Advocacy Day 2026 recap, the $25 million request and what comes next

Hi everyone! This email was supposed to go out on April 17th, but we're just realizing it failed halfway through sending. Apologies if you're getting it a second time!

Earlier this month, on April 9-10, 33 advocates from across California gathered in Sacramento for our second annual 2026 Advocacy Day. Together, we held over 40 meetings with legislators and their staff, made the case for our $25 million school garden budget request, and built the kind of momentum that can move policy.

Whether you joined us in person, signed on to our letter, shared the call to action with your networks, or rallied a key contact - this took all of us. Thank you.

Day 2 at the California Endowment Center. Training & orientation behind us, 40+ meetings ahead.

Here's a quick look at how it went and what's next.

• 33 advocates from across the state, representing organizations and districts from the Bay Area, Sacramento region, Central Valley, Los Angeles, San Diego, and the Central Coast
• 41+ meetings with legislators and their staff, including pre-scheduled meetings, drop-bys, and remote follow-ups we've been able to schedule since
• A majority of offices reporting "supportive" or "leaning supportive" of the $25M request, with several new offices showing interest in joining our sign-on letter - demonstrating wider appeal and adding to our momentum

This is a really big deal. We made our presence felt as a small but mighty team.

What's Next

We are now focused on three priorities:

1. Securing an Assembly champion for the budget request. Senator Pérez's office was clear that an Assembly champion will be essential to moving the $25M request forward. If you have a relationship with any Assembly office, especially those serving on budget committees, we need to hear from you.
2. Advancing the school garden policy bill. We are continuing conversations with Senator Alvarado-Gil's office and exploring alternative pathways with the Senate Agriculture Committee if that route doesn't materialize.
3. Following through on commitments made at the Capitol. Several offices we met with have specific follow-up requests, and our team is working through them this week.

Burbank Garden Academy students sharing the impact of their garden internships with legislator’s office staff on April 10th. Some of our most persuasive advocates of the day.

How You Can Keep Helping

A few quick asks:

1. Send a message to your legislators in support of the $25M school garden budget request. Two minutes. Our friends over at FoodCorps set up a tool that handles the mechanics for you: https://foodcorps.quorum.us/campaign/158532/
2. Help us find an Assembly champion. If you have a contact in any Assembly office, especially those on budget committees, please reply to this email and let us know.
3. Share this recap with your networks. Forward this email and let your community know we showed up at the Capitol and how they can plug in to our movement.

If you have any questions or follow up thoughts, feel free to reach out to ca-school-garden-leads@growingtogetherprojects.org and we'll get back to you :).

The window for this budget request is still open, and the work we did last week has shifted the conversation. Thank you for being part of this movement - whether you came to Sacramento, signed on to the letter, or are reading this now and wondering how to plug in. Every voice matters.

We'll continue to share updates as the legislative process unfolds.

With gratitude,

Charley

On behalf of the CSGC Leadership Team

Linda Livers walking staff through our $25M budget ask, alongside a room of constituents & advocates.