2026 Policy Agenda
Alameda County Community Food Bank is committed to ending hunger for good.
We believe that creating a healthy and prosperous community requires meeting the immediate needs of our community while also working toward long-term solutions that ensure food access and economic security for all.
Our annual federal and state policy agenda seeks meaningful legislation rooted in these principles:
- Hunger is a complex issue. In Alameda County, 1 in 4 community members are experiencing hunger. And in a nation as prosperous as ours, hunger doesn’t exist because there isn’t enough food; it exists because of systems of oppression that inequitably concentrate power and resources based on race, gender, sexuality, class, age, disability, and more.
- While people from all backgrounds experience hunger, we must also acknowledge that in Alameda County, 7 in 10 people in poverty are people of color.
- There is a hunger emergency caused by cruel federal cuts, to which state and local leaders must respond. In the summer of 2025, the federal government passed H.R. 1, which was the largest cut to food assistance ever, potentially eliminating 9 billion meals annually across the country. An estimated 20,000 SNAP/CalFresh recipients in Alameda County will lose or have their benefits reduced. This cut is devastating to our community, pushing even more people into hunger and poverty, and shifting a tremendous burden to food banks like ACCFB.
- We must defend immigrant rights. As part of the H.R. 1 cuts and persistent federal attacks on immigrants, an estimated 5,400 humanitarian immigrants in Alameda County and 72,000 across the state lost their SNAP/CalFresh benefits on April 1, 2026.
For more than 20 years, we have made advocating for policies that eliminate the root causes of hunger just as core to our mission as the food in our warehouse and the fuel in our delivery trucks.
As we fight for these policies, one thing is certain: The movement is most powerful with you in it. Sign up for Advocacy Action Alerts at accfb.org/advocacy or contact advocate@accfb.org for more information.
Issues & Policy Priorities
AGRICULTURE & FARMWORKER SUPPORT
State
SB 881 (McNerney): Extend the Farmer to Food Bank Tax Credit and the Emergency Food for Families Voluntary Tax Contribution Fund.
CalFresh/SNAP
Federal
H.R. 6088 (Hayes)/S. 3281 (Luján) – Restoring Food Security for American Families and Farmers Act of 2025: Repeal H.R. 1’s cuts to SNAP.
H.R. 7522 (Adams)/S. 1628 (Welch) – Improving Access to Nutrition Act of 2025/2026: End the unjust three-month time limit on SNAP benefits for adults experiencing unemployment or underemployment.
State
CalFresh Fruit & Vegetable EBT Program Budget Request (Sen. Wiener/Asm. Lee): $100 million one-time.
CalFresh Outreach Network Budget Request (Sen. Padilla/Asm. Rodriguez): $14 million one-time.
California Nutrition Incentive Program (CNIP) Budget Request (Sen. Becker/Asm. Connolly): Establish an allocation of $100 million in this year’s budget for 2027-2029, while also leveraging federal GusNIP matching funds.
SB 961 (Ashby): Reduce barriers college students face when enrolling in CalFresh.
CHILD NUTRITION & UNIVERSAL SCHOOL MEALS
Federal
Fully fund WIC and S-EBT in FY27 appropriations.
H.R. 5731 (DeSaulnier/Thompson) – School Food Modernization Act: Provide funding to help schools purchase equipment, upgrade infrastructure, and provide professional development that supports school nutrition professionals’ ability to provide students with nutritious school meals.
H.R. 5753 (McGovern) – Healthy Meals Help Kids Learn Act: Increase federal reimbursement rates for school breakfast and lunch.
State
School Meals for All: Maintain $1.87 billion in full funding for universally-free school breakfast and lunch.
SUN Bucks Budget Request: $3 million one-time and on-going to create and maintain an accessible, translated online application for families to apply for SUN Bucks.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE & SUSTAINABILITY
State
SB 1383 Local Assistance Grant Program and CalRecycle Edible Food Recovery Grant Program Budget Request: $29 million on-going.
EQUITABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
State
AB 1857 (Aguiar-Curry) – Grocery Store Access Act: Prohibit restrictive covenants limiting grocery and supermarket use in order to expand food access, reduce food deserts, and improve food affordability and health outcomes.
FOOD BANK FUNDING
Federal
The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) FY27 Appropriations Request and H.R. 3784 (Salinas) – Farmers Feeding America Act: Reauthorize and double annual mandatory funding for TEFAP food purchases, adjusted for inflation. Increase authorized TEFAP storage and distribution funding to $200 million. Extend the existing $15 million authorization for TEFAP infrastructure grants.
State
CalFood Budget Request: $60 million on-going and $50 million one-time to support food banks in meeting surging demand caused by federal cuts and rising food costs.
HEALTH
State
AB 1734 (Stefani) – The Count Hunger Act: Respond to the discontinuation of the annual USDA Hunger Survey by preserving funding for the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) and expanding the survey to include households between 0-400% of the Federal Poverty Level.
AB 2348 (Bonta): Authorize Medi-Cal managed care plans to continue covering Community Supports as part of Medi-Cal beyond the conclusion of the California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) waiver at the end of 2026.
Diaper Bank Funding Budget Request (Sen. Durazo/Asm. Ortega): $16.5 million one-time and on-going.
IMMIGRANT RIGHTS
State
AB 1049 (Rodriguez) – Removal of Sponsor Deeming from CFAP: Base California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) eligibility and determination process solely on applicant’s actual financial situation.
AB 2299 (Calderon): Expand the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) to protect Californians losing SNAP/CalFresh benefits due to H.R. 1’s expanded time limits and humanitarian immigrant eligibility restrictions.
AB 2465 (Ortega) – No Taxpayer Dollars for Family Separation Act: Prohibit companies that invest in, manage, or operate private detention facilities or that contract with an agency that engages in or furthers immigration enforcement activities from receiving taxpayer-funded benefits, subsidies, grants, loans, or tax credits from the State of California. Establishes the Due Process for All Fund for immigrant-related services and programs.
California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) Expansion Budget Request (Asm. Calderon/Asm. Rodriguez): $1.6 billion for time-limited SNAP/CalFresh recipients and $156.4 million for restored benefits to humanitarian immigrants.
Food4All Budget Request (Asm. Rodriguez): $117.3 million in FY27-28 and $172.8 million in FY28-29 and automation for the planned October 2027 California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) expansion to undocumented Californians 55 and older. $465.9 million in FY27-28 and $686.48 million in FY28-29 to fully fund this expansion to all Californians excluded from CalFresh due to their immigration status, regardless of age.
OLDER ADULTS & PEOPLE LIVING WITH DISABILITIES
State
SSI/SSP Budget Request: Support SSI/SSP recipients with ongoing cost of living adjustments, raise grants above the Federal Poverty Level, and implement an Emergency Grant Program.
TAX POLICY
State
AB 1690 (Ahrens) – Young Child Tax Credit: Extend the California Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC); phase in higher age eligibility annually, ultimately extending the credit to include households with children up to age 18.
