Western Center on Law & Poverty

05/27/2026

Restricting access to food is not the way to balance a budget. Do better, California.

05/27/2026

Join us this AAPI Heritage Month for the Secretary Speaker Series: AAPI Trailblazers — Bold Leaders Advocating for the Environment.

As communities across the country face growing challenges related to equity, representation, and inclusion, this conversation will highlight AAPI leaders advancing climate action, environmental justice, and equitable access to nature throughout California.

Hear from Secretary Wade Crowfoot alongside leaders from CAPIAA, Sierra Club, NRDC, and the California Natural Resources Agency as they discuss building a stronger and more inclusive future for generations to come.

🗓 Friday, May 29, 2026
⏰ 12:00–1:00 PM
💻 Virtual Webinar

Register today: https://bit.ly/AAPIEnvironmentalTrailblazers

05/16/2026

Today we are releasing our statement about Governor Gavin Newsom's May budget revision and it's clearly not what it could be.

Instead of shielding Californians from H.R. 1’s cruelty, the Governor’s May Revision acquiesces to inhumane federal cuts to SNAP and maintains the cruel health care cuts proposed in January. As a result, it would cement the harm to Californians experiencing hunger and force older adults and people with disabilities to impoverish themselves to access Medi-Cal. Despite additional housing investments, the May Revision continues to treat California’s housing and homelessness crises as limited or optional investments.

Other proposals to make up for an estimated budget shortfall are simply small concessions in the face of enormous harm. The Governor has acknowledged the crisis but has yet to meet it with the scale of action Californians need.

California has the tools and the means to protect families and strengthen critical programs. Now is the time for action, to lead the nation by investing in people instead of forcing vulnerable communities to absorb devastating cuts.

Western Center looks forward to working with the Legislature and Governor on a final budget that promotes and protects the well-being of all Californians, not just the wealthiest.

Read our full statement on our website.

04/27/2026

Today 4/27/26, Repealing the Water’s Edge Election Tax Avoidance Scheme, heads to the Revenue and Human Services Committee, and California can’t afford to wait.

This bill by Asm. Damon Connolly closes a massive corporate tax loophole that lets profitable corporations hide billions offshore and avoid paying what they owe on profits generated here in CA. That’s $3-4 BILLION lost every year.

Meanwhile, federal cuts threaten:
• 1 million Californians losing CalFresh
• 2 million losing Medi-Cal
• 70,000 preventable deaths over the next decade

Families will be forced to choose between food, housing, and healthcare while corporations get tax breaks.

AB 1790 makes corporations report profits honestly and pay their fair share.

Without new revenue, Californians will go hungry, face deeper housing insecurity, and suffer devastating health consequences.

California leaders must act NOW. We’re asking to vote YES on AB 1790.

04/17/2026

Western Center recognizes the hard work of all the staff in the largest home visiting network in the nation and to spotlight the life changing results for families who participate in these free programs.

improves the health of infants, children, and parents. It also advances by supporting diverse and underserved families.

04/16/2026

At Western Center, we focus on the policies that shape health outcomes upstream—housing, healthcare access, and economic stability.

Because maternal health birthing care doesn’t begin in a hospital.

California has the tools to lead on maternal health black birth equity.

The question is whether we’ll fully invest in solutions—or continue accepting unequal outcomes.

04/09/2026

Western Center is actively working with our legislators to shape bills specifically intended to curtail the use of AI to disenfranchise families and communities.

A Pew survey from 2025 found that half of Americans were more concerned than excited by the rise of AI, and roughly 60 percent said they wish they had more control over AI’s use in their own lives. And yet it’s the poor who are subject to its most consequential uses. Today, debt collectors use AI to hound people via phone, e-mail, and chatbots. AI deepfakes are poised to worsen criminal-justice disparities. Parole decisions are being made by AI systems. And increasingly, federal and state officials are outsourcing decision-making and oversight for public services to digital machines.

After decades of austerity rooted in anti-Black and anti-poor politics, America’s safety net is already threadbare; those same biases are now encoded into digital tools that, like all AI, reproduce the prejudices of their training data and programmers. A human bureaucrat can destroy only so many lives in a day; algorithms can ruin the lives of tens of thousands at once.

Every state now uses AI to determine Medicaid eligibility, according to TechTonic Justice. For the 73 million people enrolled in the program, automated systems increasingly decide whether to approve or deny healthcare treatments. The nearly 14 million Americans who receive disability benefits through the Social Security Administration are subject to decisions shaped by AI, which is also used by the Department of Housing and Urban Development; in fraud detection for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; and in making predictions of neglect in child-welfare investigations. Indeed, throughout the social-safety net, decisions about who gets helped and who gets denied are increasingly left to machines.

Read more from Kali Holloway: https://www.thenation.com/article/society/ai-luxury-class-social-programs/

04/09/2026

In the face of H.R.1 federal policies which threaten to push people off coverage, Western Center is proud to sponsor a critical package of legislation to protect Medi-Cal access for millions of Californians.

These bills will:
• Stop unnecessary work requirements that strip people of care
• Reduce wrongful terminations caused by administrative barriers
• Cap costs so families aren’t forced into medical debt
• Increase transparency and outreach to keep people enrolled

This is about protecting real people—families, seniors, workers, and communities—who deserve consistent, affordable health care.

At a time when coverage losses are both preventable and costly, this work is part of our commitment to health equity, system efficiency, and long-term stability for California’s health care infrastructure.

04/07/2026

It’s Public Health Week—a reminder that healthy families and stable communities don’t happen by accident.

They’re built through public health: access to care, nutritious food, safe housing, and preventive services that allow people to thrive.

But too many communities—especially low-income communities and communities of color—are still denied that foundation.

At Western Center, we’re fighting every day to strengthen public health systems and expand access so everyone has what they need to live with dignity and stability.

Public health is essential.

- Access to healthcare — preventive, primary, and emergency services for all
- Food and nutrition security — consistent access to healthy, affordable food
- Safe and stable housing — protection from displacement, environmental hazards, and homelessness
- Clean environments — safe air, water, and protection from toxins and pollution
- Economic stability & social supports — income, benefits, and services that reduce stress and hardship

Join us this in advocating for equitable investments that support all families.

04/06/2026

An estimated 72,000 immigrants in California are set to lose CalFresh benefits. H.R.1 changes the eligibility for certain immigrants, such as people with refugee status, victims of trafficking, and immigrants from Iraq/Afghanistan who have special immigrant visas.

Taking away these resources has huge negative impacts on our communities. Food justice is justice for everyone.