On November 6, Oakland residents will vote on Measure J, a bond measure that would provide $475 million for school infrastructure projects. Some of that money would go to help Oakland renovate school kitchens.

 

Bay Citizen Reporter Katharine Mieszkowski says the barrier to healthy food is equipment, not fresh ingredients.

 

"Oakland has been trying to improve school food, make it healthier and tastier," Mieszkowski says. "Many schools don't have any kitchen at all, or the kitchen they have is very antiquated. So they're not really in a position to serve anything but processed, packaged, and frozen food that they heat up."

Seventy percent of Oakland students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Advocates for Measure J see it as a way to improve the health of the city's low-income kids.