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Issue Brief

California’s Persistent Poverty Crisis: 2024 Rates Remain Alarmingly High

September 2025 | By California Budget & Policy Center

Latin single mother brushing teeth to her baby with daughter at home

key takeaway

California’s poverty rate remains among the highest in the nation (17.7%), with children, people of color, and renters most affected. Recent federal actions threaten to worsen these trends, highlighting the urgent need for bold state leadership.

California’s poverty rate, at 17.7%, continued to be the highest (alongside Louisiana) in the United States in 2024, with no tangible improvement from 2023. Racial poverty gaps also remain stark, with Black and Latinx Californians experiencing poverty at approximately ten percentage points higher than white Californians, according to new Census data. California’s poverty rate means that about 7 million state residents lacked the resources to meet basic needs last year — roughly equivalent to the populations of Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco combined.

These figures reflect a troubling trend that began with the rollback of historic anti-poverty investments that were created to mitigate the harm of the COVID-19 pandemic —underscoring that poverty is a policy choice. Bold investments in the federal Child Tax Credit (CTC) and other economic security-promoting policies during the pandemic were associated with a historic drop in poverty in 2021. When Congress allowed these effective policies to expire, they immediately reversed progress, causing the largest increase in the national poverty rate in 50 years, and a significant spike in California’s poverty rate.

Recent federal and state cuts to life-saving programs will likely contribute to an even greater rise in poverty and increased economic inequality across California next year and beyond, unless policymakers take bold action to respond. On July 4, 2025, President Trump, with the support of every Republican in California’s congressional delegation, signed a federal budget into law that strips away health care, food assistance, and other basic supports for millions of Americans, driving up living costs and making it harder to make ends meet. This shift in federal policy diverges from established evidence on effective strategies to reduce poverty, which emphasize sustained investments in public supports. The 2025-26 California state budget also includes significant reductions in health care that will harm the same populations targeted by federal policies, particularly immigrants, seniors, and people with disabilities.

Confronting the harm to California’s communities requires bolder action from state leaders. With 7 million Californians already living in poverty even before these extraordinary budget cuts fully take effect, state leaders should do everything possible to support investments that help Californians afford essential needs, including health care, food, child care, and housing. These investments are possible if leaders raise significant, ongoing revenue, particularly from the corporations and wealthy individuals that are overwhelmingly benefiting from recent massive federal tax cuts.

Poverty Remains Alarmingly High Following Repeal of Pandemic-Era Policies

Nearly 7 million Californians lived in poverty in 2024, according to new US Census data based on the Supplemental Poverty Measure — a more comprehensive reflection of economic well-being than the Official Poverty Measure. The poverty rates of 17.7% for all Californians and 18.6% for children were statistically unchanged from 2023 levels, but reflect a drastic increase from the recent historic low of 11% overall poverty in 2021.

This alarmingly high level maintains the trend in increased poverty over the last few years since the expiration of many pandemic-era policies that expanded public benefits and their reach. The last of those expansions expired in early 2023 with the end of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (CalFresh in California) emergency allotments, which temporarily increased nutrition benefits for program participants. The post-relief trend underscores the significant role that federal supports like safety net and social insurance programs play in reducing poverty.

Portrait of child girl eating on snack time at school

H.R. 1 and the Federal Budget

H.R. 1, the harmful Republican mega bill passed in July 2025, will deeply harm Californians by cutting funding for essential programs like health care, food assistance, and education.

See how California leaders can respond and protect vital supports.

Learn More

Poverty Increased Across All Age Groups, Especially for Younger Californians

Poverty rose significantly across all age groups from 2021, though rates vary among children, adults, and older adults. Notably:

  • Child poverty more than doubled, reflecting the sunset of the expanded federal Child Tax Credit. Child poverty has risen since 2021 from 7.5% to more than double that in 2024 at 18.6%. In general, the poverty rate is higher for children than for adults given the costs associated with raising children (such as child care) and the low wages for parents and caregivers, particularly women and women of color. Additionally, at the national level, the expanded federal CTC kept 2.9 million children out of poverty in 2021. When Congress let the expanded CTC expire in 2022, more children in California fell into poverty. This trend will only worsen with recent federal budget decisions to take the child tax credit away from mixed-status families.
  • Poverty remains highest for older adults in California. As displayed in the chart above, poverty is highest for adults ages 65 and older, at 21.1%. This trend is largely due to higher out-of-pocket medical expenses for older adults and mirrors national poverty trends. Both the federal and state budgets include harmful policies and cuts to health care programs that will make accessing health care for older adults even more expensive, further pushing older adults into poverty.
  • Poverty rates for adults are significantly higher in 2024, as compared with 2021. Sustaining a trend from last year, poverty continues to be on the rise for the largest age group in California. Specifically, poverty for Californians ages 18 to 64 rose from 11.1% in 2021 to 16.5% in 2024.

Racial Inequities Persist, Further Highlighting How Federal Actions Disproportionately Impact Californians of Color

Poverty increased across all racial and ethnic groups from 2021 to 2024. These increases were most pronounced for Black and Latinx Californians, further widening racial disparities in the state. Such disparities reflect generations of systemic racism that continue to persist. Racial discrimination in housing, access to banking, education, and taxation have all contributed to a racial wealth gap that is reflected in today’s poverty estimates.

Recent federal actions will disproportionately harm Californians of color and immigrants and are likely to push more Black and Latinx Californians into poverty in future years. Federal cuts to Medicaid would take health coverage away from millions of Californians of color, forcing families to delay or forgo care, take on medical debt, and face greater risks of falling into poverty. More than one in three Californians — nearly 15 million people — rely on Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program, for health coverage. Latinx Californians represent more than half of Medi-Cal enrollees and Black Californians make up nearly 7% of enrollees.

At the same time, monthly premium costs for Covered California, the state’s health insurance marketplace for people who do not qualify for Medi-Cal, are projected to rise by an average of 66% due to the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits, with even steeper increases for communities of color.

Federal actions also permanently gut the federal estate tax, allowing wealthy families to pass up to $30 million to their heirs tax-free, perpetuating wealth inequality and the racial wealth gap.

Without strong state policy interventions, recent federal actions will deepen racial and ethnic disparities, leaving Californians of color with fewer resources to stay healthy, build wealth, and achieve economic security. Protecting Medi-Cal and advancing more equitable tax policies are critical to ensuring all Californians can share in the state’s prosperity.

