This meeting is held three times per year to bring together Network-funded Local Food and Nutrition Education projects, advocacy organizations, evaluation consultants, state staff, invited speakers, and representatives from the Regional Networks. The meetings are a forum for providing best practices and resources; special training and/or guest speakers; announcements from state staff; and collaboration opportunities for all attendees. Meetings are typically limited to 50 attendees and people are asked to RSVP in advance of the meeting. The committee strives for inclusiveness and involvement in its issues and non-committee members are welcome to attend. For more information, please call Mary Rousseve (916) 449-5381 or email at Mary.Rousseve@cdph.ca.gov.

This meeting will focus on partnership building techniques and strategies for working with various produce industry partners (growers, shippers, processors, distributor, retailers) with the goal of increasing and enhancing fruit and vegetable promotions among low-income audiences.  The morning session will be a mandatory training specifically for Regional Retail Program Specialists while the afternoon session will be a joint Regional Retail Program Specialist and WIC Local Vendor liaison partnership building training.  Interested CX3 projects (Local Incentive Awardees) working with retail are encouraged to attend as well.  For more information, please call Rosanna Oliva (916) 449-5399 or e-mail at Rosanna.Oliva@cdph.ca.gov.

The Worksite Program pre-conference meeting is intended for NetworkRegional Worksite Coordinators and American Cancer Society Regional Specialists. The objective of this meeting is to map out resources, collaborative activities and implementation plans for additional nutrition education services targeting the FSNE eligible population in the worksite environment. We will have speakers covering cancer incidence and behavior change. There will be a panel of health entities that offer community screenings/clinics, a panel talking about innovative practices (such as the use of catering trucks to promote healthy eating habits in low-wage worksites), and a panel of past grant funded awardees.  For more information, please call Jacqueline Cheung at (916) 319-9289.

Who should attend:  Power Play! Regional coordinators (required), other Power Play! Regional staff (optional).   For more information, please call Betty Sun (916) 449-5417.

Who should attend:  African American Campaign Council members & partners and Latino Campaign regional lead agencies.  For more information, please contact Yelile.Saca@cdph.ca.gov.

Who should attend:  Regional Project Directors and Media Coordinators.  For more information please contact Jackie.Richardson@cdph.ca.gov.

This meeting is intended for the Physical Activity Regional Specialists and will allow for discussion and sharing of resources and ideas that have been used by each of the regions and Networkprojects to effectively integrate physical activity into nutrition education.  For questions, contact Jennifer.Abrams@cdph.ca.gov.

Attend this late morning session to learn how Coordinated Approach To Child Health (CATCH), Sports, Play, and Active Recreation for Kids! (SPARK), and KidTribe’s tried-and-true techniques help kids achieve caloric balance through physical activity.  This session is timed to dovetail with the School Networking Meeting below.  These proprietary organizations have been approved by USDA for one-time demonstrations at Network schools.  For questions, contact Jennifer.Abrams@cdph.ca.gov.

This meeting will provide an opportunity to meet your counterparts across the state who work with schools in order to share successful strategies and resources.  Prior to the meeting, Local Incentive Awardee (LIA) participants submit a two page-information sheet that includes their contact information and program highlights. Each participant will receive a packet containing this information. Some highlights of the meeting will include discussion and sharing of information about professional development for teachers as well as a presentation by the 2008 Nonnie Korten Award winning school.  Based on evaluations from the previous three years, LIAs find this meeting to be extremely valuable. 
For questions, contact Susan Magrann at (714) 327-1066 or
SMagrann@ocde.us. 

“Starting Early, Starting Healthy:  Focusing on our Youngest Children”

Who should attend:  Network-funded projects and partners serving young children, their parents/caregivers, and/or their teachers/aides/daycare providers.

This pre-conference meeting provides an opportunity to share successful and emerging strategies, as well as resources.  Attend this important meeting to learn about resources that can help with your 0-5 nutrition and physical activity efforts.   If you plan to attend this meeting, please register when you register for the conference.  For more information, please call Monet Parham-Lee (916) 552-9906 or email at Monet. Parham-Lee@cdph.ca.gov. 

