Rep. Barbara Lee’s “Food as Medicine” Vision Becomes Federal Program
By Joe W. Bowers Jr, California Black Media
In 2024, the 12-member California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), introduced nearly 600 bills aimed at improving the lives of all Californians, many with a particular focus on addressing inequities faced by Black citizens. Of these bills, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed 230 into law and vetoed 50.
The following are some of the key bills taking effect on Jan. 1, 2025.
Education Reform for Black Students
Senate Bill (SB) -1348 by CLBC vice-chair Sen. Steven Bradford (D- Inglewood) designates California Black-Serving Institutions (BSIs), an effort to provide additional resources and support to higher education institutions that primarily serve Black students.
Assembly Bill (AB)-51 by Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland) makes sure that Black families from low-income communities have access to critical early childhood education.
AB-1113 by Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D–Sacramento) expands the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) to include data on expanded learning opportunity programs. This bill improves the state’s ability to track student outcomes.
Health and Human Services: Improving Health Outcomes for Black Californians
AB-2319 by CLBC chair Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D–Suisun City) mandates implicit bias training for healthcare providers, addressing disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes, especially affecting Black women.
AB-3059 by Assemblymember Akilah Weber (D–La Mesa) requires commercial health plans to cover medically necessary pasteurized donor human milk for infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).
Tackling the Job Security
SB-1089 by Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D–Los Angeles) requires grocery stores and pharmacies to provide advance notice to workers and the community before closures.
AB-647 by Assemblymember Chris Holden (D–Pasadena) strengthens grocery worker protections by preventing mass layoffs. and ensuring that trained and skilled grocery store and pharmacy workers are rehired.
Environmental Justice for Black Neighborhoods
Bonta’s AB-2851 mandates air quality monitoring near metal shredding facilities, protecting the health of Black communities.
Bradford’s SB-1130 prevents low-income Black families from being left out of the Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) program, which subsidizes electricity costs.
Criminal Justice and Civil Rights Advocacy
AB-1986 by Assemblymember Issac Bryan (D–Ladera Heights) bans certain books in state prisons, addressing concerns over materials that perpetuate racial stereotypes and divisive ideologies.
AB-3089 by Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D–South Los Angeles) issues a formal apology for California’s role in chattel slavery, calls for systemic reforms and reparative justice for Black Californians.
AB-2975 by Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D–Carson) known as the Secure Hospitals for All Act, focuses on increasing hospital safety by requiring the installation of weapon detection systems at key entrances.
AB-672 by Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D – Moreno Valley) would ensure that Black Californians and other underrepresented communities are able to alert authorities in a timely way regarding alleged violations of civil rights.
Economic Justice and Worker Rights
Bradford’s SB-1177 ensures that minority-owned businesses are prioritized for public utility contracts, helping to create more economic opportunities for Black entrepreneurs.
AB-1 by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood) strengthens collective bargaining rights for workers in the California Legislature and protects Black employees, ensurin opportunities to advocate for fair treatment and wages.
A Continued Fight for Equity
The 230 CLBC bills signed into law represent tangible progress in education, healthcare, housing, environmental justice, and criminal justice reform.