California Renters Experience Higher Levels of Poverty, Particularly Latinx and Black Renters

Housing is the single largest cost in most family budgets, and high housing costs are pushing more people, especially those already facing systemic barriers, into deeper hardship. California renters are particularly likely to experience poverty due to unaffordable housing costs, which threaten their economic and housing stability.

More than one-quarter (27.1%) of California renters experienced poverty in 2024, compared to 11.1% of homeowners. The 2024 poverty rate for renters is not statistically different from the 2023 rate, but it is significantly higher than the rate in 2021 (15.8%), when pandemic assistance for renters was still available.

Renters with the lowest incomes come from different walks of life and include older adults, people with disabilities, families, and single caregivers. Many also work or are pursuing their education while trying to stretch their budgets to make ends meet. Latinx and Black renters experienced the highest rates of poverty in 2024, at 30.9% and 30.5%, respectively. This is consistent with the fact that these groups of renters are most likely to have unaffordable housing costs that account for more than 30% of their income.

Future federal policy choices may lead to increases in poverty among renters. Proposals from the Trump administration and the House for the upcoming federal fiscal year included cuts to rental assistance and affordable housing funds. Meanwhile, the Senate proposed level funding for Housing Choice Vouchers — the main federal rental assistance program — which is still not sufficient to fully fund voucher renewals for current participants, and could result in an estimated 14,400 households, encompassing 31,600 people, losing housing vouchers in California. Additionally, neither the House nor Senate has proposed sufficient funding for fully transitioning Emergency Housing Voucher recipients into the Housing Choice Voucher program, which currently serves over 15,000 people in California.

The lack of federal and state investments in affordable housing and rental assistance, combined with the enacted federal cuts to health and food assistance, will mean more families and individuals will face impossible choices between having enough food, accessing needed medical care, and paying rent.

Tackling Deep Poverty Requires Bolder Expansions

In 2024, nearly 2 million Californians lived in deep poverty. Deep poverty, which is representative of severe economic hardship and extreme poverty, is defined in this analysis as a household with total resources below 50% of the supplemental poverty measure threshold. For a family of two adults and two children, this is equivalent to approximately $20,000 per year, inclusive of public assistance.

Over the past few years, the deep poverty rate has remained relatively stable, even during historic drops in the overall poverty rate in response to expanded pandemic-era relief. The trend in the deep poverty rate among children appears to have been more responsive to increased federal supports in 2021, which coincided with significant expansions to the child tax credit, but rose to pre-pandemic levels after these expansions were repealed.

Research shows that since the 1990s, following sweeping reforms to the safety net, public assistance has shifted from helping the poorest households toward work-based assistance. The emphasis on policies like work reporting requirements to obtain assistance minimizes the complex barriers to work for people facing this level of economic hardship, often categorically excludes people in need from accessing programs, and has contributed to a rise in deep poverty. As a result, investments in traditional public supports often don’t reach the people who experience deep poverty. To truly support Californians living in deep poverty, policymakers must go beyond simply maintaining existing safety net programs and expand them so families currently blocked from accessing supports can afford food, health care, and rent.

Californians Need State Leaders to Address Poverty with Bold Action

Poverty in California remains extremely high, and recent federal budget cuts will cause a steeper rise in hardship in years to come as millions of Californians lose health care and food assistance, further straining household budgets and pushing them deeper into poverty. Faced with this looming crisis, Californians need state leaders to take bold action to mitigate the harm and hardship of federal cuts. State leaders should particularly focus on ensuring that the corporations and wealthy individuals, who were recently showered with massive federal tax cuts, contribute more in state taxes. This is because these federal tax giveaways are largely financed by deep federal cuts to health care and food assistance — the very cuts that are likely to cause poverty and hardship to rise for years to come — and because corporate profits have skyrocketed in recent years while workers’ wages have stagnated. As a start, state leaders should:

Improving the economic security of Californians not only lifts families out of poverty, it also supports a more equitable state and a robust economy. Racial/ethnic and gender disparities in California continue to persist, which will further widen without action from state leaders. For California to be a state for all to thrive — regardless of race or ethnicity, gender, and other identities — state leaders should take bold action to mitigate the rise in poverty and present a different vision for California than the one the federal government has put forth in recent months. State leaders have the tools to hold a California for all as the vision, the goal, and the promise.

Poverty & Inequality

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key takeaway

Federal budget cuts to essential services threaten to worsen long-standing inequities for Latinx Californians and immigrants, underscoring the urgent need for state leaders to protect communities through stronger investments and fairer tax policies.

Access to affordable health care, child care, housing, and food is necessary for all Californians to thrive. However, congressional members — with the support of all California Republican representatives — and the Trump administration have passed a federal budget that includes deep and harmful cuts to programs that provide health coverage, nutrition assistance, and other essential services. The significant cuts represent one of the largest transfers of wealth in the history of the United States, which helps fund huge tax giveaways for the wealthy and provide an unprecedented increase in funding for immigration enforcement.

These cuts are harmful for millions of Californians with low incomes who are already struggling to secure basic needs. Still, these proposals are especially devastating for Latinx Californians, who are the largest racial and ethnic group in the state, yet continuously face significant disparities in areas such as health care access, earnings, rent burden, and access to child care due to historic ongoing racism and discrimination.

About This Report

This report was co-authored by Edgar Ortiz, Supervisory Policy Manager, Economic Justice, at the California Immigrant Policy Center.

The California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC) is a constituent-based statewide immigrant rights organization with offices in Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Fresno. It is a leading immigrant rights institution in the state. CIPC advocates for policies that uphold the humanity of immigrants and refugees in California by transforming systems to achieve racial, social, and economic justice.

Latinx Californians Are Essential to California

It would not be an exaggeration to say that there is no California without Latinx Californians, who make up the largest share — 40% — of racial and ethnic groups in California and also comprise more than half of young Californians. As the population of Latinx Californians increases, so does their visibility and representation across all aspects of everyday life. Though they work across all industries, Latinx Californians are disproportionately concentrated in industries that are notorious for low wages, limited workplace protections, lack of employer-provided benefits such as health insurance, and safety risks, including construction, agriculture, retail trade, and other services (e.g., janitorial services). Latinx workers in these industries experience low pay and significant power imbalances that contribute to a high need for programs to support basic needs — many that have been significantly cut.

Key Terms

What Are the Major Cuts That Will Impact Latinx Californians?

