California’s obesity prevention programs work on two tracks: direct help for individuals and families through nutrition benefits and clinical services, and longer-term changes to the streets, schools, and child care settings that shape daily habits. The California Department of Public Health coordinates the statewide effort under Let’s Get Healthy California, the state’s official health improvement plan.1Let’s Get Healthy California. State Health Improvement Plan
Food and Nutrition Help You Can Use
CalFresh Healthy Living is the state’s version of the federal SNAP-Ed program and the largest nutrition education initiative in the country. It serves low-income Californians through classes on budget-friendly eating and physical activity, delivered in schools, food banks, and health clinics, and also supports community-level changes that expand access to healthy food.2CalFresh Healthy Living. CalFresh Healthy Living
If you receive CalFresh, the Market Match program doubles your EBT dollars at participating farmers’ markets so you can buy more fresh fruits and vegetables. The match limit varies by location but is typically up to $15 per visit.3California Department of Social Services. Get More at the Farmers Market Campaign Guide The state also encourages eligible families to enroll in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, which provides specific food packages, nutrition counseling, and breastfeeding support for pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and children up to age five.4Food and Nutrition Service. WIC Eligibility
CalFresh benefits can be used for online grocery orders at participating retailers, which helps if transportation or mobility limits your options. Delivery fees are not covered.5CalFresh. California’s Food Assistance Program – CalFresh
For school-age children in the summer, SUN Bucks (California’s version of the federal Summer EBT program) provides $120 per eligible child in grocery benefits when school is out. Most eligible children are enrolled automatically, but some families need to apply through their child’s school. Receiving SUN Bucks does not affect immigration status, and children can still use CalFresh and summer meal sites.6California Department of Social Services. SUN Bucks
Streets and Places Built for Walking and Biking
The Complete Streets Act of 2008 requires cities and counties, whenever they make a major update to the transportation section of their general plan, to redesign that plan for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, children, seniors, and people with disabilities, not just drivers.7California Legislative Information. California Code GOV – 65302
Any city or county revising its circulation element on or after January 1, 2025 must also incorporate the Federal Highway Administration’s Safe System Approach, which aims to eliminate fatal and serious injuries for all road users. Local governments have to develop bicycle, pedestrian, and traffic calming plans that identify high-risk corridors and set goals for completing safety improvements within 25 years.7California Legislative Information. California Code GOV – 65302
Money for these projects flows through the Active Transportation Program (ATP), which combined the older Bicycle Transportation Account and state Safe Routes to School programs into a single grant.8Caltrans. Active Transportation Program The ATP funds bike lanes, crosswalks, sidewalks, and safer routes to school, and its current cycle (Cycle 7) allocated roughly $568 million across four fiscal years from 2025–26 through 2028–29.9Caltrans. Active Transportation Program (ATP) – Cycles 1-7
Rules for Schools and Child Care
California sets minimum physical education time in the Education Code. Students in grades one through six must receive at least 200 minutes of PE every ten school days, not counting recess or lunch.10Justia Law. California Code EDC 51210-51212 Students in grades seven through twelve must receive at least 400 minutes every ten school days.11California Legislative Information. California Code EDC – 51222
School districts also have to adopt wellness policies that set nutrition standards for all foods and beverages sold or made available on campus during the school day. That includes vending machines, student stores, and fundraiser food, not just what the cafeteria serves.
For licensed daycare facilities and preschools, the Healthy Beverages in Child Care Act has been in effect since January 2012. It limits what providers can serve:
- Water must be available throughout the day, including at meals and snacks.
- Only one-percent or nonfat unflavored milk for children age two and older.
- No more than one age-appropriate serving per day of 100-percent juice.
- No beverages with added natural or artificial sweeteners.
Parents can still send whatever beverages they choose with their own child, and medical exceptions apply when a physician documents the need. The state updates these standards as the federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans are revised every five years.12California Legislative Information. Compare Versions – AB-2084 Child Day Care Facilities
Clinical Coverage for Weight Management
Medicare covers intensive behavioral therapy for obesity at no cost if your body mass index is 30 or higher and the counseling takes place in a primary care setting with your regular doctor. You pay nothing when your provider accepts Medicare assignment.13Medicare.gov. Obesity Behavioral Therapy
Medi-Cal coverage narrowed on January 1, 2026. As of that date, Medi-Cal no longer covers GLP-1 medications, including Wegovy, Saxenda, and Zepbound, when they are prescribed specifically for weight loss. Those drugs remain covered for other approved uses like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Medi-Cal providers are directed to discuss alternatives for weight management, including dietary changes, increased physical activity, and counseling.14Medi-Cal Rx. Important Update: GLP-1s for Weight Loss Are Not a Covered Benefit
Who Runs and Pays for These Programs
CDPH coordinates prevention work statewide, partnering with local health departments and community organizations that adapt programs to local needs. Federal funding does much of the heavy lifting: the USDA funds CalFresh Healthy Living through SNAP-Ed, and the CDC’s Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant provides flexible dollars for state public health priorities.15SAM.gov. Assistance Listing 93.991 – Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant Both flow to communities through competitive grants administered by CDPH and the Department of Social Services.
On the state side, Proposition 56, passed by voters in 2016, added $2.00 per pack to the cigarette tax. Most of the revenue supports Medi-Cal services rather than obesity programs directly, but that funding underwrites the healthcare infrastructure that delivers preventive care.16California State Auditor. Proposition 56 Tobacco Tax17Office of the Attorney General. Proposition 56 – Text of Proposed Laws The Active Transportation Program runs on its own funding track, drawing from state fuel tax revenue and federal transportation dollars.9Caltrans. Active Transportation Program (ATP) – Cycles 1-7