-food-festival-santa-monica/
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6. Swipes for the Homeless Nominated for Classy Award---Vote By Friday Aug 26
Swipes for the Homeless, a college student organization that aids the hungry and homeless, has been nominated for the 2011 Classy Awards!
About the organization: Established in 2009 at UCLA, Swipes for the Homeless collects unused student meal "swipes" and distributes the food to the underserved in our community. Today, the organization: collects over 4,000 meals every quarter, has established programs to guarantee food for students struggling on the college campus, has spread to multiple universities throughout the nation as well as universities internationally, and most importantly, has worked to educate the public about the homeless and hunger issue.
This past weekend, the organization was nominated as a Top Finalist for the 2011 Classy Awards, which recognizes some of the top philanthropic organizations in the nation. I ask you kindly to please take a few minutes to vote for the cause. If they win, they will be awarded with $10,000, all of which will be used directly to help the homeless and hungry throughout the world.
5 simple steps to vote:
1. Go to: www.stayclassy.org/classy-awards/voting
2. Click on: Most Influential College Student or Organization
3. Vote for: Swipes for the Homeless
4. Scroll up and select: Submit My Ballot
5. Verify your info or sign in via Facebook to confirm your vote
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7. Hunger And Poverty In the United States: Recent News
Most food stamp recipients of the 45 million across the USA have jobs:
http://m.theatlanticwire.com/national/2011/08/more-food-stamps-recipients-now-have-jobs/41562/
An Annie Casey Foundation study shows child poverty up 18% across United States: 31 million children now reside in low income families
http://www.pri.org/stories/business/child-poverty-up-across-the-united-states5530.html
Direct link to the Annie Casey Foundation study
http://datacenter.kidscount.org/DataBook/2011/Default.aspx
Daily Kos: Welfare 'reform' is 15 years old, but aid isn't getting to those who need it
Daily Kos: Welfare 'reform' is 15 years old, but aid isn't getting to those who need it
One in four California families can’t afford food:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/08/20
Extreme couponer gets arrested for stealing old newspapers looking for coupons to save on groceries:
USDA rejects New York’s request to ban use of food stamps to buy sodas
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8. Remembering The Clash “Know Your Rights”
Life these days is reminding me more and more of the Clash song “Know Your Rights”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6hxZ8ze-eY&feature=related
This is a public service announcement----With guitar
Know your rights all three of them
Number 1----You have the right not to be killed
Murder is a CRIME! Unless it was done by a Policeman or aristocrat
Know your rights
Fullerton police kill homeless man:
And Number 2: You have the right to food money
Providing of course you----Don't mind a little
Investigation, humiliation---And if you cross your fingers, Rehabilitation
How America Criminalized Poverty: Barbara Ehrenreich, author of “Nickeled and Dimed”, for the Guardian UK:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/aug/10/america-poverty-criminalised
Number 3: You have the right to free Speech as long as you're not
Dumb enough to actually try it.
Paul Ryan's Office Calls Cops On Jobless Protesters
Know your rights
These are your rights
All three of 'em
It has been suggested
In some quarters that this is not enough!
Well..............................
And the next line is really up to us…..
Monday August 8: Conference call discussion on what the federal budget means for public programs nationally and in California 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. Call in number: 866-628-8620 code 960228
- Hunger Action LA News:
- How Nutrition Programs Are Threatened Now: Host Your Congressperson in August!
- More Upcoming Events To Demand Jobs and Revenue, Not Cuts To Survival Programs
- SNAP (Food Stamp) Enrollment At All time High: Over 45 Million
- State Anti-Hunger Legislation Update
- Rally for Grocery Store Workers, August 10
- The Cost of Eating Healthy And What To Do About It
- The Injustice of Big Ag Subsidies: Farmer Fined $8700 For Growing Watermelons
- Sleep Out To End Homelessness in Venice and Los Angeles
- Ground Turkey Recall Highlights Threats To Food Safety in America
- More Than 1,000 New Farmers Markets Begin in US in the Last Year
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1. Hunger Action LA News:
Next meeting: The next Hunger Action LA meeting is Friday August 19 at 10 am. Location is LAANE at 464 S Lucas Ave LA CA 90017. All are welcome: rsvp to frank@hungeractionla.org or 213 388 8228. The focus will be the upcoming activities in September around the Farm Bill, preserving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamp) safety net against threats of cuts from the federal level.
Response to General Relief Changes Postponed : Los Angeles County is proposing changes to its General Relief program. Over 100,000 people rely on this $221/month benefit (available 9 months out of 12 for able bodied adults). Changes are proposed that will make residency in LA more difficult to prove, and penalties for missed appointments radically increased. Hunger Action LA is organizing speakers for the day when there will be a public hearing on these proposals. The hearing scheduled August 2 has been postponed and it’s not clear when it will be held.
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2.Federal Budget Could Threaten Nutrition Programs: Host Your Congressperson in August!
(From California Association of Food Banks)
Passage of the recent deficit reduction package has highlighted the very real prospect of cuts to federal nutrition programs. As Members of Congress return to their districts for the August recess, it is critical they be reminded of the need to protect vital federal nutrition programs from damaging cuts. Inviting your Member of Congress to tour a food bank, pantry, soup kitchen, CalFresh outreach or child nutrition site is one of the most effective ways to drive this point home.
Take Action! Host a Food Assistance Site Visit
Given the prospect of cuts to nutrition programs during continued economic hardship for the people we serve, it is critically important that Members of Congress visit food banks and emergency food distribution sites during the August congressional recess (Aug 5 - Sept 8). Seeing constituents of their districts receive life-sustaining food assistance from services supported by TEFAP, CSFP, child nutrition programs and CalFresh outreach can move elected officials to become champions for protecting these programs from damaging cuts.
Guide to Hosting a Food Assistance Site Visit:
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3. More Upcoming Events To Demand Jobs and Revenue, Not Cuts To Survival Programs
Monday August 8: Conference call discussion on what the federal budget means for public programs nationally and in California 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. Call in number: 866-628-8620 code 960228
August 10 Call for Jobs, Not Cuts, in Pasadena: From MoveON:
"Jobs Not Cuts" events at district legislative offices nationwide next Wednesday.
Click here to RSVP for a Jobs Not Cuts event in Pasadena on Wednesday at 12 p.m.:
http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/event.html?event_id=120042&id=29524-17277404-Rsikibx&t=2
When you sign up, you can indicate if you're currently unemployed (or underemployed) and willing to share your story—it's the stories from our community that will really help get Congress and the local media to pay attention. Then come out on Wednesday, August 10, at 12 p.m.—and wear your red, white, and blue clothes so we can show everyone what the American Dream movement is all about.
August 15: Revenues Capitol Press Conference, Sacramento: Join seniors, parents, people with disabilities, small business people, legislators and community members as we demand that corporations contribute to California’s future! Speakers will discuss the need for revenue in our state, and the irresponsibility of some of the biggest corporations in California that are not paying their taxes. Then, advocates and community leaders will head to the capitol to testify on behalf of common sense revenue bills up in Senate Appropriations committee, and push our legislators to stand up for California’s families.
When: August 15, 2011 - Gather 10:00 AM, Press Conference 10:30
Where: North Steps of the Capitol, Sacramento
Contact: Kim Kruckel at kim@bananasinc.org to rsvp
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4. SNAP (Food Stamp) Enrollment At All time High: Over 45 Million
Alabama is responsible for much of the 1.1 million increase in food stamp recipients after horrific storms tore through the area and led some residents to seek disaster relief, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. (One third of Alabama residents now get food assistance).
Some 45.8 million people collected food stamps in May, up from 44 million in April, according to the USDA. That's an all-time high, up 12 percent from a year ago and an astonishing 34 percent from two years ago. Comparing May 2010 to May 2011, more than 20 states have seen double-digit percent growth in individuals seeking food assistance benefits.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/surge-demand-food-stamps-united-states/story?id=14231657
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5. State Anti-Hunger Legislation Update
(From California Food Policy Advocates: California Association of Food Banks: Western Center on Law and Poverty)
AB 6: Eliminates fingerimaging and reduces reporting in assistance programsAB 839:
The Senate Committee on Appropriations will hear AB 6 on Monday August 15th. In order to make it to the Senate floor, passage through this committee is critical. Voice your support to keep these bills moving!!
CFPA (California Food Policy Advocates) are asking that you fax letters of support to them or hand deliver letters to the committee office (room 2206) in Sacramento by Friday 8/12. If you choose to fax the letter to CFPA, they will hand-deliver your letter to the committee staff on your behalf.
AB 6 Senate Appropriations Sample Support Letter
Please fax letters to CFPA at 510-433-1131
AB 69: Helps seniors enroll speedily in CalFresh (food stamps)
AB 69 is currently on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee. On August 22nd, the committee will announce whether AB 69 has passed out of the suspense file and can move to the Senate floor.
AB 69 Senate Appropriations Sample Support Letter
AB 828: Ends the ban on people with past felonies from getting CalFresh (food stamps)
AB 828 is currently on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Here are actions you can take:
- Write a letter of support for this bill to be moved off of Senate Appropriations Suspense File (sample letter at bottom of http://www.wclp.org/Resources/WCLPContent/tabid/1088/smid/3613/ArticleId/835/Default.aspx )
- Become an official “friend” to AB 828 on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Support-AB-828/227210493968835?sk=wall
- Sign and circulate the e-petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/support-ab-828
SB 43: Helps unemployed CalFresh participants maintain their benefits
Write a letter of support for this bill to be passed by Assembly Appropriations Committee
(sample letter at bottom of http://www.wclp.org/Resources/WCLPContent/tabid/1088/smid/3613/ArticleId/835/Default.aspx )
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6. Rally for Grocery Store Workers, August 10
Alliance for Healthy and Responsible Grocery Stores invites you to join us for upcoming delegation and rally in support of Grocery Store Workers
Grocery workers have historically been pillars of communities across Southern California. For decades, the supermarkets provided jobs with decent wages and health benefits, located directly within our neighborhoods, but that contract has expired.
Unite with community members, religious leaders, and grocery workers as we ask the supermarket chains to SHOW RESPECT FOR the QUALITY OF OUR COMMUNITIES AND RESPECT FOR OUR WORKERS!
Time: 5pm
When: August 10th, 2011
Where: Albertsons on Crenshaw and 39th
For more information, please call Victoria Browder 213.977.9400 ext. 124
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7. The Cost of Eating Healthy And What To Do About It
State Concerned About Restaurant Meals Program for Homeless, Elderly, Disabled: LA Times: “ When California launched the Restaurant Meals Program in 2004, advocates hailed it as a solution to feeding those who don't have the means or ability to prepare their own meals.
But nearly 94% of participating restaurants in the state are fast-food establishments, and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials are concerned that the program may be undermining the goal of promoting healthful eating.” The Restaurant Meals Program is the provision in the CalFresh (food stamp) program that allows homeless, elderly or disabled participants to use their benefits at certified restaurants, to compensate for their lack of cooking facilities:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-food-stamps-20110802,0,7994181.story
Eating Healthier Costs Hundreds More Per Year: “A healthy diet is expensive and could make it difficult for Americans to meet new U.S. nutritional guidelines, according to a study published Thursday that says the government should do more to help consumers eat healthier.
An update of what used to be known as a food pyramid in 2010 had called on Americans to eat more foods containing potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin D and calcium. But if they did that, the study authors said, they would add hundreds more dollars to their annual grocery bill.
Inexpensive ways to add these nutrients to a person's diet include potatoes and beans for potassium and dietary fiber. But the study found introducing more potassium in a diet is likely to add $380 per year to the average consumer's food costs, said lead researcher Pablo Monsivais, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and the School of Public Health at the University of Washington.”
http://www.sfgate.com/cgibin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/08/03/national/a214524D69.DTL&feed=rss.news
Atlantic examines ‘Folly of Bourgeois Sustainable Food’: Llewellyn Hinkes-Jones writes about the dilemma of trying to eat healthy, local, sustainably grown food versus the reality of one’s budget: “As a comparison, the low-rent grocery store a few blocks away from me offers chicken wings at two dollars a pound. Compare that to the eight dollars a pound of air-chilled, free-range, "Step 5" chickens found elsewhere. For 10 dollars I could buy a large bag of mystery wings and have my dinner for the rest of the week, but just the thought of it was all too depressing. What sort of chemical injection trauma must those chickens have suffered to make them four times cheaper?........The secret hope is that this current trend of foodie-ism, food snobbery, locavorism, gastronomy, or whatever it gets called becomes permanent and eventually leads to better, cheaper food for everyone”
http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/08/the-folly-of-bourgeois-sustainable-food/243019/
Michigan Doubles Up Purchases at Farmers Markets: The Fair Food Network’s Double Up Food Bucks program gives participants $2 for every $2 they spend at 42 farmers’ markets in Michigan. They’ve added $600,000 in purchasing power to Michigan residents over the last couple of years. LA’s Veggie Voucher program, operated by Hunger Action LA and SEE-LA, isn’t up to that scale yet, but it holds tremendous potential.
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8. The Injustice of Big Ag Subsidies: Farmer Fined $8700 For Growing Watermelons
From CalPIRG: When Jack Hedin, a Minnesota farmer, rented a few acres of land from neighboring corn farms to grow watermelons, tomatoes and other vegetables for a local health food store, he learned first-hand how unhelpful farm subsidies can be…..Jack ended up paying $8,771 in fines for one growing season [1] because, as he learned, it’s illegal to use land marked for corn to grow anything that isn’t subsidized. Corn or soy — often the main ingredients in processed junk food? Good to go. Fresh fruit and vegetables? Not so fast.
In anticipation of a larger Farm Bill next year, the House has introduced a bill that would reform the worst of these subsidies, cutting $28 billion over the next 10 years from the program that is responsible for making unhealthy processed food so cheap and ubiquitous. This bill is an important first step and an unprecedented opportunity.
Agribusinesses, to prevent farmers like Jack from competing, have carved out a convenient system for themselves. Of course they are doing everything they can to keep these handouts.
Consider this:
•The richest 4% of agribusinesses — which includes giants Cargill and Monsanto — receive almost three-quarters of the subsidies.
•More than 91% California farmers receive no subsidy payments at all. [2]
•In the last presidential election year alone, these big agribusinesses spent more than $200 million on lobbying and campaign contributions.
•Cargill, one such giant agribusiness, is receiving government assistance even though it’s is the largest privately owned corporation in America and recently reported quarterly profits of $1.49 billion.
CalPIRG is seeking contributions to help organize around the bill:
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9. Sleep Out To End Homelessness in Venice and Los Angeles
About 150 people came out to for an event in Venice this past Saturday (Aug 6) calling for stronger action to end homelessness in Los Angeles. Some slept out all night by the Beyond Baroque theater. Numerous Venice organizations took part, and there was a program with poetry and music, as well as food. Special attention was called to the plight of veterans. News crews were on hand:
Among the points made by various speakers were the damage caused by city policies impounding peoples’ vehicles being used as dwellings. One was an 84 year old woman from Germany who makes dolls: all her dollmaking equipment was confiscated by the city.
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10. Ground Turkey Recall Highlights Threats To Food Safety in America
From Democracy Now: “In one of the largest meat recalls in U.S. history, this week the food giant Cargill ordered the recall of 36 million pounds of ground turkey. The recall came after at least one person died from Salmonella, and another 76 people fell ill, from turkey products traced to Cargill’s processing plant in Springdale, Arkansas. According to the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Salmonella outbreak involves a strain of the bacteria known as Salmonella Heidelberg, which is resistant to many commonly prescribed antibiotics.
Although the recall was announced this week, the outbreak began in March. More than 3,000 people die a year from food poisoning in the United States, and millions more get sick. Food safety advocates say this latest outbreak shows how budget cuts have hampered the ability of federal and state health agencies to effectively protect public health. We speak with Patty Lovera, assistant director of the food safety group, Food & Water Watch. "As Congress comes back this fall...in budget-cutting mode [where] nothing is really sacred, we need to be telling them food safety inspections...are not acceptable places to find these savings," Lovera says.
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/8/5/cargill_food_recall_heightens_fears_budgets
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11. More Than 1,000 New Farmers Markets Begin in US in the Last Year
Chicago Tribune: “The U.S. got a bumper crop of farmers markets in the last year.According to just released U.S. Department of Agriculture numbers, more than 1,000 new farmers markets cropped up in 2011.
While states like Alaska and Texas experienced the biggest growth in markets, Illinois is one of the states with the most markets overall. Woohoo! More good news from the new USDA report involves the growth of markets that take SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) credit for fresh produce. The department says that 12 percent of farmers markets now accept the credit.”
This article is from a Chicago paper, but as you’ll see from the stats California leads with 729 markets.
Frank Tamborello
Hunger Action Los Angeles
961 S. Mariposa #205
Los Angeles CA 90006
213-388-8228 frank@hungeractionla.org
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!
Follow us on Twitter @HungerActionLA . Welcome to all the new people on the list: please respond tofrank@hungeractionla.org if you wish to use a different e mail or be removed.
July 6-August 2nd Free Lunch for Kids Free LA Summer Lunch Program -Youth ages 1-18 years old
Starting July 6th-August 2nd, 2011
Details:
http://www.lausd.net/cdg/Spotlight/Summer%20Food%20Program%20Flyer%202011_ENG
- Hunger Action LA News
- Tuesday July 19: Form a Circle of Protection Around Hunger Programs
- Save AB 828—the Bill To Feed All Our Families
- Roots of Change Presents Food Movement Rising Video
- Help “Kick Start” New Film About Genetically Modified Food
- Tomato Pickers Campaign for Fair Treatment from Trader Joe’s
- Recent News About Food, Poverty, And Other Really Fundamental Issues
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1. Hunger Action LA News:
A big heartfelt THANK YOU to all those who supported and/or turned out to the HALA Fundraiser last Friday at TiGeorge’s Haitian Restaurant! Much fun was had by all and a follow up event is tentative for October so clear your calendar and tell your friends!
July 22 HALA Meeting: The next HALA Meeting is Friday July 22 at LAANE, 464 S Lucas, 10 am to 12 noon. Continued updates on state budget and legislation, as well as preparations for actions around next year’s Farm Bill. Free and open to all: rsvp at 213 388 8228 . The HALA meeting is a good place to encounter folks working on all levels of food issues from hunger to child nutrition and sustainable agriculture. Just imagine yourself in the picture below, meeting friendly, well-informed and active people:
Veggie Voucher Expansion: HALA’s Veggie Voucher program expands at the end of July to Huntington Park Farmers Market and East LA Civic Center Farmers Market. Stay tuned for outreach materials and if you are in one of those areas please call us 213 388 8228.
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2. Tuesday July 19: Form a Circle of Protection Around Hunger Programs
(From Bread for the World)
You’re Invited to a Press Conference
Broad coalition of Los Angeles area faith leaders forms a “Circle of Protection” around programs that impact people who are hungry
What: Bread for the World is hosting a press conference to urge Senator Barbara Boxer, Senator Dianne Feinstein, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to form a Circle of Protection around programs that meet the essential needs of hungry and poor people in California and abroad.
When: Tuesday, July 19, at 10:30 a.m. at Immanuel Presbyterian Church at 3300 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA.
Who: The event will feature a diverse coalition of Christian leaders and local elected officials. Archbishop Jose Gomez and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa have been invited to speak (both are pending confirmation).
Why: In early June, Bread members from California met with Senate staff in Washington, DC, and California. We learned that our senators are prepared to cut all federal programs evenly--say, by 5%--in order to secure agreement to raise the debt ceiling. These cuts will hurt vulnerable people. Our senators need to be moved in the direction of protecting vulnerable people and programs and finding other ways to balance the budget and allow for the debt ceiling to be raised.
This is a critical moment. Will you join us Tuesday, July 19 and offer your presence at the press conference?
Clerical attire according to your denomination or tradition is strongly encouraged.
BREAD FOR THE WORLD CONTACTS:
David Gist (California organizer)
(626) 568-3233 x2# office, (626) 394-3940
Holly Hight (California organizer)
(626) 568-3233 x1# office, (626) 394-1624 cell,
Ricardo Moreno (National organizer for Latino relations)
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3. Save AB 828—the Bill To Feed All Our Families
AB 828 (the bill that removes the lifetime ban on Calfresh for persons with prior drug related offenses), has been put on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee. We have an important online petition to send to the Committee for them to see how many Californians want this bill to pass out to the Senate floor. Can you sign the petition and please send it out to as many people/listserves/clients/coworkers as possible?
It’s very simple: they just click on the link and sign their name and address.
http://www.change.org/petitions/support-ab-828
There’s also a facebook page for AB 828, if you want to show your support in other ways.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Support-AB-828/227210493968835
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4. Roots of Change Presents Food Movement Rising Video
Roots of Change has produced a new video titled Food Movement Rising . It illustrates the challenges and growing response to create a more resilient and diverse food & farm system.
Here is the link: http://rootsofchange.org/campaign/food-movement-rising
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5. Help “Kick Start” New Film About Genetically Modified Food
Jeremy Seifert (producer/director of the film “Dive” about food waste) is launching a new project, a film on genetically modified food (GMOs). Brief synopsis: “The project tells the story of a father’s discovery of GMOs through the symbolic act of poor Haitian farmers burning seeds in defiance of Monsanto’s gift of 475 tons of hybrid corn and vegetable seeds to Haiti shortly after the devastating earthquake. After a journey to Haiti to learn why hungry farmers would burn seeds, the real awakening of what has happened to our food in the US, what we are feeding our families, and what is at stake for the global food supply unfolds in a trip across the United States and other countries in search of answers.”
Learn more and help Jeremy get resources to complete the project:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gmofilmproject/gmo-film-project-untitled
Website to watch sizzle reel: gmofilm.com
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6. Tomato Pickers Campaign for Fair Treatment from Trader Joe’s
From Gustavo Arellano in the OC Weekly:
"Florida tomato pickers are among this country's most exploited workers. They earn sub-poverty wages, lack most standard rights and benefits, and have not received a significant raise in over 30 years," the CIW states in a form letter on their website that will go directly to Trader Joe's bigwigs. "I am extremely disappointed that your company has turned its back on human rights. As a conscientious consumer and supporter of the CIW's Campaign for Fair Food, I urge Trader Joe's to work together with the CIW to ensure human rights and fair wages for those who harvest the tomatoes sold in your stores."
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The workers have earned agreements from a wide range of food companies including fast food giants Taco Bell, Subway, and Burger King, in which those corporate behemoths pay an extra penny a pound that sounds small, but goes a long way to providing better working conditions for the low wage labor that forms the basis of America’s “cheap food” policy.
See photos from their recent Southern California Truth Tour and learn how you can join in:
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7. Recent News About Food, Poverty, And Other Really Fundamental Issues
Why Good Food Aint Cheap:
Readers here have heard all this before, but this article is an excellent summary of how U.S. subsidies create a flood of cheap “food” that fills the American belly and sends people ultimately to the hospital, forcing us to listen for months on end to arguments for and against universal health care as people keep on eatin’---and keep on dyin’:
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/07/15-5
Half of US Social Program Beneficiaries Don’t Believe They Have Ever Used a Social Program
This is why a certain political party, which shall remain nameless, is somehow able to garner support for slashing “government spending” (almost always taken to mean spending to help people survive as opposed to military spending, which kills people even more directly than the farm subsidies mentioned in the previous item.) When people think that they themselves are bootstrap-pulling Ayn Randian lone wolves , they are likely to fall prey to cognitive dissonance and rail against the very programs that are helping them and helping our society in general:
http://www.boingboing.net/2011/07/08/half-of-us-social-pr.html
Should Obese Children Be Taken From Their Parents?
LA Times: “Writing in the July 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Assn., (Dr. David Ludwig of Children’s Hospital, Boston) says that "parenting deficiencies" can contribute to a child's weight problem. He goes on to say that "in severe cases of childhood obesity, removal from the home may be justifiable from a legal standpoint because of imminent health risks and the parents' chronic failure to address medical problems." He says foster homes would be a last resort, but it's an option that should be kept on the table.”
http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-child-obesity-foster-care-20110714,0,7405561.story
A Canadian editorial points out:
“THE reaction to news this week that U.S. obesity experts had supposedly called for fat kids to be taken from their parents and put in foster care has been both furious and largely ill-informed….What Harvard lawyer Lindsey Murtagh and Boston physician David Ludwig actually argued in the Journal of the American Medical Association was that more U.S. states should expand the legal definition of medical neglect in child abuse cases to include morbid obesity.”
That’s already the law in places like New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Texas. It means that in extreme cases, where a child is so morbidly obese their health is directly at risk — from conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, breathing issues and liver problems — and all attempts to deal with the situation short of surgery have failed, the state can temporarily remove the child from that situation.”
(“Missing the Point on Childhood Obesity”, Chronicle Herald July 15 http://thechronicleherald.ca/Editorials/1253486.html )
Frank Tamborello
Hunger Action Los Angeles
961 S. Mariposa #205
Los Angeles CA 90006
July 6-August 2nd Free Lunch for Kids
Free LA Summer Lunch Program -Youth ages 1-18 years old
Starting July 6th-August 2nd, 2011
Details:
http://www.lausd.net/cdg/Spotlight/Summer%20Food%20Program%20Flyer%202011_ENG
- Hunger Action LA News
- LA Food Policy Council Updates
- Rebuilding the Good Food Supply by Supporting New Farmers
- Response to Wall Street Journal on Food Stamp Fraud
- July 12-13-14 Book Signings “Fair Food: Growing a Healthy, Sustainable Food System for All”
- City of Orlando Sued For Restricting Access To Food By Homeless : Judge Rules LA Can’t Take Homeless Peoples’ Property
- Panera Bread Owner Creates “Pay What You Can” Restaurant Chain
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1. Hunger Action LA News:
LA Times on Good Food Fair (“Soda Exchange : Hunger Action LA Finds Fresh Produce is a Hard Sell”),
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-soda-exchange-20110626,0,3936733.story.
While the soda exchange didn’t draw many takers, the third annual Food Fair was an overall success with a new leadership group of Koreatown parents taking charge and pushing attendance over the 150 mark. Demonstrations of soda alternatives like flavored water, healthy eating, information on where to get locally grown produce, and activities for kids like our homemade Smoothie Bike and a record three piñatas. Thanks to our participants including Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles, Healthy School Food Coalition, WIC, Root Down LA, MCH Access, Mama’s Hot Tamales, WaterCorps, El Guerrero the Musician, and generous contributions from the LA Collaborative, Best Start, Community Services Unlimited, Food Not Bombs, and Food and Water Watch.
Another reason to quit soda: the price is going up just like with other foods
And:
Diabetes Cases Double to 347 Million Worldwide: Nearly 10 percent of adults worldwide have diabetes, and new research suggests the rate of new cases is rising rapidly
And:
TV advertisements for sugary and fatty foods are playing a role in childhood obesity and ought to be taken off the air, a leading group of pediatricians says.
http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-fast-food-tv-ads-20110627,0,4493308.story
July 8 Fundraiser: Have a good time and raise funds for HALA’s Veggie Voucher program at TiGeorge Haitian restaurant, 307 Glendale Blvd. in Echo Park, LA 90026. Friday July 8 5 pm-10 pm. RSVP frank@hungeractionla.org . You can purchase $20 advance tickets via PayPal at www.hungeractionla.org or mail a check to Hunger Action LA, 961 S Mariposa # 205, LA CA 90006. Or pay $25 at the door. Music, conversation, HALA’s 90-foot cardboard silhouette art display reflecting the state of food insecurity in California, and an excellent Haitian dinner included!
July 22 HALA Meeting: The next HALA Meeting is Friday July 22 at LAANE, 464 S Lucas, 10 am to 12 noon. Continued updates on state budget and legislation, as well as preparations for actions around next year’s Farm Bill. RSVP frank@hungeractionla.org or 213 388 8228. All welcome, and it’s free
Veggie Voucher Expansion: HALA’s Veggie Voucher program expands at the end of July to Huntington Park Farmers Market and East LA Civic Center Farmers Market. Stay tuned for outreach materials and if you are in one of those areas please call us 213 388 8228.
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2. LA Food Policy Council Updates
Info about the LA Food Policy Council: http://goodfoodla.org/
Foodprint LA: The LA Food Policy Council has teamed up with the Foodprint Project and Kullect (a new app that makes it easy and fun to organize and participate in mobile data collections) to learn more about what Angelenos are buying, from where, and how food might vary depending on where you live. The sign up site is: http://www.kullect.com/foodprint . Detailed instructions for how to participate :
HOW IT WORKS
• Register at kullect.com/foodprint
Because Kullect is still in private beta, you need to enter your email to receive an invitation to the
service.
• Download Kullect
It’s free, and works on both iPhone and Android
• Provide basic demographic data
Anonymous and optional, but it will help us track how closely our sample matches LA’s population
• Contribute! Every two weeks, we will collect data about a different foodstuff — apples, soda, beef,
eggs, chips, etc.
