[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6558657,"mediaKeyId","3237169-849989abb4411caed9bc033eb035d303","parentId",3237169,"title","Senate subcommittee told federal funding cuts threaten California food-assistance programs","audioSeconds",5076,"startMs",188000,"endMs",5264000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3237169-849989abb4411caed9bc033eb035d303&start=188&end=5264","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3237169-849989abb4411caed9bc033eb035d303/thumbnail_188000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6558657/California/Senate-subcommittee-told-federal-funding-cuts-threaten-California-food-assistance-programs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6558657-4e94425d74e0275c9b837e0c284b998b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447984&Signature=L7MOm6P1L88atRe3qkbf6EdRl~q8eiS1CEvE7rxqjOSuYrH7m7XfxYS~KcjylAuhNIL9dFu53VTYJK6oPoPhZdy8PHzB8~Rzbx68Mm~pRRGBEneV67uEazW0p~EzeOL1dTgK2pMCdMNS1Xg-EYXFim6jp5yPAt1MdtmXAhQDxNH~b5QOCkV3SlHvNl0LQKaLCcCfcFIo0fZAQmn91PdTvILjj5UUCIMg3lrAbx100X3xGo69mYrjEqLMFetOBExkOIKc7jCtfpZ7C4yoHVRt-ajcbgFF4MJN9iIGrtzKpUj-KJac1Gr00Q~xgJUwJrpf2tFMcBh0Fuv~UspszkImNg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","California State Senate","date","2025-05-08T00:00:00Z","article","At a hearing of the California State Senate Budget Subcommittee 3, officials from the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) told legislators that recent federal decisions and the ending of several USDA funding streams are reducing resources for statewide food‑assistance programs that reach millions of Californians.

Jennifer Troia, speaking on behalf of the Department of Social Services, said CalFresh (the state name for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) remains the state’s largest food and nutrition program but that other affiliated programs have faced abrupt federal changes. \"We were awarded a total of $88,000,000 via 2 grama, LFPA and LFPA plus that were anticipated to be available through June of 2026,\" Troia said, and later added that a planned third round of LFPA funding (LFPA '25) was terminated on March 7, 2025, canceling approximately $47,300,000 the department expected to receive.

Why this matters: the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) and related grants enabled California to buy locally produced food for food banks, supporting socially disadvantaged farmers and local distributors. CDSS told the committee those grants had been fully committed to partners including the California Association of Food Banks, the California Department of Food and Agriculture and regional food bank collaboratives.

CDSS staff also described other recent federal changes affecting emergency food resources. The department said it had previously received a Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) augmentation to the federal emergency food program (TFAP) but that the USDA notified states on April 2, 2025, that that CCC augmentation was terminated. CDSS estimated the value of canceled TFAP food for California would be about $60,000,000, but said exact values were not provided by USDA. \"There's clearly a high level of uncertainty related to changes that the new federal administration or Congress may pursue,\" Troia said.

SunBUCs/Summer EBT: CDSS described the newly implemented summer EBT program, referred to at the hearing as SunBUCs (Summer EBT). CDSS said the program provides eligible school‑age children $120 per child for groceries during the summer, tied to free and reduced‑price meal eligibility and automatic for children who participate in CalFresh and Medi‑Cal. The department reported issuing about $672,000,000 to roughly 5.6 million children in summer 2024 and said the 2025 plan was approved by the federal government on April 9, 2025. Troia said cards were scheduled to begin arriving in early June 2025.

Disaster CalFresh and emergency food reserves: CDSS explained how disaster CalFresh operations work after a presidential declaration that triggers individual assistance. In response to recent Los Angeles wildfires and related outages, CDSS said it had issued more than $17,000,000 in replacement benefits to over 127,000 households across 13 counties. The department also described an emergency food bank reserve that can be replenished with up to $1,000,000 and gave an example of an emergency contract to deliver 25,000 food boxes and truckloads of bottled water to local food banks within days of the fires.

Food‑bank perspective: Becky Silva, government relations director for the California Association of Food Banks, told the committee that food banks are already facing a “perfect storm” of elevated demand and disappearing federal and state funds. \"One in four people are paying for groceries with a credit card and are taking on debt to buy food,\" Silva said. She urged the legislature to sustain Cal Food funding at $60,000,000 annually and warned that without replacement LFPA and TFAP funds food banks and local producers would face severe strain.