Latinx Californians have propelled California into being the fourth-largest economy in the world, yet many struggle to afford basic needs. The recently passed federal budget includes trillions in cuts to vital programs that support the health and well-being of millions of Latinx Californians. Programs like health care and food assistance help close decades of inequities that Latinx Californians have faced, but they are now facing severe funding cuts. At the same time, increased immigration enforcement actions that often target Latinx communities instill fear and threaten their safety and livelihoods.

Cuts to Medi-Cal and Other Health Care Programs Will Worsen Existing Disparities for Latinx Californians

Over 1 in 3 Latinx Californians (33.9%) are covered by Medi-Cal — California’s Medicaid program — and this number is even higher for Latinas (42.1%). That means millions of Latinx people in the state rely on Medi-Cal for their health care. However, the federal budget act includes over $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid over the next decade, which will result in California losing between $112 and $187 billion in health care funding.

At the state level, policymakers made significant cuts to Medi-Cal that reversed decades of progress toward affordable and accessible health care for all Californians. This includes freezing Medi-Cal enrollment for undocumented Californians, who are majority Latinx, re-instituting an asset limit test that will lead to substantial coverage losses, and implementing a monthly premium for undocumented Californians and certain other groups of immigrants with low incomes who qualify for Medi-Cal. This unprecedented Medi-Cal premium is a cost that will not apply to any other Medi-Cal members, meaning certain immigrants will have to pay to access health care that is free for other Medi-Cal recipients.

  • Federal actions may result in 1 million Latinx Californians losing their health insurance. These cuts, along with new burdensome red tape, will harm the health and well-being of millions of Californians, forcing them to make impossible choices between their health care and economic security.
  • Harmful provisions in the state budget targeting immigrants will only increase health inequities. Health care coverage is already an area where Latinx Californians face large disparities. Approximately 14% of Latinas and 19% of Latinos do not have health insurance, which are both the highest rates in the state for their respective gender.

Latinx Californians’ Ability to Afford Food and Other Necessities is Under Threat

Access to affordable food is critical for living healthy lives. Over 1 in 4, or 27% of, Latinx Californians receive food assistance through CalFresh, and almost 1 in 3, or 30%, of Latinas receive this assistance. Additionally, over half — or 55% — of Latinas participate in WIC, which helps ensure young children are healthy. Recent federal budget cuts slashed billions of dollars in funding for SNAP, resulting in CalFresh losing between $1.7 billion and $3.7 billion annually in federal funding, and will impose burdensome requirements on recipients of food assistance. Funding for WIC will be decided during the federal appropriations process and it is not yet certain whether the program will be funded at current levels.

  • New time limit expansions, cost-shifts to the state, cuts in benefit levels, and restrictions on some immigrants’ eligibility for CalFresh will all directly harm the ability of many Latinx Californians to feed themselves and their families. At least 2 in 5 Latinas and Latinos (42% and 41% respectively) are currently not able to afford enough food, and that is with CalFresh food assistance programs at their previous funding levels. With the state set to lose out on billions of dollars in funding for food assistance programs, Latinx Californians will face even steeper disparities in their ability to afford food for themselves and their families.
  • Only 72% of Latinas receive adequate prenatal care, so the federal appropriations process will be critical in ensuring WIC’s funding is preserved. Maintaining funding levels for WIC is crucial in helping to combat the disparities Latinas face in accessing adequate prenatal care.
Portrait of child girl eating on snack time at school

H.R. 1 and the Federal Budget

H.R. 1, the harmful Republican mega bill passed in July 2025, will deeply harm Californians by cutting funding for essential programs like health care, food assistance, and education.

See how California leaders can respond and protect vital supports.

Learn More

Access to Affordable Child Care is Critical For Latinx Families

Child care is critical for both parents and children in California so that children can grow and learn and parents can stay employed or continue their education to support themselves and their families. However, the high cost of this care threatens to push families, especially those headed by Latinas, deeper into poverty. A Latina single mom in California with an infant and school-age child spends over 70% of her income on child care without access to a state-subsidized program or Head Start — more than any other racial or ethnic group. A recent notice from the Department of Health and Human Services restricts certain immigrants’ eligibility to access Head Start.

  • Restricting access to Head Start will take away an effective and affordable child care program for many Latinx Californians. Latinx children are disproportionately eligible for subsidized child care; therefore, when the supply of affordable child care is reduced (which will happen with restrictions on who is eligible for Head Start), Latinx families are more likely to be burdened. The additional restrictions may also lead to a chilling effect, which can discourage qualified immigrants from enrolling due to distrust in government agencies that may not be able to protect their personal information. This could make it even harder for some Latinx Californians to afford sending their children to child care.

Federal Policy

The federal government plays a major role in shaping California’s budget, economy, and the well-being of its people.

Learn how federal policies shape California’s budget, economy, and vital programs — and how state leaders can respond to protect and support Californians.

Explore Federal Resources

A Key Federal Program To Help Latinx Californians Afford College is Under Threat

All people in California — including Latinx Californians — should be able to afford higher public education and access career pathways so they can achieve economic security. Unfortunately, this is not the reality for the large majority of Latinx Californians. Only 17% of Latinas, and just 14% of Latinos, have at least a Bachelor’s degree, which are the lowest percentages in the state, respectively. Research in 2021 found that despite comprising nearly 55% of students in K-12 education, Latinx students constituted only 43% of public higher education students. In addition, Latinx students graduate on-time at disproportionately lower levels across different institutions, ranging from 18% to 36% in California State Universities (CSU) and 51% to 53% in University of California (UC) institutions, which results in higher expenses due to the longer amount of time that students have to spend in order to graduate.

For Latinx Californians who are able to attend college, Pell Grants play a crucial role in helping them attend college. These grants supported 40% of Latinx Californians, or over 400,000 students, in attending college across the University of California, California State University, and California Community College systems. However, President Trump has proposed significant cuts to higher education funding, which include reducing the maximum federal Pell Grant award, and his administration is actively dismantling the Department of Education.

  • Threats to higher education and Pell Grants could make it impossible for hundreds of thousands of Latinx Californians to afford going to college. Pell Grants provide an average financial aid award of about $4,500 per year, which means that with in-state tuition at a California State University institution currently at $6,084 per year, Pell Grants cover almost three-quarters of the cost of tuition. These grants are awarded mainly to families with an annual income of less than $20,000, meaning they provide significant aid in helping students attend college. With higher education already being unaffordable for the vast majority of Latinx Californians, decreases in the financial aid that is available threatens the ability of Latinx Californians to access higher education.