- The LAFPC trial period runs from Thursday June 23 through June 30.
- Please make sure to register, contribute, send ideas for improvement and suggest groups who we should reach out to, to get involved by June 30.
- Spanish translation volunteer needed- please let alexa.delwiche@gmail.com know if you would be willing to translate.
• LAFPC Food System Organization Survey
Keep your eyes peeled for a short survey that LA Food Policy Council will be sending out to Los Angeles food system organizations in the next couple of weeks. The information gathered will be available through the LAFPC website so that individuals and organizations can make new and stronger connections across the food system.
• Good Food KCRW looking for LA food system changemakers to interview
Evan Kleiman wants to help bring visibility to the wide range of food-related issues impacting Angelenos and innovative food justice work underway in Los Angeles. If you have guest ideas for Evan, please send them to her at: evan.kleiman@gmail.com.
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3. Rebuilding the Good Food Supply by Supporting New Farmers
“For decades, our federal government has promoted a bigger-is-better approach to agriculture, often at the expense of farmers and farmworkers, rural communities, the environment, wildlife, farm animals, consumers, and the public health. Government policies have contributed to pushing many small and midsize producers out of farming. This has resulted in fewer, larger operations that rely more heavily on inputs like chemicals, energy, and water, and less on good stewardship.” Here’s more information on actions we can take to reverse the situation:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-rodale/rebuilding-the-good-food_b_881160.html
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4. Response to Wall Street Journal on Food Stamp Fraud
The Wall Street Journal declares that the food stamp program is now overcome with fraud. That’s the paper who didn’t suspect Bernie Madoff, a Wall Street investor, of $64.8 billion of fraud (which is almost the ENTIRE expenditure of the food stamp program in 2009, by the way). Here is the article
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304657804576401412033504294.html?mod=ITP_opinion_0
Here is a response to that article:
Attack on Food Stamps Misses Mark : “James Bovard’s op-ed in The Wall Street Journal today claims that the nation’s most important anti-hunger program, SNAP (formerly known as food stamps), is beset by out-of-control growth and widespread waste and fraud. Both charges are demonstrably false.
Food stamp enrollment has grown considerably in recent years, but as we’ve explained, that growth is temporary and reflects the battered economic circumstances of tens of millions of Americans due to the severe recession. SNAP did exactly what it’s supposed to do when the recession hit: respond quickly to help more low-income families during economic downturns as poverty rises, unemployment mounts, and more people need assistance. CBO projects that SNAP will shrink nearly to pre-recession levels as the economy recovers and the need abates.
Bovard’s claim regarding waste and fraud is equally misplaced. As the graph shows, SNAP error rates have fallen steadily in recent years and are now at all-time lows. Only 3 percent of all SNAP benefits represent overpayments, meaning they either went to ineligible households or went to eligible households but in excessive amounts.
Also, as Agriculture Department Undersecretary Kevin Concannon told the Senate Agriculture Committee today, USDA has cut “trafficking” — the sale of SNAP benefits for cash, which violates federal law — by three-quarters over the past 15 years. USDA has also permanently disqualified thousands of retail stores from the program for trafficking.
The Wall Street Journal by the way is also trying to sell the American public on removing oil from shale by “fracking”, a process proven to contaminate drinking water, and says that we shouldn’t use wind energy because of the danger to birds and bats.
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5. July 12-13-14 Book Signings “Fair Food: Growing a Healthy, Sustainable Food System for All”
Dr. Oran Hesterman is the president and CEO of Fair Food Network and a national leader in sustainable agriculture and food systems . He’s just come out with a new book, Fair Food: Growing a Healthy, Sustainable Food System for All. FAIR FOOD is an enlightening and inspiring guide to changing not only what we eat, but how food is grown, packaged, delivered, and sold.
Praise for the book from Robert Kennedy Jr.: “The only way we are going to provide a healthy environment for future generations is through redesigning the food system. Nobody has worked harder or thought more deeply about these issues than Dr. Hesterman. His book, Fair Food, is a must read.”
—Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. | Founder and Chairman, Waterkeeper Alliance
Tuesday July 12, 7 pm Book Signing: Vroman’s Bookstore 695 E. Colorado Blvd Pasadena, CA 91101 Tel: 626-449-5320
Wednesday July 13 , 7 pm to 9 pm: Book Signing Esowon Bookstore. 4331 Degnan Blvd. LA. 90008
Thursday July 14 6 pm to 8 pm : Book Signing Hamilton Galleries, 1431 Ocean Ave. Santa Monica
RSVP to Liz Alpern, fairfood.RSVP@gmail.com or (516) 474.3737.
Come celebrate our local fair food movement!
Find out more about the book: www.fairfoodbook.org
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6.City of Orlando Sued For Restricting Access To Food By Homeless
The City of Orlando — the home of Disney World in Florida — is being sued in court today over a city law that has effectively made it illegal for any group to feed more than 25 people at a time in downtown parks without a permit. It also limits groups to no more than two permits per park, per year. The group Food Not Bombs has refused to obey the new law—saying food is a right, not a privilege—and has continued to serve free meals to the poor and homeless. However, over the past month more than 20 members of the organization have been arrested.
Democracy Now! Interviews a Food Not Bombs member and their lawyer:
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/06/24/18682783.php
Judge Rules City Can’t Just Take Homeless Peoples’ Property
A federal judge Thursday issued an injunction against the city of Los Angeles to stop the seizure and destruction of the personal possessions of homeless residents of Skid Row.
The ruling follows a temporary restraining order issued by U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez in April.
Gutierrez rejected the city's claim that property along downtown's Skid Row was abandoned or created a public hazard.
The judge ruled that homeless people have an expectation of privacy in their property, even when they leave it unattended on public sidewalks for short periods of time.
http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/lapd-los-angeles-police-department-skid-row-124469244.html
http://laist.com/2011/06/24/city_cant_seize_destroy_property_le.php
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7. Panera Bread Owner Creates “Pay What You Can” Restaurant Chain
Panera Bread owner Ronald Schaich has created a new line of stores called Panera Cares. “Panera Cares shops look like any other Panera Bread, but the prices are just suggestions. If you can pay, you do. If you can’t, you don’t. If you can pay more, you’re welcome. ….More than one year into the program, Panera Cares has restaurants in St. Louis, Detroit and Portland, and the shops will serve between 500,000 to 1 million meals this year. Each restaurant must generate enough revenue to be self-sustaining, and so far, all of them are.”
http://featured.matternetwork.com/2011/6/panera-bread-ceo-says-pay.cfm
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Friday June 17 Food Justice News:
- Hunger Action LA News
- National Fair Farm Rules Call In Day: June 22! (Wednesday)
- Hunger and Nutrition in the News---Federal Level
- July 14 Book Signing “Fair Food: Growing a Healthy, Sustainable Food System for All”
- Summer Lunch: Participation Down Due To Education Cuts
- LA Unified Makes Moves To Healthier Food
- Tell Trader Joe’s To Stop Wasting Food
- State Budget and State Legislative Update
- The Diaper Dilemma
- Bee Colony Collapse Was Predicted 90 Years Ago
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1. Hunger Action LA News:
June 25 Good Food Fair
961 S Normandie LA CA 90006 (Parking lot of St Mary’s Church, behind the church which is 961 S Mariposa Ave)10 AM-2 PM
Resources for families: Activities for Kids: Rethink Your Drink—Demonstrations of healthy meal and beverage preparation:
Families Can Exchange Unopened Soda from their house for Bags of Healthy Food!
Information: 213 388 8228
July 8 Fundraiser: Have a good time and raise funds for HALA’s Veggie Voucher program at TiGeorge Haitian restaurant, 307 Glendale Blvd. in Echo Park, LA 90026. Friday July 8 5 pm-10 pm. RSVP frank@hungeractionla.org . You can purchase $20 advance tickets via PayPal at www.hungeractionla.org or mail a check to Hunger Action LA, 961 S Mariposa # 205, LA CA 90006. Or pay $25 at the door. Music, conversation, HALA’s 90-foot cardboard silhouette art display reflecting the state of food insecurity in California, and an excellent Haitian dinner included!
Veggie Voucher Expansion: HALA’s Veggie Voucher program expands at the end of July to Huntington Park Farmers Market and East LA Civic Center Farmers Market.
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2. National Fair Farm Rules Call In Day: June 22! (Wednesday)
Hunger Action LA is working with Food & Water Watch and other allies in a campaign to fight for food justice! Take action on just one part of this larger campaign by participating in the national fair farm rules call-in day on June 22nd.
Major US meatpacking companies routinely underpay family farms for their animals to show favoritism to factory farms. GIPSA (the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration - part of USDA) is responsible for protecting small-scale farmers and ranchers from unfair treatment by the big meatpackers. Unfortunately, meatpackers have put pressure on the USDA to not finalize these protections. The result is your food and shopping choices suffer as more and more family farmers are pushed out of business. We need President Obama to take the lead and tell USDA to do the right thing.
Stand up for family farmers and ranchers, the environment, and access to healthy food for consumers by participating in a GIPSA national call-in day to President Obama on June 22, 2011.
Here’s how you make a call:
1) Call the White House at (202) 456-1111 between 6am- 2pm PST on Wed., June 22nd. If you are having trouble getting through you can call the National Headquarters of the Democratic Party at (202) 863-8000, let them know you couldn’t get through at the White House, and then follow the script.
2) Simply use the script below:
“Hi, My Name is ______ and I live in (City, State). As a constituent, I urge President Obama to finalize and implement the fair livestock marketing rules that USDA proposed from the last Farm Bill.”
3) After you’ve made your call, encourage friends and family to make calls too!
4) Let us know you made your call, so we can keep track! Email us at charless@fwwatch.org
For more information, go to www.foodandwaterwatch.org/fairfarmbill
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3. Hunger and Nutrition in the News---Federal Level:
Ag Appropriations Bill Spares Farm Subsidies, Attacks Healthy School Meals and Local Farms: The House of Representatives passed its version of an ag appropriations bill that would slash the WIC program by 13%, would force the USDA to rewrite regulations that would provide healthier school meals, question the Obama administration’s initiative to limit fast food marketing to kids, and discourage any funding of local agricultural programs (small farms, urban farms, etc.) Things we thought were non-controversial and everyone was “for”.
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/06/16/3706004/house-blocks-cotton-payments-to.html
Bread for the World is organizing people now to Tell Congress Not To Cut Anti Hunger Programs in their “Memo from your Boss” campaign:
Comparing MyPlate to farm Subsidies: Blogger Robin Shreeves asks “If the USDA says that vegetables and fruits should make up half of our diets, why does less than 1 percent of its food subsidies go to farmers who grow produce?
http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/blogs/comparing-myplate-to-farm-subsidies?hpt=hp_bn11
Related : Ethanol Subsidies: Dumping Corn in the Ocean would be Better
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4. July 14 Book Signing “Fair Food: Growing a Healthy, Sustainable Food System for All”
Book Signing Thursday July 14 6 pm to 8 pm Hamilton Galleries, 1431 Ocean Ave. Santa Monica
Oran Hesterman’s new book Fair Food: Growing a Healthy, Sustainable Food System for All. RSVP to Liz Alpern, fairfood.RSVP@gmail.com or (516) 474.3737.
Come celebrate our local fair food movement!
Praise for the book from Robert Kennedy Jr.: “The only way we are going to provide a healthy environment for future generations is through redesigning the food system. Nobody has worked harder or thought more deeply about these issues than Dr. Hesterman. His book, Fair Food, is a must read.”
—Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. | Founder and Chairman, Waterkeeper Alliance
Find out more about the book: www.fairfoodbook.org
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5. Summer Lunch: Participation Down Due To Education Cuts
“Fewer than 1 in 5 of the children who relied on free or reduced-price lunches during the 2009-2010 school year in California received subsidized meals last July, according to a new report.The report by California Food Policy Advocates blamed cuts to the state's education budget, which caused many school districts to eliminate summer learning and enrichment programs. That reduced the places where needy students received breakfasts, lunches and snacks during the summer months.”
http://www.latimes.com/health/la-me-summer-meals-20110616,0,7728509.story
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/on-air/as-seen-on/Summer_Meal_Programs_Los_Angeles-124051264.html
July 6-August 2nd Free Lunch for Kids
Free LA Summer Lunch Program -Youth ages 1-18 years old
Starting July 6th-August 2nd, 2011
Details:
http://www.lausd.net/cdg/Spotlight/Summer%20Food%20Program%20Flyer%202011_ENG
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6. LA Unified Makes Moves To Healthier Food
LA Unified School District has voted to remove flavored milk from the school menus, and other healthier changes are in store. “A menu overhaul is underway that will mean fewer meals that resemble fast food and more vegetarian offerings. Spinach tortellini in butternut squash sauce and California sushi rolls, along with many ethnic foods, are to be added. Corn dogs, chicken nuggets and other breaded items are out, said Dennis Barrett, food services director.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lausd-milk-20110615,0,4882897.story
Fox News, in fairness, brings on a parent who insists that “kids love nuggets” and that it should be parents’ responsibility to teach kids nutrition---presumably meaning that the schools should serve junk?? Matt Sharp of California Food Policy Advocates responds on behalf of reason and healthier kids:
http://video.foxnews.com/v/996827392001/food-police-strike-again/?playlist_id=86912
LA Weekly: Why Do Kids Get Lousy Meals At School?
LA Weekly : In LA Unified School District, “Hunger and obesity coexist. Misperceptions abound — about what the district thinks kids won't eat, about what food advocates think the district thinks, about what parents believe kids are eating, about what kids actually will eat. School principals beg the district to stop sending them grapes because there aren't enough janitors to sweep the floor after lunch period is over. Well-meaning teachers violate district rules by selling food to hungry students for pennies on the dollar.” LA Weekly’s in depth article explores the issues of healthier food at LA schools and highlights the work of local activists including Jennie Cook, Emily Ventura, and Matt Sharp:
http://www.laweekly.com/2011-06-16/news/why-los-angeles-school-kids-get-lousy-meals
Schools Can Source Local Produce : School officials can now request locally-grown fresh produce through a federal program designed to provide children with healthy foods. Thanks to a policy change by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, school districts can specify that they would like fruits and vegetables from area farmers, instead of accepting produce that may have been grown thousands of miles away.
LA Unified has begun donating leftover meals from its cafeterias to nonprofit organizations: For more information about the program, organizations can call the district at 213-241-2993.
http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-lausd-school-meal-donation-program,0,5897624.story
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7. Tell Trader Joe’s To Stop Wasting Food
From Change.org: “Every night, Trader Joe's throws away healthy, edible food rather than donate it to homeless shelters and food pantries, contributing to a huge, nationwide problem with food waste -- a 96-billion-pounds-per-year problem.
That’s why Jeremy Seifert, maker of the award-winning documentary "Dive!" about food waste, started a Change.org petition to call on Trader Joe’s CEO Dan Bane, VP of Marketing Matt Sloan, and public relations director Allison Mochizuki to address their company food waste policy.
In scenes from “Dive!” Jeremy shows Trader Joe’s dumpsters full of food -- a dozen eggs thrown away because one was cracked, a crate of bananas tossed because of a few brown spots, intact packages of fresh spinach stacked in the trash -- and says, “it’s about more than not wasting food. It’s about making sure everyone has enough to eat.”
If LA Unified can do it, Trader Joe’s can too!
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8. State Budget and State Legislative Update
Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed his own party's budget on Thursday June 16, less than 24 hours after Democratic lawmakers sent him a majority-vote plan balanced with risky solutions.
The governor did praise Democrats for "valiant efforts" in making painful cuts. He blamed Republicans for blocking real solutions…..The Governor said that if we don’t get enough Republicans for the required 2/3 majority needed to raise taxes, more painful cuts would be in store. The day before the Gov’s veto, Hunger Action LA joined California Partnership in denouncing the cuts, especially to programs for low income families, disabled and seniors. Revenue Man came to the rescue in the vivid street theater preceding the rally:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/California-Partnership/228534693577
State Anti Hunger Legislation:
AB 6 (Fuentes) The CalFresh Act of 2011: This bill will increase access to and participation in CalFresh by eliminating the finger print imaging requirement, moving to semi-annual reporting and implementing a “Heat and Eat” initiative. Update: AB 6 passed the Assembly floor on June 1st with 49 votes in favor. It is now heading to the Senate Committee on Human Services and letters of support are due by June 21st (status page).
AB 69 (Beall) Increase Access to CalFresh for Seniors: This bill would allow the legislature to direct the Department of Social Services to establish a county opt-in in conjunction with the Social Security Administration to test streamlined strategies to enroll eligible Social Security recipients over the age of 65 into CalFresh.
Update: AB 6 passed the Assembly floor on June 1st with 54 votes in favor. It is now heading to the Senate Committee on Human Services and letters of support are due by June 21st (status page).
AB 828 (Swanson) End the Lifetime Ban on CalFresh for Former Non-Violent Drug Offenders: A combination of social and legal barriers prevents many former non-violent drug offenders from successfully re-entering their communities. Additionally, these former offenders are prohibited from ever receiving CalFresh benefits, which are critical for a successful transition to self-sufficiency. Without benefits that provide access to basic food, nutrition, and a safety net for families, poverty and further crime are far more likely.
Update: AB 828 passed off of the Assembly floor on May 23rd with 46 votes in favor. It is now heading to the Senate Committee on Human Services and letters of support are due by June 7th (status page).
AB 727 (Mitchell): Healthy Food Procurement :AB 727 would require that foods sold in vending machines, concessions, and cafeterias in state buildings meet minimum nutritional and sustainability standards. When fully implemented, this would result in lower health care costs for the state, while increasing investment in California’s agricultural economy and promoting local farming systems that minimize harm to the environment.
AB 727 has passed the Assembly and is now in the Senate. We need your help! Let the Senate know you support healthier food options and sustainable purchasing that invests in local economies and is better for the environment.Letters must be received by June 20th.
Download and send in a letter of support today!
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Cu6KC0QmYh0HnsUxuCvBsSnHOQ7aYooM
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9. The Diaper Dilemma
Lest we think food is the only issue faced by low income families. Nancy Woodland, Seattle:
“Families in this community ration diapers, rinse out and reuse soiled disposable diapers and stretch one diaper over days. They choose between paying rent, gassing the car or buying diapers. Working parents have to stay home and teen moms must miss school because their day care programs require a full day’s supply of disposable diapers dropped off with the baby in the morning. This is true even in subsidized day care programs. Infants are abused because they scream from the pain of diaper rash. Even if a family in poverty wants to use cloth diapers, detergents and the few Laundromats that will allow dirty diapers in the machines are very expensive.”
http://www.westseattleherald.com/2011/06/12/opinion/diaper-dilemma
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10. Bee Colony Collapse Was Predicted 90 Years Ago
You may have heard of the recent phenomenon of large numbers of bee colonies dying off. Bees are essential to agriculture and the scientific community has been alarmed by these occurrences. It turns out that someone foresaw this nearly a century ago.
"Coined by experts as colony collapse disorder, the actual dying off of bees was predicted by early 20th century philosopher, scientist and social innovator Rudolf Steiner. His contention was that the mechanization of beekeeping will ultimately destroy the bee population. That his prediction has come true some 90 years later is both startling and critical. As many of the subjects interviewed in the film can attest, bees are an integral part of the American diet and their survival is vital to our own."
http://residentmediapundit.com/?p=2152
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Thursday June 9 Food Justice News:
- State Anti Hunger Legislation Update: As of June 6
- State Budget Update
- Recent Articles: Hunger and the State of the Economy: Farmworkers: Food
and Fuel Prices: How Developing World is Dealing with Food Crises: And More - LDIRs in Health Training Program Announcement
- Budget Action Downtown, June 15th @ Noon
- Hunger Action L.A. Meeting, June 17th
- Board of Supervisors Hearing on General Relief Proposal, June 20th
- Good Food Fair, June 25th
- Kobe Bryant to help fight homelessness
- South Central Farm Anniversary Celebration, Saturday June 11
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1. State Anti Hunger Legislation Update: As of June 6
(Thanks to California Food Policy Advocates and Western Center on Law and
Poverty for info)
Several state anti-hunger bills have passed their original house (the place
they came from, Assembly or Senate) and are now heading on to the other
house for votes soon. From our colleagues at California Food Policy
Advocates and Western Center on Law and Poverty:
AB 6 (Fuentes): The CalFresh Act of 2011seeks to move California to a
semi-annual reporting period, eliminate the finger imaging requirement, and
implement a "Heat and Eat" program, passed the Assembly Floor on Wednesday,
June 1st! AB 6 must now make it through the Senate Committee on Human
Services, the Senate Committee on Appropriations, and off the Senate Floor
before heading to the Governor's desk for signature.
AB 828-This bill removes the ban on people with drug felonies from getting
food assistance after they have done time. It passed the Assembly last week
by a vote of 46-30. Now it goes to the Senate Human Services committee---see
below for sample letter info
AB 69-This bill will remove obstacles for seniors to get CalFresh
assistance. It passed the Assembly last week. Now going to Senate committees
SB 43-This bill will allow people to do voluntary workfare in order to get
CalFresh benefits, and prevent people from having benefits taken away simply
because they can't find a job. It passed the Senate Appropriations Committee
unanimously---an 8-0 vote with senators from both parties supporting. Now
going to Assembly committees
AB 402---Will coordinate outreach with School Meals and CalFresh programs
The Assembly Bills will need support letters written to the Senate Human
Services Committee. AB 6 will also need to go to the Senate Appropriations
Committee. Sample support letters for all these bills can be found at
https://sites.google.com/site/haladocs/legislative-support-letters
Spread the word among community members and local advocates that these bills
are moving and need community support!
Get in touch with your Senator; call or write to let them know that you're
counting on them to support AB 6, AB 69, and AB 828 as they make their way
through the committees.
http://www.legislature.ca.gov/legislators_and_districts/legislators/your_leg
islator.html
More information on the bills, sample support letters:
http://www.cfpa.net/Alerts/6.6.11.html
Questions on the bills? Contact Alexis at 510.433.1122 x111 or
alexis@cfpa.net .
________________________________________
Legislators Taking CalFresh Challenge!
>From Jessica at Western Center:
"Two Assemblymembers are doing CalFresh Challenge this week.
Assemblymembers Yamada and Beall.
Here is Assemblymember Yamada's blog: http://yolofoodbank.blogspot.com/
Please post and repost and tweet as much as possible. Thank you to Yolo
County Food Bank for helping her to tell this story!"
The CalFresh challenge means these lawmakers are attempting to spend the
whole week eating only on the budget allowed by CalFresh (food stamps).
"According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture which administers the
program, the average weekly food stamp benefit is $22 - that's $4.43 per
day, or just $1.48 per meal."
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2. State Budget Update
>From California Partnership: "The countdown to June 15th continues this week
amid reports that legislators are working to compile a budget BEFORE the
constitutional deadline. For us, this means we need to keep the pressure on
our legislators and keep encouraging them to pass a responsible budget that
maintains existing revenue streams, while at the same time voicing our
concerns over a spending cap proposal that would lock-in low funding for
health care and social services programs indefinitely!
Take Action: Write a Letter to the Editor
Click here for more information & sample Letters to the Editor!
http://www.hhsnetworkca.org/blog/2011/06/06/write-a-letter-to-the-editor/
HHS Network partners and allies in San Jose and Modesto held two events
Monday targeting key legislators, Senator Sam Blakeslee (R-San Jose) and
Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Modesto) to urge them to VOTE YES on a budget
that extends existing revenues in order to prevent more devastating and
life-threatening cuts to our health and human services.
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3. Recent Articles:
Hunger And The State of The Economy
McDonalds Swamped With Job Applications from Desperate JobSeekers: McDonalds
fielded applications from over one million people for 62,000 jobs last month
in a hiring spree. USC's "Neon Tommy" said that : "The operator of half a
dozen South L.A. McDonalds' locations had received about 100 applications by
11 a.m. for about 20 openings, according to an employee at the McDonalds on
Western Avenue and 18th Street.". Similar scenes took place around the
country.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-28/mcdonald-s-hires-62-000-during-nati
onal-event-24-more-than-planned.html
http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/04/mcdonalds_hiring_lines_la.php
One Year of Food= One Week of Tax Cuts: What's Wrong With This Picture?
The GOP House plan to slash over $900 million from three federal nutrition
programs could deprive up to 500,000 women, infants and children - and they
threw in some seniors for good measure - of the food they need. Most of that
- $833 million - is equivalent to one week's worth of Bush tax cuts for the
rich.
http://www.commondreams.org/further/2011/06/03-0
The Philosophy of Mean : GOP says US can't afford school meals with more
fruits & veg, whole grains & lowfat dairy
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/05/982161/-The-Philosophy-of-Mean
Farmworkers
Pesticides: The children of Central California farmworkers have launched a
ground-level battle against agribusiness
http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/201107/pesticides-farmworkers.aspx?sms_ss=f
acebook
<http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/201107/pesticides-farmworkers.aspx?sms_ss=
facebook&at_xt=4de08b59f19662c3,0&utm_source=streamsend&utm_medium=email&utm
_content=14055463&utm_campaign=Food%20News%20Monday%2C%20June%206>
&at_xt=4de08b59f19662c3,0&utm_source=streamsend&utm_medium=email&utm_content
=14055463&utm_campaign=Food%20News%20Monday%2C%20June%206
Big Ag terrified of new immigrant restrictions: A plan to require all
American businesses to run their employees through E-Verify, a program that
confirms each is legally entitled to work in the U.S., could wreak havoc on
an industry where 80 percent of the field workers are illegal immigrants. So
could the increased paperwork audits already under way by the Obama
administration.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jNl0kHuhkjWhACCOqnFxKj00Lh
sA?docId=9347e7957bb247d3959865d9e12b21f6
Food, Fuel, and Farm Prices:
UN says speculators must be reined in: Government intervention may be needed
to burst the huge bubble that has developed in the price of commodities such
as food staples and oil, a UN report says .
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/jun/05/commodities-food-security
Oxfam targets world food price hikes: On June 1, Oxfam kicked off a new
global campaign GROW in 37 countries to address the forecast that food
prices will spike again as they did in 2007-08, when the total number of
hungry people reached over 1 billion-one-sixth of the world's population.
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/world/oxfam-calls-for-overhaul-of-global-foo
d-system-57261.html
Fuel prices help corn farmers, hurt produce growers: High gas prices are a
windfall for commodity farmers who grow the corn needed to make ethanol,
while smaller food producers are struggling to keep up with fuel costs.
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/048e88db3f484a4b8ec05e13e4a23ea3/KS--F
armers-Gas-Prices/
How Some Developing Nations Are Dealing With Food Crises:
Kenya : Prison farm invents the "Pomato": A prison farm has made a
breakthrough in growing tomatoes and potatoes on the same stem through
grafting, potentially helping save on input costs and maximising use of
small land parcels in densely populated areas. The Kiambu Prison started the
trial two years ago, guided by literature from China that showed the tuber
and the fruit could actually be grown on the same plant.
http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/-/539550/1175460/-/rp41cf/
-/
Zambia: Tackling Food Security Through Preservation of Vegetables:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201106040039.html
SIGOURNEY WEAVER: A Secret Weapon for Fighting Climate Change---Empowering
women
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sigourney-weaver/women-climate-change_b_870401
.html ...
Now That The Pyramid Has Been Replace By The Plate:
Here's the unofficial PIE chart for the American diet
http://yfrog.com/h7jxxjqj
Ted Danson: Be Wary of Fish Fraud: "According to a new report by Oceana,
U.S. consumers are frequently served a completely different fish species
than the one they paid for. "Bait and Switch: How Seafood Fraud Hurts Our
Oceans, Our Wallets and Our Health" reveals that seafood may be mislabeled
as often as 25 to 70 percent of the time for fish such as red snapper, wild
salmon and Atlantic cod."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ted-danson/this-summer-be-wary-of-fi_b_870298.
html
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4. LDIRs in Health Training Program Announcement
In its twentieth year, LDIR is proud to announce the 3rd launch of the LDIRs
in Health training program in Los Angeles this fall. LDIRs in Health grew
out of LDIR's commitment to help community leaders support holistic
community health by promoting food justice, peace, safety, and inclusive,
culturally competent health practices. Through the 6-month LDIRs in Health
training program, LDIR supports health advocates in deepening their analysis
around the root causes of health disparities within their communities.
Participants also develop skills to work collaboratively to create
sustainable, community health projects.
For more information please review the LDIRs in Health Application, Program
Description and Curriculum Schedule. If you think it would be helpful, LDIR
staff is available to conduct presentations about the LDIRs in Health for
community groups. Please contact LDIR to schedule a presentation.
Applications are due June 13, 2011. (For an extension contact LDIR)
3 easy ways to Apply:
Online: http://tinyurl.com/lihapplication2011
By fax: (213) 977-7595
By mail: 1145 Wilshire Blvd., 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Questions? Contact LDIR by email: apply@ldir.org or by phone: (213)
241-0263.
