Santa Cruz County residents who rely on federal food assistance are now living the reality of President Trump’s “beautiful” bill, and thousands are at risk of losing benefits.
H.R. 1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” imposed steep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — what’s known in California as CalFresh. The cuts are estimated to cost SNAP $187 billion or more over the next decade. Among the law's most significant changes are stricter work requirements, known as “able-bodied adults without dependents” (ABAWD) rules. The new rules expand who must meet the “able-bodied” requirements:
- Adults 18 - 64 (previously, anyone older than 54 was considered exempt)
- Parents who care for a child who is 14 or older (this narrowed — under previous rules, parents who cared for a child under 18 were exempt)
- Veterans, homeless people, and former foster youth (each qualified for exemption in the past)
Note: Monterey County residents are exempt from the requirements through Oct. 31, 2026 due to the county’s high unemployment rate.
Anyone who meets the expanded definition of “able-bodied” must work or volunteer 80 hours per month, or be enrolled in a qualifying training program or school, to continue receiving benefits long-term. Otherwise, SNAP benefits are limited to three months within a three-year period. Other groups, like refugees and asylum seekers, who were previously exempt, must now work as well to receive benefits.
The California Department of Social Services created an online tool to help people determine whether the new requirements apply to them.
Statewide, the California Legislative Analyst’s Office estimates that about 665,000 people could lose their SNAP benefits because they no longer qualify for an exemption. The Santa Cruz County Human Services Department expects thousands of formerly exempt SNAP recipients will now need to meet the work requirements.
“I think the entire system is being attacked,” said Jim Dale, assistant division director at Santa Cruz County’s Human Services Department. “Whether you're a public entity or you're a nonprofit, you're under strain at this point.”
The changes took effect June 1, 2026, but will not apply to an individual until their annual recertification. The recertification process requires an interview with the county’s social services office:
- Monterey County’s Social Services Department
- Santa Cruz County’s Human Services Department
- San Benito’s County’s Health and Human Services Agency
During the interview, a trained county worker will explore whether the applicant qualifies for any exemptions, such as an inability to work due to physical or mental health issues.
“Let's see the nuance in the regulations and realize there's actually exemptions in there that are perfectly reasonable based on the person's situation,” Dale said. “And then for those that remain, let's make sure that they have a really good avenue to go volunteer.”
Erica Padilla Chavez, CEO of Santa Cruz County’s Second Harvest, spoke with KAZU about the cuts to SNAP benefits, and how they’re increasing demand at the food bank. Food banks are not funded through SNAP — they largely rely on local support — but they are the biggest providers of food assistance in the county after SNAP.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Erica Padilla Chavez (EPC): I unfortunately believe that without a shift to federal policy on particularly the CalFresh or SNAP program, food banks, my food bank included, will continue to see pandemic level demands.
A recent report that UC Santa Cruz commissioned found that one out of every three people in our county is food insecure, namely attributed to the high cost of living.
KAZU: And so, with all that in mind, how are you funded? Are you a direct recipient of federal money?
EPC: Four years ago, when I entered as a CEO, I assumed that there was a lot of federal funding. And was I mistaken.
So, for the most part, our food bank is fueled thanks to the support of our community. It is individuals like you and me, foundations and our corporate partnerships throughout the county.
KAZU: H.R. 1 inflicted the greatest cuts that SNAP ever experienced in its history. And so there's a whole list of changes. The county predicts that these changes are going to really impact thousands of people in Santa Cruz County.
From your standpoint as the other provider of food assistance, what does that mean for you operationally and what are you hearing from people?
EPC: We're seeing people coming in at higher volumes than normal, because we do have trained CalFresh caseworkers in our office. And what we know is true in our region is that we have a lot of heads of households that are not necessarily documented citizens, but who have children who were born and raised here.
There's a context in which people are having to make decisions about whether or not this is a program that they should participate in. Even though their children are very much still in need of that nourishment.
KAZU: More people are needing to meet this 20 hour workweek requirement. And so they're looking for opportunities to volunteer. How was the food bank absorbing that need?
EPC: What we're trying to do is organize to create ample opportunity for people to have a place right in our networks. One of the things that we have done under food rescue is we started a gleaning program.
KAZU: Tell me more about the gleaning program.
EPC: The gleaning program, it’s local farmers who are allowing us to go into their fields after they've picked the first crop. And there's often good crop left behind that is absolutely edible. So now we have volunteers literally going into the fields with some of our own team members and picking up that food. It's been a very successful program.
So there's something about working in nature, working in the fields and actually picking the crop and then packing it for our community distribution, that is speaking to people.
KAZU: You mentioned that you have CalFresh trained folks on staff. And when I spoke with the county, they were like, “That is wonderful. At the end of the day, they do need to come talk to us to get their benefits.”
The folks I spoke to at the county are optimistic that even though these work requirements are changing, there are exemptions. This is what Jim Dale at the Santa Cruz County Human Services Department told me.
Jim Dale: “Let's see the nuance in the regulations and realize there's actually exemptions in there that are perfectly reasonable based on the person's situation. Let's start there. For those that remain, yeah, let's make sure that they have a really good avenue to go volunteer.”
KAZU: Basically saying your first line of defense in navigating this new system is seeing if you have an exemption.
EPC: I think that that makes a lot of sense. Where I think the value is with us is that their first interface is a trusted community partner. And that we're handholding them through that process. I am committed to making sure our community knows that the food bank will be here to give them some nourishment. We can't lose sight of hope, and we have to activate to make sure that the community understands that there are people like you, me and others … that are interested in their well-being.
We're going to need all of our neighbors to get involved. So if you're listening in Monterey, I'm going to say we have a food bank in Monterey County. Get connected and be engaged.
Support for this project from Community Foundation Santa Cruz County. Bringing together people, ideas, and resources to inspire philanthropy and accomplish great things.
