Aw SNAP!

by Craig Wiesner - San Mateo Daily Journal - September 22, 2025

A veteran, behind on his bills, was sitting in the dark. PG&E had shut off the power. A local nonprofit could pay the bill with a program supporting CalFresh recipients but this vet, despite being eligible, was not on CalFresh. The heroic team at San Mateo County’s Human Services Agency jumped into action and by that afternoon the vet was signed up for CalFresh, the PG&E bill was paid, and the power was restored. At this point I’m guessing you have a lot of questions and so did I at the beginning of my conversation with Claire Cunningham, Director of the San Mateo County Human Services Agency and Nancy Rodriguez, who leads the agency’s CalFresh efforts. 

What is CalFresh? It is California’s version of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), formerly known as “Food Stamps,” which helps low income individuals and families access healthy foods through the use of an EBT Card accepted by supermarkets, farmers markets and other businesses. In August 2025, 22,652 households in the county were enrolled in CalFresh. Having consistent access to healthy food is critically important for people to survive and thrive, especially children who represent around 12,000 of the county’s recipients. 

Republicans in Congress recently passed a massive bill cutting the budget for SNAP by 20%, $186 billion dollars, over the next ten years. Between 3 and 4 million people will lose access to SNAP in 2026 based on mandated changes. The Republican administration has also slashed grants to food banks and other nutrition-related programs. Having spent many hours of my life volunteering to help feed people, I’m very worried about the impact of these cuts and reached out to county leaders to learn more about potential local impacts of those cuts. 

One of the biggest SNAP changes will be a new 80 hour per month work requirement for recipients who are not severely disabled, elderly, or families with very young children. This is a federally unfunded / unstaffed mandate and would require the county to ensure current recipients are made aware of the new rules, enforce and monitor compliance, plus provide services to help people meet and document compliance with the new regulations. We, the local taxpayers, bear the financial burden for this change.  

I am really impressed by our county’s ability to currently handle applications, renewals, and protect against fraud. It will now become much harder for our county to do its job especially since the federal government has not yet promulgated specific regulations and procedures for them. Given huge federal personnel cuts and turmoil there’s reason to worry! Truly the only way $186 billion dollars can be cut from SNAP is if many people are prevented or discouraged from participating. Yes, that mythical Republican poster boy for fraud, a 35 year old man, living rent-free in Mom’s basement, watching TV and playing video games will have to get his lazy butt off the couch and work 80 hours a month, but, does anyone really believe there are $186 billion worth of them? As my web browser reports in the face of catastrophic error, "Aw, SNAP!"

Fortunately, our San Mateo County team is gearing up to make sure people who truly need and deserve help will continue to get it. People can apply for CalFresh by mail, phone, online, and at various local agencies. The CalFresh team carefully reviews applications and accompanying paperwork and interviews each applicant either in the office or by phone and applicants who are approved have their EBT cards in 30 days or less. There’s a six month check in to see if circumstances have changed and recipients have to renew every year. And yes, spending is audited and there’s an investigative unit with police powers to catch and potentially prosecute anyone who games the system. 

Recent data shows that around 50,000 people in our county lack consistent access to healthy food. The new SNAP restrictions coupled with drastic federal cuts to food banks will exacerbate their plight. That’s where each of us comes in. We can volunteer at food banks, join communities of faith in their food programs, donate to Samaritan House, Second Harvest, and the Ecumenical Hunger Program, and help people enroll in CalFresh. Common misconceptions, like the idea that you can’t own a car if you’re on CalFresh, keep many people from enrolling. Visit bit.ly/41HehHE to quash many of those misconceptions. It is also a great page for skeptics! 

Like the veteran story I started with, being enrolled in CalFresh can be the gateway to other supportive programs and services, with the potential of permanently lifting people out of poverty, helping them live healthier lives.

If you have questions about San Mateo County CalFresh, or are ready to sign up, visit bit.ly/3JQDyJu .

Craig Wiesner is the co-owner of Reach And Teach, a book, toy and cultural gift shop on San Carlos Avenue in San Carlos. Follow Craig: craigwiesner.bsky.social.

NOTES:

1. Posting this on October 25th, SNAP benefits are in danger of being stopped because of the government shutdown.
2. I got a phone call from a reader the day after the column was printed. She told me that she was a widow, living alone with low income, and she had applied for SNAP and only got around $28 a month in benefits. She felt it was a waste of her time to do all the paperwork, let her benefits expire after a year, and she wanted me to know about her experience. She owned her own home and did have substantial assets in savings, just not very much monthly income other than Social Security.