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5. June 15 Budget Action Downtown, Noon
From California Partnership:
June 15 is the constitutional deadline to pass a budget but the GOP is holding the budget hostage and we need to come out and demand for a budget with revenue. Please join us on June 15 at noon in downtown LA.
Governor’s Downtown LA Office
300 S Spring St
LA CA
For more info: Astrid Campos 213 407 5840 acampos@communitychange.org
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6. Hunger Action LA Meeting: June 17
Friday June 17 10 am to Noon
At LAANE, 464 S Lucas Ave LA CA 90017
Followed by review of legislative training
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7. Board of Supervisors Hearing on General Relief Proposal: June 20
Monday June 20
Board of Supervisors, 500 W Temple
LA CA
On Monday June 20th, the Board of Supervisors will consider major reforms to the General Relief program which serves over 100,000 Los Angeles residents who have no access to unemployment or other benefits.
The Board will discuss and possibly vote on a proposal that would eliminate the current $221/month grant for GR recipients.
In its place would be a $266 rental subsidy paid directly to landlords and only $20 in cash.
You may wonder what rentals are available for $266. The County even under the current GR program has been locating single rooms, spaces in group homes, and similar accommodations.
Under the new proposal the recipients would not see the $266, it would go straight to landlords. Two questions arise:
--How can the County find enough units at these prices to fill the housing needs of all GR recipients, the majority of whom do not have housing?
--What is the quality of the housing, is the county just going to create a new class of slumlords?
The reduction to $20 in cash leads us to ask:
How are GR recipients to pay for clothing, toiletries, doing laundry , and transportation not to mention co-pays for medical expenses?
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8. June 25: Good Food Fair
961 S Normandie LA CA 90006 (Parking lot of St Mary’s Church, behind the church which is 961 S Mariposa Ave)
10 AM-2 PM
Activities for Kids: Rethink Your Drink: Public Benefits
Families Can Exchange Unopened Soda for Bags of Healthy Food!
Information: 213 388 8228
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9. Kobe Bryant to help fight homelessness
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10. Saturday June 11 South Central Farm Anniversary Celebration
5th ANNIVERSARY SOUTH CENTRAL FARM CELEBRATION
"VISIONING ART and VIGIL" SAT.6/11- @ Alameda & MLK JR BLVD, 90058
Community, Friends, Encampers, and other supporters will gather to continue the 5 year struggle to restore the South Central Farm through Art, Love, and Inspiration.
SCF is a 501c3 non-profit that enables organic farm cooperatives, educates and donates to the underprivileged in inner city communities. www.SouthCentralFarmers.com
WHEN: SUNDAY, 6/11 - 10:00 am - 9:00 pm
WHERE: Martin Luther King Jr Blvd between Long Beach Ave and Alameda Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90058
Tuesday May 31: If you did the sane thing and took some time off, it will be Tuesday morning when you read this. Some of the alerts have a deadline of today or the next day (June 1 or June 2) to get in letters of support/opposition---please help!
- Alert: WIC Urgent: Take Action Now!---May 31 Deadline
- Oppose Cuts to “Child Only” CalWORKs Grants---Deadline Noon May 31 (Tues)
- Support Enterprise Zone Reform To Save State Money—June 2 Deadline
- June 2: Right to Share Food Event Downtown
- State Anti Hunger Legislation Update: As of May 27
- LAUSD To Donate Excess Food From Schools
- Grocery Workers on Hunger Strike
- Food Pyramid Gives Way To Food Plate, USA
- California Endowment Reports Results of Anti-Obesity Programs
- Call for Global Leaders to Invest in Small Farmers
- Food Prices Up: Many Culprits
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- Alert: WIC Urgent: Take Action Now!---Deadline Noon Today
Members of the full House Appropriations Committee will vote on Tuesday 31 May at 4:00 PM on the Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture Appropriations Bill . The bill cuts WIC funding for fiscal year 2012 some $833 million.The result of this cut will likely be that depending on food cost inflation between 300,000 and 500,000 mothers and young children will be turned away or cut from receiving WIC services. Contact your Member of the US House of Representatives and urge them to oppose the cuts in the bill. To send an e-mail letter to your Member visit:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1756/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=6930
Remember to send your letter by Noon on Tuesday 31 May.
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2. Oppose Cuts to “Child Only” CalWORKs Grants---Deadline Noon Today
CalWORKs is the state’s welfare to work program for families. It is a life raft in the current economy with 15% by some estimates statewide unemployment, providing cash to families who in turn must participate in work activities even if unable to find full time jobs. Adults are limited to 60 months of benefits in a lifetime. When the adult is removed from assistance, children can still receive financial aid. These are called “child only” cases.
Amidst the wrangling over the state budget deficit, the state Legislature approved cuts to grants for “child only” CalWORKs cases that have been on assistance longer than 60 months. These cuts begin at 5% and escalate to 15% if any child has been on aid more than 85 months. When combined with the 8% across the board cut these families will get a 13% to 23% grant cut beginning August 1. Children that get the full 23% cut will receive $439 a month, just 28.6% of the federal poverty level.
A letter is being circulated to all the Senate and Assembly offices, calling to restore cuts to child only CalWORKs grants that will go into effect August 1st.
To receive a copy and sign on to this letter, reply to this email:
Stella Kim skim@communitychange.org
Or you can send an email directly to Jessica Bartholow at the Western Center for Law and Poverty jbartholow@wclp.org
************************************************************
3. Support Enterprise Zone Reform To Save State Money---Deadline June 2
The Governor has proposed reforming the state's Enterprise Zone program -- for savings of $93 million over the next two years! With so much at stake, it's absolutely imperative that we come out in support of these reforms so that we as a state can prevent further cuts and invest in more important priorities, like essential health care and human services programs!
Show your support today and sign the letter below in support of the Governor’s proposal to reform the EZ program and submit it to YOUR Assemblymember and State Senator!
• Click here to download the letter.
• Print the letter on your organization’s letterhead.
• Sign-on your organization.
• Send to your Assemblymember and State Senator (click here to find your legislators).
Click here to find your legislators: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html
Things are moving FAST in the Capitol, so we need to get these letters to legislators ASAP! Please sign and send your letter of support by THURSDAY June 2nd!
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4. June 2: Right to Share Food Event Downtown
The Right To Share Food Coalition will be having its third Right to Share Food Event, Thursday June 2nd, 2011, assembling at 1 PM . This is the one year anniversary of the take down by government of the Towne Ave. Soup Line. We will be celebrating our right to share food. We will also celebrate our right to associate and assemble.
This event will take place on the corner of 6th street and Towne ave. (south side) Skid Row, Los Angeles.
Right To Share Food believes that sharing food with our brothers and sisters is afundamental human right. For More Information: Michael “Waterman” Hubman 714-746-1203
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5. State Anti Hunger Legislation Update: As of May 27
Here is the status of several state anti-hunger bills, all associated with the CalFresh program, all introduced with the general intent of removing barriers in the program that either prevent people from getting benefits or continuing to get benefits. Enrolling more people in the program will fight hunger in California and also bring more federal dollars into the state economy.
AB 6—This is the bill that will eliminate fingerimaging and reduce reporting for CalFresh participants, to make getting benefits as easy in California as it is in most other states. The bill passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee, an important step, and also got a notable endorsement from LA City Council, on the same day last week.
AB 828—This bill removes the ban on people with drug felonies from getting food assistance after they have done time. It passed the Assembly last week by a vote of 46-30. Now it goes to the Senate.
AB 69—This bill will remove obstacles for seniors to get CalFresh assistance. It passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee last week.
SB 43—This bill will allow people to do voluntary workfare in order to get CalFresh benefits, and prevent people from having benefits taken away simply because they can’t find a job. It passed the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously---an 8-0 vote with senators from both parties supporting.
********************************************************************
6. LAUSD To Donate Excess Food From Schools
The LA Unified School District announced its guidelines for donating excess food from its schools to nonprofit organizations last week. This move is a tremendous step in countering the issue of food waste in our state---estimates range up to 6 million tons of food per year ends up in landfills in California.
Dennis Barrett, head of the district's food services, and David Binkle, deputy director of food services, led a meeting in which they answered questions about how groups would access the food. Nonprofits with sufficient insurance coverage are invited to sign agreements with LAUSD to connect with local schools to pick up uneaten meals.
“About 650,000 meals are served every day at about 1,000 locations throughout the district. Officials predict as many as 21,000 meals are uneaten each day.”
"It’s a shame that the food that isn’t served to our students on any given day is discarded when it could be donated to some deserving family or children who are hungry because of circumstances beyond their control," board Vice President Dr. Richard Vladovic said in a statement.
The district expects about 200 agencies will take part in the donations, which will begin as soon as possible. For more information about the program, organizations can call the district at 213-241-2993.
http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-lausd-school-meal-donation-program,0,5897624.story
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lausd-donations-20110529,0,1069339.story
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_18147357
More on Food Waste:
California Watch very comprehensive article on the issue from last year:
Sharing excess food: The Hillside Produce Cooperative has 450 members in the Northeast Los Angeles communities of Eagle Rock, Glassell Park, Mt. Washington, Silver Lake, and Los Feliz, sharing their home grown produce with each other:
Worldwide billions of tons wasted: “A recent study by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated global food loss and wastage at 1.3 billion tonnes a year, which it calls a "major squandering of resources".
The amount of food wasted is shared almost equally between industrialized and developing countries. But while developing country losses are largely the result of pests, diseases, poor storage and inadequate transport for agricultural produce, in richer countries, perfectly edible food is rejected by retailers or thrown away as household waste.”
http://allafrica.com/stories/201105230323.html
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7. Grocery Workers on Hunger Strike
One of the aspects of food justice is fair pay for those who work with food—whether it is farmworkers harvesting the food, grocery workers stocking it, or those who work in support of those businesses.
Much of the cleaning and other hard work in grocery and retail stores now gets farmed out to third-party contractors. Sometimes there are even sub-contractors beneath the contractors. If these companies can't get the job done at a certain price point, the retailer will simply find another company that will. This makes wages go down for workers all across the board.
Third party contract workers are currently engaged in a hunger strike at an encampment in Minneapolis to bring attention to their plight. “The goal of organizers and local clergy is to bring Cub Foods (a local grocery chain) management to the bargaining table to negotiate pay.”
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8. Food Pyramid Gives Way To Food Plate, USA
Medical News Today: “For the last two decades the federal government has used the Food Pyramid as the basis for good nutritional advice, which never told people how much of which types of foods they should eat. Many also criticized it for not taking into account the impact on insulin of some high carbohydrate foods.”
“The food pyramid is giving way to a simple, plate-shaped icon, which is sliced into portions for basic food groups - fruits and vegetables take up half the space. The fruit, vegetables, grains and protein sections are colored individually. There is a small circle next to the place for milk, yogurt or other similar products.”
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/226821.php
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9. California Endowment Reports Results of Anti-Obesity Programs
The California Endowment reports their $35 million investment in health programs in a handful of low-income communities has resulted in better eating habits, better fresh food options and healthier lifestyles in impoverished communities.
The Endowment released a 143-page study on its Healthy Eating Active Communities program, in which six low-income communities participated in grants programs and policy initiatives. Residents in Oakland, Shasta County, South Los Angeles, Baldwin Park, Santa Ana and Chula Vista were targeted because they typically had higher rates of obesity and poverty-related health problems.
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10. Call for Global Leaders to Invest in Small Farmers
Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has told a group of political, business and development leaders that supporting farming families in developing countries is critical to overcoming poverty and hunger.
http://allafrica.com/view/group/main/main/id/00013350.html
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11. Food Prices Up: Many Culprits
Food prices are going up and blame is being placed on a wide variety of factors.
In a recent Forum column in The Dispatch, John C. "Jack" Fisher, executive vice president of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, wrote, "The culprits range from Mother Nature to Ben Bernanke. Crop-cutting floods, droughts and freezes share the blame with inflation-raising monetary policy. Other favored perpetrators include population growth, the farm bill, our preference for meat, market speculators, ethanol, trade policy, global warming and a mountain of other economic, social and political causes."
Fisher's nominee for biggest culprit: soaring energy costs.
Sacramento Bee editorializes on the ethanol subsidies causing the price of corn (and therefore meat) to rise:
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/30/3664320/heres-a-way-to-cut-meat-prices.html
Consumer spending increased in April, but the gains were largely negated by rising prices for energy and food, while after-tax incomes remained flat. Spending, which represents 70 percent of the economy, rose 0.4 percent last month, the 10th straight month of increases, a reflection of higher prices at the gas pump and in stores for food, the Commerce Department reported Friday. Economists have expressed concerns that higher gas and food prices are sapping consumers' ability to spend more freely on other items, which would lead to a faster pace of economic growth.
Drought in Europe contributing to food price rises:
May 20, 2011: CalFresh Awareness Month: May is the month LA County has designated to make people aware they may qualify for food assistance benefits, and they’ve collaborated with community groups to create several events where people can easily enroll in the program. You can see other press materials for CalFresh Awareness Month and a calendar of events for the entire month of May featuring CalFresh outreach, including festivals, several farmers’ markets events and the appearance of the LA County’s custom built mobile food stamp office. Go to this link:http://dpss.lacounty.gov/dpss/calfresh
- Upcoming Events: Follow Up Meeting on Hunger Action Day May 31
- Governor’s May Revise 2011
- USA Today Reports One in Nine Seniors Hungry
- Newt Gingrich’s Comments on President Obama as “The Food Stamp President”
- Food Price Rises Again Impacting The World
- Farm Bill Outlook Tough Due to Deficit Reduction Mania
- LA Times Supports South Central Farmers’ Proposal To Begin Again in South LA
- May Revise Part Two: What an All Cuts Budget Would Look Like
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- Upcoming Events:
Save the Date Tuesday May 31 for Hunger Action LA Meeting for Next Steps after Hunger Action Day Location is not yet confirmed but the meeting will be at 1 pm with refreshments provided. Another e mail will be sent out once location is confirmed but the likely suspects are LAANE at 464 S Lucas or here at St Mary’s 961 S Mariposa. You’re invited even if you didn’t come to Hunger Action Day. Please RSVP 213 388 8228. Follow up on state budget: on legislation: on next advocacy steps.
Hunger Action Day: The rain forced us to move most of the scheduled events from the Capitol lawn to St. John’s Church this past Tuesday (May 17), but it was still a very powerful event. Groups learned about what’s going on with the state budget and advocated for several bills that will bring in more funding to the state by enrolling more people in the CalFresh program.
We convened 87 people from Los Angeles, the most ever and twice the usual number, and the first ever contingent from San Bernardino,(from Time for Change, a group working with low income mothers). In addition 22 came from San Diego, and another 150 from all over the state including the Bay Area, Santa Cruz, Sacramento, and Fresno.
It coincided of course with the Governor’s May budget proposal revision, which is described immediately below in detail thanks to our friends at California Partnership.
Thanks to the following groups and people for making the Southern California contingent of Hunger Action Day a huge success: Food Not Bombs (100 burritoes for lunch, not bad for a night’s work---thanks especially to Hunger Fighter Award winner Tanya Selig); Bilal Ali: WORKS (Women Organizing Resources, Knowledge, and Services): Homeless Health Care Los Angeles: Long Beach Community Action Network: LA Community Action Network: Glen Dake: Brenda Wilson: Shields for Families: Time for Change: A New Way of Life: Southeast Asian Community Alliance: Cal State University Dietetics Dept.: SEE-LA: Eugel Nicoleau: Albert Lawrence: Mike Brice: A.J. Santos-Chiong: Travis Jupp: Jessie Jones: Matt Sharp: and numerous other staff, volunteers and contributors. Thank you very very much!
Photos: HungerActionDay
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2. Governor’s May Revise 2011
From California Partnership:
In March, the Governor signed a budget that made $12 billion dollars in cuts with $6 billion directly cut from vital health and human service programs like CalWORKs, Medi-Cal, and Healthy Families. With nearly $15 billion dollars left to solve, the Governor tried to negotiate with Republicans to include much-needed revenue. Instead they asked for a pet-project list of 53 demands. At that point negotiations stalled as two Republicans from both the Assembly and the Senate were needed to put the Governor’s revenue package on a June ballot.
On May 16, 2011, Governor Brown released his May Revise Proposal for the state budget. With higher than expected revenues in the state, the Governor has maintained his call for additional revenues to pay off some of the state’s structural debt and bridge the state’s remaining $9.6 billion dollar deficit. In this proposal he does not propose additional service cuts, but does eliminate 43 boards and commissions, realigns management of some programs and modifies some of his original revenue proposals. He noted that General Fund spending would be lower as a share of the state’s economy than at any point since 1972-73.He also outlined the incredibly devastating effects of an “all cuts” budget with no revenues.
Communities across the state are continuing their demand for a state budget that reflects its investment in the most vulnerable communities and the successful programs that advance California’s future.
Projected Budget deficit for 2011-12: $25.4 billion
Deficit at the time of the May Revise: $9.6 billion
Major Proposals
Reducing State Government
- Eliminates 43 boards, commissions, task forces, offices and departments
- Eliminates Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board (MRMIB)
- Moves all 900,000 children from Healthy Families to Medi-Cal
- Department of Health Care Services would administer current MRMIB programs like, Access for Infants and Mothers, Pre-Existing Conditions Insurance Program and County Children’s Health Initiative Program.
Revenue Package
- Maintains elimination of Single Sales Factor Corporate Tax Loophole which allows corporations to choose the tax they want to pay
- Reforms the Enterprise Tax Zone for select businesses instead of eliminating it, so that only businesses that actually create jobs get the credit, and bans retroactive claims.
- Maintains elimination of Redevelopment Agencies.
- Tax Extension Piece
- Maintains the Governor’s proposal to extend the Vehicle License Fee for 5 years
- Maintains the Governor’s proposal to extend the Sales tax for 5 years
- Modifies the Income tax proposal to start in 2012 and only be extended for 4 years.
(At the bottom of the newsletter today is a review of what the budget would be like if there were no additional revenues and we were forced to rely on “cuts only”)
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3. USA Today Reports One in Nine Seniors Hungry
USA Today quotes a study by the Meals on Wheels program on the rise in hunger among seniors in the United States, showing nearly 11% of American seniors are so poor they often cannot afford enough food.
From USA Today: “James P. Ziliak, director of the Center for Poverty Research at the University of Kentucky….. says the rate of senior hunger has been climbing nationally over the past decade, with as many as 5 million seniors facing hunger. Although programs that address senior hunger also are on the rise, Ziliak says the growth hasn't been enough to compete with the growing need.
An AARP Public Policy Institute analysis of data released last fall showed that between 2006 and 2008, the percentage of poor and near-poor seniors who were hungry more than doubled, from 4.7% to 10.1%.”
http://yourlife.usatoday.com/mind-soul/story/2011/05/More-seniors-going-hungry/47235788/1
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4. Newt Gingrich’s Comments on President Obama as “The Food Stamp President”
Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has recently derided President Obama as a “food stamp president” saying that in contrast Republicans were the “party of paychecks”.
According to Gingrich, who made comments in various public settings, President Barack Obama deserves to be called "the most successful food stamp president in American history" because "47 million Americans are on food stamps." What is the real significance of Newt’s comments?
This article for one points out that the huge rise in Americans needing food assistance is due to the prolonged recession and began before Obama took office:
But there’s more at play here. Several commentators have suggested that Newt’s comments are coded racism---“food stamp president” implying “African American” and thus playing into racist stereotypes of African Americans to lure white voters:
Chris Mathews:
http://dailycaller.com/2011/05/16/mentioning-food-stamps-the-new-racism-says-chris-matthews/
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5. Food Price Rises Again Impacting The World
The sharp increases in fuel prices are one of the contributing factors to rising food prices around the world. The prices are hurting American consumers but in other countries they are having very serious effects; in fact the wave of revolution sweeping the Arab world was sparked by high food prices in Tunisia. There are several factors beside fuel costs, including abnormal weather in large food growing areas such as Australia and Russia, and speculators, who are playing with food prices as they recently played with housing prices in the United States.
Food prices are rising, but the impact is not being felt equally around the world, says environmentalist Lester Brown, the founder and president of the Earth Policy Institute.
Brown says the world's rapidly expanding population has created elevated demand for grain, milk, cheese and eggs, but changes in climate and irrigation have made it increasingly difficult to increase production accordingly. Increased demand has also stripped the world of much of its excess crop surpluses.
http://www.npr.org/2011/05/18/136394365/food-shortages-the-hidden-driver-of-global-politics
Christian Aid in Britain: Banks such as Barclays and Goldman Sachs appear the villains of the potentially "irresponsible" wave of money which has driven food prices to record highs – and not hedge funds or speculators, anti-hunger campaigners have said.
http://www.agrimoney.com/news/goldman-not-hedge-funds-to-blame-for-pricey-food--3151.html
While many consumers are attempting to reduce debt, a large number were also forced to use their credit cards during the month of April to afford rising gas and food prices.
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6. Farm Bill Outlook Tough Due to Deficit Reduction Mania
The federal Farm Bill, written every five years, funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps, or CalFresh), along with subsidy and insurance programs for farmers and a tiny bit of money for sustainable agriculture projects (like urban gardens or programs to market locally grown fruits and vegetables.) It’s considered by many a driving factor in the obesity crisis (corn subsidies lead to very cheap corn used to make sweeteners that appear in huge numbers of products we eat, for example), and many farmers rely on the price supports contained in it to keep from going out of business (while other big food corporations also reap huge windfalls from it.)
The next Farm Bill is due in 2012. But talk abounds of large direct cuts or indirect cuts (through reformatting the means of distribution) in food assistance programs as well as in the farm payments. Politicians are walking a tightrope: Reducing the federal budget deficit has led to calls for massive cuts, but woe be the legislators who actually enact those cuts---in farm states, they will potentially face angry backlash from farmers, big and small, who use the payments.
“Writing the next farm bill will be no easy task for lawmakers as they operate under a moratorium on earmarks and a severely reduced budget proposal that seeks to cut overall spending.”
“We need to get the Farm Bill renamed the Food and Farm Bill!” claimed Andrew Weil, M.D., the celebrity integrative medicine guru, at a fund-raising dinner thrown this week in San Francisco by the Environmental Working Group. “It’s a hugely important piece of legislation that affects our health and the costs of health-care”, he added.”
“One big function of the Farm Bill is to allocate subsidies to farmers. And as it stands today, it “makes unhealthy foods cheap, and healthy foods expensive”, as Andrew Weil pointed out.”
“Fresh vegetable consumption has declined by nine pounds per person over the past ten years in the United States. Despite the Federal nutritional guidelines that recommend we eat five-to-nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day, taxpayers’ money has been channeled quasi-exclusively to promote commodity crops with no public health benefit whatsoever.”
Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/a-farm-bill-to-improve-our-health.html#ixzz1MqkCDdp0
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7. LA Times Supports South Central Farmers’ Proposal To Begin Again in South LA
A recent LA Times editorial commented on the property once known as the South Central Farm, a large 14 acre plot that was possibly America’s largest urban garden. In 2006 the farmers were forcefully evicted after a long court battle. The owner planned a Forever 21 store or factory or something, but it didn’t pan out. We now turn to the Times for the remainder of the story:
From LA Times Editorial page May 11: “Now, nearly five years later, the property that ignited so much drama sits vacant, awash in wild grasses. But it is for sale, and the South Central Farmers want it back.
Nobody is standing in their way. But nobody is helping them either. Horowitz is asking about $18 million for the property. Perry, the City Council member in whose district the parcel lies, says she would like it to go to the buyer who would bring the greatest number of jobs to people in the immediate area.
Like Perry, we want to see the best use of this large parcel — a rare find — as well. And there's no question that jobs are badly needed in the community. But is someone offering to create a lot of jobs there? As far as we know, in the tortured history of this piece of land over the last 25 years, the most productive use of it was the urban farm that lasted 14 years. No one wins with the land lying empty and fallow.
The South Central Farmers' proposal should at least be heard out. Hardly diplomats, they have alienated a lot of people over the years. But they love the land, and they have a plan that may improve on the erstwhile farm. "The garden will be an educational and cultural center," said Tezozomoc, their most vocal representative, who goes by a single name. He promises that it will be more community-oriented than it was, and that the original farmers will not take plots to garden but will open them to other city residents.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-farmers-20110512,0,7295250.story
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8. May Revise Part Two: What an All Cuts Budget Would Look Like
Continued from above. Governor Brown has proposed revenue solutions---more money coming to the state---in his budget proposal. Without revenue solutions (with taxes remaining exactly the same) the state budget could be passed only by making cuts in programs (an “all cuts” budget.)Without Revenue Solutions, Governor Brown outlined what an “All Cuts” Budget would look like:
K-14 Education
- Suspension of Proposition 98 which would equal $5 billion in cuts to education
- 4 week reduction of the school year
- 51,000 teachers would be laid off and class sizes would expand
Community Colleges
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- 52,000 community college courses would be cut
- Community college fees would be raised from $36 to $125 per unit
Higher Education
- Both the University of California and the California State University systems would face another $500 million cut.
- Fees would be raised by 30%
Public Safety
- No supervision of non serious and non-violent parolees
- Could not incarcerate parolees on violations unless it was a new crime
- $150 million in cuts to court system
- Courts would be closed twice each month
- Cuts to fire prevention
Health and Human Services
- Further reductions to CalWORKs grants (which are currently at 1987 levels)
- Eliminating domestic and related services for IHSS recipients
- Increase in cost for AIDS drugs
- Capping Medi-Cal Coverage for prescriptions and other medical supplies
- Cuts to Adult Protective Services
Jobs
- State Employees’ jobs would be lost, further throwing California into economic difficulties
- Jobs would be lost in
- Water quality programs
- Parks
- food and agricultural protection
- Veterans services
- Jobs would be lost in
For the full May Revise budget please see http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/
For additional questions please contact Stella Kim skim@communitychange.org
April 29, 2011: Follow us on Twitter @HungerActionLA . Welcome to all the new people on the list: please respond to frank@hungeractionla.org if you wish to use a different e mail or be removed.
May 1 Rally: On Sunday, May 1, tens of thousands of immigrants and working families of all backgrounds, community organizations, labor unions and many others will take to the streets across the country to demand legalization for all immigrants and to stop deportations and the attacks on workers.
The ANSWER Coalition is supporting and helping to organize May 1 demonstrations taking place across the country.Los Angeles, Calif.
10:00am
Corner of Olympic & Broadway, Downtown LA
(March to 1st & Broadway for mass rally)
- Upcoming Events:
Trainings: Educating Your Elected Officials: May 3, May 5, May 9 - LA County Launches CalFresh Awareness Month, May 2011
- More Americans Need Government Assistance Than Ever
- House Budget Proposal Would Devastate Food Assistance
- Food and Water Watch Leads Coalition to Protect Funding for Sustainable Agriculture and Fresh Food
- LA Unified Agrees to Drop Flavored Milk From School Meals
- Right to Share Food Publicly Denied By Florida Court
- Coalition of Immokalee Workers Calls for Demonstrations at Trader Joe’s
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1. Upcoming Events: Trainings on How To Educate Your Elected Officials on Hunger
Now more than ever we need to communicate effectively with our elected officials. Learn about this year’s anti-hunger and anti-poverty legislation in Sacramento, and how to make the most of your time visiting your elected representatives in person, or speaking with them on the phone, or creating campaigns to win change. Choose any one of the following trainings: free and open to everyone. Especially recommended for those attending Hunger Action Day in Sacramento
Long Beach---May 3, 3-5 pm, Miller Family Health Education Center, 3820 Cherry Ave, Long Beach 90807
South LA---May 5, 2-4 pm Community Health Councils, 3731 Stocker St.
Boyle Heights: May 9, 6-8 pm, Lorena Terrace Apts. Community room, 611 S Lorena St. 90023
Trainings are free and open to all even if you’re not going to Hunger Action Day. Please rsvp to frank@hungeractionla.org or 213-388-8228
Join us for Hunger Action Day at the state capitol in Sacramento on Tuesday May 17---a day of rallies, legislative visits, the Hunger Fighter Awards, networking with advocates from all over the state, and an art display to challenge our elected officials to consider the hunger and poverty that result from lack of engagement from policymakers.
Go to https://sites.google.com/site/haladocs/hunger-action-day-sacramento for more detailed info including:
1) California Hunger Action Coalition (CHAC) 2011 Legislative Priorities---the reasons why we are going to the state capitol
2) The Hunger Action Day flyer
3) An invitation with a registration form
4) Flyer for trainings
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2. LA County Launches CalFresh Awareness Month, May 2011
Alexandra Zavis, LA Times: “With many families struggling to feed themselves, Los Angeles County officials announced new efforts Tuesday to encourage eligible residents to apply for federal nutrition benefits.The efforts include an outreach campaign next month and a new online application form, Philip L. Browning, director of the Department of Public Social Services, said at a Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting.”
