Local assemblymember gets $10m in state budget for CalFresh program

Pilot project provided $10.5m in rebates to 93,000 households.

State Assemblymember Alex Lee has secured $10 million in the 2024-25 state budget to revive a pilot project that allows low-income families to continue to get more CalFresh benefits.

The original CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Pilot Project ended in April due to lack of funding.

“Despite the deficit challenge, the state’s budget prioritizes people by protecting funding for social safety net programs like the CalFresh fruit and vegetable pilot,” said Lee, chair of the Human Services Committee.

The California Department of Social Services launched the CalFresh fruit and vegetable pilot in 2023. For every $1 of CalFresh benefits spent on any fresh fruits and vegetables at a participating retailer, CalFresh recipients got $1 back on their EBT card to spend on any CalFresh-eligible food for up to $60 a month. According to Lee’s office, the pilot project provided $10.5 million in rebates to 93,000 CalFresh households.

Lee, whose 24th district includes Milpitas, also introduced AB 3229 to ensure the CalFresh fruit and vegetable pilot’s long-term sustainability. The bill will accelerate social services’ evaluation of the pilot project and its planning process to transition the project into a permanent program.

“The CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot Project is a simple way for residents who qualify to access fresh, nutritious food at participating local stores,” Tracy Weatherby, vice president of strategy and advocacy at Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, said in a release.

“California has a significant food insecurity problem,” Weatherby added. “In Silicon Valley alone, one in six people rely on Second Harvest for food assistance. Inflation has made everything more expensive, but the impact on families living on lower incomes is far greater. There is enough food for everyone, but we have to do more to make it accessible.”