Latinas Face Severe Housing Cost Burdens

Everyone needs an affordable and stable place to call home. While housing hardship is felt by renters across all races and ethnicities in California, Black and Latinx renters are especially likely to struggle to afford to pay rent. More than half (54%) of Latinas are rent burdened, and 27% are severely rent burdened. Federal housing programs support 920,437 people across the state, but are still unable to meet the growing demand from Californians at risk of losing their homes.

Additional federal threats to affordable housing and homelessness programs loom as the appropriations process gets underway. Proposed decreases to Housing and Urban Development funding could mean cuts to already underfunded programs for rental assistance, affordable housing, and community development.

  • Any cuts to federal housing programs would further jeopardize the stability of housing for Latinas, who already face severe housing insecurity. Racial inequities in housing compound with other racial inequities Latinx Californians face in the state, which have resulted in rent comprising over 50% of the median annual earnings of Latinas in the state. Inequities Latinx renters face in the state harm their ability to maintain health, work, and dignified living conditions.

Latinx Californians Face Threats To Their Safety With Increased Immigration Enforcement

At the same time that all of these critical programs that help Latinx Californians survive are being cut, Latinx communities are coming under assault from unprecedented increases in immigration detention and enforcement. The federal budget act includes over $170 billion in unrestricted funding for immigration enforcement, with detrimental effects on families, communities, and the state’s entire economy. This reign of terror has already resulted in workforce reductions and has targeted Latinx immigrants and citizens alike.

  • Restrictive and harsh immigration policies negatively impact how immigrants interact with public services and institutions through a “chilling effect,” result in negative health and financial outcomes, and harm key industries like housing, farming and food production, and caregiving. 
  • Racial profiling tactics are increasingly putting Latinx Californians in the crosshairs as they are targeted with more frequent and intense immigration enforcement operations, violating their human and civil rights. 
  • This unprecedented increase in enforcement also negatively impacts US-born workers: immigrants generate jobs for US-born workers directly as entrepreneurs and indirectly, as research has shown that for every 13 foreign-born workers who leave the labor force because of direct removals and the chilling effect of deportations, 10 US-born workers lose their jobs.

California’s state leaders cannot stand by as the pain of these harmful federal policy choices radiates out across the state. State policymakers should commit to doing all they can to protect vulnerable Californians and ensure access to basic supports like health care and food assistance. This includes adopting common-sense reforms to the tax code, particularly corporate taxes, to raise the revenue needed to protect all Californians and vulnerable communities from deepening hardship.

Policy Recommendations

Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit chcf.org to learn more.

Poverty & Inequality

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key takeaway

Black women have helped propel California into becoming the fourth-largest economy in the world, yet Congressional proposals to cut essential programs like health coverage and nutrition assistance would disproportionately harm them. These cuts compound the systemic racism, economic inequality, and generational trauma Black women in California already face.

Access to affordable health care, child care, housing, and nutritious food is necessary for all Californians to thrive. However, right now, Congressional members, including some California representatives, are actively pushing for federal budget and policy proposals that would pave the way for deep and harmful cuts to programs that provide health coverage, nutrition assistance, and other essentials in part to fund huge tax giveaways for the wealthy. These cuts would be harmful for millions of vulnerable Californians who are already struggling to secure basic needs. Still, these proposals would be especially devastating for Black women in California who continuously face significant disparities in areas such as health, poverty, and unemployment due to historic and ongoing racism and sexism.

About This Report

This report was co-authored with the California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute. The Institute is dedicated to uplifting Black women and girls; CABWCEI fosters strategic partnerships, amplifies voices, and drives systemic change to eliminate barriers and advance social and economic equity across California.

As the anchor organization for the California Black Women’s Think Tank at CSU Dominguez Hills, CABWCEI works to strengthen representation, mobilize collective influence, and advocate for policies that secure social and economic safety nets.

Black Women Are Crucial for California, But Have Endured Centuries of Racism

Black women are vital in lifting up their communities and creating a strong California. They have been at the forefront in fighting for their rights and the rights of all marginalized communities. Black women have helped propel California forward and into becoming the fourth-largest economy in the world. With Black women serving as the primary breadwinner in 80% of Black households, when Black women thrive, their communities thrive.

However, Black women have also been subjected to centuries of exploitation, racism, sexism, and systemic injustices in California. Between 1909 and 1979, the state implemented a eugenics program that led to the sterilization of over 20,000 individuals, disproportionately affecting women of color, and leaving lasting impacts on affected communities. Systemic discrimination also continues to affect Black women in the state, with a recent report by the California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute finding that, as recently as 2024, over half of Black women experienced racism or discrimination at work.

Proposed federal funding cuts would continue to harm Black women. These cuts would force Black women to face impossible choices between working in order to support themselves and their families, being unpaid caregivers for their families and children, paying rent, and putting food on the table. For many Black women, programs like Medi-Cal, CalFresh, and federal housing assistance are the only way to access basic needs like health care, nutritious food, and safe housing.  Cutting funding to these programs would worsen racial inequities and further increase the systemic barriers Black women and their families face that harm their ability to achieve economic security.

Key Terms

What Programs Are At Risk for Black Women in California?

Republican Congressional members are proposing cuts to vital programs that millions of Californians, including Black women, rely on. Black women have consistently been subjected to systems that undervalue them and create structural inequalities. These vital programs that are under threat are critical for supporting Black women and closing the disparities they face in all aspects of their lives, from health insurance to food assistance and education to child care.

Many critical safety net programs are facing potentially devastating cuts that would severely limit the ability of Black women to access crucial benefits. Instead of helping vulnerable families access basic needs, Congressional leaders prioritize spending that benefits profitable corporations and the wealthy.

Federal Threats to Medi-Cal Would Deepen Existing Health Inequities for Black Women

Millions of Black Californians rely on Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, to stay healthy and access vital health services like primary care and mental health support.

Reliable and affordable health care is critical for Black women and children’s ability to take care of themselves and their families, and to thrive in California. Medi-Cal should be strengthened to better meet the needs of Black women, not cut.

Black Women Could Lose Access to Critical Nutrition and Income Assistance Programs

Many critical safety net programs are facing potentially devastating cuts that would severely limit the ability of Black women to access crucial benefits. CalFresh (or SNAP):

  • Supports 47.3% of Black women in receiving food assistance; but
  • Is at risk of losing $300 billion of federal funding and is vulnerable to proposals to offload the cost of this program onto the state.