As educators, each of us faces the challenge of how to best facilitate learning to support diverse groups of learners and impact behavior change. Curriculum modification is one effective way. Learn why and how to utilize educational theory, science-based techniques and evaluation to modify existing curriculum to motivate and accommodate needs of diverse groups of participants. This interactive workshop will provide you with knowledge and opportunities to practice new skills with experts. 
Presenters:
Sharon Fleming, PhD
Professor, Nutrition Sciences and Toxicology
University of California, Berkeley

Lucia Kaiser, PhD, RD
Human Resources Program Leader/Cooperative Extension Nutrition Specialist
University of California, Davis

Constance Schneider, PhD, RD
Nutrition, Family and Consumer Sciences Advisor
University of California Cooperative Extension, Fresno County
For Questions, contact SSDonohue@ucdavis.edu. 
Brought to you by the University of California Davis Food Stamp Nutrition Education.

Pre-Conference Registration at the Holiday Inn Sacramento  Capitol Plaza

Reception at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Capitol Plaza

Conference Overview

• Neal D. Kohatsu, Chief, Cancer Control Branch, California Department of Public Health
• Dr. Mark B. Horton, Director/State Public Health Officer, California Department of Public Health (Invited)
• Kimberly Belshé, Secretary, California Health and Human Services (Invited)
• A.G. Kawamura, California Secretary of Food and Agriculture (Invited)
• Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver (Invited)

Harry Balzer, Vice President, The NPD Group

Stretch Break/Move to Break-out Sessions

Candid, First-Person Views on the Inspiration to Change – with Analysis & implications
Moderator:  Susan Pennel, Network for a Healthy California, California Department of Public Health
Larry L. Bye, Field Research Corporation
Lex Matteini, Runyon Saltzman & Einhorn
Video excerpts from revealing and often very emotional discussion panels with low-income mothers provide candid views on what inspires them to make healthy changes.  These panels helped advance the Network for a Healthy California’s understanding of how the inspiration to change is formed, influenced, challenged and sustained.  The presenters will review how they approached this research, present findings, and review how key insights were applied to the next round of Champions for Change TV spots.  At least 30 minutes will be left for open discussion of implications for a wide range of statewide activities.

Awesome Resources-Ready to Go!
Moderator:  Susan Magrann, Network for a Healthy California 
Jennifer Genens, Los Angeles Unified School District 
Kari Tuggle, Orange County Department of Education-Network Coalition
Dareen Abdrabou, Orange County Department of Education-Network Coalition 
If you offer parent education classes or work with Prekindergarten teachers, this session is for you.  Learn how to access ready-to-use resources developed by two Local Incentive Awardees which include: 1) a series of parent presentations including handouts and 2) a pre-K teacher Harvest of the Month (HOTM) activity binder and toolkit.  The toolkit includes monthly lesson plans aligned to key subject areas, bulletin board ideas and picture recipes used for cooking activities.  The session includes a hands-on activity to view the resources and real-time discussion about successful strategies for reaching teachers and parents.

Getting Your School Administrators and School Board on Board
Moderator:  Stephanie Carillo, Network for a Healthy California, California Department of Public Health
Martin Gonzalez, California School Boards Association
Working closely with school administrators is key to successfully implementing nutrition education and physical activity programs. This session provides strategies to connect successfully with school administration and foster supportive relationships. Come and join a panel of school administrators as they share why they became interested and committed to providing nutrition education and promoting physical activity in their schools and walk away with strategies on how you can get your own administrators to be champions.  In this session you will also gain an awareness of the responsibilities of school board members and administrators and the critical role they play in initiating and sustaining change.

A Novel Approach in Addressing Childhood Obesity
Moderator:  Kamaljeet Singh-Khaira, Network for a Healthy California, California Department of Public Health 
Martha Walker, Community Diabetes Initiative of the University of Southern California 
Mandy Graves Hillstrom, Community Diabetes Initiative of the University of Southern California
Gabriela Rios, Community Diabetes Initiative of the University of Southern California
Lucy Montoya, Community Diabetes Initiative of the University of Southern California 
Using mentoring and peer-to-peer education models as the backbone of the learning experience is a unique and exciting way to teach students about nutrition and physical activity.   This session will describe an innovative pilot program that worked with high school youth preparing them to serve as nutrition and physical activity mentors to elementary age students. Learn more about how they engaged the high school youth in a Photovoice Project, how students received community service credits for participating in this pilot program and the impact this had on the youth’s consumption of fruits and vegetables and attitudes about nutrition and physical activity.

