The 2025-26 Budget: Food Assistance Programs

Feb 19, 2025 - CalSAWS was introduced in 2019 and, as of October 2023, all 58 counties use the system. The federal government helps manage an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) system which deposits monthly benefits for CalFresh and other human services pr ograms onto cards to be used at grocery and convenience store checkout counters.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4971

The 2024-25 Budget: Food Assistance Programs

Feb 16, 2024 - As shown in Figure  1, the Governor ’s budget proposes $14.8  billion in total funds ($1  billion General Fund) for the CalFresh and CFAP programs in 2024 ‑25, a net increase of $186  million total funds (1  percent) and net decrease of $12  million General Fund (1  percent) compared to the revised 2023 ‑24 budget.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4845

The 2026-27 Budget: Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) Program

Mar 3, 2026 - SSP Grants Were Increased in 2016-17, 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24.  Since the Great Recession, as seen in Figure  2, grants for individuals and couples have been increased four times —in 2016-17 (by 2.76  percent), 2021-22 (by 23.95  percent), 2022-23 (by 10.3  percent), and 2023-24 (by 9.2  percent).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5148

The 2024-25 Budget: Child Care

Apr 15, 2024 - Of these funds, $58  million is provided to cover costs associated with Bridge child care vouchers. In the past, the state has also drawn down between $10  million and $20  million in additional federal Title IV ‑E funds to partially cover Bridge voucher costs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4893

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Nov 21, 2025 - CalFood received multiple one-time augmentations in recent years, including $52  million General Fund in 2023-24 and $112  million General Fund in 2022-23. Includes One-Time Funding for Fruit and Vegetable Pilot and Diaper Distribution.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5086/3

The 2024-25 Budget: Child Support

Feb 27, 2024 - Given we estimated the Governor ’s budget solved a $58  billion budget problem —and revenues continue to deteriorate —the administration likely will not implement the full passthrough to current CalWORKs families as part of the May Revision.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4861

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Nov 21, 2025 - The 2024-25 Budget Act  included a one-time reduction of $37  million in 2024-25 to ESE funding (as well as a one-time $30  million reduction to ESE funding in 2023-24). The 2025-26 spending plan restores ESE funding to $134  million (equivalent to annual ESE funding levels prior to the 2023-24 and 2024-25 reductions).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5086/2

The 2025-26 Budget: Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) Program

Feb 13, 2025 - Figure 3 SSI/SSP Monthly Maximum Grant Levels a 2023 ‑24 (Actual)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4964

Trends in CalWORKs: Participant Characteristics

Jun 16, 2025 - According to CDSS, the 2019 and 2023 CalWORKs take‑up rates were about 58 percent and 54 percent, respectively.) The CalWORKs participation rate differs from the CalWORKs take‑up rate in that it considers all families with children statewide (including those who are not eligible for the program), while the take‑up rate focuses only on likely eligible families (for example, households that meet the income and categorical requirements for CalWORKs).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5057

The 2026-27 Budget: Food Assistance Programs

Feb 18, 2026 - California ’s most recent payment error rate, for federal fiscal year 2023-24, is about 11  percent. (The comparable national error rate is similarly about 11  percent.) Payment error rates in California and nationally have risen in recent years, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5126