WIC allows women and children to access a multitude of health, nutrition, and supportive services. In California:

  • 47% of Black women participate in WIC; 
  • Only 66.5% of Black women receive adequate prenatal care; and
  • WIC helps to ensure children are healthy, which is especially important given the percentage of Black women receiving adequate prenatal care is much lower than the state average of 73.4%.

In addition to food assistance programs, income assistance programs also provide Black women with crucial support in meeting their basic needs. The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program primarily serves Californians with disabilities and adults 65 or older to ensure they have the income necessary to afford necessities. The SSI program:

  • Supports over one quarter of Black women in California;
  • Is critical for aging Black women in California, who face disproportionate health disparities, including frequent experiences of racism in healthcare settings and inadequate treatment for pain; and
  • Also supports aging Black women who experience high rates of “kinlessness,” increasing vulnerability to social isolation and accelerated aging due to chronic exposure to systemic stressors.

SSI is critical to ensuring aging Black women can afford the care they need when they need it the most.

Another income assistance program is CalWORKs (or TANF), which provides crucial cash assistance to Black women across the state and is funded by federal and state dollars.

  • Almost 20% of Black women in California receive CalWORKs benefits, demonstrating the importance of federal funding in supporting Black women who continuously face economic barriers due to decades of racial and gender discrimination.

Access to Low Cost Child Care is Crucial for Black Families

Child care is crucial for both parents and children in California so that children can grow and learn and parents can stay employed or continue their education to support themselves and their families. However, the high cost of this care threatens to push families, especially those headed by Black single moms, deeper into poverty.

A Black mother of three in South Los Angeles describes: “My youngest will start TK in the fall, marking her first time in school. Unlike my son and middle daughter, who both attended preschool, she didn’t because I couldn’t afford it this time around. Preschool costs increased from $600 for my son to nearly $800 for my daughter, and by the time my youngest arrived, it was close to $1,000 a month — something we just couldn’t manage.”

  • Black single moms in California with an infant and school-age child spend over two thirds, or 67%, of their income on child care without access to a state subsidized program or Head Start. 
  • In California, the CalWORKs Stage 1 child care program provides subsidized child care to CalWORKs participants to help ease some of these high costs. In 2023, Stage 1 CalWORKs helped 9,509 Black children receive child care to support their growth and development. 
  • CalWORKs Stage 1 is funded (in part) through the federal TANF program, and threats to TANF at the federal level put Stage 1 child care funding at risk, which would have severe negative impacts on thousands of Black children and their families. 
  • Black children are disproportionately eligible for subsidized child care; therefore, when the supply of affordable child care is reduced (which may happen through cuts to TANF), Black families are more likely to be burdened.

Federal Programs That Allow More Black Women to Afford College Are Under Threat

All Black women in California pursuing higher education and career pathways should have access to an affordable education and the ability to achieve economic security. However, structural barriers in college readiness, access to college, and college completion for Black students have resulted in fewer Black women with at least a Bachelor’s degree than the state average. Almost 70% of Black women do not have a Bachelor’s degree, and for the 31% of Black women who do have one, federal support is key in being able to afford the high cost of higher education. However, the Trump administration’s active dismantling of the Department of Education threatens critical programs that make college possible for Black women in California.

One of the programs under threat is Pell Grants, which:

  • Support approximately 32,000 Black women across the University of California, California State University, and California Community College systems. 
  • Provide on average an award of about $4,500 per year, which means that with tuition at a California State University institution currently at $6,084 per year, Pell Grants cover almost three-quarters of the cost of tuition. 
  • Are awarded mainly to families with an annual income of less than $20,000, meaning they provide significant aid in helping students attend college.

Without this federal support, going to college could become impossible for tens of thousands of Black women in the state, further entrenching disparities in the education system.

Black Women Disproportionately Face Housing Cost Burdens

Federal housing programs support 920,437 people across the state, but are still unable to meet the growing demand from Californians at risk of losing their homes. This means any cuts to federal housing programs would further jeopardize the stability of housing of Black women, who already face severe housing insecurity.

For Black women in California:

Conclusion

The proposed federal budget cuts are not just financial decisions — they affect the daily lives of millions of vulnerable Californians who use these programs to access basic needs. With 2 out of 5 Black women just one paycheck away from instability, stripping away access to essential programs like Medi-Cal, CalFresh, CalWORKs, Pell Grants, and federal housing support would inflict disproportionate harm on Black women in California who are also already navigating the compounded weight of systemic racism, economic inequality, and generational trauma. When Black women — who are the backbone of their families and communities — lose access to health care, child care, housing, education, and food, the entire state suffers. To ensure a just and thriving California, we must protect and expand these lifeline programs, not dismantle them. The path to economic justice, racial equity, and community well-being begins with investing in Black women. Anything less is a betrayal of the values we claim to uphold.

Policy Recommendations for Black Women in California

Legislative Proposals:

Protect and Expand State-Funded Child Care for Working Black Mothers by prioritizing funding in the California Budget Act for the CalWORKs Stage 1 and Alternative Payment (AP) childcare programs, with an equity lens to ensure Black families at or near the poverty line are not waitlisted or displaced by funding cuts.

  • Justification: Black single mothers in California spend over 67% of income on child care without subsidies.
  • Budget-conscious solution: Reallocate existing child care infrastructure dollars and target enrollment protections for the most vulnerable families.
  • Equity tool: Direct the CA Department of Social Services to issue emergency guidance prioritizing Black households disproportionately affected by child care inaccessibility.

Codify a Racial Equity Impact Assessment Requirement for budget and safety net changes by introducing legislation requiring all proposed budget adjustments and program cuts to undergo a Racial and Gender Equity Impact Review — specifically assessing harm to Black women and families.

  • Justification: Cuts to Medi-Cal, TANF, and Pell Grants disproportionately impact Black women.
  • Feasibility: Modeled after existing equity assessment tools used in San Francisco, Oakland, and at the federal level.
  • Outcome: Creates transparency and accountability without significant cost — empowering legislative committees and budget staff with equity data before decisions are finalized.

Non-Legislative Proposal:

Launch a Public-Private Partnership to Sustain Food & Housing Security for Black Women. For instance, create a Black Women’s Stability Relief Fund in partnership with philanthropy and corporations (e.g., Kaiser Permanente, Wells Fargo Foundation) to support food, rental, and emergency cash aid for Black women-headed households impacted by federal cuts to CalFresh, WIC, and housing programs.