Collaborations that Build Healthy Habits for Life
Moderator and Presenter:  Mary Rousseve, Network for a Healthy California, California Department of Public Health 
Kim Frinzell, California WIC Program, California Department of Public Health
Oliva Rosanna, Network for a Healthy California, California Department of Public Health
Learn about the collaborative efforts between the Network for a Healthy California and the Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC) in preparation for the new WIC food package offering fruit and vegetables to participating families for the first time. This session will review the Healthy Habits for Life curriculum being used to introduce the new food package as well as the Network’s Retail Program and Communications partnerships that will help promote the new food package.

Inspiring Healthy Change in the Worksite Environment
Moderator:  Jacqueline Cheung, Network for a Healthy California, California Department of Public Health
Liz A. Torres, Worksite Wellness LA
Kinkini Banerjee, California WIC Association
Katie Tharp, California Department of Public Health
The Worksite Breakout Session will feature 3 speakers. Liz Torres will talk about her innovative efforts at Worksite Wellness LA. Kinkini Banerjee from WIC Association will talk about the partnership between the Network for a Healthy California and WIC and resources that have been developed as a result of the collaboration. Katie Tharp, Science Officer from the California Department of Public Health, will give a review of evidence-based worksite wellness.

God, Food, & Style—Improving the Health of African American Women Where they Congregate
Moderator:  Angela Dennis, Network for a Healthy California, California Department of Public Health
Dajahn Blevins, Youth4rce, Inc.
Wendy Dorsey, Youth4rce, Inc. 
Through the Body & Soul program, public health educators have begun to recognize how the Church can be used to improve the health of African Americans.  Presently, two other venues are emerging as strategic locales for effecting behavioral change in African American women:  Sister Circles and beauty salons.  Though a panel discussion format, attendees will learn how these institutions function in the lives of African American women; the unique strengths of each; and how they can be harnessed individually or in combination to effectively reach African American women, and support them in their efforts to incorporate lifestyle change that improves their health.

A New Model for Automating State Share Reports and Federal Share Invoices
Co-Moderator:  Alexis Greenhut, Network for a Healthy California, California Department of Public Health (CDPH)
Co-Moderator:  Frank Buck, Network for a Healthy California, CDPH
Roberta Acantilado, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)
James F. McGroarty, LAUSD
Rosanne K. Stephenson, Network for a Healthy California, CDPH
Raymond Santangelo, The Support Group
Review of the current methodology for gathering documentation and manually submitting State Share Reports and Federal Share Invoices followed by a presentation of one or more models for automating this process and submitting in on-line environments. 

Getting Healthy Foods into the Neighborhoods
Moderator:  Valerie Quinn, Network for a Healthy California, California Department of Public Health
Heather Wooten, Public Health Institute
Hannah Burton-Laurison, Public Health Institute
Rosemarie Amaral, Fresno County Department of Public Health
JoAnn Evangelista, City of Berkeley Public Health Division
 Food Stamp Nutrition Education (FSNE) consumers speak up for healthy changes!  But what changes can improve access to healthy foods in poor, underserved neighborhoods?  This session will train nutrition educators about a few such change strategies and resources that can be promoted to FSNE clients as part of direct nutrition education interventions.  Strategies such as innovative ordinances and resources such as various economic incentives for corner stores and mobile vendors to provide healthier foods and be viable in low-income neighborhoods will be reviewed.

More to Come

Networking Lunch

Exhibit and Poster Session

Inspiring Healthy Change:  Cal WORKS with Nutrition Education
Moderator:  Valerie Comeaux, County of Riverside, Nutrition Services
Diane Wayne, Network for a Healthy California, County of Riverside Nutrition Services
Gerry Martin, Department of Public Social Services
Veronica Huff, Network for a Healthy California, County of Riverside Nutrition Services
In partnership with Cal WORKS/GAIN, the Network for a Healthy California, County of Riverside, Nutrition Services has educated over 1,500 people on nutrition and physical activity and most participants were certified eligible to receive Food Stamps! Learn how to reach the Food Stamp population through our nation's Welfare-To-Work Program. A description of the start-up challenges and the expansion to over 9 county offices and 150 classes for Job Club clients with overwhelming staff support will be presented.  Learn practical suggestions and tips that may work in your county to help ensure a healthy, productive workforce for California!

