LOS ANGELES—As food assistance benefits paused on Nov. 1 for millions of people across California due to the federal government shutdown, local officials announced steps to provide additional help.
On Oct. 31, two federal judges separately told the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that it must begin using billions of dollars in contingency funding to provide federal food assistance to needy families despite the shutdown. Trump administration officials said on Nov. 3 that the contingency funds will only partially fund food stamps for the month of November.
Following the court orders issued by judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, federal officials said payments could restart as soon as Nov. 5 for recipients, including nearly 1.5 million people in Los Angeles County and more than 310,000 in Orange County who rely on CalFresh benefits….