In today's newscast:
CalFresh changes limit access for more people
Changes to who can receive federal food benefits take effect today. The impacts could be widespread—but uneven.
Jared Call, with the California Association of Food Banks, says the state took its time implementing the new requirements for CalFresh, which were passed in the massive domestic policy bill, H.R. 1, last summer. CalFresh is the state’s version of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Now, Call says, “ a much larger group of CalFresh participants and people who are eligible, and may be newly applying, will be subject to very strict time limits and work requirements that will impact a total of about 550,000 people.”
Technically, Call says, the requirement to work, volunteer or go to school for at least 20 hours per week, on average, has applied to able-bodied people without dependents since 1996. But now, the parameters have tightened. Adults up to 64 years old, up from 55, are included. And, parents whose children are 14 and older will have to work. The old rules exempted parents of children under 18.
To be exempt, people in those categories will need to show a doctor’s note saying they can’t work—unless they live in certain counties where unemployment is higher than 10%, which includes Monterey. That means all CalFresh recipients in Monterey County will be exempt from the changes.
But in Santa Cruz and San Benito counties, people who can’t prove they’re exempt from the work rules will be limited to three months of CalFresh benefits. And Call says, for those who have an exemption, the burden is on them to prove it.
“It’s a ton of new red tape, paperwork, and administrative burden on families who are already struggling to find work, to take care of their teenagers, and to get by,” he said.
Food banks throughout the state, which Call says have not seen any dip in demand since pandemic-era surges, are bracing for even more sustained need.
He says recipients will start falling off the CalFresh books in September, when the first three-month period ends.
“Even under the best circumstances, we know people will fall off the rolls due to these rules,” he said, “'cause that's what they're designed to do.”
ACLU and tech industry advocates oppose social media bill
The ACLU and tech industry advocates are fighting a bill that would prohibit social media platforms that use "addictive features" from allowing users younger than 16. They argue the legislation violates First Amendment rights.
As our newsroom partner CapRadio has reported, one of the bill's authors, Democratic Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal of Long Beach, says the intent is to hold tech companies accountable for the design of their platforms.
"The bill was carefully amended to address First Amendment concerns by targeting the mechanics of these platforms rather than the viewpoints or the content shared on them," he said. "And the companies' own internal documents make the intent clear: executives compared engagement systems to slot machines designed to keep users hooked for as long as possible."
The measure passed the Assembly with bipartisan support and now heads to the Senate.