“Nearly 1 million county residents receive food stamps, but participation in California has lagged behind most other states. Just half the eligible Californians were receiving the benefit in 2008, the most recent year for which federal estimates are available. The national average is 66%.”
"What we're trying to do is to make sure that everyone knows the benefits to which they're entitled," Browning told the board. "If we increase the participation to what we think it should be, there would be an additional 1 million individuals in Los Angeles County that would get close to $2 billion [annually] to bring into the economy."
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/apr/27/local/la-me-food-stamps-20110427
You can see other press materials for CalFresh Awareness Month and a calendar of events for the entire month of May featuring CalFresh outreach, including festivals, several farmers’ markets events and the appearance of the LA County’s custom built mobile food stamp office. Go to this link:
http://dpss.lacounty.gov/dpss/calfresh
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3. More Americans Need Government Assistance Than Ever
Americans depended more on government assistance in 2010 than at any other time in the nation's history, a USA TODAY analysis of federal data finds. The trend shows few signs of easing, even though the economic recovery is nearly 2 years old.
A record 18.3% of the nation's total personal income was a payment from the government for Social Security, Medicare, food stamps, unemployment benefits and other programs in 2010. Wages accounted for the lowest share of income — 51.0% — since the government began keeping track in 1929.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-04-26-government-payments-economy-medicare.htm
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4. House Budget Proposal Would Devastate Food Assistance
Justmeans.org: “An analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities revealed that US House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's proposed budget would cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding by $127 billion over ten years.
While Ryan claims that the plan is "protecting assistance for those in need," the reality is that the plan would create block grants and place time limits on SNAP, the nation's most effective nutritional safety net. SNAP expenditures increased in the last several years not because the program was spinning out of control, but rather because families hit hard by the recession required temporary assistance.
The $127 billion dollar cut will serve to "throw millions of low-income families off the rolls, cut benefits by thousands of dollars a year, or some combination of the two." according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
http://www.justmeans.com/Ryan-Budget-Cut-Food-Assistance-for-Poor/48737.html
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5. Food and Water Watch Leads Coalition to Protect Funding for Sustainable Agriculture and Fresh Food
Food and Water Watch is leading a coalition nationally, which locally includes Hunger Action LA, Community Services Unlimited, LA Causa, and numerous other groups, in protecting Farm Bill funding for small, innovative projects designed to bring more fresh food into cities and promote small agriculture. They range from community gardens that grow enough produce to sell, programs that help redesign grocery stores to offer healthier food, and assistance for farmers’ markets to get wireless machines to be able to accept SNAP (food stamp) benefits. The Farm Bill is next scheduled to be reauthorized in 2012: it is an omnibus piece of legislation including the SNAP (food stamp) program as well as subsidies to large agriculture and a small pool of funding for food security projects.
KPFK program Uprising host Sonali Kolhatkar spoke with Renée Maas, Senior Organizer of Food and Water Watch and Tony Bautista, Sustainability Director of La Causa, on April 27, 2011.
http://uprisingradio.org/home/?p=20740
Related story from Fresno comparing the government support for small agriculture vs. the large growers: “The Department of Agriculture currently provides about 200 thousand dollars a year to Fresno County to promote farmers markets and healthier eating. That compares with the nearly 60 million dollars a year the Department of Agriculture gives to Fresno County Farmers. Most of that doesn't go to food. In 2009, the latest year for which figures are available, shows 40 million went to subsidize cotton.”
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/ag_watch&id=8101400
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6. LA Unified Agrees to Drop Flavored Milk >From School Meals
Los Angeles Unified agreed to drop chocolate and strawberry flavored milk from the school menu, after constant advocacy from local parents and from activist celebrity Jamie Oliver.
LA Times reports that “The policy change is part of a carefully negotiated happy ending between the Los Angeles Unified School District and Oliver. The chef's confrontations with the school system became a main theme in the current season of the TV reality show "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution."
Food activist Matthew Sharp called the impending ban, which would take effect in the next school year, "an important teaching tool for students to wean off the sweet tooth" that again puts L.A. Unified among national leaders in nutrition.Other steps to improve school food in Los Angeles could include swapping out burgers in favor of sandwiches and offering pasta and soup rather than chicken nuggets, said Sharp of the nonprofit California Food Policy Advocates.
Jamie Oliver’s program had put the school district in the uncomfortable role of not only appearing to not want to improve kids’ nutrition, but even deny Oliver the right to talk about healthy options with students. Oliver may have gotten the most recent attention, but a range of groups including the Food for Lunch Crew and Healthy School Food Coalition had been pushing on this issue a long time.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lausd-milk-20110428,0,4817363.story
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7. Right to Share Food Publicly Denied By Florida Court
Food Not Bombs is an organization that collects food otherwise destined for the trash and prepares vegan meals to distribute publicly to hungry people. Food Not Bombs frequently runs into law enforcement seeking to shut them down on dubious grounds (in L.A., for example, along with other groups including the World Agape Church), but in Florida their right to free speech is under attack from the courts.
On April 12,the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the City of Orlando could limit Food Not Bombs right to share information and food to the public to twice a year per park. Other Florida cities may follow Orlando's path. This ruling comes at a time when the message of "Food Not
Bombs" is more important than ever. Poverty and hunger are increasing as military spending grows and public investment social services, education and healthcare are slashed. The city of Orlando could begin its arrests of Food Not Bombs volunteers as early as May 18, 2011, the first meal 30 days after
the ruling. Food Not Bombs groups have been invited to share free food and literature under their banner that week in a global defiance of this order.
More as this story develops
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8. Coalition of Immokalee Workers Calls for Demonstrations at Trader Joe’s
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is an organization of Florida tomato field workers who have been fighting –and winning ---agreements from major tomato purchasers to pay one penny more a pound so workers can have more decent conditions. They’ve won agreements from Subway, McDonald’s and other big players to pay this additional penny, but Trader Joe’s, an establishment lionized by many of us
supporting social change, has not agreed to sign on. A demonstration is called for tomorrow at the Trader Joe’s in Hollywood.
http://www.ciw-online.org/Resources/tools/flyers/TJflyer.pdf
Los Angeles, CA
Date/time: Saturday, April 30, Noon
Location: Trader Joe's, 1600 N. Vine St., Hollywood
Contact: Natasha, ndnoriega@gmail.com
April 12, 2011: Follow us on Twitter @HungerActionLA . Welcome to all the new people on the list: please respond to frank@hungeractionla.org if you wish to use a different e mail or be removed.
Hunger Action LA Monthly Meeting is this Friday April 15: 10 am to Noon at LAANE, 464 S. Lucas.
- Upcoming Events:
-HALA Meeting Friday April 15: Hunger Action Day: Hunger Fighter Awards: Hunger Trainings - Earth Day April 16
- California Partnership Inland Empire Action April 21
- Tea Party Rep Belittles Fasting By Concerned Congressperson:
- Los Angeles Losing Out on Hundreds of Millions of Dollars in Food Aid
- Farm Bill 2012: Center for Rural Affairs Says It’s Time for Cuts in Big Farm Subsidies
- How Would Paul Ryan’s Budget Affect Farmers and Low Income People?
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1. Upcoming Events:
Hunger Action LA monthly meeting, Friday April 15, yes that’s a week earlier than usual. Free, open to all. 10 am to noon at LAANE, 464 S Lucas, LA CA 90017. Most of the meeting will be reviewing legislation and activities around Hunger Action Day in the coming month: see below for more details. To rsvp for the mtg please e mail frank@hungeractionla.org or call 213 -388-8228
Please join us for Hunger Action Day in Sacramento
Join us for Hunger Action Day at the state capitol in Sacramento on Tuesday May 17---a day of rallies, legislative visits, the Hunger Fighter Awards, networking with advocates from all over the state, and an art display to challenge our elected officials to consider the hunger and poverty that result from lack of engagement from policymakers.
Go to https://sites.google.com/site/haladocs/hunger-action-day-sacramento for more detailed info including:
1) California Hunger Action Coalition (CHAC) 2011 Legislative Priorities---the reasons why we are going to the state capitol
2) The Hunger Action Day flyer
3) An invitation with a registration form
4) Flyer for trainings
Nominate a Hunger Fighter, Deadline April 15 : The Hunger Fighter award is given out every year to honor individuals who have done significant work to end hunger in their community and across California. Whether they are a local community member, an elected official, a nonprofit professional or a government employee, they have gone to extraordinary lengths to champion people’s human right to food. This award recognizes their efforts they have made this year.
Please nominate someone you think has been a Hunger Fighter by April 14th. Voting for nominees begins April 15th and ends April 30th. Hunger Fighter awards will be presented on May 17th at Hunger Action Day 2011 in Sacramento, CA.https://app.e2ma.net/app2/survey/1407694/205024971/d9092432cf/6989396577/208493318/221037310/
Upcoming Trainings on Hunger in Los Angeles and How To Educate Your Elected Officials:
Valley---April 14, 3-5 pm, MEND, 10641 San Fernando Road, Pacoima, 91331
Long Beach---May 3, 3-5 pm, Miller Family Health Education Center, 3820 Cherry Ave, Long Beach 90807
South LA---May 5, 2-4 pm Community Health Councils, 3731 Stocker St.
Trainings are free and open to all even if you’re not going to Hunger Action Day. Please rsvp to frank@hungeractionla.org or 213-388-8228
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2. Earth Day South LA April 16
April 16 Earth Day South LA: Spark the Power Shift a multifaceted event with food, music, resources and education on food security, the environment, and physical activity Saturday, April 16 11 AM to 6 PM for 505 S. Raymond Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90037 More info at www.earthdaysouthla.org 323-299-7075. Presented by Community Services Unlimited Incorporated and Normandie Avenue Elementary School.
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3. California Partnership Action in the Inland Empire April 21:
From California Partnership:
It is completely unacceptable for a handful of legislators to hold the budget hostage and stick up Californians for more money to fund their pet projects and special interests. They stood in our way of letting us vote for the revenues our state so desperately needs, and we need to tell legislators that they need to put families first, seniors first, students first, and children first.
To make sure that revenues are in any budget package signed this year California Partnership will be putting pressure on key legislative targets who blocked our right to vote and we will hold them accountable for those actions.
We need revenues to prevent further devastating cuts to schools, public safety, and health and human services. Every Californian needs to keep their legislators accountable to stop our state from tipping over the precipice and they need to hear from you.
California Partnership will be starting off with an action in the Inland Empire.
Please join us on Thursday, April 21st in Riverside as we ask Sen. Dutton, Sen. Emmerson, Asm. Nestande, Asm. Cook to choose their priorities!
CLICK HERE for more details about this action!
CLICK HERE for legislative targets throughout the state!
Moving forward, community members can make their voices heard with legislative visits, calls, emails, media events, phonebanks and actions throughout the state.
To learn more about our plan or to get involved in our statewide efforts, please contact:
Pete Woiwode for Bay area information; pwoiwode@communitychange.org
Maribel Nuñez for Inland Empire information; mnunez@communitychange.org
Mari Lopez for Central Coast information; mlopez@communitychange.org
Stella Kim for San Diego information; skim@communitychange.org
And Astrid Campos for any other area in the state; acampos@communitychange.org
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Food Justice News:
4. Tea Party Rep Belittles Fasting By Concerned Congressperson:
U.S. Rep. James McGovern of Massachusetts was one of many who fasted to protest huge cuts in the federal budget for WIC, Head Start and other programs that help provide nutrition.
Christen Varley, president of the Greater Boston Tea Party, took a jab at McGovern’s hunger strike, saying: “He should have stopped eating in June. He’s as chunky as I am. He can afford to stop eating for a couple days.”
McGovern said Varley’s snarky response was disappointing. “To trivialize the impact of these cuts is really is unconscionable,” he said.
http://news.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1329660&srvc=home&position=comment
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5. Los Angeles Losing Out on Hundreds of Millions of Dollars in Food Aid
There are more than 1.5 million individuals in L.A. that are eligible to receive food stamps, according to Lost Dollars, Empty Plates – a study conducted by the California Food Policy Advocates. However, less than half of that figure - roughly 658,273 - actually participate in the state’s food stamp program CalFresh, based on 2008 figures.
That means that about 60 percent of income-eligible Angelenos are not currently enrolled in a food assistance program.
“Hundreds of millions of dollars not being utilized that would come into our local economy if everyone enrolled in the program,” said Darren Hoffman communication director at the L.A. Regional Food Bank. “It would be better for the city and better for the state. Those are federal dollars.”
L.A. has more than three-times the amount of income-eligible individuals than any other county, totalling an estimated 1,627,843 people.
The California Food Policy Advocates estimate that if 100 percent of eligible individuals participated in CalFresh, California would receive about $4.9 billion in additional federal benefits each year.
“It’s in the best interest in the community… it helps the entire community, the grocers and everyone in that business,” said Shirley Christensen, a special assistant for the DPSS. “We had just about $149 million in expenditures in the month of February alone.”
And the federal government picks up that tab.
“There are a number of gaps and barriers,” said Matt Sharp, an analyst for the California Food Policy Advocates. “It’s a very large program. There are 3 million [people] enrolled across the state and at least 3 million are eligible but not enrolled.
http://www.neontommy.com/news/2011/04/food-stamps-la-underutilized-due-fear-misinformation
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6. Farm Bill 2012: Center for Rural Affairs Says It’s Time for Cuts in Big Farm Subsidies
Center for Rural Affairs says limit direct payments in 2012 Farm Bill: With Congress hammering out budget cutting legislation and preparing to take up the 2012 farm bill, the next two years emerge as a crucial time for making commonsense cuts to agriculture spending. For federal farm programs, that means placing hard caps on payments made to the nation’s largest farms, subsidies those operations use to drive their smaller neighbors out of business.
http://www.berthoudrecorder.com/2011/04/11/limit-direct-payments-in-2012-farm-bill/
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7. How Would Paul Ryan’s Budget Affect Farmers and Low Income People?
Farm and nutrition leaders expressed caution about a proposal by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to cut $30 billion from the direct payments and crop insurance program over 10 years and to turn the food stamp program into a capped block grant to the states.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., commended Ryan “for taking the first serious step in reining in our deficit.”
“The House Budget Committee has outlined a plan that may shock some, but this only illustrates the deep hole we are in,” Lucas said. “While I might not agree with every proposed cut, we are well past the point where trillion-dollar deficits can be ignored.”
House Agriculture Committee ranking member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., said in an interview in the Capitol that he would favor the cuts “only if they cut everything else the same percentage.”
Peterson also said that agriculture already has contributed $12 billion to deficit reduction through cuts to the crop insurance program in the 2008 farm bill and the Obama administration’s renegotiation of the standard reinsurance agreement with the companies.
Told that Ryan has said the cuts are appropriate because agriculture is so prosperous, Peterson said he has warned Lucas that, “I don’t buy into that foolishness.” High prices, he said, lead to higher production and lower prices. Of the proposal to turn the food stamp or supplemental nutrition assistance program known as SNAP into a state block grant, Peterson only rolled his eyes.
Although Ryan did not appear to announce the expected budget savings from food stamps, the potential is much more there than from farm programs. SNAP is projected to cost $700 billion over 10 years.
The Food Research and Action Center said in a statement that the food stamp program “has succeeded for 40 years as the nation’s most fundamental public program, safeguarding against hunger, working both in good times and in bad times.”
“Chairman Ryan’s proposal to destroy the structure of the program is an old idea that has always been misconceived, but which the effective SNAP response to the recession has underscored as a really bad idea,” the FRAC statement said. “If enacted, it would have the effect in the long term of harming tens of millions of children, seniors, and working-age adults, damaging our education and health systems, creating havoc with state and federal budgets and weakening the economy.”
Peterson said his more immediate concern is that appropriators in the Senate will try to cut mandatory programs to complete a bill to fund the government for the remainder of the fiscal year 2011. Those cuts, Peterson said, “are undermining the agriculture committee.”
http://www.agweek.com/event/article/id/18201/
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April 1, 2011:
April 1, 2011: Follow us on Twitter @HungerActionLA . Welcome to all the new people on the list: please respond to frank@hungeractionla.org if you wish to use a different e mail or be removed
- Hunger Fighter Awards and Hunger Action Day Info
- Hunger Action LA’s Maribel Diaz: Eating Local Doesn’t Have to Be Expensive
- Interfaith Leaders Fasting to Protest Cuts to Food Assistance
- Earth Day South LA April 16
- LA Housing and Hunger Crisis Conference April 8
- Hunger Hits California and Latinos In Particular
- Investors Look To Make Money Off Hunger
- Support Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food
- Support World Fair Trade Day
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1. Hunger Action LA News:
Hunger Fighter Awards and Hunger Action Day
Nominate a Hunger Fighter, Deadline April 15 : The Hunger Fighter award is given out every year to honor individuals who have done significant work to end hunger in their community and across California. Whether they are a local community member, an elected official, a nonprofit professional or a government employee, they have gone to extraordinary lengths to champion people’s human right to food. This award recognizes their efforts they have made this year.
Please nominate someone you think has been a Hunger Fighter by April 14th. Voting for nominees begins April 15th and ends April 30th. Hunger Fighter awards will be presented on May 17th at Hunger Action Day 2011 in Sacramento, CA.https://app.e2ma.net/app2/survey/1407694/205024971/d9092432cf/6989396577/208493318/221037310/
May 16-17 Hunger Action Day: in Sacramento. You can leave on the two day bus caravan May 16 from LA. Contact frank@hungeractionla.org if interested. $35 donation requested. We’ll be supporting legislation to ease CalFresh (food stamp) enrollment, to help get seniors into the program, and calling attention to the hunger and misery that will result from the state budget which will now slash thousands of people from financial assistance.
Register: http://hungeraction.net/hungeractionday.php#
Print out your own Save the Date flyer to distribute far and wide! http://www.cfpa.net/HAD2011/HAD_SaveTheDate_V1.pdf
2. Hunger Action LA’s Maribel Diaz: Eating Local Doesn’t Have to Be Expensive
Whole Foods' "Local" signs make it easier for well-heeled shoppers to opt for locally-grown produce, but for Angelenos who can't afford to shop at Whole Foods, locavoring can sound like an environmental practice that's far out of reach. But eating local doesn't have to be expensive according to Maribel Diaz, a single mother and the Community Educator for Hunger Action LA, a nonprofit that works to end hunger and promote healthy eating in Los Angeles.
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3. Interfaith Leaders Fast to Protest Cuts to Food Assistance
The fast, initiated by HungerFast, a group led by anti-hunger activist Tony Hall, takes aim at proposed substantive cuts now under consideration in Congress that would target overseas food aid and domestic programs that provide food stamps, subsidized meals for preschoolers and their mothers, and subsidized heating for the poor.
http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/03/28/3086596/jcpa-ajws-leaders-fast-against-budget-cuts
MoveOn invites us to join in the fast: When Congress can seriously debate cutting food aid to pregnant women and children while giving tax breaks to billionaires—and the only question the media asks is whether the cuts are big enough—we have a crisis.
This week progressive faith leaders called for Americans to join an ongoing fast to protest the immoral budget cuts being debated in Washington. MoveOn's Executive Director, along with the directors of 5 other major progressive organizations have joined the fast.
Will you join too? You can fast for part of a day, a whole day, or all week until the budget has been passed. The goal is to get as many people as possible to join in. Together we can change the debate in Washington and force our leaders to acknowledge that slashing the budget would be an affront to the deepest values of millions of Americans.
http://pol.moveon.org/pac/budgetfast/?id=26743-17277404-Jb5kwcx&t=3
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4. Earth Day South LA April 16
April 16 Earth Day South LA: Spark the Power Shift a multifaceted event with food, music, resources and education on food security, the environment, and physical activity Saturday, April 16 11 AM to 6 PM for 505 S. Raymond Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90037 More info at www.earthdaysouthla.org 323-299-7075. Presented by Community Services Unlimited Incorporated and Normandie Avenue Elementary School.
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5. LA Housing and Hunger Crisis Conference April 8-9
The LA Housing and Hunger Crisis Conference will take place over three days. On Friday, April 8, from 7-10:00 PM at the Southern California Library, 6120 S. Vermont, LA there will be an opening program on the Culture of Resistance with music, art, teatro and spoken word. On Saturday, April 9, from 10 AM - 4:00 PM, the conference will shift to the Angelus Plaza Auditorium, at 255 S. Hill St. for the keynote speakers and plenary, skills share, know your rights and educational workshops, and a free lunch. On Sunday, April 10, at 12 noon it will tentatively return to SCL, 6120 S. Vermont Ave., L.A., for strategy and alliance-building workshops, and end up at the March for Zapata rally at Lincoln Park/Parque de Mexico in East L.A.
The conference is sponsored by a coalition that includes GrassrootsKPFK, South Central Farmers, ARA, Coffee Party, Food Not Bombs, Workers Solidarity Alliance, Echo Park Community Leadership Council, Union de Vecinos, Black Riders and Brown Riders Liberation Party, Watercorps, Maggie Phair Institute, Puerto Rican Alliance, Venice Justice Committee, LA CAN and the MLK Coalition for Jobs, Justice and Peace. For more info, call 310-495-0299, or email h2c2la@yahoo.com.
http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=2011032905210
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6. Hunger Hits California and Latinos Particularly
National surge in hunger being felt in California
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/03/28/BULV1IJMQR.DTL
Latinos Affected by High Rate of Hunger, Food Prices
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7. Investors Look to Make Money Off of Hunger
Is this title an exaggeration? No it is not. Read the following paragraph taken verbatim from the article linked to it:
“Around the world, food prices are rising, and some areas have even sparked mass unrest as a result. Using agriculture exchange traded funds (ETFs), investors may capitalize on the rising food prices as the world population grows and demand for basic foods increase.”
…Without so much as the sound of a shifting gear, investors note that there is human misery resulting from hunger, then in the very next sentence want to tell you how you can capitalize on it.
http://www.etftrends.com/2011/03/agriculture-etfs-an-investment-play-on-rising-food-prices/
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8. Support Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food in California
California State Assembly member Jared Huffman has introduced a bill (AB 88) requiring all genetically engineered salmon sold in California to contain clear and prominent labeling.
Please ask your assembly member to cosponsor the bill.
Learn more about GMO salmon:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/fish/
http://www.capwiz.com/grassrootsnetroots/issues/alert/?alertid=22842511&type%20=ST
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9. Support World Fair Trade Day
From Llanos Gomez of World Fair Trade Organization: “We are organising the World Fair Trade Day 2011, www.wftday.info, and we need your signature supporting Fair Trade and this special celebration.
supporting Fair Trade and this special celebration.This is the direct link http://www.wfto-europe.org/lang-en/signature-book and you can also find a banner on the website I mentioned above.
We need your support and help to disseminate the WFTDay 2011 so please invite your friends to sign it as well. “---Llanos Gomez , Communication Officer
World Fair Trade Organization, European Office, García Lovera 2, 14002 Córdoba, Spain
T +34 957 483 160 | communication@wfto-europe.org http://www.wfto-europe.org
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March 25, 2011:
March 25, 2011: Follow us on Twitter @HungerActionLA . Welcome to all the new people on the list: please respond to frank@hungeractionla.org if you wish to use a different e mail or be removed
- Hunger Action LA News: New Changes Should Boost CalFresh (Food Stamps) Participation : Upcoming Events
- LA County Worst for Hunger in USA:
- Congress Threatens Cuts To Social Programs
- Ten Things Monsanto Doesn't Want You To Know
- Walmart Announces Grant to Meals on Wheels
- AntiPoverty Programs Saved A Quarter Million New Yorkers From Poverty Line
- Are Major Food and Beverage Companies Going Sustainable?
- 50 Healthy Foods For Under $1 A Pound
- Multiple Factors Drive Food Costs
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1. Hunger Action LA News: New Changes Should Boost CalFresh (Food Stamps) Participation
The Friday March 25 Hunger Action LA meeting featured Lino Rios of Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services who reviewed some of the changes that should help Los Angeles County boost its participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly Food Stamps and now known in California as “CalFresh”, a number of aliases that would do a gangster proud):
On February 1, rules changed in California eliminating the asset test for anyone applying for food benefits only (not also applying for cash benefits.) This means they will not need to see your bank statements when you apply for help, and money you have saved won’t disqualify you. One meeting attendee remarked that some seniors in the Antelope Valley had been going hungry precisely because they were clinging desparately to $5,000 in the bank, which would have disqualified them under the old rules.
The LA County DPSS now has an online application (in English, with Spanish to follow soon.) It is:
https://www.dpssbenefits.lacounty.gov/ybn/Index.html
Next meeting is Friday April 15---meetings will now be on the third Friday of the month. 10 am -12 noon, 464 S. Lucas Ave LA CA 90017
Donate to Veggie Voucher Program: Go to our website www.hungeractionla.org and use PayPal to contribute to the Veggie Voucher program, which matches $5 purchases by low income people at some area farmers’ markets with $5 in free bonus coupons for fruits and vegetables. Currently operating at Adams/ Vermont farmers’ market and equitableroots produce market: opening next month in Long Beach. This innovative program has helped 1,200 families afford healthy produce
Upcoming Events:
March 29 California Endowment “Consuming Health: Local Options in Accessing Healthy Food”
http://calendow.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=5ed3773f9dbbd14b196a40fb9&id=8bc36d04a4
In an effort to explore this disparity and promote solutions, The California Endowment’s CenterScene Public Programs invites you to a panel discussion that will highlight local efforts underway to make the healthy choice the easy choice everywhere. Panelists will explore the food system at large, from sustainable agriculture to innovative distribution models, and alternatives to traditional retail models.
At: The California Endowment Center for Healthy Communities, Yosemite Hall
1000 North Alameda
Los Angeles, CA 90012 Program
Starts promptly at 6:30 p.m.
Hunger Fighter Awards and Hunger Action Day
Nominate a Hunger Fighter, Deadline April 15 : The Hunger Fighter award is given out every year to honor individuals who have done significant work to end hunger in their community and across California. Whether they are a local community member, an elected official, a nonprofit professional or a government employee, they have gone to extraordinary lengths to champion people’s human right to food. This award recognizes their efforts they have made this year.
Please nominate someone you think has been a Hunger Fighter by April 14th. Voting for nominees begins April 15th and ends April 30th. Hunger Fighter awards will be presented on May 17th at Hunger Action Day 2011 in Sacramento, CA.https://app.e2ma.net/app2/survey/1407694/205024971/d9092432cf/6989396577/208493318/221037310/
May 16-17 Hunger Action Day: in Sacramento. You can leave on the two day bus caravan May 16 from LA. Contact frank@hungeractionla.org if interested. $35 donation requested. We’ll be supporting legislation to ease CalFresh (food stamp) enrollment, to help get seniors into the program, and calling attention to the hunger and misery that will result from the state budget which will now slash thousands of people from financial assistance.
Register: http://hungeraction.net/hungeractionday.php#
Print out your own Save the Date flyer to distribute far and wide! http://www.cfpa.net/HAD2011/HAD_SaveTheDate_V1.pdf
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2. LA County Worst for Hunger in USA:
“More than 1.7 million Los Angeles County residents struggled with hunger in 2009, more than in any other county in America, according to new research published by Feeding America, the country’s largest network of food banks…..Matthew Sharp, a senior advocate with California Food Policy Advocates, attributed the high number of food insecure Angelenos to “the extraordinary cost of living and low wages.” Unemployment remains high in California and those returning to the workforce often find that they can’t get the hours or salaries they need.”
The Feeding America Map the Meal Gap research tool can be found here. See what food insecurity looks like in your county, in your state and across the country. You may see a few things that surprise you.
http://feedingamerica.org/mapthegap
Map the Meal Gap cheat sheet:
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3.Congress Threatens Cuts To Social Programs
Currently, a record 47 million people live below the poverty line—$22,400 per year for a family of four—including one in five children. Over 100 million people, or one in three Americans, live on less than $46,000 for a family of four.
Despite this widespread economic hardship, the current budget debate is focused entirely on cuts in domestic discretionary spending—things like childcare, Head Start, federal housing, transportation, job creation programs, job training—cuts that will have a devastating and disproportionate impact on those already struggling to make ends meet.
Congressional Bill Denies Food Stamps to Families of Striking Workers: Rep. Scott (R-SC) Rep. Garrett and Rep. Burton (R-IN) have introduced legislation aimed at stopping individuals and families from getting food through the Food Stamp program if they go on strike.
"(3) STRIKING WORKERS INELIGIBLE- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no member of a family unit shall participate in the food stamp program at any time that any able-bodied work eligible adult member of such household is on strike as defined in the Labor Management Relations Act, 1947 (29 U.S.C. 142(2)), because of a labor dispute (other than a lockout) as defined in section 2(9) of the National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 152(9))
In the case of loss of income due to any striking family member, the bill adds that a "family unit shall not receive an increased allotment as the result of a decrease in the income of the striking member or members of the household."
