August 2026 Newsletter
Bereavement Leave for Chosen or Extended Family on Governor Newsom’s Desk!
Great News! SB 1149 (Durazo) Bereavement Leave for Chosen or Extended Family has passed out of the California State Assembly with 76 aye votes and is on Governor Newsom’s Desk. Currently, California’s Bereavement Leave law allows workers to take five days of unpaid job protected leave to grieve the death of an immediate family member, excluding the death of chosen or extended family members. SB 1149 would fix this. No worker should be forced to choose between mourning a loved one and keeping their job.
Please click here to let Governor Newsom know that you support SB 1149.
Haga clic aquí para informarle al Gobernador Newsom que usted apoya SB 1149.
This bill is a common sense update to California’s current bereavement leave law, grief isn’t limited to immediate family members, so why is bereavement leave?
Donations Are Back! Here’s How to Give
Our Donate button was temporarily down as we transitioned to our new fiscal sponsor, Tides, but we’re back online and ready to accept your support again!
If you've attended one of our trainings, joined an advocacy event, or come to a Statewide Meeting, please consider making a donation. Your gift helps sustain and grow our staff and programming.
Coalition Joins No Country for Mothers Film Screening in Santa Cruz
Coalition Director Jenya Cassidy spoke at an August 21 screening of No Country for Mothers, a film produced by MomsFirst, at the Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz, attended by nearly 300 people. Sponsored by First 5 Santa Cruz County and organized by local activist Logan Parsons and friends, the event shined a light on local and national activism to build power and win policies like paid leave and affordable child care to meet the needs of moms and families.
Following the film, Jenya Cassidy joined a panel moderated by Erika Mahoney, journalist and on-air host at KAZU Public Radio, with maternal mental health therapist Cassie Blom; Santa Cruz Vice Mayor Shebreh Kalantari Johnson; postpartum doula Amihan Tindongan; and Elisa Havens-Stokes, Executive Director of The Circle Family Center. Panelists discussed a wide range of challenges moms and families face and the policies and movement building needed to address them. There was great audience participation and questions about postpartum support, paid leave for diverse workforces, and how to increase revenue to expand access to child care and longer maternity and caregiving leave.
Community Immigration Resource Updated with New Public Charge Information
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published new regulations on public charge last month, rescinding the 2022 rule. On August 18, the DHS released sub-regulatory guidance for immigration officials making public charge determinations. The final rule and new guidance will take effect on September 18, 2026.
Public charge does not apply to everyone. "Public charge" is a longstanding immigration law concept that applies only to certain immigrants entering the U.S. and those applying for lawful permanent residency (LPR) from within the country. USCIS uses this as a test to determine if individuals are likely to rely on government assistance for support in the future and can deny a green card, visa or entry based on this. However, this guidance leaves too many unanswered questions about which programs and circumstances will be considered.
Please see Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) statement on the subregulatory guidance here and their Public Charge Toolkit for the most up to date information. For more resources on public charge or other immigration related issues please see our Community Immigration Resources / Recursos De Inmigración Para La Comunidad.
This resource list is an ongoing collaboration between members of California Work & Family Coalition California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC) and Immigrants Rising. It is not intended to be exhaustive. If you have questions about a specific resource please contact the organization who created the resource.
New PFL and SDI Resource for Immigrant and Undocumented Workers
Regardless of immigration status, eligible California workers can apply to the Employment Development Department (EDD) for Paid Family Leave (PFL) and State Disability Insurance (SDI) benefits. The California Work & Family Coalition recently released a resource that covers PFL and SDI know your rights information for immigrant and undocumented workers.
Healthcare + Food Assistance Changes Due to HR 1
HR 1, a federal bill passed in 2025, includes cuts to healthcare and food assistance. California Budget & Policy Center and Health4All have created important resources outlining when these changes will go into effect.
Resources:
Medi-Cal Information & Resource Hub Latino Coalition for a Healthy CA (LCHC)
Health Policy Changes for Immigrants in California - Health4All
Timeline of Funding Cuts to Medi-Cal and CalFresh in California
Cronología de los Recortes de Financiamiento a Medi-Cal y CalFresh en California
If you’re working on a resource that you think we should share in an upcoming newsletter, please let us know at info@workfamilyca.org!
