California lawmakers returned to the State Capitol this week after the holiday break to continue work on the new legislative session. 

In the coming days, Governor Newsom will present his 2023-2024 State Budget proposal to lawmakers. Many are waiting to hear how Newsom plans to address the Legislative Analyst’s Office’s projected deficit of at least $24 billion, which will come on the heels of California’s record-breaking $313 billion budget last year. He and the legislature will then work toward passing a final budget by June 15. 

The California Catholic Conference will be tracking bills that work to build sustainable communities, cultivate strong and healthy families, advance educational excellence, protect our vulnerable brothers and sisters, and embrace our ability to serve. Keep watch for alerts and other ways to help minister through the political process. 

Visit www.cacatholic.org for more. 

Join Catholics worldwide as we offer up a novena to pray for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who passed away on December 31. The novena began Thursday, January 5, and will continue through Friday, January 15, and includes a short reading from Scripture or some other ecclesiastical text and brief prayers.

You can find the novena in English and Spanish here. 

Unbeknownst to most, human trafficking is a prevalent crime that takes place in plain sight.  On any given day, between 25 and 40 million men, women, and children are victimized by human trafficking. 

While you may feel there is little that you can do to help combat this human atrocity, there is much you can do, including:

• Learn the signs and keep a watchful eye to help identify victims of human trafficking.

• The U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking have educational materials, prayers, events, and action items that anyone can take to help end human trafficking. Their short video is also very helpful. 

• A21 offers educational guides for educators, parents, and students on safe relationships and employment. They also provide a high school curriculum called Bodies are Not Commodities.

• Ethics & Public Policy Center created a very up-to-date Technology Guide for Parents.

• The USCCB offers parishes the SHEPHERD program with prayers, workshop activities, community outreach, service activities, and more. The Amistad program is another resource to help parishes fight trafficking in their immigrant communities.

• The International Justice Mission also has a limited podcast series, ‘Finding Ruby,’ that details one girl's entrapment into sex trafficking and her rescue. Very Young Girls or its shorter companion, What I’ve Been Through is Not Who I Am, is an excellent documentary on the reality of CSEC.

• Finally, the National Human Trafficking Hotline, Health and Human Services Dept, and DHS Blue Campaign offer awareness materials and posters.

The California Catholic Conference is teaming up with the 80,000 Knights of Columbus in the State of California to address the radicalized abortion culture in our state prayerfully – and the ground is set to shake like never before!

We invite you to join us in our Novena for Life from January 12th to January 20th, 2023. The faith of millions, expressing itself through prayer, will profoundly affect this land.

Visit 9daysofprayer.com for more information. The novena can also be downloaded here.  

During Poverty Awareness Month, join the U.S. Bishops, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), and the Catholic community in the United States in taking up Pope Francis' challenge to live in solidarity with the poor.

The USCCB’s Daily reflections (also en Español) include ways to learn about poverty, get inspired by how communities are responding, and take action with others. You can also sign up to have the daily reflections emailed during Poverty Awareness Month.

California Catholic Conference Executive Director Kathleen Domingo joined the USCCB in Washington, D.C., in early December to lobby on behalf of Catholics throughout the U.S. for policies that support women, children, and families. 

That effort led to the advancement of several year-end advocacy priorities of the Conference. The results include:

• The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act - a USCCB-endorsed bill that requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to workers with medical needs due to pregnancy or childbirth.

• The PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act, a USCCB-endorsed bill that requires employers to extend simple accommodations, such as a reasonable break time and a place other than a bathroom, for mothers to express breastmilk at their places of employment.  

• A USCCB, CCUSA, and CHA-supported provision that requires 12 months of continuous coverage for children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP and makes the state option to provide 12 months of continuous coverage during the postpartum period permanent.