Budget context and appeals: Troia said California included $3.9 billion in total funds and $1.3 billion in General Fund for CalFresh and nutrition programs in the governor’s January budget proposal. CDSS said it had submitted an appeal to USDA on April 4 asking the agency to reverse the LFPA termination but had not received a response as of the hearing.

Discussion and next steps: Legislative Analyst Office staff reported they will continue to monitor caseloads, the SunBUCs rollout, and federal decisions. Committee members asked CDSS and the Department of Finance about contingency planning; both agencies said they were monitoring developments and that the state’s ability to backfill lost federal funds would be constrained by the state’s fiscal position.

Looking ahead: CDSS said it will continue outreach to food banks and growers, press USDA on appeals, and monitor the practical impacts of the terminated federal grants. Food‑bank and community witnesses urged the committee to consider state funding actions now to prevent service interruptions.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 3 on Health and Human Services","oneSentenceSummary","At a hearing of the California State Senate Budget Subcommittee 3, Department of Social Services officials warned that recent USDA decisions terminating several grant streams threaten programs that buy and distribute locally produced food and other emergency food supports that reach millions of Californians.","taxTitle","California State Senate, Senate, Legislative, California","taxId",77650,"location","California","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6558641,"Community groups urge legislature to avert 'Promise Neighborhoods' and diaper‑bank funding cliff; food banks press for Cal Food restoration",503,4327000,4830000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3237169-849989abb4411caed9bc033eb035d303&start=4327&end=4830","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3237169-849989abb4411caed9bc033eb035d303/thumbnail_4327000.jpg","/articles/6558641/California/Community-groups-urge-legislature-to-avert-Promise-Neighborhoods-and-diaperbank-funding-cliff-food-banks-press-for-Cal-Food-restoration","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6558641-0206b71f1de30c6584634f93956cc8ac/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447984&Signature=jZjUwXHNQnRyWtkhS3EGhvosXrhONY3XSEookuyeJ1n9HLoTm-T1SZX8a8-Kwm8so6VRIylTLsbRE30Nw3bxmL9DiPzoPtlYxnF9gEMCQkfqPN450GtIWma8sDq~DYEtRaeEOJ1hK2yfdWpj2FqykW5PraYNBhcMdPMLl-gfZwPHfjUlSl05A7N3exiMlGZHPmaj6s8FNF7fzjV6l5GcnpN29cefp4IFq~e-eD~Qc8AFNyexP54rGxubx-EAkRJ-cbIIMhqKETbQpruOMNMMtWetPJlS68EGiSr-5N5~YUOAFTOitdu6oqqOwgJyIYJUPizZ735XOpodsbD4IG4MfQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A broad coalition of nonprofit leaders, food‑bank executives and Promise Neighborhood coordinators urged the Senate Budget Subcommittee 3 to shore up several expiring state investments that they said support cradle‑to‑career services, diapers for families in need, and purchases of California‑grown food for local distributions.

Jose Midelez, speaking for SBCS Corporation and Promise Neighborhood initiatives in San Diego County, asked the subcommittee to prioritize $17,500,000 in one‑time funding to prevent a funding cliff for Promise Neighborhoods that the witnesses said would abruptly end services for more than 130,000 children and families and eliminate about 55 jobs. \"Without the continued support, over 130,000 children and their families are at risk of losing critical support services at the end of this June,\" Midelez said.

Food banks and Cal Food: Several food‑bank representatives asked the committee to restore Cal Food baseline funding to $60,000,000 ongoing. Chris Carter of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank said the LA Food Bank had distributed the equivalent of 25,400,000 meals through Cal Food in the last three years and urged continued support. Becky Silva of the California Association of Food Banks described an expected Cal Food \"funding cliff\" at the end of the month and said the program had enabled distributors to buy 80,000,000 pounds of California‑grown food in the prior year.

Diaper banks: Witnesses described an existing diaper‑bank network that the state had funded in recent years and asked for $16,500,000 ongoing support. Elizabeth Espinosa, representing the California Association of Diaper Banks, said prior state investments allowed diaper banks to distribute about 160,000,000 diapers to over 1,000,000 families and warned that many diaper‑bank operations would cease if funding was not extended when one‑time grants expire on June 30, 2025.

Promise Neighborhoods testimony and outcomes: Multiple Promise Neighborhood leaders described local results they attribute to the programs: increased high‑school graduation rates, reductions in chronic absenteeism, expanded early‑childhood slots, and mental‑health services reach. Speakers including Edgar Chavez (Hayward Promise Neighborhood), Adriana Mata (Second Harvest Santa Cruz County), and Juan Diego Castro (Mission Economic Development Agency) urged preservation of state funding so local partnerships can maintain progress.

