'We haven't seen anything like this for 30 years.' by Jake Kincaid / inewsource / August 2, 2026 Why this matters: The number of San Diego County residents using food stamps has plummeted. Experts say new rules and longstanding fears are behind the decline. A line of umbrellas stretched around the corner and down the street as dozens of people sheltered themselves from the baking sun while they waited for cardboard boxes full of fresh produce and protein at a San Diego Food Bank distribution in San Ysidro Tuesday. “The lines are getting longer,” Maria Lewis said. “People are worried now.” Lewis, an outreach coordinator, walked up and down the line, trying to sign people up for the federal aid program known as food stamps, called CalFresh in California. Some were reluctant. People in need have been pushed increasingly into food lines and away from federal aid by a combination of new policies limiting program eligibility, increasingly difficult and frequent applications to receive benefits and rising fears that the government will use identifying data to deport people getting food stamps or to take away their permanent resident status. The changes to the program are part of President Donald Trump’s signature spending bill, which he signed into law a year ago, to help eliminate fraud, abuse and waste in the program. The bill also cut off benefits to some immigrants such as asylum seekers, human trafficking victims and refugees starting in April in California. In June, people were given three months to meet new work requirements. The new eligibility requirements have been hitting states at different times. They took effect in California in April and June, but there has seen a steady drop in participation for the past year.