State of Emergency Declaration

The California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division is sending this notice to all participants in the Child Nutrition Programs in response to an emergency proclamation issued on January 4, 2023, by Governor Gavin Newsom regarding the winter storms and recovery efforts throughout the state of California.

SACRAMENTO - Working to protect Californians from the incoming winter storms, Governor Gavin Newsom today proclaimed a state of emergency throughout California to support the ongoing response to recent winter storms.

The emergency proclamation supports emergency relief efforts including authorizing the mobilization of the California National Guard to support disaster response, directing the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) to request immediate assistance through the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief Program to support highway repairs and other support for local response and recovery efforts. The text of today’s proclamation can be found here .

The Governor has also activated the State Operations Center to its highest level, and the state and federal government have stood up the Flood Operations Center, which covers forecasting, reservoir operations coordination, and provides technical support as well as flood fighting materials like sandbags for local agencies.

“California is mobilizing to keep people safe from the impacts of the incoming storm,” said Governor Newsom. “This state of emergency will allow the state to respond quickly as the storm develops and support local officials in their ongoing response.”

Guidelines on Disaster Relief

For information on Governor Newsom’s emergency proclamation, please refer to the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom web page at Governor Newsom Proclaims State of Emergency and Mobilizes State Government Ahead of Winter Storms | California Governor .

For specific information on CDE Disaster Relief Guidelines, please refer to the CDE Disaster Relief Guidelines web page.

For information on disaster assistance and resources in California, please refer to the CDE Disaster Resources web page.

For information on emergency resources from federal, state, and local agencies, please refer to the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) website .

Reimbursement Claims Submission Flexibility

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) can authorize the CDE to allow school food authorities, institutions, and sponsors to submit claims beyond the 60-day submission requirement. Claims submitted after 60 days, as a result of a disaster, are not subject to the one-time exception for late submissions. For more information on late claim submission due to disasters, refer to the USDA Policy Memoranda SP 46-2014, CACFP 12-2014, SFSP 18-2014 web document on the USDA Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) FNS Disaster Assistance web page .

For assistance with submitting your claim, contact your Child Nutrition Fiscal Service Analyst on the CDE Nutrition Services web page.

Use of U.S. Department of Agriculture Foods during a State and Federally Declared Disaster

Disaster relief organizations may designate schools as community feeding sites or request that schools provide their USDA Foods to other feeding sites. USDA Foods can be released on request to recognized disaster relief organizations such as the American Red Cross or the OES. Information regarding USDA Foods usage, reporting, and claiming procedures during a disaster can be found in Management Bulletin 02-401 on the CDE Use of USDA Foods in Disaster Feeding web page.

The Disaster Feeding Guidance for School Food Service using USDA Foods can be downloaded from the CDE Food Distribution Guidance, Manuals, and Resources web page.

Contact Information

If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact the following programs:

School Nutrition Programs (SNP)

Will Graening, SNP Specialist, by phone at 916-445-5723 or by email at wgraening@cde.ca.gov.

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

California Department of Social Services by email at CACFPinfo@dss.ca.gov, or contact your assigned analyst which can be found in CNIPS Download Forms CACFP-01 or on the CACFP Contact List web page.

Food Distribution Program (FDP)