  • Justification: Nearly 47% of Black women rely on CalFresh; over 63% are rent-burdened.
  • Low-cost to state: State provides administrative infrastructure through existing county-level human services, with funding driven by philanthropic partners and local employer tax credits.
  • Model: Use Los Angeles County’s Guaranteed Income Pilot or United Way’s Rent Relief Fund as templates.

Kellie Todd Griffin is the founding president and CEO of the California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute.

Federal Policy
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what is chosen family?

Chosen family refers to individuals who love and support each other like a family might, but do so by choice rather than based on biological or legal bonds.

All California workers should be able to care for their loved ones when they are ill without worrying about their next paycheck. However, many Californians have close relationships with extended or chosen family members who are not currently covered by the state’s paid family leave program. Although the program is funded entirely by worker contributions, some workers – especially those who are LGTBTQ+ and immigrants – are excluded from taking leave for their loved ones.

Policymakers can make the state’s paid family leave program more inclusive and accessible to all workers by expanding the definition of family to include a designated, or chosen, family member.

1. California’s Current Definition of Family Excludes Millions

Approximately 10% of Californians live with someone who isn’t currently included in California’s definition of family. Workers in California can currently take paid family leave to care for a sick family member if that family member is a: grandparent, grandchild, sibling, parent-in-law, parent, child, spouse, or registered domestic partner. However, around 3.5 million Californians, or 10% of the population, live in households with someone not included in this definition, such as an unmarried partner or other relative, meaning they are unable to take paid leave to care for these individuals because of the state’s definition of family. This is especially the case for immigrants, who make up 28% of the state population and are more likely to live in multigenerational households.

Additionally, there are about 2.7 million (or 1 in 10) LGBTQ+ individuals in California, which is the most in the US. Members of the LGBTQ+ community tend to rely on chosen family, or people outside of the traditional family definition, who are not currently covered by California’s paid family leave program to care for them when they are sick. That means these individuals’ chosen family, who pay a certain percentage of their paycheck every month into the state’s paid family leave fund, are not able to care for them in their time of need.

Expanding Paid Leave Means Recognizing All Families

Dannie is a transgender person in California whose biological family did not support him coming out as transgender. He found a chosen mom in Yvette at a critical time in his life. He shared the impact on him when Yvette was not able to take paid leave to care for him:

“I was not okay and I did not have anyone there for me. If Yvette had been able to take time off from the very beginning, she never would have allowed it to get as bad as it did where I was admitted to the hospital for a week. I should be able to say ‘Yvette I need you. Yvette I am really scared.’ Yvette couldn’t be there because she couldn’t take time off work because I am not blood family. This is a really big gap that needs to be filled in order for our community to not only live a healthy life, but to live a long-lasting life.” – Dannie

Policymakers should expand paid family leave in California so that people like Dannie can rely on their chosen family when they need to.

2. There is National Precedent for Expanding the Definition of Family

Seven states have more inclusive family definitions than California. While California was the first state in the country to enact a paid family leave program in 2004, other states have since established their own programs that are more inclusive. Washington, New Jersey, Oregon, Connecticut, Colorado, Minnesota, and Maine all include people who are related to the worker by blood or affinity (chosen family) in their definition of a family member.

3. Making Paid Family Leave More Inclusive Maintains Program Stability

There is minimal impact on states’ paid family leave disbursement funds. Washington expanded their definition of a family member in 2021 to include chosen family members. In that time, only 0.22% of claims filed for paid family leave have been used for a chosen family member. Colorado started their paid family leave program for chosen family members in 2024, and Connecticut’s program began in 2022. Since Colorado’s program expanded to include chosen family members, 495 people have taken paid family leave for a chosen family member, which represents just 2.5% of total caregiving claims. In Connecticut, 926 people, or 2.4% of total caregiving claims, have used the state’s paid leave program for a chosen family member. Although an expanded family definition has an immense and meaningful impact on the lives of those individuals who do not fit under the traditional family definition, the actual impact on a state’s paid family leave disbursement fund is very small.

4. Including a Designated Family Member Does Not Strain State Funds

When Washington expanded their definition of a family member to include a chosen family member, language was included in the policy that if over 500 individuals filed claims for expanded family members, a reimbursement from the state’s General Fund would be triggered. This was to ensure that the paid family leave fund would remain solvent even with the anticipated increase in the number of claims filed. However, that number was not met in 2021 or 2022 (a total of 686 claims were filed from July 25, 2021 to March 30, 2023), so $0 have been needed to reimburse the fund from the General Fund, further suggesting that adding a chosen family member will not strain a state’s disability insurance fund.

5. Current Contribution Rates Support Expanded Definition of Family Leave

Currently, workers in California pay 1.2% of their wages to the State Disability Insurance fund to pay for the state’s paid family leave and disability insurance programs. Data from Washington point to expanded family member claims having no impact on payroll contribution rates in the years after expansion. The Washington example suggests that expanding the definition of family to include a chosen family member would have a negligible, or zero, impact on current contribution rates in California.

California workers provide 100% of the funding for the state’s disability insurance fund, which provides payments for paid family leave benefits. However, many workers are blocked from accessing paid family leave for their family because they do not fit the strict definition of family used in the state — this is especially true for LGBTQ+ Californians and immigrant communities. California can ensure equitable access to paid family leave and catch up to other states’ more inclusive policies by expanding their family definition to include a designated chosen family member.

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key takeaway

Federal funding cuts to the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) threaten essential services for survivors of domestic violence, creating instability for service providers who rely on these funds. To ensure survivors receive the support they need, state and federal policymakers must prioritize stable, ongoing funding and prevent further cuts to VOCA.

Every Californian deserves to live in a world free from violence. However, this is not the reality for millions of Californians — especially women, people of color, transgender, and non-binary Californians — who experience domestic and sexual violence every year. Programs that provide essential services to survivors are critical tools in protecting survivors’ safety and helping them heal and recover. However, federal cuts have resulted in large funding gaps for these programs, and ongoing threats by Congressional Republicans and the Trump administration, including a federal funding freeze or additional budget cuts, would harm the ability of service providers to support survivors. Ongoing funding at the state and federal level is needed to ensure that survivors are provided with the crucial services they need.

How are Programs Supporting Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence Funded?

California receives federal dollars through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) that help fund programs that provide survivors with services like emergency shelter, counseling, and financial assistance. However, anticipated cuts, a priority of Congressional Republicans, to VOCA at the federal level would result in a roughly 45% cut to state grants for organizations that support survivors of crime, decimating the funding of many of these organizations who rely entirely on VOCA dollars to provide these critical services. Additionally, the Trump administration has already proposed actions that would threaten the ability of VOCA and other related funding to reach service providers.

