City briefs council on local impacts of federal government shutdown; CalFresh and CDBG flagged
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Summary
City staff outlined local effects of the federal government shutdown: CalFresh (SNAP) payments stopped effective Nov. 1 for recipients, Section 8 housing assistance may not be guaranteed after Dec. 31, and proposed federal budget changes could eliminate CDBG funding that the city uses for infrastructure and social programs.
City staff told the Pico Rivera City Council Oct. 28 that the ongoing federal government shutdown is already affecting local services and could produce longer-term funding losses if the proposed federal budget eliminations are adopted.
Assistant City Manager Angelina Graves briefed the council: entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare and Veterans Affairs continue, but some services are disrupted. Graves said CalFresh benefits (the state name for SNAP) stopped for recipients effective Nov. 1 and that Section 8 housing assistance is not guaranteed beyond Dec. 31 if the shutdown persists. At the county level, Graves said the county passes down roughly $320 million per month overall for CalFresh disbursements and has contracted $10 million with the Los Angeles Food Bank to supply emergency food resources.
Using city-specific counts, staff reported the local scope: roughly 7,100 Pico Rivera residents receive CalFresh (about $1,300,000 per month in benefits passed through the county) and about 894 residents receive CalWORKs (roughly $366,000 per month). Graves said the county is coordinating with nonprofits, faith-based organizations and the 2-1-1 information network to reach affected residents and to identify food-distribution hot spots.
Graves also flagged proposed eliminations in the congressional budget proposal that would shift Section 8 responsibilities to states and would eliminate Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. The city uses approximately $600,000 a year in CDBG funds for capital projects and social programs; staff said losing CDBG would require local re-planning and replacement strategies.
The council heard that the city is coordinating with LA County supervisors and local partners to pursue interim food-distribution options and to monitor both the shutdown and the federal budget process for longer-term impacts.