Conservatives deny that they are attempting to chill workers from going on strike:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20046846-503544.html
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4. Ten Things Monsanto Doesn't Want You To Know
Including their attempts to block government regulation of GMOs, false claims, putting small farmers out of business......
http://www.scribd.com/doc/51403903/Ten-Things-Monsanto-Doesn-t-Want-You-To-Know
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5. Walmart Announces Grant to Meals on Wheels
The Walmart Foundation announced a $5 million grant to Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) to help fight senior hunger in communities across the nation. Through the grant, MOWAA will boost the efforts of Senior Nutrition Programs (SNPs), organizations that provide critical services to more than six million seniors in the U.S. currently facing the threat of hunger.
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6. AntiPoverty Programs Saved A Quarter Million New Yorkers From Poverty Line
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – A flood of food stamps, housing allowances and tax credits kept a 250,000 New Yorkers from slipping under the poverty line at the height of the recession, according to the report by the Mayor’s Center for Economic Opportunity.
“So the poverty rate held steady even thought the economy was contracting,” said Study author Dr. Mark Levitan.
WCBS 880′s Marla Diamond with details on the poverty rate report
Levitan told WCBS 880′s Marla Diamond there’s a take-away message to elected officials.
“Think twice when you cut,” said Levitan.
READ: Policy Affects Poverty (PDF)
http://www.nyc.gov/html/ceo/downloads/pdf/poverty_measure_2011.pdf
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7. Are Major Food and Beverage Companies Going Sustainable?
Justmeans writers report on an interesting variety of changes being embarked upon by some of Big Food's big players, such as:
PepsiCo’s new plastic bottle made from plants;
McDonald’s latest green(ish) initiative;
Kellogg’s new Corporate Social Responsibility initiative; and Woolworths’ new sustainable seafood plan in the wake of the disaster.
For more, visit Justmeans’ Sustainable Food section.
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8. 50 Healthy Foods For Under $1 A Pound
Can it be true? I'd love to see some LA area research on some of these suggested foods' prices:
http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/save-money/cheap-healthy-food-460610
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9. Multiple Factors Drive Food Costs
“The cost for a basket of weekly groceries is expected to increase this year.That’s the prediction of a Purdue University researcher based on how a string of global events — demand, drought, and political upheavals in Egypt, Libya and other Middle East countries.”
Corinne Alexander, an agricultural economist, says demand, drought, and political upheavals in Egypt, Libya and other Middle East countries will push up food prices
Last week the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the food price index rose 0.6 percent in February after rising 0.5 percent in January. At the same time, the fresh vegetables index increased by 6.7
Kroger’s central division public affairs manager in Indianapolis, said the increases and decreases the company pays for wholesale goods is passed on to the customers.
“If it goes up or down 10 percent, we pass it on,” he said. “We really don’t have much latitude to pass on price increases when we have them.”
For now, the largest increase in food prices is in meat, Alexander said.
“With higher grain costs, the biggest food inflation price impacts we expect to see are in the livestock area,” Alexander said.
“Because those feed costs are up, we’re expecting beef prices to be up on the order of 5.5 to 6.5 percent in the coming year. Pork prices will be up on the order of 7 to 8 percent. Poultry prices will rise more moderately because it doesn’t take near as much grain to get a pound of chicken as it does a pound of pork or beef, so chicken prices will be up about 3 to 4 percent.”
Rising food prices endanger economic recovery: “By spending more on food, Americans will spend less on the items that will help create jobs and assist the country’s recovery from the recession. This could set back the progress that’s already been made.”
“Also, there is the fear of rising prices in other quarters — especially those influenced by the price of oil. It has been shown in seasons past that an increase in oil prices means more than a rise in gasoline prices. It means that everything made from or dependent on petroleum will go up. And that is a lot — everything from computer accessories to certain medicines to virtually anything made from plastic or other man-made substances.”
http://annistonstar.com/bookmark/12442475-Eating-at-a-price
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March 20, 2011:
**Benefits Checkup promotes programs to end senior hunger during National Senior Nutrition Month. Check them out at :
http://www.benefitscheckup.org/
- Hunger Action LA News:
- Rally Against Federal Budget Cuts Wed March 23
- Upcoming LA Events
- Submit Your Nominations for Hunger Fighter by April 15:
- Grow LA Victory Garden Initiative 2011
- Farm Bill 2012 Updates:
- Rising Food Prices and America's Income Divide
- Feeding LA's Students: Enough Food , Healthy Food
- Submit Your Best Local Food Story to The Perennial Plate
- Oxfam: Fight Hunger: Invest in Women Farmers!
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1. Hunger Action LA News:
HALA Meeting Friday March 25: 10 am to Noon, at LAANE, 464 S. Lucas Ave LA CA 90017. Admission free, parking free. Special guest Lino Rios of LA County Dept of Public Social Services will tell us how we and our organizations can participate in CalFresh Month in May.
RSVP at frank@hungeractionla.org or 213 388-8228
Donate to HALA Veggie Voucher Program: HALA’s Veggie Vouchers at four LA area farmers’ markets have helped over 1,000 families afford the fruits and vegetables they need for better health! Help keep it going so we can expand it into Long Beach, East LA and Huntington Park!
Use PayPal at www.hungeractionla.org
Hunger Action Day, Sacramento May 17: day of rallies, visits to legislators, and networking with advocates from all over the state. All welcome: e mail frank@hungeractionla.org for more details or visit www.hungeraction.net
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2. Rally Against Federal Budget Cuts Wed March 23
Rally To Protect L.A.’s recovery: Jobs * Education * Health Care * Public Safety
Congress is proposing up to $2 Billion in budget cuts to the L.A. region that will devastate our economic recovery. Stand together with neighbors, friends and dozens of organizations to
Ensure that everyone has the opportunity to Live, Work and Prosper
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23
2:30 PM
Downtown Federal Building
Ed Roybal Plaza - 255 E. Temple St. - Los Angeles, CA 90012
(between Los Angeles St. and San Pedro St.)
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3. Upcoming LA Events:
Labor Rally March 26:
Panel on Healthy Food March 29:
Earth Day South LA April 16:
ENACT Nutrition Legislative Day, Sacramento May
Hunger Action Day Sacramento May 17
March 26 Labor A Time to Stand for Workers and Worker Rights: On Saturday, March 26, the Southern California labor movement will hold a huge march and rally, partly in support of the grocery workers currently in contract negotiations and partly in protest at the sharp edge of anti-unionism now being pushed by conservatives under the guise of balancing state budgets in the Midwest and elsewhere. For more information, email Lynda Berg . 10:00 AM - Gather at LA Convention Center. 11:00 AM - March begins. 12:30 PM - Rally begins at Pershing Square.
March 29 California Endowment “Consuming Health: Local Options in Accessing Healthy Food”
http://calendow.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=5ed3773f9dbbd14b196a40fb9&id=8bc36d04a4
In an effort to explore this disparity and promote solutions, The California Endowment’s CenterScene Public Programs invites you to a panel discussion that will highlight local efforts underway to make the healthy choice the easy choice everywhere. Panelists will explore the food system at large, from sustainable agriculture to innovative distribution models, and alternatives to traditional retail models.
At: The California Endowment Center for Healthy Communities, Yosemite Hall
1000 North Alameda
Los Angeles, CA 90012 Program
Starts promptly at 6:30 p.m.
April 16 Earth Day South LA: Spark the Power Shift a multifaceted event with food, music, resources and education on food security, the environment, and physical activity Saturday, April 16 11 AM to 6 PM for 505 S. Raymond Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90037 More info atwww.earthdaysouthla.org 323-299-7075. Presented by Community Services Unlimited Incorporated and Normandie Avenue Elementary School.
Month of May: CalFresh Month come to the Hunger Action LA meeting March 25 for more details
May 4: ENACT Day: ENACT Nutrition and Activity Day is the Strategic Alliance's yearly, grass-roots lobby day held in Sacramento, CA. ENACT brings together advocates from across the state in an effort to educate policy makers about opportunities to improve California's nutrition and physical activity environments. Register here:
http://www.cfpa.net/ENACT2011/index.html
May 16-17 Hunger Action Day: in Sacramento. You can leave on the two day bus caravan May 16 from LA. Contact frank@hungeractionla.org if interested. $35 donation requested. We’ll be supporting legislation to ease CalFresh (food stamp) enrollment, to help get seniors into the program, and calling attention to the hunger and misery that will result from the state budget which will now slash thousands of people from financial assistance.
Register: http://hungeraction.net/hungeractionday.php#
Print out your own Save the Date flyer to distribute far and wide! http://www.cfpa.net/HAD2011/HAD_SaveTheDate_V1.pdf
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4. Submit Your Nominations for Hunger Fighter by April 15:
Nominate a Hunger Fighter, Deadline April 15 : The Hunger Fighter award is given out every year to honor individuals who have done significant work to end hunger in their community and across California. Whether they are a local community member, an elected official, a nonprofit professional or a government employee, they have gone to extraordinary lengths to champion people’s human right to food. This award recognizes their efforts they have made this year.
Please nominate someone you think has been a Hunger Fighter by April 14th. Voting for nominees begins April 15th and ends April 30th. Hunger Fighter awards will be presented on May 17th at Hunger Action Day 2011 in Sacramento, CA. https://app.e2ma.net/app2/survey/1407694/205024971/d9092432cf/6989396577/208493318/221037310/
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5. Grow LA Victory Garden Initiative 2011
Locations for Victory Garden workshops, offered by UC Cooperative Extension, Los Angeles County. Use the map to find the sites nearest you.
This four class series will teach you the basics of vegetable gardening. Advance registration required and there is a fee to cover materials. For more information on the Initiative seehttp://celosangeles.ucdavis.edu/Common_Ground_Garden_Program/Grow_LA_Victory_Garden_Initiative.htm
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6. Farm Bill 2012 Updates:
House Ag Chair Frank Lucas gives an overview of what he and Republican colleagues hope to see in the Farm Bill---generally, a vast removal of environmental regulations. He forecasts field hearings in the fall, at which the public will be able to offer their opinions on the legislation, and predicts a shortfall in Farm Bill funding of 7 to 9 billion dollars:
House Ag Committee to debate whether SNAP $timulus will continue to feed hungry, or go toward deficit reduction http://agriculture.house.gov/pdf/business-meeting/BudgetviewsestimateletterFY12.pdf
Kari Hammerschlag of Environmental working Group: Eaters deserve a place at the table for 2012 Farm Bill: http://civileats.com/2011/03/14/farm-bill-2012-eaters-deserve-a-place-at-the-table/
Food and Water Watch offers a very concise petition for a fair Farm Bill 2012:
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/food/farm-bill-2012/
http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2535
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7. Rising Food Prices and America's Income Divide
USA today on rising food prices driving millions to hunger. The article mentions (but downplays) commodity speculation
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2011-03-17-food-costs-world-hunger.htm
LA Times; Cheap food may be a thing of the past in America: Americans spend only about 10% of their annual incomes on food, compared with as much as 70% in other countries, but with prices climbing, some economists wonder whether the nation's abundance of affordable food is history.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cheap-food-20110317,0,1746312.story?track=rss&dlvrit=52116
A national hunger survey by Hart Research Associates, commissioned last month by the Food Research and Action Center and Tyson Foods Inc., confirmed that one in four Americans is worried about having enough money to put food on the table in the next year.
Documentary "Food Stamped" chronicles couple's quest to eat healthy on $50/week http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/film/2011/03/11/dciff-food-stamped/
Over the course of several months performance artist Elizabeth Tobias traded cupcakes for personal stories on hunger and homelessness:
http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/2011/03/elizabeth_tobias_cupcake.php
Ginny Hildebrand, director of Association ofArizona Food Banks, corrects persistent myths about food stamp participants: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/2011/03/16/20110316wedlets165.html
Top 400 Wealthiest Americans Richer than Bottom Fifty Percent Combined:
Richest 20%of Americans capture 71% of housing subsidies. Overall , tax breaks for the wealthy have cost us $1 trillion:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/we-should-slash-welfare-for-the-wealthy-2011-03-09#
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8. Feeding LA's Students: Enough Food , Healthy Food
Prof. Bob Gottlieb and food service director Rodney Taylor: “Kids Like Healthy Food, So Let’s Give It To ‘Em: “A school food revolution is happening, from its emblematic program in the Riverside Unified School District and extending throughout Southern California and around the country.It's about getting fresh, local, and healthy food into the cafeterias. It's about setting up school gardens as a learning tool and creating knowledge about the food we grow.”
http://www.pe.com/localnews/opinion/localviews/stories/PE_OpEd_Opinion_D_op_food_loc_17.15ea7f0.html
Actor Jeff Bridges joined Matt Sharp of California Food Policy Advocates, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, Share our Strength’s Billy Shore and others at launch of Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry in LA campaign last Wednesday (March 16):
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_17627912?nclick_check=1
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9. Submit Your Best Local Food Story to “The Perennial Plate”
DANIEL KLEIN: What's The Best Local Food Story In America? Daniel Klein of The Perennial Plate: “The Perennial Plate has been creating weekly videos about Real Food in Minnesota for the past year. Today we released our 52nd video: a trailer for our upcoming project. This spring I will be traveling across the country for 6 months, documenting stories about good food in America. Each week we will be filming, editing and releasing unique short films and for that we need your help. We want this cross country film project to be made up of the stories from your friends, farmers and neighbors. So, if you have an opinion about what good food is? Submit a story. Know of an incredible farmer, fisherman, gardener? Let us know. “
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10. Oxfam: Fight Hunger: Invest in Women Farmers!
While one in every six people in the world suffers from hunger, women are usually the first to give up their meals to feed their families. Even more alarmingly,according to Oxfam America, climate change will put 50 million more people at risk of chronic hunger.
Women grow the majority of food in developing countries, but due to unequal access to resources like land and credit, they can’t feed their families. Today, almost one in every six people worldwide suffer from hunger, a problem expected to worsen as climate change disrupts weather and farming cycles.
Oxfam is conducting campaigns urging US Congress to stand with women farmers around the world. More info and online letter:
http://www.oxfamamerica.org/campaigns/climate-change
https://secure.oxfamamerica.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1191
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March 11, 2011:
JAPAN EARTHQUAKE/TSUNAMI AID
From Network for Good: If you are not directly responding to the crisis but would like to invite donors to give, we have confirmed the following agencies are mobilized to provide relief. They are featured on our giving page at http://www1.networkforgood.org/help-survivors-pacific-quake-tsunami . We will be adding to this page throughout the day and weekend.
- AMERICAN RED CROSS: Emergency Operation Centers are opened in the affected areas and staffed by the chapters.
- SAVE THE CHILDREN: Mobilizing to provide immediate humanitarian relief in the shape of emergency health care and provision of non-food items and shelter.
- GLOBALGIVING: Established a fund to disburse donations to organizations providing relief and emergency services to victims of the earthquake and tsunami.
- OXFAM USA: Oxfam is poised to respond if disaster strikes vulnerable countries in its path.
- Hunger Action LA News: Follow us on Twitter @HungerActionLA . and the HALA Facebook Page.
- State Budget
- Upcoming LA Area Events, News and Volunteer Opportunities:
- State Legislation Needs Your Support:
- The Economy, Hunger and Healthy Eating Articles of Note
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1. Hunger Action LA News:
HALA Meeting Friday March 25: 10 am to Noon, at LAANE, 464 S. Lucas Ave LA CA 90017. Admission free, parking free. Special guest Lino Rios of LA Department of Public Social Services will advise us of the upcoming CalFresh Month and how we and our organizations can participate (May 2011.) Also updates on LA Unified School District nutrition issues: food justice projects in South LA and East LA: upcoming South LA Earth Day April 16: and the legislative agenda and logistics for Hunger Action Day May 16-17 in Sacramento. RSVP at frank@hungeractionla.org or 213 388-8228
Donate to HALA Veggie Voucher Program: HALA’s Veggie Vouchers at four LA area farmers’ markets have helped over 1,000 families afford the fruits and vegetables they need for better health! Help keep it going so we can expand it into Long Beach, East LA and Huntington Park!
Click here to make a donation today and help feed one family.
(To help the Veggie Voucher program use the code HALA in the indicated space).
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2. State Budget
Support Revenue Solutions instead of “Cuts Only” Budget: From AFSCME: “Please sign a petition to support the mandatory single sales factor (SB116). SB116 will close this major tax loophole in California while creating 40,000 new jobs and saving Californians $1 billion annually. This is a budget solution we can't pass up.
See below for more information or click www.caljobstoday.org .”
Proposed CalWORKS cuts are EXTREMELY harmful to children: From Childrens Defense Fund http://www.childrensdefense.org/state-offices/cdf-california/
The legislature is expected to vote on the Governor’s proposed budget within the next week. While recognizing the urgency of resolving the budget deficit, we strongly oppose cuts to cash assistance and work support programs that will primarily hurt children. Legislators seem willing to vote on a budget that will dramatically hurt our poorest children, despite the fact that there are tax loopholes still to be closed. (See above item!)
Until now, time limits on CalWORKS had only applied to adults. The Governor has proposed placing a 48 month time limit on adults and children in CalWORKS, meaning that 235,000 children would lose all cash assistance. While both the Assembly and Senate originally rejected this cut for children, they agreed to reduce state funding for CalWORKS program by one half. Therefore, the Administration is still proposing cutting children’s grants by 50% if the parent is not meeting work requirements. There is no evidence that this will get people to work in a struggling economy.
Call your Legislators – sample script:
Hi my name is _____________ and I’m calling to ask [your Senator/Assemblymember] to avoid making cuts to CalWORKS that will be extremely harmful to children and to support Governor Brown’s revenue package. Thank you.
To find your legislators, visit http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html
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3. Upcoming LA Area Events, News and Volunteer Opportunities:
March 16 Los Angeles No Kid Hungry Campaign : National anti-hunger organization Share Our Strength together with Jeff Bridges, National Campaign Spokesperson for Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry Campaign, long-time hunger advocate and Academy Award-winning actor; California Food Policy Advocates; and other special guests will hold a press conference for the launch of the Los Angeles No Kid Hungry Campaign to End Childhood Hunger at an elementary school in Los Angeles: stay tuned for news
March 19 Anti War Rally: Gather at noon Hollywood and Vine on Saturday March 19. War is the mother of hunger---both in its immediate consequences and in the money it drains from government expenditures that could be used on human needs. http://www.answercoalition.org/la/index.html
For an inspirational quote from President Eisenhower on how war steals food from the mouths of people crank up the volume on your computer and go to www.hungeractionla.org
March 19 On The Teevee--Watch the Special on Childhood Hunger—"Child Hunger Ends Here: A Special Report," a 30-minute special hosted by Al Roker with Natalie Morales, will premiere on NBC highlighting the personal stories of families struggling with hunger and showcasing how Americans can work together to tackle this issue..By following #ChildHungerEndsHere on Twitter during the broadcast, participants can ask questions from an expert panel, as well as learn about ways to get involved.
March 20 Right to Share Food: RIGHT TO SHARE FOOD EXTRAVAGANZA II
1:00 pm. Sunday March 20, 2011 The first day of Spring! Corner of 6th St. and Towne Ave.
south side Skid Row * Los Angeles. At Right To Share Food, we believe that sharing food with our brothers and sisters is a fundamental human right.We believe that sharing food is protected
under the freedom of association clause of the first amendment of the constitution.
Come help us celebrate, exercise and defend this right.
* FREE FOOD * ENTERTAINMENT * NETWORKING * OTHER SERVICES
Contact: Michael Hubman (714) 227-2217
March 23 Feeding our Families: A Community Forum on Food Justice and Culture in Inglewood and South Los Angeles Darby Park, Inglewood, 90305. Wednesday, March 23, 2011 - 5:30pm - 8:00pm
Contact: ddwilliams@sjli-cp.org
Feeding our Families will introduce the principle of Food Justice and how it relates to our community. As a part of 100 Seeds of Change initiative, we will discuss our efforts to build urban gardens as a response to the impact of fast-food, diet related diseases and the lack of healthy food options. We will host a panel of experts who discuss their efforts in this area and talk about ways to create change. This forum is intended to empower and build our community as we work toward healthy food options in our neighborhoods and schools.
This event also serves as a follow-up to our Fruit Tree Distribution Program. TreePeople will be present to answer tree care questions for all of the fruit tree recipients. To RSVP, please contact ddwilliams@sjli-cp.org or at 310.597.9638.
March 26 Labor A Time to Stand for Workers and Worker Rights: On Saturday, March 26, the Southern California labor movement will hold a huge march and rally, partly in support of the grocery workers currently in contract negotiations and partly in protest at the sharp edge of anti-unionism now being pushed by conservatives under the guise of balancing state budgets in the Midwest and elsewhere. For more information, email Lynda Berg . 10:00 AM - Gather at LA Convention Center. 11:00 AM - March begins. 12:30 PM - Rally begins at Pershing Square.
March 29 California Endowment “Consuming Health: Local Options in Accessing Healthy Food”
http://calendow.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=5ed3773f9dbbd14b196a40fb9&id=8bc36d04a4
In an effort to explore this disparity and promote solutions, The California Endowment’s CenterScene Public Programs invites you to a panel discussion that will highlight local efforts underway to make the healthy choice the easy choice everywhere. Panelists will explore the food system at large, from sustainable agriculture to innovative distribution models, and alternatives to traditional retail models.
At: The California Endowment Center for Healthy Communities, Yosemite Hall
1000 North Alameda
Los Angeles, CA 90012 Program
Starts promptly at 6:30 p.m.
April 1, Food Forward Fundraiser: Proud supporter Annie Miller of Clementine restaurant invites you to a delicious and juicy fundraiser to help Food Forward, Southern California's largest urban gleaning organization dedicated to feeding the hungry. Friday, April 1 2011 at 7:30 to 9:30 PM Clementine 1751 Ensley Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024 . $45 includes Clementines signature grilled cheese tasting, fresh picked citrus, fruit spritzers and a silent auction. Tickets are very limited and must be purchased in advance at: www.foodforward.org .
Nominate a Hunger Fighter, Deadline April 15 : The Hunger Fighter award is given out every year to honor individuals who have done significant work to end hunger in their community and across California. Whether they are a local community member, an elected official, a nonprofit professional or a government employee, they have gone to extraordinary lengths to champion people’s human right to food. This award recognizes their efforts they have made this year.
Please nominate someone you think has been a Hunger Fighter by April 14th. Voting for nominees begins April 15th and ends April 30th. Hunger Fighter awards will be presented on May 17th at Hunger Action Day 2011 in Sacramento, CA.https://app.e2ma.net/app2/survey/1407694/205024971/d9092432cf/6989396577/208493318/221037310/
April 12 More Teevee, Jamie Oliver Food Revolution 2nd Season: British chef Jamie Oliver is loved by food lovers everywhere in the United Kingdom, but will his boyish good looks and mad cooking skills win over the students at a Los Angeles school?Oliver is taking on his biggest challenge yet when he returns for a second season of the Emmy Award-winning series, “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.”
April 16 Earth Day South LA: Spark the Power Shift a multifaceted event with food, music, resources and education on food security, the environment, and physical activity Saturday, April 16 11 AM to 6 PM for 505 S. Raymond Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90037 More info at www.earthdaysouthla.org 323-299-7075. Presented by Community Services Unlimited Incorporated and Normandie Avenue Elementary School.
Month of May: CalFresh Month come to the Hunger Action LA meeting March 25 for more details
May 4: ENACT Day: ENACT Nutrition and Activity Day is the Strategic Alliance's yearly, grass-roots lobby day held in Sacramento, CA. ENACT brings together advocates from across the state in an effort to educate policy makers about opportunities to improve California's nutrition and physical activity environments. Register here:
http://www.cfpa.net/ENACT2011/index.html
May 16-17 Hunger Action Day: in Sacramento. You can leave on the two day bus caravan May 16 from LA. Contact frank@hungeractionla.org if interested. $35 donation requested. We’ll be supporting legislation to ease CalFresh (food stamp) enrollment, to help get seniors into the program, and calling attention to the hunger and misery that will result from the state budget which will now slash thousands of people from financial assistance.
Register: http://hungeraction.net/hungeractionday.php#
Print out your own Save the Date flyer to distribute far and wide!http://www.cfpa.net/HAD2011/HAD_SaveTheDate_V1.pdf
May 24 Immigrant Day at the Capitol: Join the California Immigrant Policy Center on May 24th for Immigrant Day at the Capitol : One California: Many Peoples. One Future.While other states consider alarming anti-immigrant bills California has the opportunity to be a beacon for immigrant rights and inclusion. We can protect our tradition as a welcoming and diverse state and work to advance immigrant rights to guide our efforts toward creating future prosperity for all Californians.
Will your organization join hundreds of immigrant community leaders for Immigrant Day in Sacramento this May 24? Click here to register today.
For further information please contact Kristine Chong: kchong@caimmigrant.org or (213) 250-0880 x 111
Food Finders and Garden Angels looking for volunteers in South Bay area Food Finders provides food to alleviate hunger and promotes food security of individuals and families in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Volunteers help with food pickup and delivery seven days a week and perform office administration tasks. Routes in the South Bay are available.Garden Angels: Redondo Beach. Beach Cities Health District seeks volunteers for the Garden Angels program to help maintain eight elementary school gardens. Volunteers pair up and work together once a week at an assigned school in Redondo Beach. Tasks include watering and weeding garden beds between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_17569706
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4. State Legislation Needs Your Support:
Bills to end hunger are moving through the state legislature.
AB 6: simplifies application process and paperwork for CalFresh (food stamps)
Information and Support letter: http://cfpa.net/2011leg/index.html
AB 69: sets up a pilot system working with Social Security Administration to help more seniors apply for CalFresh (food stamps)
Information and Support letter http://cfpa.net/2011leg/index.html
AB 828: ends restrictions on people with past drug felonies from receiving CalFresh The Western Center on Law & Poverty and Women’s Policy Institute’s Economic Justice team are pleased to announce that Assemblyman Sandré Swanson (D-Alameda) has introduced AB 828, the “Nutritional Assistance for Families Act.”If passed, AB 828 would lift the lifetime ban on CalFresh assistance for people with prior low-level drug convictions.
Please help send a support Letter to the Human Services Committee. (Sample:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hunger-Action-Los-Angeles/186356138975 )The deadline to send is March 23rd. Please email or fax us a copy of your support letter so that we can have it on file too.
Fax Number: (413) 294-3702
Sample Support letter:
AB 152: works with growers to get more fresh food into food banks
AB 152 support letter to Assembly Health Committee: http://www.cafoodbanks.org/docs/AB 152 Health Committee Organization Support Letter.docx
AB 152 support letter to Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee:http://www.cafoodbanks.org/docs/AB 152 Rev and Tax Committee Organization Support Letter.docx
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5. The Economy, Hunger and Healthy Eating Articles of Note
400 Richest Americans now wealthier than bottom 50%
Report finds 20% of Californians struggled to feed their families in 2010:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-food-hardship-20110306,0,4063216.story
The Nation: SNAP for Good Food: An article exploring among other things the farmers’ market incentive programs for food stamp (SNAP) (CalFresh) participants
http://www.thenation.com/article/159160/food-stamps-good-food
David Katz: Healthy Food Costs More--- A Myth?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-katz-md/healthy-food-costs-more--a-myth_b_831608.html
March 5, 2011:
Follow us on Twitter @HungerActionLA . and the HALA Facebook Page. Thanks to SchoolFoodLA, REalAge, Lisa Sherrill, Rachel Surls, NutriNerd, LAFarmGirl, snailwrangler, CAFoodPolicy, Holly Hight, and all others whose tweets and re-tweets we’ve handily stolen for this update
- Hunger Action LA News
- State Budget and Legislation
- Child Nutrition News
- New Attacks on Social Security in DC
- South LA Events Highlight Food Security, Healthy Eating, Environment
- State Health Task Force Wants to Hear From You
- Food Gleaning News:
- Community Food Security Coalition Farm Bill Survey: Deadline March 8
- Farmworkers Coalition Gaining Massive Support
- Food Industry Is Also Responsible for Overeating
- ConAgra Partnering with Feeding America for Food Donations
- Food Prices Affecting Globe
- House Proposal Will Hurt Local L.A. Food and Shelter Nonprofit Programs
- Color of Food Report Maps Out Racial Disparities in Food System
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1. Hunger Action LA News:
HALA Meeting Friday March 25: 10 am to Noon, at LAANE, 464 S. Lucas Ave LA CA 90017. Admission free, parking free. Special guests will update us on the CalFresh program—formerly known as food stamps---and you’ll get a chance to go through the online application! Also, LA Unified School District nutrition issues: food justice projects in South LA and East LA: upcoming South LA Earth Day April 16: and the legislative agenda and logistics for Hunger Action Day May 16-17 in Sacramento. RSVP atfrank@hungeractionla.org or 213 388-8228
Hunger Action Day May 17: in Sacramento. You can leave on the two day bus caravan May 16 from LA. Contact frank@hungeractionla.org if interested. $35 donation requested. We’ll be supporting legislation to ease CalFresh (food stamp) enrollment, to help get seniors into the program, and calling attention to the hunger and misery that will result from the state budget which will now slash thousands of people from financial assistance.
