Donate
PPIC Logo Independent, objective, nonpartisan research

Search Results

Filters Sort by:
Report

California’s Food Stamp Program: Participation and Cost Challenges for the State

By Caroline Danielson, Jacob Alex Klerman

California’s food stamp program, known as CalFresh, is a critical piece of the state’s safety net and serves 3.8 million Californians. More than half are children. Yet compared to other states, fewer eligible Californians actually participate, and the state’s administrative costs are higher. Examining historical data from all 50 states, the authors find that ending mandatory fingerprinting of adult CalFresh enrollees would likely increase participation and reduce costs.

Fact Sheet

The CalFresh Food Assistance Program

By Caroline Danielson, Daniel Tan

Participation in CalFresh—which helps millions of low-income Californians buy groceries—has risen amid the coronavirus pandemic. This fact sheet provides a snapshot of the program, including its impact on poverty and recent changes to expand access.

Report

Employment Patterns for CalFresh Adults

By Tess Thorman, Caroline Danielson

CalFresh provides food assistance to about 4.5 million low-income Californians. While many adults who access CalFresh are working, their jobs may be temporary or unstable. Understanding changes in employment before, during, and after adults enroll in CalFresh can help policymakers and administrators better align the program with workers’ needs.

blog post

Testimony: Measuring Poverty in California

By Sarah Bohn

On the 50th anniversary of President Johnson's declaration of a "War on Poverty," the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee held a hearing about California's food stamp program, known as CalFresh.

blog post

Video: Reaching Children in Poverty

By Linda Strean

Understanding how child poverty varies geographically can help address this challenge. At a PPIC event, local service providers describe their approaches.

blog post

Is California the Poorest State?

By Caroline Danielson, Sarah Bohn

One poverty measure ranked California as the poorest state in the U.S. But according to the latest official estimates, 16 states had higher poverty rates. How do we make sense of this?

Search results are limited to 100 items. Please use the Refine Results tool if you are not finding what you are looking for.