2024 Apr 3 Support letter AB 1967 to Create a Food Insecurity Officer (FIO)

April 3, 2024

The Honorable Assemblymember Corey Jackson
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0057

Re: Support letter for AB 1967 creation of a Food Insecurity Officer (FIO) tasked with coordinating and addressing food insecurity throughout state government operations.

Dear Assemblymember Jackson, 

On behalf of the Marin County Board of Supervisors, I write to express our support for AB 1967. The bill would create a Food Insecurity Officer (FIO) to coordinate and address food insecurity throughout California state government operations. 

Per the California Association of Food Banks, 23% of all households (and 28% with children) suffer from food insecurity in California. In Marin, almost 1 in 5 residents are considered “food insecure”, and with income levels that qualify them for SNAP (CalFRESH) benefits. SNAP is an invaluable tool in the fight against food insecurity and poverty in California:

• 4,627,700 Californians receive SNAP benefits (CBPP, 2022)
• 776,000 people (including 377,000 children) are lifted above the poverty line every year (CBPP, 2014-2018). In 2021 in Marin alone, SNAP helps lift 9,800 people out of poverty annually, including 5,782 children and 1,568 seniors.
• One of the more effective forms of economic stimulus in a bad economy, every $1.00 increase in SNAP benefits generates $1.70 in economic activity. 

However, California is lagging behind other states in SNAP enrollment. Only 70% of eligible Californians were enrolled in SNAP in 2018. By comparison, in Oregon, 95%-100% of eligible individuals were enrolled in SNAP. In Washington, the enrollment rates are similar: 95%- 100%. Even Texas outperformed California in SNAP participation: 75% of eligible individuals were enrolled in SNAP in 2018. 

Some of the key issues facing California are the lack of sufficient application processing timeliness, payment error rates, and case and procedural error rates. California falls below federal minimums in all three metrics. AB 1967’s proposed Food Insecurity Officer would engage with state entities and seek waivers from the federal government to resolve these issues and streamline enrollment. The FIO would focus on increasing enrollment for seniors, families with children, individuals leaving incarceration, and formerly incarcerated individuals. 

California can no longer afford to leave options on the table when combating food insecurity, especially when there are existing blueprints that can be used to improve outcomes for working families. For these reasons we support AB 1967. 

Sincerely, 

Dennis Rodoni, President
Marin County Board of Supervisors 

Cc: Marin County Board of Supervisors
Assemblymember Damon Connolly
State Senator Mike McGuire
Chair and members, Assembly Committee on Human Services