On February 3rd at 12:00 p.m., a bipartisan coalition of legislators, in partnership with a diverse group of organizations, launched Step Up CA, a statewide campaign to reduce poverty in California.

The press conference featured remarks from Assemblymembers Connie Conway (R-Visalia), Jim Beall (D-San Jose), Jerry Hill (D-South San Francisco), and Anthony Adams (R-Hesperia). Following the press conference, the Step Up CA coalition led 70 legislative staffers and advocates through a special interactive event that challenged them to take on the role of a struggling Californian. As participants navigated through the unique challenges of poverty-finding a job and affordable childcare, dealing with debt and medical bills, all while trying to get state help-they gained a real understanding of what it’s like to be poor in California today. And understanding poverty is the first step toward fighting it.

Co-Sponsored by Catholic Charities of California, California Council of Churches, California Legislative Women's Caucus, California Commission on the Status of Women, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, AARP California, INSIGHT Center for Community Economic Development, Jericho, Loaves & Fishes, the New America Foundation, and Step Up Silicon Valley.