On Tuesday, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors are set to proclaim a local emergency caused by the disruption of funding for CalFresh food assistance.
If approved, this will prompt the county to allocate up to $21 million from the general fund in order to purchase debit cards for distribution to CalFresh eligible households for the month of November 2025 — over the weekend, both Supervisors Candace Andersen and John Gioia each issued releases ahead of the meeting.
The plan would discuss options for assisting the 65,318 Contra Costa County households, including 107,020 individuals, 55% (58,861) of whom are children and seniors, who are going to be impacted by the Federal Shutdown and Federal government declining to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the shutdown. SNAP is a 100% federally funded benefit for households with incomes below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Benefit amounts are based on income and household size. In California, SNAP is called CalFresh. This program was once known as “Food Stamps.”
On Tuesday the Board of Supervisors will consider taking formal action to:
- Adopt a resolution proclaiming a local emergency caused by the disruption of funding for CalFresh food assistance benefits, including the activation of County disaster service workers.
- Allocate up to $21 Million to purchase debit cards for distribution to CalFresh eligible households for the month of November 2025
- Authorize the distribution of debit cards to November CalFresh Eligible Households.
The proposed plan includes:
- Providing CalFresh recipients who have and will miss their CalFresh benefit beginning November 1, with food boxes purchased from the the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. 10,000 food boxes will be purchased, which can serve 40,000 people for two weeks. Distribution would begin on November 3, 2025. These food boxes will augment existing food distribution at County Employment and Human Service pantries which are funded by local philanthropy.
- To ensure that CalFresh households have continued resources to purchase food, EHSD will purchase debit cards, with spending limited to grocery items, and begin distributing them to November CalFresh-eligible households beginning the week of November 10, 2025.
According to data in the county presentation, CalFresh Utilization by City in September hit $16.29 million at 705 in-county retailers with another $4.1 million out of county spending and nearly $600k unspent.
Data also shows cities with the most spending include:
- $2.73 million – City of Concord (96 stores)
- $2.18 million – City of Pittsburg (68 stores)
- $2.01 million – City of Richmond (91 stores)
- $1.91 million – City of Brentwood (48 stores)
- $1.26 million – City of San Pablo (46 stores)
- $1.25 million – City of Antioch (43 stores)
The county is recommending approval as they say the gift cards will support CalFresh Households by providing services, supports grocery outlets by maintaining sales and supports food collaborative by reducing traffic.
According to Supervisor Andersen, Because the federal government has declined to fund SNAP benefits during the government shutdown, the USDA Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) has suspended all SNAP benefits, prohibited states from paying for benefits, and also prohibited states from sending any funds to the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) vendors contracted to put money on each month on CalFresh recipients’ cards. Unfortunately, this action not only threatens the food security of the 107,020 County residents but it also threatens the financial sustainability of the 706 county retailers who made sales to CalFresh recipients totaling $16,299,089 in just September 2025.
In past federal government shutdowns, the State of California has temporarily covered the federal costs of SNAP benefits and been reimbursed upon approval of the federal budget. This time, the federal government has prohibited states from funding the SNAP benefit amount.
California has taken several steps to limit the impact including:
- Advancing $80 million in FY 25/26 CalFood allocations to food banks, including $2.2 million to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano;
- Authorizing California Volunteers and National Guard to provide people power and logistical support for food banks;
- Opening the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Department Operations Center (DOC) to provide coordination and support to counties and other partners; and
- Joining 19 other states in filing a Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief
Meanwhile, Supervisor John Gioia issued a statement saying the Employment and Human Services Department (EHSD) has developed a plan to distribute debit cards to CalFresh enrollees who live in our County. These debit cards, whose value will be similar to a family’s existing benefit amount, will be distributed soon at a date to be announced at our busiest EHSD lobbies at:
- 1305 MacDonald Ave., City of Richmond
- 151 Linus Pauling Dr., City of Hercules
- 400 Ellinwood Way, City of Pleasant Hill
- 4545 Delta Fair Blvd., City of Antioch
EHSD and the County Sheriff’s Office are partnering to ensure security of debit cards and safety at these locations.
Food boxes for needy families, even those who are not CalFresh enrollees, will be available starting Monday, November 3rd, at these same four locations. Needy families, regardless of immigration status, are welcome to come by. If you need immediate food assistance, visit CAFoodBanks.org. to locate a nearby food bank.
According to the Staff Report:
The failure of the federal government to fund SNAP benefits threatens the financial sustainability of the 706 county retailers who made sales to CalFresh recipients totaling $16,299,089 in September. Table 2a –2e demonstrate the CalFresh sales by District and by retailers for September 2025. The National Bureau of Economic Research found that food sales increased by 5.6% for the average grocery store in a week where SNAP benefits are issued compared to weeks when they are not issued. The effect is more pronounced in low-income areas. Food sales rise by 19.2% when SNAP benefits are issued in zip codes where more than 20% of households participate in SNAP 3. Data from 2018 show that SNAP accounts for 8% – 10% of total expenditures on food for consumption at home nationwide and plays a large role in supporting the grocery retail sector.4 While most SNAP purchases occur at larger stores like Walmart and Costco, or grocery stores such as Raley’s and Safeway, approximately 80% of NAP-authorized retailers are small stores, including many locally owned businesses like private grocers, convenience stores, butchers, bakeries, and farm stands. SNAP is a key revenue source for these small businesses. In high-poverty areas, SNAP can account for a significant percentage of these retailers’ total sales.
The failure of the federal government to fund SNAP benefits threatens the capacity of members of the Contra Costa County Food Collaborative to meet the hunger needs of the community members who seek their services. Food Collaborative members report an increase in need ranging from 22% to 47% compared to last year. As illustrated in the table below, across all funding sources, the County has increased food security funding by a net $3,575,837 from FY24/25 to FY25/26. This includes a net decrease of $560,062 from federal and state funds and a net increase of $4,135,899 in Measure X funds.
Documents:
The Board of Supervisors meeting this Tuesday begins at 9 am. The public may attend the Board meeting in person at 1025 Escobar Street and remotely via call-in or Zoom. Board meetings are televised live on Comcast Cable 27, ATT/U-Verse Channel 99, and WAVE Channel 32, and can be seen live online at contracosta.ca.gov. Meetings of the Board are closed-captioned in real time.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Up to $21,000,000. 100% County General Fund.
BACKGROUND:
SNAP is a 100% federally funded benefit for households with incomes below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Benefit amounts are based on income and household size. In California, SNAP is called CalFresh. In September, 65,318 Contra Costa County households with 107,020 individuals received CalFresh for a total benefit issuance of $21,089,996.
In past government shutdowns, the State of California has temporarily covered the federal costs of SNAP benefits and been reimbursed upon approval of the federal budget. This time, the federal government has prohibited states from funding the SNAP benefit amount.
Information on his report is based on releases by Supervisor Candace Andersen, Supervisor John Gioia and the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisor Agenda.
