Latino Coalition for a healthy california

Legislative & Budget Advocacy

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At LCHC, we believe that policy should be rooted in a community-centered approach, ensuring that community input is systematically integrated at every stage of the policy development process. Each year, we bring together cross-sector and multi-issue stakeholders through initiatives like our Nuestras Voces, Nuestro Poder Community Listening Tour and the Latine and Indigenous Health Policy Summit to shape our Latine Health Equity Agenda. This approach allows us to advance policies that are truly reflective of and responsive to the evolving needs of Latine communities in California while amplifying their voices in the policymaking process.

What is Health Equity?

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Health equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to achieve their highest level of health, regardless of their background, socioeconomic status, or circumstances. It focuses on removing barriers—such as poverty, discrimination, and lack of access to quality healthcare—that disproportionately affect marginalized communities.

Achieving health equity requires:
Addressing social determinants of health (e.g., housing, education, environment, and income).
Eliminating disparities in healthcare access and outcomes (e.g., ensuring communities of color receive the same quality of care as others).
Creating policies and systems that prioritize historically underserved communities.

 Legislative and Budget Priorities

LCHC’s Annual Legislative and Budget Priorities includes the specific priorities that we will advance every year throughout the California State Legislature, state departments, and the Governor’s administration. We co-sponsor legislation and partner with Latine Health Equity champions in the California Assembly and Senate to achieve bold, innovative policy strategies to close the gap on racial/ethnic health disparities for the State’s Latine community and achieve health equity for all Californians.

This year, we will be focusing on five significant pieces of legislation and critical budget advocacy priorities that will advance health equity for Latines in California for the 2025-26 legislative cycle. Download the LCHC’s 2025 Legislative and Budget Priorities to learn more!

2025 Priority Legislation

AB 403 (Ortega) – Community Health Workers and Promotores Medi-Cal Benefit & Services Transparency

Assemblymember Liz Ortega (D-20) has introduced AB 403, the Community Health Workers and Promotora Medi-Cal Services Transparency Act for the 2025 legislative session. This critical piece of legislation seeks to shine a light on gaps in utilization of the Community Health Worker, Promotora, and Representative (CHW/P/R) services covered benefit under California’s Medi-Cal program. AB 403 will require the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), beginning July 1, 2027, to provide an annual analysis to the Legislature and the public on the utilization of the Community Health Worker (CHW) Medi-Cal benefit. The bill is cosponsored by The Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, Vision y Compromiso, and The Children’s Partnership—founding organizations of the California CHW/P/R Policy Coalition.

LCHC’s Policy Agenda

LCHC’s annual package of priorities is developed through our people-centered policy development process, which prioritizes legislation that addresses the on-the-ground realities and needs of Latines across California. The roadmap, a companion document,  is the set of strategic milestones in LCHC’s advocacy process that enables us to identify health issues impacting Latines and the policies that will address these issues. The LCHC Policy Roadmap consists of:

  1. People-Centered Policy Advocacy: We center the voices and power of communities to identify areas of health needs through our ‘Nuestras Voces, Nuestras Salud’ Listening Tour.
  2. Legislative & Administrative Action: We engage in California’s legislative and administrative processes to highlight Latine voices at the Capitol by supporting legislation and state budget investments that will improve the health outcomes of Latines in California.
  3. Latine Health Policy Summit: We bring together Latine leaders and allies to provide insights surrounding intersectional and multicultural policy solutions that address inequities among Latine communities.
  4. Latine Health Policy Agenda: We advance the Latine Health Policy Agenda focused on both ongoing and new legislative and administrative efforts to advance health justice.

Stay tuned for our LCHC’s 2025 Policy Agenda!

Click here to learn more about LCHC’s 2024 Policy Agenda!

Legislative Victories

The Latino and Indigenous Disparities Reduction Act – SB 1016 (Gonzalez)

In 2024, LCHC helped pass our co-sponsored legislation- SB 1016. This new policy will collect and disaggregate data around Latine and Mesoamerican Indigenous populations in California.

By gathering and breaking down more detailed ethnicity and language data for the Latino and Mesoamerican Indigenous population in California, the Latino and Indigenous Disparities Reduction Act will take the first step in addressing the underlying health and related disparities within these communities.

This bill is Co-Sponsored by: The Latino Coalition for a Healthy California (LCHC), Comunidades Indigenas en Liderazgo (CIELO), Binational Center for the Development of Oaxacan Indigenous Communities (CBDIO) and the Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP)

Administrative Leadership

LCHC is regularly nominated to participate in key advisory committees and task forces with the State on a broad range of health issues to provide the Latinx voice and ensure our policies and programs are community-centered. In 2021, LCHC staff are actively engaged on issues ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic response to behavioral health and oral health.

Annual Latine and Indigenous Health Policy Summit

Our annual Latine and Indigenous Health Policy Summit is the only conference in California explicitly focusing on exploring policy solutions to address the complex health disparities that Latine Californians face. The Summit serves as an opportunity to celebrate our history and to bring together hundreds of statewide and local public health leaders,

government, and philanthropy partners and activates our network consisting of 20,000+ Latinx health stakeholders. We convene dynamic conversations with leaders from across California who are eager to advance systemic and community-centered solutions to bring about a healthier, more equitable, and sustainable future for ALL.

Federal Legislative Advocacy

Federal Public Lands Act

Thank you, Senator Alex Padilla, for protecting California’s public lands and rivers by championing the PUBLIC Lands Act!

We’re proud that you’re fighting to:

  • Increase access to parks for all Californians
  • Ensure air and water for our communities
  • Protect nature for future generations

We’re grateful for your leadership!

Gracias, Senador Alex Padilla, por proteger las tierras públicas y los ríos de California al avanzar la Ley de Tierras Públicas (PUBLIC Lands Act).

Estamos orgullosos de que luche por:

  • Aumentar el acceso a los parques para todos los Californianos
  • Garantizar aire y agua limpia para nuestras comunidades
  • Proteger la naturaleza para las generaciones futuras

¡Confiamos en su liderazgo!