Ending Child Poverty Bus Tour Kick-off

More than 200 people gathered at the Frasyer Clinic Parking Lot of St. John’s Well Child and Family Center (SJWCFC) for the kick-off of the “End Child Poverty Bus Tour.” The tour, led by the “End Child Poverty in California” coalition, for its Los Angeles stop, featured an array of elected officials, community members and leaders, local parents, and anti-poverty advocates. Standing in front of the bus that will carry anti-child poverty advocates all the way to Sacramento, Supervisor Ridley-Thomas, Gov. Newsom, St. Johns CEO and President, Jim Mangia, and other elected officials and community leaders spoke at length on the moral urgency of confronting child poverty.

“In the words of MLK Jr.: ‘The curse of poverty has no justification in our age.’ The “End Child Poverty Plan” is an important first step to reducing child poverty in our state.” said Los Angeles County Board Supervisor, Mark Ridley-Thomas. “It also directly connects to our efforts in combatting homelessness. It sends a clear message that our work must be bold and our policy agenda must be steady to lift children and families out of poverty.”

“This is a state that is the richest but also the poorest in the nation. When we talk in terms of child poverty, the number of children living below or near the poverty level is nearly than half of the children of this state,” said California Governor Gavin Newsom. “But we finally have a plan for the millions of Californians who deserve more and we’re talking about implementing this plan in a strategic and nuanced way. This is about doing justice to our ideals.”

State legislation that created the “Lifting Children and Families Out of Poverty Task Force” to develop an anti-poverty plan was released just before Governor Newsom and legislature took their oaths of office in January. The “End Child Poverty in California” Coalition has rallied people and organizations and lobbied elected officials to adopt the Task Force’s End Child Poverty Plan, which would end deep child poverty in just four years when fully implemented. The plan would also reduce overall child poverty by 50 percent over the next decade.

“We are doing this because there almost two million children living in poverty. We are going to change that,” said Jim Mangia, President and CEO of St. John’s Well Child & Family Center. “This is a movement that is powered by a coalition that comes together under the End Child Poverty California coalition that combines the strength of organization and the plan from the Task Force with the wisdom and commitment of elected officials.”

Governor Newsom recently released his May revised budget which includes investments to address deep child poverty. The End Child Poverty Bus Tour’s aim is to highlight this start and create the necessary momentum to pass the Governor’s budget and the End Child Poverty Plan-related legislation this year and next. The coalition on the bus will make stops and hold open press events in Los Angeles, Pomona, Weedpatch, Fresno, Salinas, Oakland, and Sacramento.