Rally in Sacramento Brings Coalition Together to End Poverty

Demands Action of Legislators

Golden State Opportunity proudly joined more than a dozen organizations in Sacramento on June 21 to demand that elected officials use some of the $97 Billion state surplus to end poverty in California.

The day began with a rally led by End Poverty in California (EPIC), a statewide organization recently founded by Michael Tubbs.

During the rally, GSO Policy Manager Mónica Lazo spoke passionately about her experiences with poverty. She called for immediate action by state leaders to make poverty a thing of the past.

“It’s not right to ask people to keep being hungry and living on the brink of homelessness when our policymakers can do something about it,” she said. “That’s why I’m here today, because I want to remind policymakers that they need to look to our communities and put people who are struggling first. Enough is enough!”

GSO was proud to stand with organizations including the United Ways of California, End Child Poverty CA, Young Women’s Freedom Center, Poor People’s Campaign, Parent Voices, PICO CA and many more. Other speakers at the rally included Assemblymember Anthony Rendon, Assemblymember Luz Rivas, Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, and Senator Maria Elena Durazo. 

After the rally, anti-poverty advocates attended the inaugural hearing of the Select Committee on Poverty and Economic Inclusion, chaired by Assemblyman Isaac Bryan. The Select Committee was created to address growing income inequality in our state.

At the hearing, anti-poverty advocates emphasized the importance of cash as the best way to lift families out of poverty, pointing to the effectiveness of the Golden State Stimulus and the Child Tax Credit.

“One of the proven solutions to end poverty is direct cash assistance—giving families the agency and dignity to decide how to best meet their needs,” said Shimica Gaskins, President & CEO of End Child Poverty CA.

Lawmakers also heard directly from people experiencing poverty to give power to their voices during the policy discussion. Read more about the hearing here.