The Cutoff of Federal Food Support, Other News from Sen. Blakespear

Greetings!

As the federal shutdown continues‚ millions of struggling Californians are losing the money they’ve relied on to buy food.

It’s terrible that November’s CalFresh benefits will be delayed or not issued at all due to the lapse in federal funding. In San Diego County‚ about 395‚000 residents rely on CalFresh each month‚ and in Orange County‚ it’s about 300‚000 residents.

If you need assistance‚ dial 2-1-1 to be connected with immediate support for health and human resources. CalFresh benefits‚ which come through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)‚ are 100% federally funded. These benefits are provided directly by the U.S. Treasury to the California Department of Social Services’ EBT system. Neither the State of California nor any of its counties holds or advances these funds.

To help respond to this disruption‚ Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he will deploy the California National Guard and California Volunteers on a humanitarian mission to support food banks. In addition‚ he is fast tracking upwards of $80 million in state support to help offset the loss in federal funding. Many of the state’s large food banks are the direct recipients of the funding.

I know many families depend on CalFresh to keep food on the table. My office is closely monitoring the situation. This is a federal issue‚ not a state issue‚ but I’ll continue to share updates as new information becomes available.

With (left to right) Sen. Josh Becker and Alan Graham‚ the founder of Community! First Village in Austin‚ Texas. 

To learn more about innovative approaches to address homelessness‚ I visited Austin and San Antonio‚ Texas‚ with a delegation from the Bay Area‚ including other California state legislators. 

We toured two campus-scale solutions to homelessness‚ aimed at people who are chronically unsheltered.

We visited Haven for Hope in San Antonio‚ which is a nationally recognized model for integrating temporary housing‚ health care and services. Haven for Hope serves about 1‚600 people on a daily basis with shelter‚ hot meals‚ showers‚ laundry facilities and other resources and social services. It does not provide permanent supportive housing‚ but serves as a transition opportunity out of an encampment. 

We also visited Community! First Village in Austin‚ a master planned neighborhood that provides permanent supportive housing for the formerly unsheltered. Presently‚ 420 people who were previously homeless live there‚ and the development has room for up to 1‚900. 

There were several members of the delegation who are interested in bringing a large-scale solution to the Bay Area‚ given the sheer number of unsheltered homeless people who live on the streets. I was impressed with the commitment and vision from the original benefactors and the collaboration shown in the operations.

As we consider how to reduce and eliminate California’s homelessness‚ pursuing large-scale developments like these should be part of the solution.

Senator Aisha Wahab invited her colleagues to tour three leading Silicon Valley companies to understand the keys to their success and the challenges they face. In top left photo‚ I’m walking with newly elected Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón on the stunning NVIDIA campus.

To understand how the semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) industries are evolving‚ you have to talk to the companies working on it. And that’s exactly what we did on a recent tour. 

We visited Synopsys‚ Applied Materials and NVIDIA and got a firsthand look at the cutting-edge technologies they are developing. We also discussed how to support the tech industry‚ workforce development and emerging trends. 

Synopsys is a global leader in electronic design automation tools and semiconductor intellectual property. Applied Materials is a leading provider of materials engineering solutions used to produce new chips. NVIDIA is a semiconductor company known for pioneering work in AI computing and graphics processing units. 

We are very fortunate to live in a state that thrives on innovation and has thousands of companies that are literally creating the future of the world‚ day by day. Supporting California’s high tech and life sciences industries and ensuring they can continue to thrive and remain a robust part of our economy is critically important.

When I asked senators to pass my legislation in 2024 eliminating plastic bags from being provided at grocery store checkouts‚ I showed the types of bags that shoppers will still be able to use. 

I commend California Attorney General Rob Bonta for taking action to hold plastic bag producers accountable for false recycling claims. He recently announced a legal settlement with four major plastic bag manufacturing companies to stop selling unrecyclable bags.

State law already mandates that retailers stop providing the plastic bags at grocery store checkouts on Jan. 1‚ thanks to my legislation signed into law last year‚ SB 1053. The attorney general’s settlement hits the manufacturers with $1.7 million in penalties‚ establishes that they violated state law by selling unrecyclable bags for years and will result in many of the bags being removed from the market before the end of this year.