Partnering with After School Programs to Extend Your Reach
Moderator:  Gloria Halley, Center for Collaborative Solutions
Mark Elkin, San Francisco Unified School District (USD)
Gabby Guinea, ExCEL After School Programs - San Francisco USD
Mariah Martin, California After School Resource Center
Are you taking advantage of the additional time and flexibility found in the after school world to increase the impact of what you do during the school day? San Francisco USD and ExCEL After School Program managers share their secrets, challenges and successes.  Learn what other school day and after school nutrition and physical activity partnerships are doing and how they do it.  Come learn about new, exciting resources from the California After School Resource Center (CASRC), and get a special preview of CASRC’s free nutrition and physical activity trainings.

Harvest of the Month Going Beyond the Classroom:  Partnership Building in the Community  
Moderator:  Katharina Streng, Network for a Healthy California, California Department of Public Health 
Molly O'Kane, Alameda County Office of Education
Ai James, Alameda County Office of Education
Moira Beery, Center for Food and Justice 
Harvest of the Month is designed to motivate and empower students to increase consumption and enjoyment of a variety of fruits and vegetables.   It presents a strategic opportunity to bring together the classroom, cafeteria, home and community to promote our common goal and healthier habits for students. Learn more about the strategies our partners are using to gain school and community support for implementing Harvest of the Month and increase access to fruits and vegetables.  The panel will share strategies on how to gain support from the child nutrition staff, local retailers and farmers. By involving others in the process, you gain support, which leads to a more successful implementation.

Successful Partnerships with Youth to Create Healthier, More Active Communities 
Moderator:  Cadelba Lomeli-Loibl, Youth in Focus
Yolanda Romero, Lamont Unified School District
Manuel Ramirez, Mountain View Middle School
Rabbi David Wechsler-Azen, Fresh Producers
This session will illustrate that young people are valuable resources who can make significant contributions to us and our organizations.  Young people have the passion, knowledge and energy to create innovative projects that can lead to healthier and more active communities.  Adults and youth can partner to create important programs to address the obesity epidemic in California.

Healthy Eating & Active Living for Young Children & Their Families
Moderator:  Monet Parham-Lee, Network for a Healthy California, California Department of Public Health
Cynthia Rollins, SAC Health System
Mary Ellen S. Westerberg, Diabetes Treatment Center/SAC Health System
Heather Reed, California Department of Education, Nutrition Services Division 
Melanie Tate, Child Development Incorporated 
To effectively serve young children, education and service models must address the family unit as well as the whole-child.  This panel will describe two models that involve a variety of partners in engaging the family and addressing the whole child.  Panelists will discuss partnerships with child development centers, physicians, dentists, First 5 County Commissions, and the California Department of Education.  Workshop participants will engage in sample activities and participate in a facilitated discussion about implementation strategies.

California Association of Food Banks: Banking on Better Health
Moderator:  Barbara MkNelly, Network for a Healthy California, California Department of Public Health
Terry Garner, California Association of Food Banks
Gail Atkins, Redwood Empire Food Bank
Katie Helwig, San Francisco Food Bank
Jeff Cesca, California Department of Food and Agriculture
Food banks in California play a critical role in offsetting hunger. In addition to making sure food is distributed to food insecure households, food banks in California are also implementing a wide variety of nutrition education strategies and taking steps to insure the food they are distributing is increasingly healthier. Panel presenters will highlight the effectiveness and reinforcing nature of these efforts for improving the fruit and vegetable consumption and active lifestyles of food bank clients.

Accelerating Community Change through Summits and Briefs: Shasta County and Central Valley Experiences 
Moderator:  Valerie Quinn, MEd, Network for a Healthy California, California Department of Public Health
Gloria Espinosa-Hall, Shasta County Public Health
Michelle Sabol, Shasta County Public Health
Nichole Mosqueda, Central Valley Health Network
Connie Schneider, University of California Cooperative Extension
How do you accelerate community change when you've got so many different stakeholders?  How do you link individual nutrition education to community efforts that cross a diverse region? Two effective strategies for accelerating community change that can be applied by local Network projects working in community settings will be shared. A county summit was developed that utilized CX3 data, connected multiple obesity prevention programs and gained commitment from a wide cross-section of agencies. A region-wide brief, Malnutrition in the 21st Century, events and training showed how individual nutrition education must link with community involvement to impact change.

