Cuts Will Hit Food Stamp Recipients Hard, Activists Say

The 3 million Californians who now receive food stamps every month will be among the hardest hit by the pending overhaul in federal welfare programs, critics of the plan predict.

By some estimates nearly half the plan’s $55 billion in savings over six years will be derived from sweeping changes in the anti-hunger program, including eliminating benefits for legal immigrants, severely restricting eligibility for adults without dependents and reducing benefits for those who remain eligible, according to reviews by two budget watchdog groups.

“There will be a food stamp program, but the purchasing power of food stamp benefits will decline,” said David Super, general counsel of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington. “Families will be able to buy less food with their food stamps than they can today.”

An analysis prepared for California lawmakers by Gov. Pete Wilson also cites these changes in the federal legislation, but fails to spell out the impact on California and what, if anything, needs to be done to cushion the cuts.

Lisa Kalustian, a spokeswoman for the state Health and Welfare Agency, said it is still too early for her agency to know the full effect of the 800-page federal bill, which President Clinton has said he will sign. “We just don’t have all the specifics,” Kalustian said.

The landmark federal legislation, recently approved by Congress, eliminates a 61-year federal commitment to provide cash assistance to the nation’s most needy citizens and gives the states vast new authority to operate welfare programs.

Jean Ross, executive director of the nonprofit California Budget Project, described as “draconian” provisions changing the federal nutrition program.

In an interview, Ross cited changes aimed at legal immigrants. Current and new legal immigrants no longer will be eligible to receive food stamps.

Changes are also in store for unemployed, childless adults. Currently, the government does not restrict the length of time they can receive food stamps.

But the new legislation will place a cap on their eligibility, limiting benefits to three months out of every 36 months, Ross said. And, she added, the basic family benefit, known as the Thrifty Food Plan, also will be reduced.

“It will have a tremendous economic impact on retailers in low-income neighborhoods,” Ross said.

The changes, she said, will cut back on “basic sustenance” for many poor Californians, including the working poor who rely on food stamps to feed their families.

Currently, California receives about $2.5 billion a year in federal food stamp benefits. On average, each beneficiary receives about $68 a month in food coupons, according to the state Department of Social Services.

In Los Angeles County, about 1 million people receive $876 million in food stamps annually, according to Ross, whose nonprofit group provides an independent analysis of state budget issues.

In Orange County, $114 million in food stamps are given to 148,000 people a year, while 40,000 Ventura County residents get food stamps worth about $31 million annually.

Deborah Gonzalez, policy director for Assembly Speaker Curt Pringle, said the Garden Grove Republican’s staff is still not sure of all the details of the federal legislation, including the impact on food stamp recipients.

While some GOP lawmakers and staff initially were urging immediate action to revise California’s welfare laws in the wake of Congress’ action, Gonzalez said Pringle wants “to move slowly to implement the bill.”

She expects the Legislature to act sometime later this year, possibly in a special session, but not in the remaining few weeks of the regular legislative session.