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My name is Alexandra Gay, and I am an attorney with Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County, a legal aid organization that serves low-income residents of LA. My focus is improving access to safety net programs for eligible immigrants.

Advocates who work on benefits access issues know that a primary barrier preventing lawful permanent residents (or green card holders) from enrolling in benefits is the complicated set of “sponsor deeming” rules. Because many permanent residents have lost contact with their sponsors, they are unable to provide their information to welfare departments. Many permanent residents also fear that providing this information will get their sponsor in trouble with the government.

We find that the existing exceptions to the sponsor deeming rules are often not well-understood by county eligibility workers and are mis-applied. The unfortunate result is that many low-income permanent residents who are financially eligible for benefits are denied on procedural grounds. 

AB 1049 would simplify the application process for vital CFAP food assistance. This would benefit people like our client, Mr. L., whose circumstances are representative of people who are harmed by the current CFAP sponsor deeming rules. 

Mr. L. is 70 years old and a mono-lingual Mandarin speaker. He has no income and has serious health issues, including diabetes. He received his green card last year and was sponsored by a distant acquaintance who is no longer in the U.S. and by his son, who is now unhoused and experiencing a financial/mental health crisis of his own. When Mr. L. applied for CFAP, his application was denied b/c he could not provide sufficient information about his sponsors. The county worker failed to assess him for the indigence exception – which is typical. He has no help to purchase food.

If the provisions of AB 1049 had been in place, Mr. L. would have been permitted to complete the CFAP application process and would likely already be receiving vital food assistance. 

Thank you for the opportunity to comment.

My name is Melissa Arvizu, and I represent the National Health Foundation, serving the communities of Los Angeles County. Today, I am here to speak on behalf of Elena del Carmen, a resident of El Monte.

Elena has been in the U.S. for many years and received her green card in 2019, with her sister acting as her sponsor. Tragically, in the same year, Elena lost her sister unexpectedly. Despite this hardship, Elena has continued to work hard and, at 62 years old, she applied for CalFresh benefits in May 2024 to help secure access to food, as her income has not been enough to meet her needs.

Elena lives with her niece, her only family member here in the United States, as she left her children and relatives behind in El Salvador. After applying for CalFresh, Elena waited for months to receive a response. Eventually, she was informed that she did not qualify and was told she needed to provide her sponsor’s documentation. Even though her sister passed away five years ago, Elena was still required to provide her late sister’s documentation in order to access the benefits she desperately needs.

Elena sought help and met with her caseworker, who denied her request to provide proof of her sponsor’s death. Elena made multiple attempts to show that she could not provide her sponsor’s income, but each time, she was met with more and more obstacles. Eventually, Elena became discouraged and gave up. To this day, one year after applying for assistance, she still has not received the support she so desperately needs. Each month, she continues to face food insecurity, running out of money and going hungry.

Elena del Carmen asked me to share her story today, with the hope that no one else will have to face the same unnecessary barriers that sponsor deeming has placed in the way of accessing vital benefits.