Governor Newsom Proclaims State of Emergency

The California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division is sending this notice to all statewide participants in the Child Nutrition Programs (CNP) in response to an emergency proclamation issued on August 29, 2023, by Governor Gavin Newsom regarding fires.

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today proclaimed a state of emergency in Del Norte County due to the Smith River Complex fires and in Siskiyou County due to the Happy Camp Complex fires. The proclamations support the ongoing emergency response to the fires, which have destroyed homes, caused power outages, and driven the evacuation of residents.

Among other provisions, the proclamations waive certain licensing requirements and fees for out-of-state contractors and others working with California utilities to restore electricity. The proclamations also support impacted residents by easing access to unemployment benefits and waiving fees to replace driver’s licenses and records such as marriage and birth certificates.

Guidelines on Disaster Relief

For information on Governor Newsom’s emergency proclamation, please refer to the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom web page .

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 at 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/Federally Declared Disaster

Disaster relief organizations may designate schools as community feeding sites or request that schools provide their U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foods to other feeding sites. USDA Foods are to 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 located 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 disaster relief for the following programs, please contact:

School Nutrition Programs (SNP) & Summer Meals Unit

Will Graening, SNP Specialist, by phone at 916-445-5723 or by e-mail 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 .