Advocates asked the Legislature to consider state funding or other revenue measures to maintain these locally delivered supports. Committee members did not take any votes at the hearing; witnesses requested prompt action in the budget process to prevent service interruptions.","Nonprofit and local‑partner witnesses told the Senate subcommittee that state investments in Promise Neighborhoods, diaper banks and the Cal Food program are expiring and that losing those funds would cut services to hundreds of thousands of Californians and risk local jobs and partnerships.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6558647,"Senate subcommittee reviews CalWORKs budget, single‑allocation concerns and \"Reimagine CalWORKs\" proposals",446,2019000,2465000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3237169-849989abb4411caed9bc033eb035d303&start=2019&end=2465","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3237169-849989abb4411caed9bc033eb035d303/thumbnail_2019000.jpg","/articles/6558647/California/Senate-subcommittee-reviews-CalWORKs-budget-singleallocation-concerns-and-Reimagine-CalWORKs-proposals","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6558647-88605cfdd70ab2cec1f98ba820f2f016/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447984&Signature=oyURWcXrWIw9~mbHaebWuVEI67fhOyqIs8~tgqNhQoE~-Eu1YPvDZG0Vmdz2Rya2lpzJFlphrZLi060e5z49e6rqfjBxzD01jvtRgFQbAJjoPRyW-rhTcM3MRreYmjfMQ2NM-rPNS1rpfIhiza8TpqVH5ReH68sbtNMC71SP5r~PWJiGaGwxugDGE7WfSmLMtTZca--7jpRRxvoM5BHb2K4f1nLV6MjzHXbsFZCJQB3uTkvMdX5u~owbFwifM3FpzDnIeT-2JbO35VuXaWHQd3NlFprF4-VCG2JeKU3MY1mDi9-zsuJall0h2oYLy3GA9oeFmpPOVt1Ib3V-pD20gg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Officials from the California Department of Social Services presented an overview of CalWORKs (California’s TANF‑funded welfare‑to‑work program) and budget assumptions to the Senate Budget Subcommittee 3, describing program priorities, projected caseloads and a series of policy options intended to reduce administrative burden and center family engagement.

Jennifer Troia, speaking for CDSS, said the governor’s January budget proposal included approximately $6.4 billion in total CalWORKs funds for the budget year and projected a caseload of about 360,000 families in 2024–25 and roughly 362,000 in 2025–26. Troia described a range of services funded through CalWORKs — childcare, employment services, family stabilization, home visiting and subsidized employment — and noted the administration’s focus on combining quick employment placement with supports that address barriers such as housing instability, education deficits and behavioral health needs.

Single allocation and county administration: CDSS told the committee that counties receive a single allocation (a block grant) to administer eligibility, employment services and a related intensive case‑management program. The governor’s budget holds single‑allocation funding at $1.7 billion in 2024–25 and proposes $1.6 billion in 2025–26, a reduction that CDSS said reflects changes in projected employment‑services caseload and is intended to hold counties harmless for prior commitments. The Legislative Analyst’s Office told the committee it continues to review whether the eligibility‑administration component of the single allocation is sufficient. LAO staff said updating the eligibility administration methodology could require roughly $200,000,000 in additional funding based on their reassessment.

\"No‑cost\" and low‑cost options: CDSS summarized a report prepared under Assembly Bill 161 that presents multiple policy options to center family engagement, reduce administrative burden and support local implementation. Troia described one example — eliminating sanctions during a client’s first 90 days of engagement — and said the department estimated the first‑year grant cost at about $1.9 million with ongoing costs of $1.7 million, offset in part by county administrative efficiencies.

County and advocate input: Kelly Brooks of the County Welfare Directors Association urged adoption of a $245,000,000 proposal championed by Senator Caballero to update and make counties whole for single‑allocation underfunding. LAO and Department of Finance representatives said they will continue to monitor expenditures and caseloads through the May revision and noted that county implementation differences can create varied local impacts for services such as stage‑based childcare within CalWORKs.

