The 2025-26 Budget: Food Assistance Programs

Feb 19, 2025 - Most theft of EBT benefits is believed to be accomplished through creating “clones ” of EBT cards. EBT card cloning is possible, in part, because EBT cards have historically lacked many security features common to debit and credit cards, such as security chips.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4971

The 2023-24 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Nov 6, 2023 - Most of this theft is believed to be accomplished through creating “clones ” of EBT cards. EBT card cloning is possible, in part, because EBT cards lack many security features common to debit and credit cards, such as security chips.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4812/2

The 2024-25 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Oct 2, 2024 - Continues EBT Card Replacement Effort. The 2023-24 Budget Act included funding (about $75  million total funds over multiple years) to improve EBT card technology and security through the rollout of new cards with chip and tap-to-pay technologies.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4933/3

The 2023-24 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Nov 6, 2023 - The administration currently estimates, beginning in May 2024, EBT cards will be issued with chip and tap-to-pay technologies, which provide improved fraud protection over the current magnetic stripe technology.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4812/3

The 2024-25 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Oct 2, 2024 - Requires Updates on Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Card Replacement Time Line. The spending plan includes supplemental reporting language requiring CDSS to provide updates to the Legislature on the schedule for EBT card replacement, how the implementation is minimizing risk for consumers, and the interaction of state and federal funds.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4933/2

The 2023-24 Budget: CalWORKs

Feb 22, 2023 - CalWORKs benefits are deposited into Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, which operate similar to debit cards and also handle benefits for CalFresh and some other, smaller programs. Unless otherwise exempt, parents who receive CalWORKs benefits are generally required to work or participate in qualified training or job-search activities.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4699

The 2024-25 Budget: IS and IT Project Proposal Tables

Feb 9, 2024 - However, this request for funding to cover credit card processing fees and M &O costs might relate to DCA ’s other business modernization efforts identified as proposed or approved IT projects (such as BMC2). e ABC completed the design, development, and implementation of the BizMod ‑RBS IT project, so there is no open CDT project number.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4836

The 2026-27 Budget: County Administration and H.R. 1 Implementation [Publication Details]

Mar 5, 2026 - The 2026-27 Budget: County Administration and H.R. 1 Implementation [Publication Details] Description: In this brief, we assess the Governor's proposed funding for county administration of Medi-Cal and CalFresh in response to H.R. 1 and provide related recommendations.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5149

The 2026-27 Budget: Streamlining California’s Affordable Housing Funding System [Publication Details]

Mar 6, 2026 - The 2026-27 Budget: Streamlining California’s Affordable Housing Funding System [Publication Details] Description: In this brief, we provide background on affordable housing and affordable housing funding programs, describe and analyze the Governor’s budget proposals related to affordable housing funding, and provide recommendations to the Legislature.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5154

The 2024-25 Budget: Food Assistance Programs

Feb 16, 2024 - 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/4845