SANGER, CA – Today, Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) released the following statement regarding her participation in the United Nations “Virtual Parliamentary Dialogues: Food Security and Nutrition in the Time of COVID-19:”

“Yesterday’s announcement on water should not come as a surprise--California has faced poor water management for some time,” said Senator Hurtado. “It should also not come as a surprise when poor water management begins to impact our food supply chain either. As one of the largest exporters of food around the world, California has been a key player to reducing world hunger. Improving water management is essential to a sustainable food system, preserving biodiversity, and achieving zero hunger. The discussions I participated in with the United Nations today, about what other countries are experiencing and the actions they’re taking have resonated with me. I plan to continue the fight to prevent food insecurity and work on the issues that contribute to it.”

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) hosted a virtual series as a follow up to the Global Parliamentary Summit against Hunger and Malnutrition held in 2018. The 2018 Summit Against Hunger and Malnutrition served to support capacity-building activities for parliamentarians and strengthen the political dialogue surrounding programs being developed in each region.

This year’s “Food Security and Nutrition in the Time of COVID-19” addressed the impacts the virus has had on food and agriculture, including the needs of vulnerable populations, ways to maintain global food trade, ways to keep national supply chains moving, and how to secure the right to food.

This legislative session, Senator Hurtado introduced Senate Bill 559—The State Water Resiliency Act of 2021—which would have allocated $785 million to repair vital water delivery systems that provide drinking water to communities throughout California and water to sustain the state’s leading agricultural economy. Senate Bill 559 passed out of the Appropriations Committee on August 26, 2021 with amendments that would place fund administration under the Department of Water Resources in consultation with the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Under these amendments, the departments would have to follow various guidelines and conduct studies in order for funding to be released and allocated. These requirements will further complicate the process and the fund disbursement, slowing construction on the State’s water conveyance canals.

Senator Hurtado also introduced Senate Bill 108 in the 2021 Legislative Session, which would have declared it to be state policy that individuals have the right to sufficient, safe, and healthy food. This bill was ultimately held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Her bill, Senate Bill 464—Comida Para Todos— works towards providing greater food security to low-income immigrant workers by expanding eligibility for state funded nutrition benefits to anyone ineligible for CalFresh due solely to their immigration status. This bill is in the Assembly Appropriations Committee awaiting further action. In line with this work, Senator Hurtado advocated for the inclusion of $5 million in the State Budget to prepare for the expansion of food benefits for undocumented immigrants.

Media Contact: Michelle.Sherwood@sen.ca.gov

About Senator Melissa Hurtado

Senator Melissa Hurtado represents a new generation of Latina leaders as the youngest woman ever elected to the California State Senate and a product of immigrant parents. Senator Hurtado represents the 14th Senate District and focuses on rural community issues that often go unheard — access to clean air and water, food insecurity and poverty, inequities in environmental policies, agriculture and access to health care. In July 2020, she was appointed to the national Biden Latino Leadership Committee alongside former Labor Secretary and current Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis – the only two California Latinas on the Committee.

For more information, visit Senator Hurtado’s Website here or find her on Twitter at @Senator_Hurtado

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