Californians deserve to know that products labeled as recyclable truly are. The state must keep acting to curb the scourge of plastic waste‚ which is poisoning our environment and our bodies. 

I will continue to fight to reduce plastic pollution‚ protect our environment and move our state to more sustainable practices.

I joined with Sen. Roger Niello‚ San Diego Sheriff Kelly Martinez‚ California district attorneys‚ sheriffs and probation officers at a Capitol press conference in June to call for funding the implementation of Proposition 36. 

Ever since voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 36 in November 2024‚ I have been calling for the state to adequately fund it. 

I fought to get $110 million included in the state’s 2025-26 budget to help fund counties and courts to manage the influx of people arrested on Prop. 36 charges. Prop 36 increases sentences on certain drug and theft crimes and mandates drug treatment for those needing it.

As this San Diego Union-Tribune article points out‚ the expanded Prop 36 penalties have resulted in many people being arrested who have a history of drug addictions and alcoholism. Due to lack of resources‚ San Diego County officials say‚ the defendants are forced to find and secure treatment on their own.

This lack of funding and support for people who need drug or alcohol treatment not jail time must be corrected. I will continue to advocate for stronger support from the state so Prop 36 can be implemented as designed.

Shrapnel from a U.S. Marine Corps live fire demonstration on the hood of a California Highway Patrol Vehicle. (Photo courtesy of the CHP.)

The recent handling by the federal administration of the Marine Corps’ 250th birthday celebration at Camp Pendleton needlessly endangered California commuters and demonstrated a highly concerning willingness to disregard established military protocols. 

I issued a statement condemning the use of live fire over I-5‚ which was completely unnecessary and provided no benefit for the community or military readiness. 

As the LA Times reported‚ 30 artillery shells were shot over I-5 and the region’s commuter rail line during Friday rush hour without any warning given to the public or state and local agencies. This was part of a rehearsal for the commemoration exercise and ceremony planned for the following day.

And according to CalMatters‚ when the freeway was closed on the following day for the ceremony and live fire exercise‚ shrapnel fell on to a CHP vehicle‚ illustrating the danger. Thankfully‚ no one was injured or hurt. But still‚ tens of thousands of drivers traveling north from San Diego County were inconvenienced by the closure of this major transportation artery and a live fire exercise that served no legitimate purpose. 

Additionally‚ the live fire demonstrations violated established‚ publicly available military guidelines delineating the locations where such training is allowed. This disregard for public safety‚ and direct violation of established military guidance‚ should deeply worry all of us.

At BeeWorthy Farms with (left to right) Julie Burton‚ Cat Henning‚ Elizabeth Vaughn and Keely Cervantes. 

I recently took a tour of BeeWorthy Farms near Farm Lab in Encinitas along Quail Gardens Drive to better understand the challenges and opportunities facing small farms and farmers. 

I was inspired to see how BeeWorthy Farms is partnering with schools‚ businesses and local nonprofits to share organic flowers and hands-on education that nourish both the land and community. 

We had a lovely discussion about the importance of healthy soil‚ composting and pollinators! Local farming can reduce transportation costs and emissions‚ preserve open space‚ provide food for pollinators‚ build community and help us live more sustainably. 

Thank you to BeeWorthy farmer Cat Henning‚ Keely Cervantes and Elizabeth Vaughn from the Community Alliance with Family Farmers‚ and to Julie Burton‚ Site Administrator of the Encinitas Unified School District’s Farm Lab‚ where BeeWorthy leases land‚ for hosting me on a tour.

I have launched a program to help recognize veterans and those serving them through Senate District 38‚ which covers coastal and northern San Diego County and south Orange County. Please visit my website to nominate someone deserving today!

Daylight Savings Time ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday‚ Nov. 2. Don’t forget to reset your clocks one hour earlier and enjoy the extra hour of sleep. 



Thank you for your support. I am honored to serve you. And Happy Halloween!

In partnership‚

Email me at Senator.Blakespear@Senate.ca.gov
Call my Encinitas district office at (760) 642-0809
Call my Laguna Hills district office at (949) 598-5850
Call my Capitol office in Sacramento at (916) 651-4038