RSVP via Facebook---gives it that “party” feel! HALA Facebook Page
Print out your own Save the Date flyer to distribute far and wide!http://www.cfpa.net/HAD2011/HAD_SaveTheDate_V1.pdf
Donate to HALA Veggie Voucher Program: HALA’s Veggie Vouchers at four LA area farmers’ markets have helped over 1,000 families afford the fruits and vegetables they need for better health! Help keep it going so we can expand it into Long Beach, East LA and Huntington Park!
Click here to make a donation today and help feed one family.
(To help the Veggie Voucher program use the code HALA in the indicated space).
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2. State Budget and Legislation:
Cuts to CalWORKs Will Create Hunger:
From Western Center on Law and Poverty : “Yesterday, the Assembly and Senate Budget Conference Committee voted to make even deeper cuts to health and human services .
Next week, the full Senate and Assembly will go to the respective floors for full floor votes.
The budget scales back welfare to work and cuts grants by 8% to the average family. They also voted to cut SSI/SSP grants by $15 for low-income disabled and elderly individuals. “
“While they opposed the full family sanction(eliminating ALL assistance) for child-only and safety-net grants, proposed by the Governor, the Conference Committee voted to significantly reduce the grants of those children.” This refers to families who run up against the 48 month time limit on lifetime benefits in family welfare (CalWORKs) that the Governor proposed and the Legislature agreed to. These families will be left with very little money and the food budget is the first place they will make sacrifices.
To get more involved visit California Partnership http://www.california-partnership.org/
Health and Human Services Networkhttp://www.hhsnetworkca.org/
State Legislation Needs Your Support:
Bills to end hunger are moving through the state legislature.
AB 6: simplifies application process and paperwork for CalFresh (food stamps)
AB 69: sets up a pilot system working with Social Security Administration to help more seniors apply for CalFresh (food stamps)
AB 828: ends restrictions on people with past drug felonies from receiving CalFresh
AB 152: works with growers to get more fresh food into food banks
Flyer with legislative agenda items:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hunger-Action-Los-Angeles/186356138975?v=wall
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3. Child Nutrition News:
Register for ENACT Nutrition Advocacy Day:
What is ENACT Nutrition and Activity Day?
ENACT Nutrition and Activity Day is the Strategic Alliance's yearly, grass-roots lobby day held in Sacramento, CA. ENACT brings together advocates from across the state in an effort to educate policy makers about opportunities to improve California's nutrition and physical activity environments.
http://www.cfpa.net/ENACT2011/index.html
Public Comment on School Meal Improvements:
www.regulations.gov Select Document Type “Proposed Rule”: Enter KeywordFNS NSLP
Healthy School Food Coalition beginning "Food Talks"focus groups for students, parents, teachers to improve school food; contact nep@oxy.edu
California Food Policy Advocates’ school breakfast work highlighted:More students eligible for free school meals since the recession .http://bit.ly/fYBTIa
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4. New Attacks on Social Security in DC
In the wee hours of the morning on February 19, all but three House Republicans voted to cut $1.7 billion from the SSA. The proposed cuts are so severe that the SSA could have to furlough thousands of workers for 1 month out of the 7 months remaining this budget year. The impact of these cuts for retirees, disabled workers and families will be devastating. Here’s what these cuts will do:
• Up to 400,000 people will have their applications for retirement, survivors and Medicare benefits significantly delayed.
• Up to 290,000 people will have their applications for disability benefits significantly delayed. Unbelievably, it already takes nearly 500 days on average to have a disability claim resolved.
Please call your Senators to protect Social Security: Senator Dianne Feinstein Phone: (202) 224-3841
Or email http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactUs.EmailMe
Senator Barbara Boxer http://boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/policycomments.cfm
Phone: (202) 224-3553
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5. South LA Events Highlight Food Security, Healthy Eating, Environment
Re-Imagining Empty Space: Innovations for An Active South LA: Tour and Summit March 12: March 15 (from Community Health Councils)
South LA residents suffer the highest rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes in all of Los Angeles. Join us in re-imagining neighborhoods where our families can combat these diseases to be healthier, safer, and more active Join your neighbors, advocates and policymakers in developing and advancing innovative opportunities.
TOUR: March 12, 2011 9:30AM - 1:00PM
The bus and bike tours start and end at Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center,
3916 S. Western Ave, LA 90062. Breakfast served at 9AM.
SUMMIT: March 15, 2011 4:00PM - 8:30PMMLK Rec Center.
Click Here to Register TODAY http://www.chc-inc.org/article.php?list=type&type=44 or call Bethany Ulrich at 323-295-9372
Earth Day South LA: Earth Day South LA 2011 : Spark the Power Shift a multifaceted event with food, music, resources and education on food security, the environment, and physical activity Saturday, April 16 11 AM to 6 PM for 505 S. Raymond Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90037 More info atwww.earthdaysouthla.org 323-299-7075. Presented by Community Services Unlimited Incorporated and Normandie Avenue Elementary School.
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6. State Health Task Force Wants to Hear From You
The Health in All Policies (HiAP) Task Force released a report in December 2010 outlining 34
recommended State actions to advance health through the policy areas of active transportation;
housing and indoor spaces; parks, urban greening, and places to be active; violence prevention;
healthy food; and healthy decision-making processes
(You can download the report at
http://www.sgc.ca.gov/workgroups/hiap.html ).
The Task Force will work with the Strategic Growth
Council (SGC) to select a small number of priority recommendations for near-term implementation.
They will hold workshops in which they are particularly interested in hearing from public health
workers, local and regional planners, government representatives and other interested stakeholders.
All workshops begin at 1:00 PM and end at 4:30 PM.
Los Angeles workshop will beThursday, March 17th, 2011
Location to be determined
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7. Food Gleaning News:
"A staggering 30-50% of all food produced rots away uneaten" says a special report @theeconomist http://t.co/nY1ijYO
Food Forward Fundraiser: Food Forward, Southern California's largest urban gleaning organization dedicated to feeding the hungry is coming to the Westside. Proud supporter Annie Miller of Clementine restaurant invites you to a delicious and juicy fundraiser to help Food Forward expand its reach to your neighborhood. Friday, April 1 2011 at 7:30 to 9:30 PM Clementine 1751 Ensley Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024 . $45 includes Clementines signature grilled cheese tasting, fresh picked citrus, fruit spritzers and a silent auction. Tickets are very limited and must be purchased in advance at: www.foodforward.org .
AmpleHarvest Links Gardeners to Food Pantries: AmpleHarvest.org is a nationwide anti-hunger effort created by Master Gardener (also CNN Hero) Gary Oppenheimer that enables millions of Americans who grow food in home gardeners to find a local food pantry eager for their gardenexcess.AmpleHarvest.org is the ideal solution to get excess garden produce, previously left composted or left to rot in gardens to these pantries.
AmpleHarvest is also available as an IPhone app. Gardeners who donate extra food not only help the needy, but they also help the environment. Visitwww.AmpleHarvest.org/faq to learn more.
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8. Community Food Security Coalition Farm Bill Survey: Deadline March 8
Due to overwhelming interest in CFSC's Virtual Farm Bill LIstening Session and Online Survey we have decided to extend the deadline and keep the survey open for one additional week. The new deadline for responding to the online survey will be 11:59 pm EST Tuesday, March 8th.
Please tell us what you think is most needed in your community, state or region as we approach the 2012 Farm Bill by completing our brief online survey.
The survey should not take more than 15 minutes to complete, and ALL feedback will be used to help form CFSC's policy platform for the 2012 farm bill.
CSFC’s Farm Bill webinar is now archived on our website (www.foodsecurity.org) and available for viewing in a number of formats, including:
View the Recording on YouTube
View the Slideshow on Slideshare
Download the Slides [PDF; 24Mb]
For additional Farm Bill background, please visit the policy page of our website.
Questions? Please contact the CFSC Policy Office: 202-543-8602
More Farm Bill and Food System Related Stories:
Don’t End Agricultural Subsidies: Fix Them
Where Does a Food Dollar Go? http://t.co/8CjjxqK
Michael Pollan weighs in California's food system - and the US food system. http://t.co/hFCrOjZ
What Can BE Done about Food Deserts:
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9. Farmworkers Coalition Gaining Massive Support
The Coalition for Immokalee Workers has been successfully winning better wages and working conditions for Florida’s tomato workers. Nearly a thousand people gathered in snowy downtown BostonClick here to see the the update, with a full photo report, links to
press coverage, and more!
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10. Food Industry Is Also Responsible for Overeating
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/7397928.html
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11. ConAgra Partnering with Feeding America for Food Donations
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12. Food Prices Affecting Globe
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13. House Proposal Will Hurt Local L.A. Food and Shelter Nonprofit Programs
• Funds WIC at $6.504 billion, a cut of $747.2 million.
For more analysis and actions:
http://frac.org/frac-analysis-of-fy2011-republican-house-proposal/
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14. Color of Food Report Maps Out Racial Disparities in Food System
• People of color typically make less than whites working in the food chain.
• Few people of color hold management positions in the food system.
• People of color are concentrated in low-wage jobs in the food chain.
February 16, 2011
- Hunger Action LA News
- Attacks on Working People Get Truly Insane
- Where The Money Will Come From: The Middle and Working Class
- CalFresh (Food Stamp) Participation Varies Widely Across California
- Jewish Coalition Launches Gardens in Los Angeles
- The Connection of World Hunger, Instability, and Food Prices
- GE Food Not The Solution to World Hunger
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1. Hunger Action LA News:
Not too late to call today about state budget: The statewide Health and Human Services Network has designated today (Feb 16) as a call-in day to tell our officials to protect health and human services in the state budget. Particularly ask them to oppose cuts in SSI (for seniors and disabled) of $15/month and cuts to CalWORKs that could leave 230,000 children in families with absolutely no income for housing, food, or anything. These are not just budget cuts: they can mean illness and death for some of our most vulnerable populations. Call as many of the following as you can:
Senator Mark Leno, Bay Area, (415) 557-1300; Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, (916) 651-1529; Senator Ed Hernandez, Southern CA, (626) 430-2499, Speaker of the Assembly John Perez, (213) 620-4646; Senator Juan Vargas, Southern CA, (619) 409-7690 ; Governor Jerry Brown (916) 445-2841 (press 1 for English and then 6 to speak to a representative)
Next Hunger Action LA Meeting Friday February 25, 10 am to Noon, 464 S. Lucas Ave, 90017.
Invited guests will give updates on food justice issues in South LA (the Neighborhood Grocery campaign) and East LA, as well as on child nutrition (including recent events at LA Unified School District.) Preparations will begin for Hunger Action Day, May 16-17 in Sacramento. Call 213-388-8228 or e mailfrank@hungeractionla.org to rsvp.
International Women’s Week MOTHERS MARCH Sat March 12, 2011 All welcome. For Everyone’s Survival End Budget Cuts, Poverty, Discrimination, War & Other Violence. Gather 11am outside DCFS office 425 Shatto Place, LA 90020 March to MacArthur Park; rally; music; poetry; food; rides for those unable to march; translation. Numerous co-sponsors! For info: call 323 276 9833 la@allwomencount.net
Donate to HALA Veggie Voucher Program: HALA’s Veggie Vouchers at four LA area farmers’ markets have helped over 1,000 families afford the fruits and vegetables they need for better health! Help keep it going into the new year!
Click here to make a donation today and help feed one family.
(To help the Veggie Voucher program use the code HALA in the indicated space).
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2. Attacks on Working People Get Truly Insane
Let’s see, a country where you cannot go on strike or you will have the army sent after you, where if you are unemployed you will be forced to “volunteer” to receive any kind of unemployment insurance that you paid into, and where children can be employed without a work permit and without the government being able to investigate their working conditions….Sounds like Burma, maybe? No, it’s the United States if the following proposals go through (all of which coincidentally came out in the news the same day):
Missouri Lawmaker Proposes Rolling Back Child Labor Laws
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/15/missouri-child-labo/
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/02/14/944565/-Now-Republicans-want-to-repeal-child-labor-laws
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker Threatens To Call Out National Guard If Public Employees Go On Strike:
http://harvardcrcl.org/2011/02/16/national-guard-prepped-to-maintain-labor-discipline-in-wisconsin/
http://www.jsonline.mobi/news/statepolitics/116208134.html?ua=iphone&dc=smart&c=y
…a move even many conservatives oppose !
Protests have already begun: “More than 10,000 union public employees and supporters packed the Capitol Square and the inside of the statehouse on Tuesday to protest Gov. Scott Walker's budget plan to strip many bargaining rights from state and local government workers.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/15/us-wisconsin-protests-idUSTRE71E7BY20110215
(Note: The firefighters, exempted by Walker from being stripped of bargaining rights, joined in the protest, complete with bagpipes.)
Florida proposes forced “volunteerism” for the unemployed (This already exists in the food stamp program by the way, and has for years and years in spite of those who think that food assistance is a “free lunch”): “As Florida's unemployment rate reaches 12 percent, new state legislation has been proposed to overhaul the state's unemployment system. Along with decreasing the number of weeks they can receive financial aid, the bill would require the jobless to volunteer in exchange for their weekly unemployment check, reports WCTV. Proposed by Rep. Kathleen Passidomo, the bill states that the unemployed would need to report a minimum of four hours per week. She told ABC Action News that volunteering would help them connect to employers and create relationships.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/14/florida-representative-ka_n_823209.html
And to top it off: There’s an Arizona proposal now that would require hospitals to verify citizenship or residency status before treating patients.
http://open.salon.com/blog/amy_mcmullen/2011/02/10/a_whole_new_kind_of_death_panel
Some of these measures won’t pass, but the fact that they are being seriously proposed shows how far the conversation has drifted in the united States.
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3. Where The Money Will Come From: The Middle and Working Class
New fees could end free banking as we know it: “To recoup lost revenue from sweeping new bank regulations, the nation's largest banks, including Wells Fargo & Co., Bank of America, Citigroup and J.P. Morgan Chase, have introduced monthly fees of $5 to $25 on checking accounts that previously had none.”
http://www.startribune.com/business/115948854.html
While JP Morgan reaps financial harvest from processing EBT cards for food assistance: “When the number of Americans on food stamps goes up, the profits of JPMorgan Chase also rise. The powerhouse national bank contracts with 26 state governments and the District of Columbia to produce debit cards for food stamp recipients, a service that nets JPMorgan a clear profit.
Among the states using JPMorgan is Florida, which paid out $50 million over the last three years to have its food stamps distributed. Until recently, though, some of the taxpayer money paid to the bank went to employ workers in India to operate call centers. These foreign operators earn an average of $2.50 to $3.50 an hour, which is about 70% less than Americans in the same position make. When word got out that JPMorgan was using stimulus funds to operate overseas call centers, Florida officials complained. The bank has promised to move its Florida calls back to the states.”
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4. CalFresh (Food Stamp) Participation Varies Widely Across California
Food stamp use in California has long been among the lowest in the nation, but a new report shows that participation varies widely among the state's counties. The report, released Friday by California Food Policy Advocates, estimates that Fresno County ranks first in CalFresh participation among certain eligible individuals and that Mono County ranks last.
The estimates "point to the different level of access that a client can receive, depending on where they live," said Alexis Fernandez, a nutrition policy advocate at California Food Policy Advocates.Policies and practices for CalFresh participation are different in every county. For example, not all counties offer online enrollment, and some may offer phone interviews while others require in-person interviews.
Full report: http://www.cfpa.net/foodstamps/PAI.htm
Rest of story: http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/food-stamp-use-inconsistent-across-state-8697
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5. Jewish Coalition Launches Gardens in Los Angeles
If Rabbi Noah Farkas of Valley Beth Shalom synagogue in Encino, fulfills his vision, 101 food-bearing gardens will blossom at synagogues, Jewish organizations, schools and private homes throughout urban Los Angeles — with 90% of their harvest going to feed the hungry through his new organization Netiya: The LA Jewish Coalition on Food, Environment and Social Justice.
Read more: http://blogs.forward.com/the-jew-and-the-carrot/135440/#ixzz1E9lMocjY
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6. The Connection of World Hunger, Instability, and Food Prices
A new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says world food prices have reached an historic peak, and instability is being fueled by poor people in developing countries spending up to 80 percent of their income on food. Eric Munoz, senior policy adviser for the hunger-fighting group Oxfam America, says hunger breeds political instability and turmoil.
http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/18509-1
The World Food Program USA issued a statement yesterday in response to the proposed budget cuts put forward by members of Congress. The House Appropriations Committee is calling for deep cuts in international food aid. The proposed cuts come at a time when nearly 1 billion people worldwide suffer from hunger. Seven other organizations joined with WFP USA in endorsing the statement.
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/218054
Rising food prices have pushed about 44 million people into poverty in developing countries since last June as food costs near peak 2008 levels, the World Bank warns in a new report.
To help offset the problem, World Bank President Robert Zoellick is calling for global action to provide better safety nets for pregnant women and young children and to improve developing-world farmers' access to better seeds, fertilizer and markets.
Soaring food prices – such as wheat, which has hit a 2-1/2-year high – could feed political tumult in Africa, despite earlier proclamations that an Egypt-style revolt would not spread to sub-Saharan Africa.
Jonathon Trugman: “ “Ron Paul attributed the rise in food and energy commodities to QE2.” (The Federal Reserve essentially creating money out of thin air this last year.) “QE2 is clearly not to blame for the burning of the Middle East, but it has a hand in driving up food and energy prices around the world. Unfortunately, rising food and energy prices act like a tax on the global consumer. You need to spend more of your paycheck to fill up your gas tank or to buy a loaf of bread.”
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/egypt_others_are_chaffing_under_BkCpvANbnuUd1MkjZA5hNI
Growing grain for ethanol doesn’t help food prices either: “In Face of Hunger, corn ethanol industry says blame anyone but us”. Nathaneal Greene: “Since 2004, biofuels mandates in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere have doubled the rate of increase in global demand for grains. It doesn’t take a trained economist to imagine the impact this market pressure can have on farmers and poor people around the world.”
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/ngreene/in_face_of_hunger_corn_ethanol.html
Time: Why Biofuels Drive Up Food Prices: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2048885,00.html
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7. GE Food Not The Solution to World Hunger
Cherise Fantus in the University of Colorado “Scribe”: “…genetically engineered (GE) food is no longer a foreign concept. Many would argue that – it's curing world hunger.” A GE orange sweet potato has been developed to grow well in Africa that will contain more Vitamin A than the native variety. But she continues: “Great, right? I would have to say, not really. GE foods are expensive. Not many poor, rural farmers in developing nations can afford to buy the GE seeds needed to produce the vitamin-rich crops that will cure their nation's hunger. Not only that, but Friends of the Earth point out that "many people in the world are suffering from malnutrition and hunger because they cannot afford to buy food, not because it is unavailable." A more expensive, more nutrient-rich alternative does not solve this problem. Also, the companies that create GE foods, like Mansanto, tend to patent them. These companies have no real interest in solving world hunger; their main objective is to make money.”
http://www.uccsscribe.com/opinion/ge-food-won-t-really-end-world-hunger-1.2468092
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February 11, 2011: The people of Egypt have just succeeded in overthrowing the 30-year dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak. In spite of the violence characterizing much of last week overall it was a very peaceful accomplishment, considering there are over 80 million people in Egypt. The role of rising food prices in creating the discontent and leading to this (hopefully ultimately democratic) transformation was significant:http://www.slate.com/id/2283217?nav=wp
- Hunger Action LA News:
- Call-In Week Feb. 14-18: Budget Action Feb. 22 at Capitol
- California: Legislator Proposes No Junk Food for CalFresh users: EBT Use at Farmer’s Markets Up
- Valentines Day No More Chocolate Milk In Our Schools Protest
- Slow Food Web Conference Tomorrow
- The Economy and What Is Washington Not Doing About It
- San Francisco Supervisor Proposes Food, Not Cash, for Working Homeless
- McDonald’s Execs Start New Healthy Food Chain
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1. Hunger Action LA News:
HALA meeting Feb 25: All are welcome to Hunger Action LA’s monthly meeting Friday Feb. 25, at LAANE, 464 S. Lucas LA 90017. Admission and parking are free. There will be updates on anti-hunger legislation and on projects occurring in East LA and South LA, as well as on the city’s food surplus distribution policy and happenings at LA Unified School District. RSVP by responding to this e mail or call 213-388-8228
Donate to HALA Veggie Voucher Program: HALA’s Veggie Vouchers at four LA area farmers’ markets have helped over 1,000 families afford the fruits and vegetables they need for better health! Help keep it going so we can expand it into Long Beach, East LA and Huntington Park!
Click here to make a donation today and help feed one family.
(To help the Veggie Voucher program use the code HALA in the indicated space).
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2. Call-In Week Feb. 14-18: Budget Action Feb. 22 at Capitol
From the Health and Human Services Network: “The HHS Network is organizing a statewide call-in week beginning MONDAY, February 14 in advance of the first meeting of the Budget Conference Committee – scheduled to take place on Friday Feb. 18! The Network is seeking partners and allies who can help generate calls to legislators to share with them just how serious these cuts are, and urge them to find alternative solutions to mitigate the worst of the proposed cuts, especially those that will make children homeless and cause seniors and the chronically ill to die. (Simple summary of budget cuts:http://california-partnership.org/images/stories/pdfs/cap2011budgetsummary_v4.pdf )
If your organization can pledge to make 10, 20 or 100 calls the week of February 14 – 18, let us know!
Click here and tell us how many calls your organization can generate!
We’ll be rallying at the Capitol on Tuesday Feb. 22 to demonstrate to state leaders just how dangerous some of these cuts would be, and asking them to find alternative solutions to help balance the state budget without making cuts that will lead to homelessness and death! More details will come as soon as they’re available, but if you’d like to get involved, please contact an HHS Network Field Organizer TODAY!
Please contact:
Northern CA: Jessica Rothhaar – jessicar@health-access.org – 510-873-8787 ext 107Southern CA: Astrid Campos –acampos@communitychange.org - 213-407-5840
Please donate $5, $15, $25 or $50, by clicking here!
Your donation will go directly to transportation to bring hundreds of people to the Capitol for our next big action!
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3. California: Legislator Proposes No Junk Food for CalFresh users: EBT Use at Farmer’s Markets Up
Legislator proposes no junk food for food stamps:
This week, state Sen. Michael Rubio will introduce legislation that would prohibit CalFresh (food stamps) from being used to purchase "junk food" , including prepared meals at fast-food restaurants. More than 1,000 restaurants in Los Angeles County alone participate in the program, offering choices from fast food to ethnic cuisine. Participants must be homeless, disabled or elderly to use the food benefits at these restaurants.
The Fresno board defeated a measure Tuesday that would have added Fresno to the list of counties offering the restaurant meals program:
http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x39353596/No-junk-food-for-food-stamps-Rubio-says
A freshman Republican in Oregon’s state legislature has a similar idea
http://blog.oregonlive.com/mapesonpolitics/2011/02/rep_wally_hicks_and_the_educat.html
The Restaurant Meals Program misunderstood: Senator Rubio’s proposal is not likely to fly---states aren’t authorized to decide how food stamp benefits are used, and retailers would never stand for a system requiring them to spend time at the counter separating foods into smaller and smaller sub-categories of eligible products. But worse, his proposal misunderstands the intent of the Restaurant Meals Program. Participants must be homeless, disabled or elderly---people who don’t have access to cooking facilities. While we are all promoting healthier food for food stamp purchase, those options are not always available especially to extremely poor people. The profile of someone using food benefits for this program is not likely to be a child but rather, a single adult. The monthly benefits would not be enough to cover frequent use at fast food places, furthermore some fast food places offer food that is comparatively healthy compared to others.
Some fast food places also accept the cash benefits that are available on the same EBT card as the food benefits: the use of cash benefits at these places is not restricted to homeless, disabled or elderly. But it is more of a comment on the relative abundance and low price of junk food compared to healthy food, that people use their benefits at such places. Our food system needs to change in a much more comprehensive way to change peoples’ eating habits. One option is to promote fresh fruit and vegetable purchases with CalFresh (food stamps)….
EBT use at farmers’ markets up in California:…which is precisely what’s been happening in California. “Farmers' markets in San Francisco and throughout California have seen huge increases in the use of food stamps, said Gus Schumacher, executive vice president of Wholesome Wave Foundation in Connecticut, which works with California's Roots of Change project using private donations to match food-stamp dollars for locally grown food”. Roots of Change partners with several organizations around California including HALA to sponsor programs that offer additional incentives to people using public benefits to make fresh fruits and vegetables more affordable. California Department of Social Services statistics show that CalFresh redemption at farmers markets has risen from $633,926 in 2008, to $3.6 million in 2010---a more than fivefold increase.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/02/08/MN7J1HKAEN.DTL
LA County CalFresh application goes online:https://www.dpssbenefits.lacounty.gov/ybn/Index.html
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4. Valentines Day No More Chocolate Milk In Our Schools Protest
From: Jennie and the Food for Lunch Crew:
Los Angeles healthy school food activists are rallying at the Cafeteria Improvement Meeting Monday, Feb. 14. Jennie and the Food for Lunch Crew report that:
“Daily chocolate milk consumption = 14 cups of sugar a school year. ALMOST A GALLON OF SUGAR toward diabetes and obesity.” LAUSD Food Services has requested letters of support to eliminate the chocolate milk at LAUSD schools.
Cafeteria Improvement Committee Meeting
Monday February 14th, 2011
2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
LAUSD Headquarters - 333 South Beaudry Avenue 28th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90017 Conference Room 28-119
Call Jennie’s cell: 310.850.1884 or the catering shoppe 323.982.0052
Write a note, sign the e- petition here http://www.petitiononline.com/86sugar/petition.html and get the other parents and staff at your school to do the same in support of removing flavored milk from LAUSD. Attach your note of support to a one GALLON milk bottle decorated as a Valentine. Empty jugs are fine, but feel free to fill it with 14 cups of sugar (or sand) to educate your family.
Participants will meet outside the Visconti apartments parking lot at 1:30 and parade right up to the 28th floor with our Valentines at 2 p.m. sharp. Other options are to drop off your Valentine anytime on Monday addressed to food services at 333 South Beaudry.
or drop off your Valentine at the Farmer's Kitchen any time through this Sunday and chef Ernie will deliver it for you.
Message: Please take back the sugar. We don't want it in our milk!
Please let us know you're participating by responding to Emily at gallonofsugar@gmail.com
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5. Slow Food Web Conference Tomorrow
Tomorrow, Saturday February 12, an amazing event is taking place. Over 20 high-profile speakers, including Slow Food USA's President Josh Viertel, will discuss how we can shift to a food system that provides good, clean and fair food for all.
The best thing? You don't have to be in New York City to be part of it! We'll be broadcasting the event live on our website - where you can join in the conversation in our live forum:
https://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5986/news_item/TEDx
This is a fantastic opportunity to stimulate these conversations in your local area. And a great excuse to get together with like-minded people in your community! Click here to find out how to host or attend a live 'Viewing Party' on Saturday February 12 at 10:30 AM Eastern TIme
http://tedxmanhattan.org/viewing-parties/
Don't forget to come to our website at 10:30am ET this Saturday!
The Slow Food USA team
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6. The Economy and What Is Washington Not Doing About It
3.9 million people lost unemployment benefits in the course of 2010, and another 4 million estimated to lose them during 2011:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/10/2010-unemployment-benefits-exhausted_n_820957.html
Veterans more likely to be homeless:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/10/homeless-veterans-report-hud_n_821433.html
And all that private charity that’s supposed to fill in when that pesky government gets its nose out of our business? It’s down. “The 54 most generous donors in America gave only $3.3 billion in 2010, the smallest sum since 2000, according to a ranking compiled by The Chronicle of Philanthropy and Slate magazine. And not many of those 54 donors are members of the premium tier of net-worth individuals. Of the 400 wealthiest Americans ranked by Forbes magazine, only 17 appeared on this year's list of the most-generous donors.”
http://money.cnn.com/2011/02/04/news/economy/charity_gifts/
President proposes cuts to energy assistance to the poor:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/10/obama-budget-cut-proposals-target-poor_n_821010.html
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7. San Francisco Supervisor Proposes Food, Not Cash, for Working Homeless
With the economy the way it is you’d think we’d all be promoting any kind of work people can find. But---
“If a newly elected San Francisco supervisor has his way, people who redeem their empty bottles and cans at recycling centers would be offered food vouchers instead of cash. But following long-standing complaints that such centers can encourage unsavory characters to congregate at grocery recycling outlets,Supervisor Scott Wiener is hoping to encourage the Board of Supervisors to lobby for changes to the state law that mandates cash compensation.And he wants to make the changes applicable to all recycling centers.”
