Overview
- Proposition LL would let the state keep about $12.4 million collected under 2022’s Prop. FF rather than refunding it to households earning $300,000 or more, with the money directed to Healthy School Meals for All.
- Proposition MM would limit certain federal deductions for filers with incomes above $300,000 and is projected by nonpartisan analysts to generate roughly $95 million annually for school meals and related food assistance.
- The universal meals program has run yearly funding gaps of about $50 million, which supporters attribute to higher-than-expected participation and inflation-driven costs.
- If MM passes, the state could sustain free meals for all students and fund grants for local food purchasing, wage boosts for meal workers, and some SNAP support; if both measures fail, access would narrow to low-income schools and eligible students.
- Lawmakers revised ballot language in an August special session following federal SNAP changes, and ballots with the state Blue Book are now reaching voters ahead of the Nov. 4 election.