Lea este artículo en español aquí.
Nine months after President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law, San Benito County residents will begin to feel its effects. The administration’s signature domestic policy cuts more than a trillion dollars from health care, food benefits and other programs, starting in April, according to Amanda Duffy, assistant director of the San Benito County Health and Human Services Agency.
The law, Duffy told the Board of Supervisors at its March 10 meeting, “represents one of the most significant federal changes to safety net programs in recent years.” By changing eligibility requirements and modifying how programs are administered and funded, the law dramatically reshapes CalFresh—California’s food benefit program—and Medi-Cal, affecting both residents and county operations.
The changes will be implemented progressively. From April 1, “lawfully present immigrants”— including refugees, asylees and survivors of trafficking—will no longer be eligible for CalFresh, Duffy said. Undocumented immigrants, despite claims by the president and his allies, have never been eligible for food benefits under federal law. According to a point-in-time analysis by the Health and Human Services Agency, about 1,000 of the county’s more than 7,000 CalFresh recipients are immigrants who will need to be re-evaluated and may no longer receive food stamps.
“This represents a significant policy shift that will directly affect vulnerable residents in our community,” Duffy said. “As a result, families may experience decreased food support, increasing the risk of food insecurity here in San Benito.”
As of June 1, more adults will need to prove they are working to keep their food benefits. The law expands work requirements to include able-bodied adults without dependents up to age 64 —previously the maximum age was 54—meaning older residents who were previously exempt must now document at least 80 hours of work, volunteering or job training per month. The law also removes exemptions previously granted to veterans, people experiencing homelessness and parents of children over 14. According to Duffy, these changes will affect more than 1,000 San Benito residents.
“Individuals with unstable, seasonal or intermittent employment may have difficulty meeting these requirements consistently, as well as individuals who have caregiving duties, transportation barriers and health issues,” Duffy said. “If they cannot find enough work to meet the 20-hour approximate weekly requirement, they may lose their food support benefits. This is going to be particularly challenging here in a rural community like San Benito County.”
Supervisor Mindy Sotelo urged the county to prepare to help those who might struggle to find enough work to keep their benefits. She suggested offering community volunteering opportunities that would satisfy the work requirement and, indirectly, benefit the community.
Beginning October 1, largely the same group of immigrants set to lose food benefits in April will also lose their Medi-Cal coverage. Also on that date, the federal government will cut its share of CalFresh administrative costs from 50% to 25%, shifting the burden to states and counties. In California, counties are responsible for 30% of the non-federal portion of those costs.
In January 2027, Medi-Cal will add work requirements similar to those that will take place for CalFresh, and eligibility renewals will become more frequent. Beneficiaries will have to update their status twice a year, instead of once.
As beneficiaries provide information more frequently, county staff will have to complete more verification work. “These changes increase the risk of coverage disruptions and will increase a lot of the administrative work it takes to help make sure folks have access to these benefits,” Duffy said.
Statewide, the reductions in federal funds and the increased workload are expected to cost counties approximately $211 million to preserve access to food assistance and more than $500 million for Medi-Cal, Duffy said.
Supervisor Angela Curro said the changes would be a hard blow to San Benito County, which is already operating with a tight budget. “The only way we are really going to get support on this is if the state steps in,” Curro said. “If the state doesn’t step in, we have to recognize that people are going to go unserved.”
We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. Producing local news is expensive, and community support keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s public service nonprofit news.