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2011/02/scott-wieners-proposal-aims-food-not-cash-recyclers
This proposal is an affront to common sense and human decency, and an attack on America’s fundamental free enterprise principles. You cannot say with one side of your mouth “the homeless should work” and then proceed to pick and choose which perfectly legal occupations they can carry out, for cash. In an economy that promotes homelessness by not paying living wage for many jobs and considering rent control to be over-regulation, you cannot then penalize people for being homeless as a result.
Food vouchers instead of cash would be acceptable only if applied to everyone who recycles, not just selectively to the homeless. And even then it is based on a disrespect for people doing real work to make a living, and on a general dislike of a group of people or a presumption that “you can tell by looking if someone is homeless.”
Remember—the revolution in Tunisia, which inspired the Egyptian’s newly completed revolution, began when a vegetable vendor set himself on fire because the police confiscated his vegetable cart---his means of supporting himself.
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8. McDonald’s Execs Start New Healthy Food Chain
Two veteran executives from McDonald's are starting a restaurant chain to revolutionize the fast-food industry -- by serving food that isn't harmful to your health….” In the Lyfe kitchen, butter, cream and high-fructose corn syrup are banned, and none of the food is fried. Sweet potato fries, for instance, are oven-baked. All of Lyfe's menu items contain less than 600 calories, including signature dishes that include a Niman ranch beef burger with agave ketchup and pickles. The desserts are expected to be dairy-free.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/07/lyfe-kitchen-chicagobased_n_819682.html
If the prices are kept reasonable, this could be a solution to the Restaurant Meals Program dilemma……..
- Hunger Action LA News:
- California: Low Food Assistance Participation, Grassroots Action
- Federal Anti Hunger Initiatives:
- Farm Bill
- The Economy:
- Food Prices
- Big Food Agressively Re-Defining Sugar, Preparing for Soda Taxes, and Arm-Twisting for GE Alfalfa
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1. Hunger Action LA News:
Donate to HALA Veggie Voucher Program: HALA’s Veggie Vouchers at four LA area farmers’ markets have helped over 1,000 families afford the fruits and vegetables they need for better health! Help keep it going so we can expand it into Long Beach, East LA and Huntington Park!
Click here to make a donation today and help feed one family.
(To help the Veggie Voucher program use the code HALA in the indicated space).
HALA supports CalFresh improvements: Hunger Action LA is co-sponsoring state legislation to make sure that CalFresh participants do not lose benefits due to work rules that cannot be met during hard economic times. Senator Carol Liu of Glendale is authoring SB 43, which adjusts the work requirements made of participants with no dependents so that they won’t have their food assistance benefits ended if they cannot work sufficient hours due to the bad economy. It also allows them to do volunteer work at private and public entities including food banks, fire departments and others. Similar legislation passed California’s legislature last year with bipartisan support---only to be vetoed by the Governor.
HALA is also supporting AB 6 to end various bureaucratic aspects of the CalFresh program (saving the state money) and AB 69 to speed up enrollment of seniors to get benefits.
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2. California: Low Food Assistance Participation, Grassroots Action
Just half the eligible Californians were receiving food stamps in 2008, a slight improvement over previous years but well below the national average of 66%, according to federal estimates released Wednesday.California officials dispute the way the figures are calculated and say they are outdated.
More than 3.5 million Californians received the nutrition benefit in October, the most recent month for which state figures are available. That is nearly 46% more than in October 2008. But the number of people who qualify for the benefit has also increased and it is unclear whether enrollment has kept pace with that growth.
“There has been some progress in increasing the program’s visibility, but not nearly enough progress at simplifying the application” process, said Matthew Sharp, a senior advocate at California Food Policy Advocates.
San Diego ranks last in urban food stamp participation:
San Diego County, for the sixth year in a row, has been named as having the lowest food stamp participation rate of 24 urban areas in the United States. The result was reported in “SNAP Access in Urban America,” a study done by the Food Research and Action Center , a nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing issues of hunger in America. San Diego County has 40%. The average for all 24 urban areas is 76%. Los Angeles County is at 56%, the third lowest participation rate.
“These numbers reflect the depth of the problems in the County’s food stamps program,” said Dr. Bill Oswald, chair of the Caring Council of San Diego, a network of persons concerned about poverty that have been advocating on the issues of hunger and food stamps for five years.
“From the point of view of people seeking help, the County does not have the resources to meet the demand,” said Aida Reyes, Community Outreach Coordinator for the Supportive Parents Information Network (SPIN). “While we see some small changes in the ease of submitting documents, our primary concern is still that people still cannot reach anyone who can resolve their application problems in a timely manner. We hope the changes we and other advocates have proposed will be implemented, because there are so many people in our county who are desperate for food.”
Farmers’ markets in Northern Cal are working to get more CalFresh benefit use at the markets:
http://m.redding.com/news/2011/jan/27/farmers-marketswork-with-ebts/
San Joaquin County Organizes To Change Food Policy:Dozens of advocates for San Joaquin County's poor and hungry gathered at the Hunger Free and Health by 2020 Summit. Advocates said they would lobby state lawmakers to pass bills that would create incentives for growers to donate more fresh produce or would make it easier for those who qualify for CalFresh to get and keep those benefits. "If these bills become law, they will give the folks here today more food ... and more healthy food," said Eric Manke, a policy manager for the California Food Bank Association who spoke at the summit.
Another speaker came from FoodLink for Tulare County to talk about the organization's efforts there, including bringing healthy and nutritious food to those who need it most. People in rural areas can't buy fresh produce if it's not stocked on the shelves of convenience stores, Executive Director Sandy Beals said.
http://m.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110128/A_NEWS/101280312&template=wapart
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3. Federal Anti Hunger Initiatives:
On the same day that Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky proposed a 30% reduction in SNAP benefits (a pro-hunger initiative) , Senator Harkin introduced the following legislation entitled the HELP America Act:
•Provide fresh fruits and vegetables to all low income elementary schools by expanding the Harkin Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program
•Create a healthier workforce by providing tax credits to businesses that offer comprehensive workplace wellness programs to their employees and allowing employers to deduct the cost of employees’ athletic facility memberships
•Reduce Americans’ sodium consumption by developing two-year targets for sodium reduction in packaged and restaurant foods
•Help Americans make informed choices about their food by establishing uniform FDA guidelines for the use of “healthy” symbols on the front of food packages
•Ensure Individuals with Disabilities have access to community sports by creating competitive grants for the implementation of community-based sports and athletic programs for people with disabilities, including youth with disabilities.
https://harkin.senate.gov/press/release.cfm?i=330617
Foster children around the country will automatically be eligible for free meals at their schools, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced.
Nearly half a million children nationwide currently fall under the foster care system. California has by far the highest population, with more than 60,000 recorded at the end of 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Los Angeles County has about 15,000 foster children.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/02/free-school-meals-for-foster-children-announced.html
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4. Farm Bill
From Slow Food USA: “Last week, President Obama faced the nation on YouTube. Over 140,000 questions were submitted and over one million votes cast - amazingly, of the dozen questions chosen, one was from Slow Food USA President Josh Viertel, as voted by you!” See video below
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/slow_food/blog_post/the_presidents_answer_to_your_question/
Nathaniel Hoffman in High Country News shows the rise of food policy councils and ordinances friendly to local food, complete with a map of the U.S. west showing recent activity:
http://www.hcn.org/issues/43.1/state-and-municipal-governments-fertilize-local-food-craze
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5. The Economy:
Urban food assistance participation is surveyed: The number of SNAP/Food Stamp participants in American cities increased an average of 18.6 percent from May 2009 to May 2010, according to a new survey of 22 large urban areas conducted by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). As the recession increased need, the SNAP/Food Stamp program was very responsive, but there was divergence in the effectiveness of various areas In December 2008, 76 percent of eligible people in the surveyed cities participated in the program; participation ranged from below 50 percent in San Diego and Denver to more than 90 percent in Washington, D.C., Detroit, Louisville, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, and Miami
http://frac.org/new-frac-report-measures-snapfood-stamp-participation-in-22-large-us-cities/
Protestors take on conservative retreat:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/31/us/politics/31koch.html
Provider distributes free cell phones to low income people: A cell phone provider is giving free phones and free air time to eligible low-income residents across South Carolina. Assurance Wireless, a mobile service from Virgin Mobile, is giving a free wireless phone and 250 minutes of monthly wireless voice service to eligible customers across the state.
Cell phones are almost mandatory today, a company spokesman said Monday, especially for a job hunt in which a consistent phone number is necessary to get call-backs or to stay in touch with a potential employer.
http://www.thesunnews.com/2011/02/01/1955152/wireless-company-steers-toward.html
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6. Food Prices
World food prices create volatility: The world is going into a period of food volatility and supply disruptions due in part to weather related problems and a backdrop of rising prices, the U.N. World Food Programme's executive director said on Thursday.
"We are entering an era of food volatility and disruptions in supplies. This is a very serious business for the world," Josette Sheeran, executive director of the World Food Programme, told Insider TV on the sidelines of a U.N. Conference in London. "If people don't have enough to eat they only have three options: they can revolt, they can migrate or they can die. We need a better action plan," she said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/03/food-price-wfp-idUSLDE7121ZW20110203
Food cost shocks ripple worldwide from Iowa:
Corn is central to the food price story because it still is the main feedstock for cattle, pork and poultry. Even before meat prices began to rise, Iowa's corn farmers were criticized for growing a food product to make ethanol and for health concerns about corn sweeteners.Now, the meat price increases are likely to bring unwanted negative attention to Iowa's $40 billion corn-based production agriculture and biofuels industries ahead of the 2012 presidential caucuses.
Even farmers and commodity traders jaded by market volatility have been awed by the jump in the price of corn from $3.50 per bushel last June to $6.50 per bushel last week.
World leaders at Davos warn on rising food prices:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12301261
Day of reckoning coming for supermarkets?
At what point will grocery shoppers gag on higher prices? The answer to that question will go a long way toward determining food companies’ share prices this year. So far, investors are taking a wait-and-see approach to the sector, but there’s a sense a showdown is coming soon. Agricultural commodity costs continue to surge and brand-name food makers still must vie with cheaper store brands that gained popularity during the recession.
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7. Big Food Agressively Re-Defining Sugar, Preparing for Soda Taxes, and Arm-Twisting for GE Alfalfa
Big Food Launches Pre-Emptive Strike Against Soda Taxes:You may have seen this commercial with the very aggravated mom wanting government “out of her shopping cart”, complaining about unspecified proposals to tax soda:
…interestingly, in the commercial she uses recyclable shopping bags. That implies we need to protect the environment----don’t the editors check these things?
When syrup becomes sugar: You may have also seen the ads re-naming “high fructose corn syrup” as the gentler sounding “corn sugar”, and claiming that “your body doesn’t know the difference” TV ads.
“Refudiating” the “corn sugar” argument:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ygreen/20101220/sc_ygreen/fourreasonstoavoidhighfructosecornsyrup
GE Alfalfa and Why You Should Care:
Impact on organic foods: “Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack decided last week to fully deregulate the planting of alfalfa genetically modified to resist the spraying of Roundup herbicide, so why should you care?
This move had been opposed by organic farmers and consumers because of the strong possibility that genetically modified alfalfa will cross-pollinate non-GM alfalfa. This has been recognized by the Supreme Court as potentially harmful to the organics sector, since organic foods cannot be produced with genetically modified crops. Once organic livestock are fed GM alfalfa, they can no longer be called organic. “
Was move made to appease big business?: "Sources familiar with the negotiations at USDA, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Food Safety News they believe the White House asked Vilsack to drop proposed regulations so the administration would appear more friendly to big business," wrote Helena Bottemiller. If this is true, I've got news for the White House: Believe me, you appear downright welcoming to major agrochemical companies like Monsanto, and have for some time.”
https://news.change.org/stories/is-the-white-house-behind-ge-alfalfas-approval
Conservatives put the heat on Ag secretary: “Republican members of Congress recently sent a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, asking him to get a move on and give GE alfalfa the green light already. The three scribes were Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK), Chair of the House Ag committee; Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), ranking Republican on the Senate Ag committee; and Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS). While it's concerning enough that America's Ag leaders are heading up the Frankenfood Fan Club, the group's letter was a bit off, factually speaking. “
“The three Congressmen wrote that "Since 1996, the innovation and adoption of agricultural biotechnology has not only brought significant environmental benefits, it has likewise contributed to higher yields, greater productivity, and higher profitability for U.S. farmers." Significant environmental benefits and higher profitability? Not sure if you've picked up a newspaper anytime recently, Congressmen, but that's not entirely true.”
“GE crops like Monsanto's Roundup Ready varieties have wreaked havoc on the environment and many small farmers. Weeds are evolving resistance to the Roundup herbicide, morphing into voracious "superweeds" with an appetite for destruction. These plants choke out farmers' corn, cotton, and soybean crops, resulting in an even greater reliance on chemical herbicides to control superweeds”
http://news.change.org/stories/conservative-congressmen-lobby-hard-for-ge-alfalfa
- Hunger Action LA News
- Local LA Events:
- Call Your Legislator To Oppose The Drastic Proposed State Budget Cuts
- Federal Anti Hunger Initiatives:
- Farm Bill
- The Economy
- Food Prices
- Who Is Getting Rich Off Of Other Peoples’ Hunger?
- Former President Clinton Gets Agreement For Healthier Food from Manufacturers
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1. Hunger Action LA News:
Hunger Action LA Meeting Jan. 28
Hunger Action LA’s next general meeting is tomorrow, Friday Jan.28 . Jessica Jones of LA Regional Food Bank will have updates on this year’s state legislation that should help thousands more Californians access CalFresh benefits : Astrid Campos of California Partnership will run down the state budget dilemma: Tanishia Wright of Community Health Councils will talk about the active South LA healthy eating campaigns: and Ryan Bradley of Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles has updates affecting SSI recipients. Everyone welcome, no cost.
Friday January 28, 10 am-Noon at LAANE, 464 S. Lucas, LA CA 90017
Call 213 388 8228 or e mail frank@hungeractionla.org to RSVP
HALA Trainings: Hunger Action LA will work with your group or organization to set up trainings about Hunger in LA, Basic Advocacy, and a specific training on the CalFresh program. Trainings are bilingual and flexibly designed for all sizes of audience and time available. To set up a training contactfrank@hungeractionla.org
Donate to HALA Veggie Voucher Program: HALA’s Veggie Vouchers at four LA area farmers’ markets have helped over 1,000 families afford the fruits and vegetables they need for better health! Help keep it going into the new year!
Click here to make a donation today and help feed one family.
(To help the Veggie Voucher program use the code HALA in the indicated space).
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2. Local LA Events:
Support Proyecto Jardin This Saturday Jan 29: Proyecto Jardin’s 5thannual Free Fruit Tree Giveaway takes place Saturday January 29 at Proyecto Jardin, 1718 Bridge Street in Boyle Heights (90033). Events begin at 10 am with a gardening workshop and then a SOL (Seasonal, Organic, and Locally grown) fundraiser featuring locally grown food, followed by the tree distribution and workshops on how to plant and prune the trees properly. More information: Irene Pena (323) 774-7824irenetothemax@yahoo.com
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3. Call Your Legislator To Oppose The Drastic Proposed State Budget Cuts
From California Partnership: “Beginning this week, Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 (HHS) and Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 3 (HHS) will begin hearings to discuss the Governor’s $12.5 billion in proposed spending cuts to essential health and human services!
Governor Brown’s budget proposal takes an important step in the right direction by proposing upwards of $12 billion in real, sustainable revenues to put California’s fiscal house back in order.
But, the Governor's proposal to take the majority of the $12 billion in cuts from health and human services would cost thousands of jobs and put countless families, seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income children at serious risk!
We need to pass the Governor’s proposed $12 billion revenue package AS THE BARE MINIMUM, while also urging legislators to “PUT MORE REVENUES” on the table to help avert the worst of the cuts!
http://leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html
And to help you get the conversation started, here are a few suggested messages:
• Important Step in the Right Direction. Governor Brown’s budget proposal takes an important step in the right direction by proposing upwards of $12 billion in real, sustainable revenues to put California’s fiscal house back in order.
• Bare Minimum. We applaud the Governor’s courage and support his revenue package as the BARE MINIMUM that California needs to protect core public services.
• Devastating Cuts. However, the Governor’s budget proposal also includes devastating cuts to health and human services that will severely harm California’s children, seniors and people with disabilities.
• More Revenues on the Table. For these reasons, it’s imperative that Brown’s $12 billion revenue package is placed before the voters in June and approved– while also putting everything, including state spending on tax expenditure programs and corporate tax credits, on the table to avoid the worst of the cuts to health and human services.
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4. Federal Anti Hunger Initiatives:
Anti-Hunger Bills Introduced in Washington: House Resolution (H.R.) 350: Introduced by Representative Jose Serrano (D-NY), the Anti-hunger Empowerment Act would establish an Anti-Hunger Grants Program, “Beyond the Soup Kitchen,” for community-based feeding and anti-hunger groups. It would fund a wide variety of activities, from increasing access to fresh produce, assessing the flow of food in a community, assist people in accessing food benefits, transitioning from welfare to work, and a host of others. Read:http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c112:1:./temp/~c112REVED1:e15526:
H.R. 377: Introduced by Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA), the Food Assistance to Improve Reintegration Act would repeal the denial of food stamp eligibility of ex-offenders. In California we have a state bill to do the same thing (just on the state level)
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c112:1:./temp/~c112681RSG
Senate (S.) 166: Introduced by Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), this bill would amend the Internal Revenue Code to permanently extend and expand the charitable deduction for contributions of food inventory.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s112-166
Senator Rand Paul suggests slashing food assistance: “Critics lashed out Wednesday at a proposal by U.S. Sen. Rand Paul to slash numerous federal programs, including food stamps, to save $500 billion in a single year."Some of the elements of the plan, which would remove the safety net that poor and vulnerable people need, we would find morally objectionable," said the Rev. Patrick Delahanty, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Kentucky. Paul introduced legislation in the Senate on Tuesday that would slash $42 billion from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food stamp program -- a 30 percent reduction from the current funding level.”
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9L094PO1.htm
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5. Farm Bill
Healthy School Food: Pay Now, Save Later: Kari Hamerschlag, Senior Analyst, Environmental Working Group writes in “Healthy School Food: Pay Now, Save Later”: “The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act has authorized increased federal spending of six cents per (school) meal. That would cover part of the nearly $7 billion price tag. But the USDA projects that the administration’s school food plan would cost 15 cents more per lunch and 51 cents more per breakfast, when you add up all food and labor costs. Elementary school math tells us that we will still be short by about $6.5 billion over 5 years.
“…at least half the $700 million needed annually to pay for additional fruits and vegetables should come out of the $5 billion USDA doles out yearly in direct payments to large and profitable farming operations that produce many of the commodities formulated into livestock feed and over-processed, nutrient-poor foods.
Full article with links: http://www.ewg.org/agmag/2011/01/healthy-school-food-pay-now-save-later/
What Would You Spend? : Economists from Oklahoma State University and the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank asked about 1,200 consumers and taxpayers from across the country what the priorities should be in the 2012 Farm Bill, advising them it paid for a range of sectors including direct farm subsidies, nutrition programs, environmental programs, rural development and food safety.
More than 50.7 percent felt the majority of the ag budget should be devoted to food safety and inspection. It should be noted that right now, food safety and inspection gets $3.14 out of every $100 spent by USDA. Food assistance (including SNAP—food stamps---WIC and school meals) received second place results, with 20.2 percent of the public thinking it to be the most important. Currently, food assistance programs receive $60.40 out of each $100 spent by USDA.
The study:
http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/98597/2/SAEA%20complete%20document.pdf
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6. The Economy:
How many are really unemployed? : A look at U.S. labor statistics, which have to be decoded and filtered to get closer to the truth. According to the Jan 7 Bureau of Labor Statistics report: Employed: 139.206 million people (58.3% of labor force) and Unemployed: 14.485 million people (6.1% of labor force). That only adds up to 64%.
Bloggers at The Automatic Earth say they’ve determined that 108.616 million people in America are either unemployed, underemployed or "Not in the labor force". This represents 45.5% of working age Americans. “Today, the long term unemployed make up 42% of total unemployed. That is to say, of course, those who are actually counted as unemployed instead of "Not in the labor force".
Futher, “43.2 million Americans receive foodstamps. That's 18.1% of all working age Americans. “
http://www.businessinsider.com/real-employment-rate-47-percent-2011-1
USA Today interviewed 1,000 unemployed people and found that “The jobless are more than twice as likely as Americans generally to report not having enough money for food or for shelter. The jobless are significantly more likely than Americans generally to report having experienced a lot of sadness, stress and anger on the previous day.”
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-01-25-1Ajobless25_CV_N.htm?csp=34news
Two years ago, as the financial markets crashed, Gina Jackson was laid off from her job as administrative assistant at a San Francisco wealth management firm. The 45-year-old Fremont single mother of four has fought to rebuild her life. Of being a CalFresh recipient, she says, “You buy less healthy food. You buy less fresh food. You buy less vegetables and fruits because those are more expensive than the box of Rice-a-Roni and Hamburger Helper. You buy more 10-pound bags of potatoes. And you mix potatoes into everything to give you that full feeling so your kids don't go to bed starving . You just stretch it.”
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2011%2F01%2F22%2FMNCE1HB2AJ.DTL
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7. Food Prices:
NPR: “The United Nations' food agency warns the world is nearing a food crisis. Prices are going up, and the U.N. is calling for rules to curb speculation in grain and other commodity markets. In the U.S., McDonald's reportedly is raising some of its prices.”
http://www.npr.org/2011/01/25/133201755/Business-News
Laura Ruane in USA Today: “Tough economic times are driving more shoppers to compact grocery stores that offer fewer name-brand products but bigger savings than conventional supermarkets, food retailing analysts say.”
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2011-01-25-discountgrocers25_ST_N.htm
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8. Who Is Getting Rich Off Of Other Peoples’ Hunger?
Food speculation: 'People die from hunger while banks make a killing on food':
“It's not just bad harvests and climate change – it's also speculators that are behind record prices. And it's the planet's poorest who pay. The same banks, hedge funds and financiers whose speculation on the global money markets caused the sub-prime mortgage crisis are thought to be causing food prices to yo-yo and inflate. The charge against them is that by taking advantage of the deregulation of global commodity markets they are making billions from speculating on food and causing misery around the world.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2011/jan/23/food-speculation-banks-hunger-poverty
And the investment community is quite open and unashamed about it.
Gordon Pape writing in “Rising Food Prices Offer Profit Potential” in Forbes: “The stunning collapse of the Tunisian government and the abdication of the country’s virtual dictator was triggered in part by food riots ….neighbouring Algeria has also experienced street demonstrations against the rising cost of staple foods. In India there is unrest over, of all things, onions….The situation is becoming so critical that it is expected to be addressed by a special meeting of agriculture ministers at the next G20 session…..If you don’t believe it is appropriate to profit from other people’s difficulties, read no further. But the reality is that markets feed off current events, good and bad, and right now the demand for agricultural commodities and stocks is the highest we’ve seen in several years. (Italics mine---Ed.)
http://blogs.forbes.com/gordonpape/2011/01/23/rising-food-prices-offer-profit-potential/
The title of Brian Foglia’s article says it all: As Agriculture Soars, and Food Prices Rise, How Investors Can Benefit. He says it’s not speculators such as the ones he writes articles for, but crop failure and weather. He then says: “The rest of this article is devoted to describing some ways personal investors can benefit from this.”
JP Morgan Rich From Processing EBT Food Cards: Jerry K. Remers in The Moderate Voice explains there’s even MORE ways that rich investors feed off the poor, right here in the U.S.:
“JP Morgan is earning millions of dollars processing food stamps and other benefits for the poor because the states find it cheaper to outsource the service. We’re not talking nickels and dimes. The Wall Street titan, the largest of the processors, receives a stipend for each transaction. There are 43 million people on the federal food stamp program. In at least eight states, consumer inquiries and complaints are outsourced by JP Morgan to call centers in India. This practice makes me cringe. It doesn’t pass the stink test. Why should Wall Street fatten its wealth at the expense of the poor?”
http://themoderatevoice.com/99094/jp-morgan-makes-millions-off-the-poor-with-processing-fees/
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9. Former President Clinton Gets Agreement For Healthier Food from Manufacturers
Former President Bill Clinton has announced an agreement with leading food manufacturers to provide healthier school lunch options. Clinton told Miami school students on Friday that seven companies have agreed to increase the sale of foods that meet science-based nutrition standards by 50 percent within five years. The manufacturers also agreed to set prices that are no higher than less-healthy choices. Clinton's foundation is a member of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, an organization that aims to reduce childhood obesity.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/21/AR2011012106227.html
You Can’t Win: Commentators blame Michelle Obama’s “Get Moving!” exercise campaign for increase in pedestrian deaths. Said Barbara Hasha of Governors Highway Safety Association, “"There's an emphasis these days to getting fit, and I think people doing that are more exposed to risk [of getting hit by a vehicle]," said Harsha, who conceded to having no scientific evidence that the Let's Move campaign has led to an increase in walkers and runners, or deaths. (The agency communications director then called the writer of the article to backpedal from this statement.)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/20/slight-uptick-in-pedestri_n_811636.html?ir=Politics
- Hunger Action LA News
- Local News: Urban Farming Seeks New Garden Sites
- Republicans Recommend Trillions in Spending Cuts
- State Legislative Updates
- Hunger in America
- Healthy Eating
- Food Prices
- World Hunger:
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1. Hunger Action LA News:
Hunger Action LA Meeting Jan. 28
Hunger Action LA’s next general meeting is next Friday Jan.28 . Jessica Jones of LA Regional Food Bank will have updates on this year’s state legislation that should help thousands more Californians access CalFresh benefits : Ryan Bradley of Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles has updates affecting SSI recipients. Everyone welcome, no cost.
Friday January 28, 10 am-Noon at LAANE, 464 S. Lucas, LA CA 90017
Call 213 388 8228 or e mail frank@hungeractionla.org to RSVP
HALA Trainings: Hunger Action LA has trainings available for the general public and staff of nonprofit organizations. Topics include Hunger in LA, Basic Advocacy, and specific training on the CalFresh program. Trainings are bilingual and flexibly designed for all sizes of audience and time available. To set up a training contactfrank@hungeractionla.org
Donate to HALA Veggie Voucher Program: HALA’s Veggie Vouchers at four LA area farmers’ markets have helped over 900 families afford the fruits and vegetables they need for better health! Help keep it going into the new year:
Click here to make a donation today and help feed one family.
(To help the Veggie Voucher program use the code HALA in the indicated space).
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2. Local News: Urban Farming Seeks New Garden Sites
Bring a Community Garden to your neighborhood: Urban Farming is collaborating with Triscuit and the "Home Farming" movement again to build 4 more 400 sq. ft. vegetable gardens in LA in 2011. This year Urban Farming built 51 gardens in 21 cities, with 4 here in LA, partnering with churches, shelters, non-profits,community centers, universities and many more. This year we are doing it again and have started to look for applicants.
Qualified Applicants/Sites will have the following:
- a handful of excited and committed people who will help set up, manage and take responsibility for thegarden
- access to a visible and publicly accessible site with water and 6+ hours of sun
- in an urban or suburban area that has no existing garden
- can not be a school or children's group, university level is fine
To those awarded a garden, Urban Farming will provide the following:
- soil/compost to cover 400 square feet, 18" high; irrigation for 400 sq. ft.; tools (one time); plants and seeds for one planting season; soil testing; garden insurance; Urban Farming and Triscuit "Home Farming" sign;j assistance obtaining permits and land owner/city approval; and help with matching a Master Gardener to your garden (where needed). Urban Farming will not cover the cost of water.
For more information and an application, please email Olivia Ius atius@usc.edu or call 707-481-5957. Emails preferred! For more info about Urban Farming, visit www.urbanfarming.org.
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3. Republicans Recommend Trillions in Spending Cuts
Americans reject safety net cuts: The Republican Study Group, representing 2/3 of the House Republicans, recommends $4.5 trillion in government spending cuts over the next ten years. But a poll indicates that Americans do not want to see cuts in Social Security or Medicare, and a majority would rather see cuts to the defense budget:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/us/politics/21poll.html
The Republican Study Group is also recommending elimation of the Legal Services Corporation, which is the federal organization that provides civil legal assistance to people who make up to 125 percent of the federal poverty line. This would leave thousands of predominately low income women without legal assistance in cases of domestic violence, divorce and bankruptcy:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/20/house-gop-budget-axe-low-income-women_n_811687.html
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4. State Legislative Updates
Several bills in the state legislature now will help people get the food they need. AB 6 by Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes will eliminate wasteful practices in the CalFresh (food stamp) program, reducing reporting time from quarterly to six months and ending the practice of fingerimaging applicants. AB 69, by Assemblymember Jim Beall, will pilot a system to help seniors receive CalFresh benefits more easily. A new bill has been introduced called the Real Chance for Re-Entry Act that will remove restrictions on people with past drug related felonies, who’ve already served their time, from participating in survival programs such as CalFresh.
