As cuts for food programs make their way outward from Washington, D.C., San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Terra Lawson-Remer joined leaders of the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank on Tuesday to urge San Diegans to prepare.
Set to go into effect in early 2026 as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, CalFresh exemptions will be cut and require more recipients to prove they work at least 20 hours a week — or risk losing food benefits.
“People shouldn’t lose their groceries because they missed a form or didn’t see the rules changing,” Lawson-Remer said. “We’ve known these cuts were coming for months, and we’ve been building a plan to get ahead of them. They told us to wait. We’re not waiting anymore.”
Some of the exemptions to be eliminated include those for veterans, older adults, the homeless and others.
A county-led report released in July projected more than $300 million in local impacts from the federal budget bill, including $200 million in new costs or cuts to CalFresh.
“Historically, when government-administered food assistance like CalFresh is reduced, we see a surge in demand for emergency food services,” said Casey Castillo, CEO of the food bank. “As a result of H.R. 1, we estimate the monthly meal gap in San Diego County could grow by 60%, reaching 7.1 million missing meals. This comes at a time when our USDA food supply has already declined, creating a one-two punch that will deeply impact our communities.”
The county is developing a notification plan to allow those who might lose benefits advance knowledge before the program is slashed.