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California Assembly urges Congress to restore $70 million for local food-for-schools program
Summary
The Assembly adopted a bipartisan resolution calling on Congress to restore federal funding to the USDA Local Food for Schools and Childcare Program after the administration canceled an anticipated $70 million for California; members argued the program supports students, family farmers and local economies.
The California Assembly adopted Assembly Joint Resolution 6 on a 76-0 roll call Tuesday, calling on Congress to restore federal funding for the USDA Local Food for Schools and Childcare Program after the administration canceled roughly $70,000,000 in anticipated support for 2025.
The measure, introduced by Majority Leader Agri R. Curry, asks Congress to defend investments in school meals and in local procurement that the sponsors say help children and sustain family farms. "Proper nutrition helps children succeed, especially in school," Curry said during debate.
Why it matters: Members across regions and parties described the funding as a direct support to students who rely on school meals and to small farmers who sell produce to school districts. Speakers said the program also creates local jobs and supplies fresh food to school cafeterias.
Debate and details: Lawmakers cited figures included in the Assembly floor record. The first round of the federal program provided about $200,000,000 nationally in noncompetitive grants; a planned second round announced by USDA in October 2024 would have totaled roughly $660,000,000 nationally and would have allocated about $472,000,000 to K–12 schools and $189,000,000 to childcare sites. California's first round received more than $23,000,000 distributed to about 319 school districts, the resolution record says. The administration's cancellation of an anticipated $70,000,000 for California was the central complaint on the floor.
Supporters framed the resolution as nonpartisan: "We cannot stand against ripping lunches away from children," said Assemblymember Quirk Silva, a former classroom teacher. Speakers from rural and urban districts alike described students who depend on school meals as well as small producers who benefited from reliable local contracts.
Opposition and process: Floor debate was strongly supportive. A minority of comments focused on broader state policy options to replace the shortfall if the federal funding was not restored, with several members urging the Legislature to consider state-level remedies.
Outcome and next steps: The Assembly added 73 coauthors during the session and then adopted AJR 6 on a 76-0 roll call. The resolution is a formal appeal to Congress and does not itself appropriate funds.
Votes at a glance: The roll call on AJR 6 recorded 76 ayes, 0 noes. The clerk's record shows 73 members signed on as coauthors before the roll call.
Context: Supporters emphasized that the program prioritized purchases from small and socially disadvantaged producers and that local purchasing yields economic multipliers, cited on the floor as more than $2 of economic activity generated per $1 invested in local food systems.