The statewide California Hunger Action Coalition is organizing people to learn about these bills and why they are important to relieve poverty and help the overall California economy. Hunger Action LA is leading the local contingent of advocates. For more information call 213 388 8228 or e mailfrank@hungeractionla.org
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5. Hunger in America
TV show to explore reaction to food stamp user who runs out of money: How do people react to a woman who can't pay for her groceries? ABC tv show “What Would You Do” explores how people react to a woman using an EBT card who has insufficient funds and can’t pay for her groceries, tonight (Friday Jan 21):
http://abcnews.go.com/WhatWouldYouDo/grocery-shopper-afford-food/story?id=12638084
Blogger’s personal glimpse of hunger: “Crane-Station” blogs on firedoglake about dumpster diving:“…my husband’s unemployment ran out in November ….So that we would not be homeless, he began receiving social security (thank goodness he age-qualifies), and I immediately filled out a food stamp eligibility form online, only to find out that we would qualify for about twenty dollars a month in food stamps, hardly enough to fuel a trip to the grocery. Bear in mind also, that food stamps do not cover toilet paper, soap, hygiene products, hot-case deli items or hot coffee that you may need at five o’clock in the morning in a Labor Ready line. I know, I have tried it.”
“With my husband’s social security check, we cover rent and heat first, followed by car insurance, DSL, phone and other bills, in order of necessity. We have slipped into about a month’s worth of arrears in my medical care (my mental health, no insurance), but we are essentially bill-current with a roof. I consider folks forced to move in with family in the face of prolonged unemployment as a form of homelessness that I call ‘homeless with a roof.’
“Since we have only loose change left over for groceries, we have made the transition into dumpster diving for food, with positive results.”
Food lines shut down by cities: City of Houston shuts down volunteer food line. This article also recalls the battle last year in LA over World Agape Church’s food line in Skid Row that was shut down, and how the community fought back:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/17/houston-shuts-down-homeless-program_n_810006.html
Salvation Army low on food: “Due to high numbers of unemployed and underemployed families, more people showed up at Salvation Army programs across the country looking for food in 2010, but nearly two-thirds of those programs saw a decrease in food and money donations.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/18/salvation-army-donations-decrease-2010_n_810629.html
MLK’s words on hunger: Feeding America CEO Vicki Escarra reminds us that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, , “Why should there be hunger and deprivation in any land, in any city, at any table, when man has the resources and the scientific know-how to provide all mankind with the basic necessities of life? There is no deficit in human resources. The deficit is in human will.”
http://blog.feedingamerica.org/2011/01/ceo-vicki-escarra-mlk-calls-us-to-act/
Walmart Foundation donating to “green” food banks: As hunger relief organizations continue to look for new ways to serve an increasing number of U.S. families who need help putting food on their dinner tables, the Walmart Foundation today announced a $2 million donation to help food banks save money on their energy bills. With this funding, 16 food banks will become more energy efficient through simple and relatively low-cost upgrades to lighting, refrigeration or heating and air conditioning equipment that performs better, uses less energy and costs less to operate.
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6. Healthy Eating:
Wal-Mart to provide healthier food: Wal-Mart, the nation's largest grocer, says it will reformulate thousands of products to make them healthier and push its suppliers to do the same, joining first lady Michelle Obama's effort to combat childhood obesity.The first lady accompanied Wal-Mart executives Thursday as they announced the effort in Washington. The company plans to reduce sodium and added sugars in some items, build stores in poor areas that don't already have grocery stores, reduce prices on produce and develop a logo for healthier items.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/20/walmart-healthy-food-push_n_811473.html
Schools across the country are racing to fill vending machines with healthier items including granola, yogurt, gluten-free products, and even fresh fruit:
http://www.nacsonline.com/NACS/News/Daily/Pages/ND0117116.aspx
A slow economy has forced food pantries and soup kitchens into high gear, with nearly 50 percent more people depending on them since 2006. And while food banks around the country struggle to meet the increased demand, they're also pushing themselves to focus on what they're feeding people, not just how much. However, junk food is becoming the unwanted house guest that food banks just can't say "no" to.
http://www.npr.org/2011/01/13/132864584/high-demand-nutritional-dilemma-vex-food-banks
“What Should Food Look Like”? If you repackage baby carrots as junk food, will kids go for it?
http://observersroom.designobserver.com/alexandralange/entry.html?entry=24298
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7. Food Prices
"Corn is a big one" in the higher prices department, Bloomberg Businessweek Assistant Managing Editor Sheelah Kolhatkar told "Early Show on Saturday Morning" co-anchor Betty Nguyen. "The Agriculture Department released a report a couple of days ago about crop forecasts for the year and predicted corn production is going to go down very significantly, which led to a spike in prices."
Why corn's rise? "There are a lot of reasons," Kolhatkar replied. "Weather is cited as a big one. There's been sort of freak weather in different parts of the world. Russia experienced a drought. There are floods in Australia. There's been sort of freezing weather in Florida. Our own Midwest experienced flooding earlier this year.
"And because the market for a lot of these food commodities is global, when something strange happens somewhere, that can affect a crop.
Making matters worse, she says, "Corn has sort of a ripple effect, because it goes into a lot of different foods, and it is a big component of feed for animals. So, meat, as a result, is expected to go up quite a bit -- beef and pork were cited. Other grains, wheat, and (many) fruits and vegetables."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/01/15/earlyshow/saturday/main7249451.shtml
How Are Supermarkets Dealing With Rising Prices:
Rising food prices mean grocery store chains must absorb extra costs on items like meat, seafood, and produce, or they try to pass them along to customers. But many of those consumers are unemployed or have less money to spend, even on essentials. For now, the big chains are mostly choosing to absorb. As a result, profits are falling, and so are their stocks, making them one of the few dim lights in the market in 2011.”
Forty million Americans now rely on foods stamps, up 50 percent from four years ago, and the average price of gas now costs 12 percent more than it did at this time last year. That's one reason why middle and lower income consumers are increasingly going to supercenters that offer less selection but cheaper prices than traditional grocery stores. Grocery sales at stores like Walmart, Target, and Costco grew at a rate of 10 percent a year over the past five years, according to Packaged Facts, a market research firm. Sales at traditional grocery stores are growing closer to 4 percent.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/16/AR2011011602542.html
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8. World Hunger
Is U.S. Profiting from World Hunger?
Alan Bjerga and Tony Dreibus, Bloomberg: “The same record food prices causing riots in Algeria and export bans in India are allowing President Barack Obama to combine the biggest-ever U.S. farm exports with the tamest inflation since the 1960s. Global food costs jumped 25 percent last year to an all- time high in December, according to the United Nations. Countries probably spent at least $1 trillion on imports, with the poorest paying as much as 20 percent more than in 2009, the UN says. In the U.S., the largest exporter, retail food rose 1.5 percent last year and will gain as little as 2 percent in 2011, the Department of Agriculture estimates.”
Food Speculation Means Riches For Investors, Hunger for Millions:
Famine-hollowed farmers watch trucks loaded with grain grown on their ancestral lands heading for the nearest port, destined to fill richer bellies in foreign lands. This scene has become all too common since the 2008 food crisis. Food prices are even higher now in many countries, sparking another cycle of hunger riots in the Middle East and South Asia last weekend. While bad weather gets the blame for rising prices, the instant price hikes of recent times are largely due to market speculation in a corrupt global food system.
The 2008 food crisis awoke much of the world's investment community to the profitable reality that hungry people will do almost anything, even sell their own children, in order to eat. And with the global financial crisis, food and farmland became the "new gold" for some of the biggest investors, experts agree.
In 2010, wheat futures rose 47 percent, U.S. corn was up more than 50 percent, and soybeans rose 34 percent. On Wednesday, U.S.-based Cargill, the world's largest agricultural commodities trader, announced a tripling of profits. The firm generated 1.49 billion dollars in three months between September and November 2010. Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Bills pay a return of less than one percent.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201101140258.html
The Role of Hunger in Sparking Tunisia Revolution:
No group is watching the events unfold in Tunisia more closely than fellow Arabs, most of whom live under autocratic governments and are feeling the same economic pinches of bleak job prospects and high food prices. Ali Dahmash, an activist who runs a social media agency in Amman, called it a "hunger revolution." Says Dahmash, "This is not just about politics and having a kind of freedom of speech or religion. This came out of despair. It was because of the economy."
Mohammad Bouazizi was a Tunisian student who set himself on fire and sparked the revolution underway in Tunisia. He was unemployed and police had confiscated his vegetable cart because it didn’t have a permit. A commentator from the United Arab Emirates said, Mohamed Bouazizi didn't set himself on fire because he couldn't blog or vote. People set themselves on fire because they can't stand seeing their family wither away slowly, not of sorrow, but of cold stark hunger."
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2042736,00.html#ixzz1BeO3Ykmu
Crop Failures Drive Thousands of Indian Farmers to Suicide Each Year:
As more crops fail in India, the rate of suicides among farmers is climbing. More than 17,368 Indian farmers killed themselves in 2009, the worst figure for farm suicides in six years, data from the National Crime Records Bureau indicate. The suicides increased by 1,172 over the 2008 count of 16,196, bringing the total farm suicides since 1997 to 216,500.
January 14, 2011
- Hunger Action LA News
- Governor’s Budget Will Be A Massive Disaster for California’s Poor
- Jamie Oliver Brings Food Revolution to LA
- America’s good food Fight: LA Times op ed Jan 9
- The Economy
- Food Prices
- Farm Bill
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1. Hunger Action LA News:
Hunger Action LA Meeting Jan. 28
Hunger Action LA’s next general meeting is Friday Jan.28 . Jessica Jones of LA Regional Food Bank will have updates on this year’s state legislation that should help thousands more Californians access CalFresh benefits : Ryan Bradley of Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles has updates affecting SSI recipients. Everyone welcome, no cost.
Friday January 28, 10 am-Noon at LAANE, 464 S. Lucas, LA CA 90017
Call 213 388 8228 or e mail frank@hungeractionla.org to RSVP
HALA Trainings: Hunger Action LA has trainings available for the general public and staff of nonprofit organizations. Topics include Hunger in LA, Basic Advocacy, and specific training on the CalFresh program. Trainings are bilingual and flexibly designed for all sizes of audience and time available. To set up a training contact frank@hungeractionla.org
Donate to HALA Veggie Voucher Program: HALA’s Veggie Vouchers at four LA area farmers’ markets have helped over 900 families afford the fruits and vegetables they need for better health! Help keep it going into the new year:
Click here to make a donation today and help feed one family.
(To help the Veggie Voucher program use the code HALA in the indicated space).
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2. Governor’s Budget Will Be A Massive Disaster for California’s Poor
Governor Jerry Brown has said “everything should be on the table” for the state’s budget, but if his proposal passes there won’t even be food on anyone’s table: he proposes reducing family welfare (CalWORKs) budgets by 13%, retroactively reducing time limits for these benefits from 60 months to 48 months, and cutting yet another $15 from the monthly SSI (Supplemental Security Income) payments of one and a half million elderly or disabled Californians.
Lest any of this not sound that bad, remember that the majority of CalWORKs families are working at least part time (as per the program rules) and most families of 3 are receiving less than $600 in aid; for SSI recipients, the $15 cut will leave $830 to pay rent, food (they’re not eligible for CalFresh food stamps), and the new co-pays for Medi-Cal health insurance that are another feature of Governor Brown’s proposal.
Frank Tamborello and Jerry Higgs of Hunger Action LA speak out on KPFK’s Uprising morning radio show:
http://ia700408.us.archive.org/12/items/DailyDigest-011211/2011_01_12_budget.mp3
Also on the HALA home page are two documents to help you understand the Governor’s proposal and recommended revenue solutions:
--Western Center on Law and Poverty’s breakdown of the service cuts
--California Partnership’s recommended solutions
The Governor is seeking a few revenue options to help bring more money to the state government. They will likely be on a ballot initiative in June. They are good ideas, but more is needed. For one thing California could impose an oil severance tax (like that noted liberal former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, who was able to distribute the increased revenue in checks to all of Alaska’s residents). In addition to the Governor’s proposal to get rid of the discredited “empowerment zone” corporate tax breaks, we should subject ANY tax cuts to a “job creation test”. While the current narrative is that raising taxes on the wealthy will kill jobs, there has been no evidence that tax breaks lead to increased hiring.
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3. Jamie Oliver Brings Food Revolution to LA
Mary MacVean blogs in LA Times: “Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, trying to marshal parent support to get his "Food Revolution" into public school cafeterias, showed off a Westwood kitchen that will be the site for cooking classes and scenes in the second season of his reality TV series.
Oliver has invited parents to the kitchen (1038 Westwood Blvd.) at noon Thursday for a "part rally, part meeting" to talk about how to lobby Los Angeles Unified School District to reverse its decision that he cannot use cafeterias for the series.”
Individual community members can join Jamie’s Food Revolution Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/FoodRevolutionLosAngeles
They can also sign up to "Become an Activist" here:http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution/petition
and will get all relevant emails.
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4. America’s Good Food Fight: LA Times op ed Jan 9
Nicolette Hahn Niman is a rancher in Bolinas, Calif., and the author of "Righteous Porkchop: Finding a Life and Good Food Beyond Factory Farms." In this LA Times op-ed she examines American food policy and the role it plays in unhealthy eating and distorting world economics. The blurb says “It's agribusiness vs. the sustainable food movement. And reform advocates say it's possible to make delicious, nutritious, safe food available to all people of all income levels.”
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/09/opinion/la-oe-niman-food-20110109/3
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5. The Economy
43 million Americans getting food stamps:
The number of Americans receiving food stamps rose to a record 43.2 million in October as the jobless rate stayed near a 27-year high, the government said. Recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program subsidies for food purchases jumped 15 percent from a year earlier and increased 0.7 percent from September, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said today in a statement on its website. Participation has set records for 23 straight months. An average of 43.3 million people, more than an eighth of the population, will get food stamps each month in the year that began Oct. 1, according to White House estimates.
Amount spent on poor is pittance:
Marketwatch blogger Cody Willard says “The taxpayer money spent on health care, social security & food stamps in 2010 was less than 1/10 the taxpayer money spent on bailouts, quantitative easings & other corp welfare programs.”
http://blogs.marketwatch.com/cody/2011/01/07/the-republican-vs-democrat-paradigm-is-dead/
Isaiah J. Poole; We Need and Unemployed Peoples Campaign
With a conservative Congress in the name of deficit reduction seeking to box President Obama into making choices that would stymie the economic growth and job-creation we need, we could use a massive, dramatic confrontation on behalf of the more than 27 million who are unemployed or underemployed today. The spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. would certainly be in its midst.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/isaiah-j-poole/we-need-an-unemployed-peo_b_808948.html
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6. Food Prices
National inflation association says double digit food inflation in first half of 2011
Megan Pierce, Dairy Herd Management, on cattlenetwork.com : “The National Inflation Association is predicting that food inflation will become America’s top crisis. Here’s why. Starting a few decades ago, and accelerating in recent years, America has seen a boom in non-productive service jobs, mainly in the financial sector. Most of these jobs were made possible by inflation. Without inflation, which steals from the purchasing power of the incomes and savings of goods-producing workers, the majority of the jobs on Wall Street would not exist today and our country would be in much better financial shape because of it. (Read more):
G20 will discuss food prices and speculation:
At the end of this month the G 20 wealthiest nations in the world will discuss the potential food price crisis around the world. Tighter regulation of commodity traders will be one of French president Sarkozy’s recommendations (France is currently the leader of the G 20):
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE7093OS20110110
This 2008 NY Times op ed explains, a little, the difference between “futures” purchases and “speculative” purchases on the commodities market. When people make “futures” purchases it helps finance farmers through future sales of their crops. “Speculative” purchases are only made to make huge profits for the speculator, who is essentially gambling that a certain crop will either rise or fall dramatically in price later in the year, and then sell their holdings (which they never take physical possession of) and reap in a fortune for themselves, while their activity in volume may actually cause prices to rise. They win, and we pay the price:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/16/opinion/16iht-edpfaff.3.12052202.html
Various countries already taking measures to avert food price crisis:
Extreme weather a factor in food prices:
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), world food prices for basic commodities—wheat, corn, dairy products, meat and sugar—hit record highs in 2010, and continue to rise.Expand ImageRising oil and fuel costs, increasing use of corn-based biofuels, severe weather, and environmental conditions (drought, heat, wildfires, extensive rainfall, floods) have contributed to soaring food prices around the world.
http://www.realtruth.org/news/110111-001-economy.html
World hunger best cured by small scale agriculture
New approaches to tackling hunger are needed, including growing a wider variety of crops and reducing reliance on chemical fertilisers, recommends a report by the Worldwatch Institute, an independent research organization based in Washington, D.C.
http://blogs.nature.com/news/thegreatbeyond/2011/01/efforts_to_end_hunger_have_not.html
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7. Farm Bill
Farm bill could sow division in GOP (Joseph Weber, Wahington Times)
Republicans now controlling the House have wasted no time advertising their determination to rein in federal spending, cutting their own legislative budget on the second day of the 112th Congress. But the dozens of new GOP lawmakers — many hailing from rural districts — could face a more difficult choice considering cuts in the successor to the current five-year, $288 billion farm bill that expires just weeks before the 2012 elections.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jan/9/farm-bill-fight-could-sow-division-in-gop/
Farm Bureau: Deficit will be a key driver
The key issue driving debate on the 2012 farm bill in Congress will be deficit reduction, according to Roger Bernard, news editor of Pro Farmer.
Of the $924 billion 10-year funding projection for USDA, direct payments to farmers comprise just 5.3 percent of the total while commodity payments to farmers fall just short of 7 percent, according to Bernard."Eliminating those direct payments just doesn't get you very far when it comes to reducing the budget deficit," Bernard said, suggesting that Congress may tweak eligibility requirements for federal nutrition programs (Food Stamps) as a means to reduce the deficit.
Corn and the farm bill
“The corn industry is working to rename "corn syrup" with the less-threatening sounding "corn sugar," to tell consumers that corn syrup is really just a different type of sugar. “
“…… next time you're grocery shopping, take a survey: How often do you see "modified corn starch" or "hydrolyzed corn protein" on prepared food and drinks? Curt Ellis and Ian Cheney explored this, and more, when they left Massachusetts (Cheney is from Milton) to see what it would take to grow an acre of corn in Iowa. From their experiences came the documentary film "King Corn." Corn is so prevalent in our foods because corn farmers in this country are encouraged by the government to overproduce.”
http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2011/01/13/columns/8674568.txt
January 7, 2011:
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- Hunger Action LA News
- Call for a Fair Budget Monday Jan 10
- Legislation to Help Ease CalFresh Access in California
- Ask Governor To Prioritize Healthy Food and Farming
- SNAP (Food Stamps) Around the Country
- Food Prices to Go Up Around the World
- A True Look At Today’s American Economy
- What does New Congress Hold for Poverty, Hunger, Agriculture and Nutrition?
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1. Hunger Action LA News:
Hunger Action LA Meeting Jan. 28
Hunger Action LA’s next general meeting is Friday Jan.28 . We will have updates on this year’s state legislation that should help thousands more Californians access CalFresh benefits
Friday January 28, 10 am-Noon at LAANE, 464 S. Lucas, LA CA 90017
Call 213 388 8228 or e mail frank@hungeractionla.org to RSVP
HALA Trainings: Hunger Action LA has trainings available for the general public and staff of nonprofit organizations. Topics include Hunger in LA, Basic Advocacy, and specific training on the CalFresh program. Trainings are bilingual and flexibly designed for all sizes of audience and time available. To set up a training contact frank@hungeractionla.org
Donate to HALA Veggie Voucher Program: HALA’s Veggie Vouchers at four LA area farmers’ markets have helped over 900 families afford the fruits and vegetables they need for better health! Help keep it going into the new year:
Click here to make a donation today and help feed one family.
(To help the Veggie Voucher program use the code HALA in the indicated space).
*******************************************************************
2. Call for a Fair Budget Monday Jan 10
Governor Jerry Brown has said “everything should be on the table” for the state’s budget, facing a $28 billion deficit. That’s code language that includes social programs helping our most vulnerable populations---seniors, low income families, and persons with disabilities. We should exhaust every opportunity to increase revenue to the state budget rather than make drastic cuts: various corporate loopholes already cost us billions. Join California Partnership Monday Jan. 10, Governor’s Downtown LA office, 300 S. Spring St., 11 am for a rally and press conference calling for a fair state budget. More information: Astrid Campos, (213) 407 5840, acampos@communitychange.org
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3. Legislation to Help Ease CalFresh Access in California
The new year has barely started but there are already two bills introduced that will help more Californians get food assistance without further driving up the state deficit. AB 6, authored by Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes in the San Fernando Valley, will eliminate the costly unnecessary finger-imaging of public benefits applicants, reduce the amount of paperwork in the CalFresh and CalWORKs programs, and help thousands of Californians get an increase in food assistance benefits, based on their high electric bills.
The drive to decrease paperwork by reducing reporting from every three months to every six months has taken the form of the Campaign for Six Month Reporting (SAR, Semi-Annual Reporting) sponsored by California Food Policy Advocates (CFPA.)They have a sign-on letter that will be going to the USDA to request an extension of the necessary waivers to implement the reporting. Link to the sign on letter here.
If you have questions about the Campaign and SAR, contact campaign co-chairs Jessica Jones (323-234-3030 x172 or jjones@lafoodbank.org) or Renske Lynde (415-282-1907 x262 or rlynde@sffb.org). Questions regarding logistical details, such as including your organization's logo in the letter, can be sent to alexis@cfpa.net .
AB 69 is sponsored by longtime champion of the poor Assemblymember Jim Beall. It will require the state to set up a pilot program in which the Social Security Administration could help low income seniors getting Social Security more easily get CalFresh benefits. Only 5% of eligible persons getting Social Security in California are getting CalFresh. You can connect to CFPA at http://www.cfpa.net/2011leg/index.html or stay tuned to us for more updates.
Both bills will be on the agenda for this year’s Hunger Action Day. Save the date, May 17, 2011 at the State Capitol in Sacramento, for this event. For more information frank@hungeractionla.org
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4. Ask Governor To Prioritize Healthy Food and Farming
(From Roots of Change): “Now that governor Jerry Brown has been sworn in, it’s time to make sure he prioritizes food and farming in his legislative agenda.Please help Roots of Change demonstrate the full depth of support by the citizens of California for safe, sustainable food.
Currently, ROC has gathered 9,947 signatures. Help us reach over 15,000 by the end of January. If you’ve signed our petition, we ask you to tell your friends and family to add their names to push for comprehensive legislation that supports healthy food and farms for all Californians. Sign our petition today.
Make your voice heard by joining an unprecedented partnership between these non-profit organizations and the concerned citizens of California.”
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5. SNAP (Food Stamps) Around the Country
Michigan will spread food stamps over the month, rather than adding them on to participants’ cards at the start of the month, to avoid overwhelming grocers serving the huge number of new participants during the recession:
http://www.detnews.com/article/20101230/METRO/12300387/1409/Food-stamps-to-be-spread-out-in-2011
Two Oregon counties will be involved in a pilot program to give children extra food stamp benefits in the summer:
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20101217/UPDATE/101217044/-1/update
Food stamp use doubled at New York farmers’ markets this year:
http://www.bronxnewsnetwork.org/2011/01/food-stamp-use-at-farmers-markets.html
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6. Food Prices to Go Up Around the World
Food riots, geopolitical tensions, global inflation and increasing hunger among the planet's poorest people are the likely effects of a new surge in world food prices, which have hit an all-time high according to the United Nations.
The UN's index of food prices - an international basket comprising wheat, corn, dairy produce, meat and sugar - stands at its highest since the index started in 1990, surpassing even the peaks seen during the 2008 food crisis, which prompted civil disturbances from Mexico to Indonesia.
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/01/06-2
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7. A True Look At Today’s American Economy
Meteor Blades of Daily Kos looks at statistics of poverty, unemployment, food assistance, and housing costs for ordinary Americans. This is what should be reported daily, not stock prices and bogus unemployment reports that are based on first-time Unemployment Insurance claims (omitting those who have given up looking for jobs or exhausted their benefits):
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8. What does New Congress Hold for Poverty, Hunger, Agriculture and Nutrition?
The election of a conservative majority has almost always meant reductions in help to poor people, seniors, and people with disabilities. It has been that way ever since the stiff resistance put up by the wealthiest Americans to FDR’s reforms in the 1930s that represented the earliest effort by the federal government to put people ahead of profits.
The new Congress seems hell-bent on cutting spending, although in a selective way: The House has set rules saying that increases in programs (which increase the deficit) must be matched with cuts in other programs (not with revenue increases). However, tax cuts (which ALSO increase the deficit) are exempted from this rule----meaning that taxes on the wealthy can be reduced without making up in any way for the lost revenue.
The net result is that their policies will clearly make the rich richer and likely result in cuts to programs for low income people, very similar to the Republican-led welfare reform of 1996 that cast millions into destitution, and whose effects we still deal with today, especially in the increase of homeless families in our cities.
The new Congress has targeted health care reform for total repeal; they are making moves to remove citizenship from children of undocumented persons born in the United States: and they are steadily making moves to attack Social Security, beginning with the compromise tax legislation passed last month which will reduce payroll taxes this year (and with them, contributions to the Social Security fund.)
Many of their ideas, which will easily pass the Republican-dominated House, will not pass the Senate, or would eventually be vetoed by the President. But all of the above-mentioned ideas will actually increase hunger: repeal of health reform will result in more out-of-pocket payments of exorbitant medical expenses (identified in studies as a major cause of hunger), and the attacks on immigrants and rising calls for cuts to Social Security will exacerbate poverty.
Many of their ideas are based on the idea of tax cuts for the wealthy as creating jobs. I would like to see evidence that such tax cuts ever result in more hiring. Right now unemployment remains high even as companies are posting record profits. With tax cuts on top of those profits increasing the bottom line, what incentive is there to hire?
Rep. Darrel Issa has taken on the role of waterboy for big business, having solicited hundreds of businesses asking what “job killing” regulations they would like to see removed. Most if not all of these health, environmental, safety, workers’ rights, and consumer protection regulations have been around much longer than the recession (so how did they kill jobs?), and certainly longer than the Obama administration. But together with the efforts of conservative governors around the country to destroy public employee unions, the removal of these regulations will result in more poverty, and most likely an unsafe food supply. You can imagine that most big food corporations would love to see cutbacks in safety inspections, workers’ health provisions, and environmental regulation.
The Farm Bill, Climate Change, and American Agriculture
Which brings us to the Farm Bill. The new chair of the House Ag committee, Frank Lucas of Oklahoma, has already stated he wants to bring thousands of acres out of conservation and open them up for farming. He’s using the disingenuous argument that this is actually protecting the environment, because if we don’t farm those acres other countries will destroy much of their pristine land to compete with American farmers.
But aside from this, it will be interesting to see if the Republicans’ promise to the Tea Party to cut out hundreds of billions in government spending will turn out to be all talk when it comes to the Farm Bill, which provides billions in notorious subsidies to big ag producers.
Representatives of neither party usually dare to cross this line when it comes to their states’ agricultural production. The next Farm Bill is not due until 2012, and many suspect you won’t hear much about it until that very year, probably late that year.
Some believe that cuts will happen, nonetheless. And one of the areas certain to be cut is in programs to help farmers deal with global warming. For some reason, the new conservatives seem to go berserk over two issues more than anything else---health care and global warming, even to the extent that many well known conservatives who have advised that we should do something about global warming (such as Mike Huckabee and John McCain) have stepped back from their comments and try to fit into the global-warming-denial mindset of the new Congress.
How will climate change affect US food production?
“Dr. Jerry Hatfield, laboratory director and supervisory plant physiologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, discussed ongoing research efforts in studying current climate change patterns. He said farmers and ranchers should plan for more fluctuations of extreme dry to wet weather patterns in the future….He said nighttime temperatures have been overlooked when studying the changes in the atmosphere. "These increases in mean temperatures are due mostly to nighttime temperatures than daytime temperatures. In the last 20 years, increased nighttime temperatures changed very dramatically." Higher nighttime temperatures will affect reproductive development "because of the sensitivity of pollen survival to temperature.""Increases in nighttime temperatures will have a large impact on both vegetative and reproductive growth," he said. "Yields will be impacted because of shortened reproductive periods.”
http://westernfarmpress.com/farmers-must-prepare-cuts-next-farm-bill?page=2