Soda Free Summer – An Innovative Bay Area Regional Campaign
Moderator:  Jackie Richardson, Network for a Healthy California, California Department of Public Health
Diane Woloshin, Alameda County Public Health Department
Christine Goette San Francisco Department of Public Health
Lisa Craypo, Samuels and Associates
The Soda Free Summer Campaign is an effective social marketing campaign that raises awareness and empowers families to reduce or eliminate products high in sugar and high fructose corn syrup. The campaign was piloted in Alameda County in 2007 and expanded to the Bay Region through the Bay Area Nutrition & Physical Activity Collaborative.  Attendees of this workshop will learn how social marketing tactics are used in the development and implementation of a regional campaign.  Panelists will share how they developed the program interventions. Workshop attendees will leave with a clear understanding of what it takes to build a successful community intervention and will hear the evaluation results and lessons learned of the 2008 Bay Region campaign.

What are they eating? A Photography Study of School Lunch Choice and Consumption 
Moderator:  Andy Fourney, Network for a Healthy California, California Department of Public Health
Anna Martin, UC Berkeley Center for Weight and Health; UC Berkeley
May Wang, UCLA School of Public Health
Suzanne Rauzon, UC Berkeley Center for Weight and Health
Melanie Okamoto, Network for a Healthy California; Berkeley Unified School District  
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of cooking and gardening programs in changing school lunch consumption behavior in a school district where significant efforts have been made to improve the quality of foods served at school lunch and salad bars are offered at every school. Digital photography was used to determine what fruits and vegetables 5th grade students chose to take from the cafeteria or brought from home, and how much was actually consumed.  Findings show higher fruit and vegetable consumption among students eating school lunches compared to those bringing lunch from home, and higher fruit and vegetable consumption among students at Network schools vs. non-Network schools.

More to Come. 

Stretch Break

Mini-Plenaries

Stretch Break

Adam Drewnowski, PhD, University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine

Continental Breakfast/Networking

Network for a Healthy California Regional Physical activity Specialists

• Susan Foerster, Chief, Policy, Planning & Evaluation Section, Network for a Healthy California, California Department of Public Health
• Allen Ng, Regional Administrator, Western Region Office of the Food and Nutrition Service, United States Department of Agriculture (Invited)
• John A. Wagner, Director, California Department of Social Services
• Jessica Shahin, Acting Associate Administrator, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, USDA

Awards 

• Nonnie Korten Memorial Award
• Champion for Change Award
• Young Champion for Change Award

Schools and Communities:  Partners for Prevention
Moderator:  Karaliese Brown, Network for a Healthy California
Steve Berta, Consultant, fit for learning TM   
Bonnie Broderick, Santa Clara County Public Health Department
The nationally recognized fit for learningTM program was launched by the Santa Clara County Office of Education in 2005 in response to increasing rates of childhood obesity.  Designed as a countywide school-based wellness program model, the fit for learning TM initiative addresses healthy living at every level: the classroom, the school, the district, and the community. Come learn how fit for learning TM is making an impact and how you can integrate this initiative within your community.

Performance Related Nutrition Education in Physical Education
Moderator:  Jennifer Abrams, Network for a Healthy California, California Department of Public Health
Dianne Wilson-Graham, Consultant, California Department of Education
This session will introduce participants to a new set of instructional materials that have been developed to provide teachers with the tools they need to provide high quality physical education instruction while addressing the strand in the California physical education content standards that includes performance related nutrition. The materials are for students in grades K-12 and include sequential lessons that are easy to use and effective in integrating nutrition and physical education.

Educating and Engaging Young Children & their Families to Pursue Healthy, Active Lifestyles
Moderator and Presenter:  Kari Tuggle, Orange County Department of Education, Network Coalition 
Dareen Abdrabou, Orange County Department of Education, Network Coalition
Lynette Haynes, California Department of Education, Nutrition Services
April Cunningham, NCO Head Start  
Reaching young children is impossible without the help of parents and teachers.  This panel will describe a number of programs designed to engage young children, parents and teachers; including Food for Thought and Harvest of the Month.  Panelists will also discuss the elements of effective program planning, parent participation, teacher engagement, interactive activity and collaboration.  Workshop participants will engage in small group activities to facilitate the sharing of ideas and practices they can use back at the office.