Where Do the Victims of Crime Act Funds Come From?

The Victims of Crime Act was a bipartisan effort passed in 1984 with the purpose to help survivors of crime with the associated costs like medical bills and lost wages. The passage of VOCA established the Crime Victims’ Fund, which is what holds the dollars to support survivors. The money in the fund is collected by the federal government and comes from criminal fines, penalties, forfeited bail bonds, and special assessments paid by people or corporations convicted of federal crimes.

Those dollars do not directly go to states. Congress authorizes the release of a set amount of money, or cap, each year from the fund. As shown in the following diagram, the process of distributing the funds involves multiple steps and allocates funds to several purposes, before ultimately reaching the states to support crime victim services.

Once the funds have gone through every step in the above chart, the very last step is awarding 47.5% of the remaining balance in grants to states. This is not the only way these dollars can go to states to support victim services — shelters also get funding through other federal agencies and grants — but the dollars awarded through the victim assistance formula grants are the most direct and most flexible. In California, the money goes to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, who administers the funding to eligible organizations that provide direct services to survivors.

Federal Funding Levels are Inconsistent, Causing Challenges for Survivor Service Providers

Unfortunately, while this funding is necessary to provide crucial support to survivors, it is currently insufficient due to federal funding cuts. Since 2019, funding has fallen far short of levels needed to maintain the services local organizations provide to more than 816,000 victims of crime in California. While the state stepped in and provided $103 million in one-time funding to backfill federal VOCA funding gaps in 2024, no funding was provided in the governor’s 2025-26 proposed budget even though cuts are expected at the federal level again. At the current funding level, programs will have experienced a 67% cut in funding since 2019.

Due to changes in the amount Congress decides to allocate each year to be released from the fund and large fluctuations in the amount collected in federal fines and fees, funding for survivors is precarious. As shown in the chart below, there have been large swings in the amount in the Crime Victims Fund, such as in 2017 when there was a $4.3 billion settlement from Volkswagen that led to a massive increase in the amount of funding sent to California the following year. These swings in funding levels have largely been due to unexpectedly large criminal fines and settlements, which can change drastically from year to year and create instability so programs cannot count on consistent funding to provide the critical services necessary for survivors.

What Are the Current Threats to This Funding?

While the dollars in the Crime Victims Fund come from criminal fines and fees, they are unfortunately still under threat by the proposed unconstitutional federal funding freeze by President Trump. The funding freeze is currently on pause and facing legal challenges, but if it were to go forward, the administration could pursue several potential actions that would harm survivors and service providers by:

  • Putting new grant conditions on the funds programs receive to limit who can be served or what services are prioritized;
  • Working with Congress to reduce or zero out how much is released from the fund each year; or
  • Using VOCA funding release to fund programs that do not support survivors or victims of crime.

How can state and federal policymakers better support survivors?

Programs that support survivors can be better resourced in two ways:

  1. State-Level: The state can help fill the gaps left by the federal government cutting VOCA funding to ensure that every Californian can feel safe. Ongoing, stable funding is crucial for service providers to be able to best support survivors.
  2. Federal-Level: Ensure that the funding freeze does not resume and do not continue to make cuts to VOCA funding. Proposed and planned federal budget cuts threaten the ability of domestic and sexual violence service providers to care for survivors, which puts the health and well-being of millions of Californians at risk in favor of tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy. Instead, Congress should appropriate adequate funding to be released each year from the fund in order for service providers to maintain and grow their critical programs.

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Recent Report Highlights Economic Disparities for Black Women

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SACRAMENTO, CA — A new report from the California Budget & Policy Center (Budget Center) highlights the persistent wage gap affecting Black women and Black single mothers in California. The report, authored by Hannah Orbach-Mandel, Laura Pryor, and Nishi Nair in collaboration with Kellie Todd Griffin from California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute, highlights how … Continued

Women in California deserve the opportunity to thrive and access the same economic opportunities as their male counterparts. When women thrive, their families and communities prosper. However, women in California continuously encounter structural barriers that prevent them from doing so. Black women and Black single mothers in California, in particular, regularly confront policies rooted in racism and sexism that block them from accessing state funded programs and even stifle their earnings.

According to the latest Women’s Well-Being Index, Black women’s average wages are lower than white and Asian women and significantly lower than white men’s. This wage gap is persistent and closing at such a slow rate that wage equality will not be achieved in the lifetime of the youngest Californians. Additionally, in California, 67% of Black households are headed by single mothers. Consequently, Black single mothers face the additional financial burden of being the sole earners of their household and working while supporting their families, resulting in an even larger wage gap. While there has been progress in closing the wage gap, the state can implement policies that do much more to address the barriers to economic prosperity for Black women and Black single mothers in California.

About This Report

This report was co-authored with the California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute. The Institute is dedicated to uplifting Black women and girls; CABWCEI fosters strategic partnerships, amplifies voices, and drives systemic change to eliminate barriers and advance social and economic equity across California.

As the anchor organization for the California Black Women’s Think Tank at CSU Dominguez Hills, CABWCEI works to strengthen representation, mobilize collective influence, and advocate for policies that secure social and economic safety nets.

What is the Gap in Earnings Between Black Women and White Men?

In California, Black women — and especially Black single mothers — are paid far less than white men both in earnings from their job and total income. Approximately 67% of Black households are headed by Black single mothers, and systemic inequalities and economic disparities present these women with a unique set of challenges. It is crucial to not only examine earnings (wages) for Black women overall, but also to focus specifically on the total income of Black single mothers. As shown in the proceeding chart, in 2022:

  • Black women were paid $54,000 in earnings and Black single moms were paid $50,000, compared to the nearly $90,000 white men earned.
  • Similarly, Black women made $60,000 in total income and Black single moms made $53,000, while white men made in total just over $90,000.

These findings mean that for every $1 a white man made in the state in 2022, a Black woman was paid only $0.60 and Black single moms were paid only $0.56. This gap suggests that given the cost of living in California, one job is not enough to make ends meet. As a result, many Black women are forced to work second jobs to try to make ends meet, and even then, they still face a large earnings gap to white men. This is even worse for Black single moms who are the primary breadwinners of their families.

The consequences of this systemic wage gap ripple far beyond paychecks. When a mother struggles to make enough, her entire family feels it. It means tougher choices about paying rent, putting food on the table, or saving for the future. It means limited access to safe housing, quality healthcare, and educational opportunities — not just for her, but for her children too. This kind of financial stress isn’t just a challenge for today; it’s a challenge for generations.