Legislative oversight and next steps: LAO representatives said the governor’s budget maintains previously enacted multi‑year reductions in some CalWORKs components and that the legislature could use oversight and the May revision window to consider low‑ or no‑cost reforms and methodology updates. CDSS said it will continue to refine data dashboards and county partnerships to measure participation gaps and program reach as the state moves toward implementing the options in the AB 161 report.","CDSS staff told the subcommittee the governor's budget holds single‑allocation funding at the 2024‑25 level while projecting modest caseload increases; LAO and county representatives raised concerns about whether county eligibility administration is sufficiently funded and urged oversight and potential methodology updates.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6558652,"California first state to issue ChipTap EBT cards; rollout reduces reported thefts but retail updates lag",259,3236000,3495000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3237169-849989abb4411caed9bc033eb035d303&start=3236&end=3495","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3237169-849989abb4411caed9bc033eb035d303/thumbnail_3236000.jpg","/articles/6558652/California/California-first-state-to-issue-ChipTap-EBT-cards-rollout-reduces-reported-thefts-but-retail-updates-lag","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6558652-c1ab6a2c05648c284215b10a952f4b39/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447984&Signature=EeiBp5C5QdNuIZFqTmFMdAC0w2l8Td57LdQ6VLNsecTt8mT3SBhCCfQHPI-6qfeG5kG142GsbxULx1c~a~Yel0GvdJkRYwGfymVKFzZBeosCD~-8jwNot2pQ8~9~51ErkPAQCTp1J1aT8~IPGE7cseBE-DvvSjUj~wzOTr1akik7XF416KdEmBzVG5jKaqOyWEvkL~YgH24eiBFW3no0BH5pPea7TEKwg8H3S1kXHhSy3y22fQA~2PmbPZrTgRKQvJu1NEqqIOjL8lk35pmIaqpPeYV43hjfJxenryVJAWzIhbNyrPyF47NBMBFlFrXmw~sY2aCMK11hf4qqpId8Pw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","California is the first state in the nation to deliver EBT benefits through chip‑enabled (ChipTap) cards, Department of Social Services officials told the Senate Budget Subcommittee 3 during a hearing on benefits technology and security.

Ryan Gillette, Chief Data Officer and deputy director for CDSS’s Research, Automation and Data Division, said the state completed mass card deployment in late February 2025 and that \"as of April 30, all clients have been issued new cards that include chip tap functionality.\" Gillette said roughly 4,000,000 magnetic‑stripe cards were replaced, and that local county offices can print replacement chipped cards over the counter.

Implementation details and early results: Gillette said about half of mailed cards had been activated as of the data reported to the committee. He also explained the current transaction mix: \"about 15.8% of EBT transactions are processing through ChipTap lane,\" while an additional 73.3% currently fall back to magstripe. CDSS reported that 90.9% of ChipTap transactions are processing successfully, but the department cautioned that widespread fraud reduction depends on retailers updating point‑of‑sale terminals and clerks and customers adapting to the new routine at checkout.

Retail and vendor roles: CDSS described an active outreach effort to retailers and their third‑party processors and said the state’s EBT vendor, Fidelity Information Services (FIS), and CDSS/OTSI are coordinating with retailers to install the necessary updates. Brandon Hansard, deputy director of benefits and enrollment technology at the Office of Technology and Solutions Integration (OTSI), told the committee the spending authority request on the agenda would help the state speed vendor work when late federal approvals require rapid card distribution.

Fraud trends and outlook: Gillette said the state had seen a sizable decrease in reported theft since beginning mass replacement, but added that the full protective effects will take time to materialize while activation and retailer updates continue. LAO staff said they will continue to monitor theft rates and noted that budgeted savings tied to reduced theft depend on achieving higher ChipTap usage at checkout.

Public‑sector praise and next steps: Committee members commended CDSS and its partners for being first in the nation on ChipTap deployment and urged continued outreach to retailers, monitoring of activation and transaction patterns, and updated metrics to measure fraud reduction and any downstream budget impacts.","CDSS and OTSI told the Senate subcommittee that California has replaced magnetic‑stripe EBT cards with chip‑enabled cards to reduce electronic skimming; officials said about 4 million cards were replaced and early indicators show reduced theft although most retail transactions currently fall back to magstripe until retailers update terminals.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate subcommittee told federal funding cuts threaten California food-assistance programs

Community groups urge legislature to avert 'Promise Neighborhoods' and diaper‑bank funding cliff; food banks press for Cal Food restoration

Senate subcommittee reviews CalWORKs budget, single‑allocation concerns and "Reimagine CalWORKs" proposals

California first state to issue ChipTap EBT cards; rollout reduces reported thefts but retail updates lag