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Promising Practices
Moderator:  Elizabeth Moreno, MS, RD, California Department of Education 
Dona Richwine, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (USD)
Stephanie Regal, Antioch USD
Pilar Gray, Fort Bragg USD
Orlando Griego Santa Monica-Malibu USD
To further address growing concerns about childhood obesity, Congress passed the 2008 Farm Bill which authorized the national Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP). The FFVP supports participating low-resource elementary schools to provide free fresh fruit and vegetable snacks to school children. Attend this session to learn strategies schools can initiate to: offer more fresh fruits and vegetables; integrate complimentary nutrition education; and, build partnerships in the community as well!

¡Celebrando Campeones Latinos! Exploring the lessons learned from California’s Latino Communities
Moderator:  Ignacio Romero, Network for a Healthy California, California Department of Public Health
Aracely Rosas, Network for a Healthy California Champion Mom 
Jessica M. Nunez de Ybarra, Communicable Disease Control, California Department of Public Health
Amir Hemmat, SABEResPODER 
Maria Puig, Physician in Private Practice
Panelists will share their experiences in building partnerships through new and different channels that ultimately seek to improve the health of low-income Latinos in California by increasing Champion mom involvement and media presence; including private sector marketing and consumer-driven strategies; combining education and health outcomes that actively involve academic leaders and Latino youth; and collaborating with state and national ethnic physician organizations.

Best Practices in Fiscal and Administrative Systems
Moderator:  Bob Ewing, Network for a Healthy California, California Department of Public Health
Steve Baldwin, Hawthorne School District
Faye Ny, Contra Costa Health Services
Lorraine Quan, Los Angeles Unified School District
Attendees will learn from a panel of local program coordinators who have “been there and done that” when it comes to successful Program Compliance (PC) Review site visits.  The experts will tell how their staff prepared data, answered questions, and presented their Fiscal and Administrative systems in the best forms.  The focus is on how to get ready, pass inspection and what the PC Team will be asking.   You will immediately take with you useful tools and checklists for your program’s upcoming PC Review. 

Education and Administration Reporting System (EARS): From Innovation to Implementation
Alexis Greenhut, Network for a Healthy California, California Department of Public Health (CDPH)
Sharon Sugerman, Network for a Healthy California, CDPH
This session will discuss how the new USDA mandated Education and Administration Reporting System will be integrated into the Network for a Healthy California. Participants will learn how the new reporting system will operate, as well as the variety of reports the system will produce.

In Your Neighborhood: Successes and Challenges in Providing Nutrition Education in Non-Traditional Settings
Moderator:  Edye Kuyper, Network for a Healthy California, California Department of Public Health
Daniel Perales, San Jose State University
Denise Cintron Perales, Perales & Associates Evaluation Services 
Becky Dennison, Los Angeles Community Action Network
Bergen Watterson, Children's Council of San Francisco
This presentation will describe the major challenges, successes, and lessons learned from eight 4th-year Local Food Nutrition Education projects. Two project managers will describe their activities including, 1) the Los Angeles Community Action Network on their nutrition workshops for Food Stamp Nutrition Education-eligible downtown residents, using the Food in Da Hood peer-to-peer nutrition education curriculum, and 2) the Children's Council of San Francisco on their efforts to promote increased consumption of fruits and vegetables among child care providers and food stamp eligible families in San Francisco. The remaining six projects will be summarized and their outcomes and lessons learned will be described.

More to Come. 

Stretch Break

Plenary Presentation

Chief, Program Development Section, Network for a Healthy California, California Department of Public Health

Connect with Network educators and impact evaluation leaders to hear stories about how nutrition education can impact the lives of the people we serve. You’ll learn how to make informed decisions to improve nutrition education interventions and evaluation practices. 
For questions, contact Andy.Fourney@cdph.ca.gov

In recognition of California’s growing obesity epidemic, competing environmental forces and the lack of a cohesive prevention strategy, the California legislature mandated the creation of a strategic plan to guide a statewide response to the crisis. The California Obesity Prevention Plan serves as a high level guide for each sector of society to take part in creating the shift to healthy eating and active living (California Department of Health Services, 2006). This is your opportunity to “weigh in” on the draft implementation and evaluation plan to move the high-level guide into an actionable plan for California.  Your feedback is vital to ensure the multi-sectorial engagement of stakeholders across the state.  For questions, contact Laurie.Pennings@cdph.ca.gov.