What Could Black Women Afford if They Were Paid Equally?

The wage and income gaps Black women face place heavy burdens on their ability to meet even their basic needs. If Black women were paid equal to white men, they would be better resourced to thrive. Consider a single Black working mom in California. She must manage her children’s drop-off and pick-up at both child care and elementary school, while working two jobs to try to make ends meet. If she had been paid what white men in the state were in 2022, as the following chart shows, she would be able to afford:

  • An additional 8 years of groceries;
  • An entire year of rent; or 
  • Two years of child care.

If Black women were paid equal to white men, they could significantly improve their quality of life, generate more opportunities for their families, and better afford basic needs like housing, groceries, and diapers. Unfortunately, without proactive public policies, this will not be a reality for most women in the state today.

This is important because the wage and earnings gaps that Black women and single Black mothers face aren’t just numbers on a chart — they represent real struggles, real sacrifices, and real missed opportunities for Californians. These gaps place a heavy burden on their ability to meet even the most basic needs. This is about moms working long hours, stretching every dollar, and still being forced to make impossible choices about what they can afford for their families.

If The Status Quo Remains, How Long Will It Take To Close the Wage Gap?

Unfortunately, this wage gap is far from being closed. Specifically, it will take until the year 2121 — or nearly 100 years — for this gap to close. At this rate, equal pay will not be a reality for the majority of Black women in the state in their lifetimes.

Why Do Black Women in California Continue to Face a Wage Gap?

The wage gap for Black women and more specifically, Black single mothers, reflects decades of systemic racism and sexism. These injustices not only highlight the exploitation and implicit bias Black women experience, but also shed light on how policies have not done enough to support closing the wage gap. While multiple factors underscore the wage  gap for Black women, the following are salient contributors.

Policy Recommendations for Black Women and Single Black Mothers in California: Closing the Economic Gap

To address the pay gap and improve the economic well-being of Black women and single Black mothers in California, the state can implement targeted, localized policies to address systemic barriers and create equitable opportunities. Here are key California-specific policy recommendations:

Strengthen Pay Transparency and Equity Laws

  • What It Does: Enhance existing California Transparency Pay Act requirements that mandate employers to disclose salary ranges in all job postings and ensure transparency in promotions. This could be done by reducing the business size threshold so the requirements apply to all businesses with at least five employees instead of the current 15-employee threshold.
  • Why It Matters: This would reduce wage discrimination for Black women and single Black mothers and empower them to negotiate fair and just compensation in the state’s competitive job market.

Increase Access to Affordable Child Care Programs

  • What It Does: Expand California’s subsidized child care program and simplify eligibility requirements for single mothers. Boost funding to support higher wages for child care providers to address workforce shortages.
  • Why It Matters: High child care costs are a major burden for single Black mothers in California, and affordable child care would free up resources for other essentials.

Support Workforce Development for High-Growth and Non-Traditional Industries

  • What It Does: Expand California’s workforce development programs to include targeted support for Black women and single Black mothers in public, nontraditional and emerging and high-demand industries like tech, health care, and green energy.
  • Why It Matters: Equipping single Black mothers with the skills needed for better-paying jobs would help close the income gap and provide long-term economic stability.

Promote Leadership Development for Black Women

  • What It Does: Fund leadership programs that equip Black women with skills and mentorship opportunities for advancement in corporate, nonprofit, and public sectors.
  • Why It Matters: Leadership development addresses underrepresentation of Black women in executive, people-leading, and decision-making roles — opening doors to higher earnings and influence.

Invest in Affordable Housing Initiatives

  • What It Does: Increase funding for programs like CalHome to create products (i.e. down payment grants, mortgage forbearance programs, and Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) construction grants) that help mitigate the issues that single-income earners face. Provide rental assistance programs specifically for single mothers.
  • Why It Matters: The cost of housing in California is among the highest in the nation. Affordable housing would alleviate one of the largest financial burdens Black women and single Black mothers face.

Implement a Family Choice-Centered Approach to Universal Pre-K and Early Education Supports

  • What It Does: Ensure the California State Preschool Program (CSPP) is accessible and meets the needs of all low-income families, including single Black mothers, and expand funding to maximize family choice across all early learning and care programs.
  • Why It Matters: Early education allows single mothers to pursue work or education while providing their children with a strong academic foundation at an early learning setting preferred by them.

Increase Minimum Wage to Reflect Regional Costs of Living

  • What It Does: Introduce region-specific minimum wages that account for the cost of living in high-cost areas like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego.
  • Why It Matters: Black women and single Black mothers working minimum-wage jobs in California’s urban centers often struggle to cover basic expenses due to the high cost of living.

Promote Equity in Hiring and Advancement

  • What It Does: Require California employers to establish belonging and representation plans that focus on hiring and promoting Black women into leadership roles. Provide state tax incentives for companies that meet belonging and representation goals.
  • Why It Matters: Addressing systemic discrimination in hiring and promotions would open pathways to higher-paying positions for women and people of color.

Strengthen Protections Against Workplace Discrimination

  • What It Does: Enhance enforcement of California’s anti-discrimination laws with specific measures to address racial and gender bias. Include protections against discrimination in hiring, pay, and promotions. Establish guidelines for the enforcement of the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act.
  • Why It Matters: Discrimination limits Black women’s access to fair pay and opportunities for advancement. Robust protections create more equitable workplaces.

what is the crown act?

A law that prohibits race-based hair discrimination, defined as the denial of employment and educational opportunities because of hair texture or protective hairstyles. 

Create a Statewide Task Force for Black Women’s Economic Equity

  • What It Does: Establish a task force under the California Department of Business and Economic Development to focus on developing recommendations to close the pay gap, wealth gap, support entrepreneurship, and advance workforce equity for Black women.
  • Why It Matters: A dedicated task force would ensure ongoing focus, data collection, and accountability on issues impacting Black women’s economic well-being.

When Black women are paid fairly, they don’t just lift themselves up. They lift up their families, their communities, and our entire state. California can’t afford to leave anyone behind, especially the women who are working hard to build better futures for all of us. It’s time to close these discriminatory pay gaps and ensure every woman — every mom — gets the respect, the resources, and the pay she deserves.

Kellie Todd Griffin is the founding president and CEO of the California Black Women's Collective Empowerment Institute.

Support for this piece was provided by the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.

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