Supervisor Preston urges state to restore Market Match funding, backs AB 2115 to expand methadone access

Supervisor Matt Preston told the Board of Supervisors on April 16 that San Francisco stands to lose a widely used nutrition incentive if proposed state budget cuts move forward and asked the Legislature and governor to restore funding for the Market Match program that augments CalFresh purchasing power.

Preston said Market Match, a 15-year-old program that provides dollar-for-dollar matching for CalFresh purchases of fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers markets, has helped low-income residents and supported farmers markets’ viability in the city. He said CalFresh enrollment in San Francisco exceeds 130,000 residents across about 104,500 households, and that Market Match sites recorded more than 116,000 customer visits last year — including about 15,000 new customers. He warned the governor’s January 2024 budget proposal would cut $33,200,000 from the three-year, $35,000,000 California Nutrition Incentive Program budget that underpins Market Match funding and said, “Losing this funding would be disastrous for San Francisco residents, especially the most marginalized in our community.”

Separately, Preston introduced a resolution supporting Assemblymember Matt Haney’s AB 2115, which would align state law with recent federal changes to allow clinics to dispense up to 72 hours of methadone take-home doses upon request. Preston said the federal pilot during the pandemic showed improved continuity of care and better recovery outcomes, and he described the bill as a tool to reduce barriers to treatment amid record overdose deaths in San Francisco (806 fatal overdoses reported last year, per Preston’s presentation).

The board did not take a final vote on either resolution during the meeting; both were introduced as new business for later consideration. Preston identified co-sponsors for AB 2115 and thanked Department of Public Health staff for their support.