Many CalFresh recipients could lose benefits starting June 1 due to new requirements

Added: 2026-05-21

[00:00:00]Some changes are coming to CalFresh that could put hundreds of thousands of people at risk of losing their food benefits. Starting June 1st, just a few days from now, some CalFresh recipients will have updated requirements to qualify for food assistance. ABC 7 Eyewitness News South Bay reporter Dustin Dorsey is live with the big change and the impact. Dustin?

[00:00:22]Yeah, Dan, we're talking about hundreds of thousands of people who may not meet those requirements. That means they're at risk of losing food assistance from the federal government in just a few weeks. The onus will now fall on food banks and community service providers who are already helping more people than ever before.

[00:00:43]Today alone, more than 1,000 households across Sunnyvale will receive food assistance with help from programs like CalFresh and SNAP. Similar distributions are happening throughout the Santa Clara County Emergency Assistance Network.

[00:00:57]They have benefited Sally Gutierrez and her family for four generations. As a single mom to feed my four children, I came and I remembered when my mother came to get that help and I was able to benefit and share that and give that to my children because my income was not enough here in the Bay Area.

[00:01:16]>> But Gutierrez and 55,000 others like her in Santa Clara County and thousands more across California are at risk of losing that assistance. Starting June 1st, new federal funding rules will require that Californians receiving food benefits prove they work at least 20 hours per week.

[00:01:33]As of now, more than 660,000 people may not meet those requirements and will lose access to services. These cuts are coming at a time when families in Silicon Valley are already stretched beyond their limits. Seniors already struggling to get by on fixed incomes.

[00:01:51]Silicon Valley, we all know, is one of the wealthiest regions in the world, but behind the prosperity is a dark reality.

[00:01:58]California lawmakers like Assemblymember Alex Lee have fought for and secured additional funding for food banks and service providers to help with the increased need these cuts will create.

[00:02:07]But Lee knows residents need more.

[00:02:10]California taxpayers have contributed tens of billions of dollars more than we received from Washington. Yet, we're left holding the bill and bearing the heart. We must step up and face a direct federal tax on working families. As local leaders fight for change, a call for help. Food banks are already stretched thin and cuts will only make things worse. Donations right now can literally save lives.

[00:02:32]>> We are asking all of you to to help us to make sure that we have the resources to feed those people who need our help, to help prevent homelessness, and to help those who do become homeless.

[00:02:46]Neighboring San Mateo County is also trying to help its residents get ahead of the changes. The Human Services Agency outreach team has kicked off a series of special Saturday hours to help people apply for various state benefits and answer questions about those upcoming changes. We're live in the San Jose Bureau, Dustin Dorsey, ABC 7 Eyewitness News. All right, Dustin.

[00:03:07]Thank you. The first changes to CalFresh under the federal spending bill took effect in November, and already many Californians have lost their benefits.

[00:03:15]Data shows nearly 5.6 million residents were CalFresh recipients in March of 2025.

[00:03:22]This March, a year later, that number was down to roughly 5.2 million. That means about 363,000 fewer Californians were getting food help this spring. And ABC 7 is teaming up with our sister stations in Fresno and Los Angeles uh for Feed California to support our local food banks. We are partnering with five local food banks, and you can help by going to abc7news.com/feedca, where we have links to donate.