SENATE MAJORITY LEADER ASHBY ANNOUNCES SB 961, THE CALFRESH FOR STUDENTS ACT, TO ADDRESS URGENT ACCESS TO FOOD ASSISTANCE AMID FEDERAL PROGRAM CUTS

CONTACT: 
Joseph Weaver
joseph.weaver@sen.ca.gov 
February 9, 2026

SACRAMENTO, CA — Senate Majority Leader Angelique Ashby (D-Sacramento), through Senate Bill 961, paves the way for California to lead transformative support to college students across the state with the CalFresh for Students Act. This bill would streamline the process for students across California’s institutions of higher education to gain access to food assistance, increasing their educational success and promoting campus and community well-being. 

“As federal support for students is scaled back, California must step up,” said Senate Majority Leader Angelique Ashby. “The CalFresh for Students Act cuts red tape and ensures eligible students know help is available. When students have reliable access to food, they are more likely to stay in school, complete their degrees, and strengthen California’s workforce and economy.”

“The CalFresh for Students Act is about making government work smarter and maximizing our public investments. By streamlining access to essential food support, this bill can boost college completion, driving economic growth and shared prosperity for all Californians,” says Su Jin Jez, CEO at California Competes: Higher Education for a Strong Economy.

“The number one deterrent for students from historically marginalized communities from attending college is the cost of attendance, which includes the cost of paying for food. It’s essential that we help students get connected with all the support systems available, including CalFresh, that will help them succeed,” says Alison De Lucca, Executive Director at Southern California College Attainment Network. 

“In September 2022, the Biden Administration hosted the first White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in over 50 years. And for the first time, college student hunger was part of that conversation. While there is much to do at the federal level, states were called out as being essential partners to improve internal data-sharing systems and processes to better serve students”, says Alex Zucco, Junior Leagues of California State Public Affairs Committee. “Our call to action is to help remove self-imposed restrictions on the data redundantly collected by various government agencies and institutions, and to streamline the process through improved data-sharing systems. One step in removing some of the stigma students experience in receiving food benefits is to reduce the number of places students must present themselves as “needy” and submit the same or similar proof they are eligible for benefits. This bill puts students first and supports the mission of CalFresh by providing food assistance and ensuring everyone has access to the resources they need to lead healthy lives.” 

“Students are facing unprecedented pressures, from covering the full cost of college attendance to navigating the stress of their communities being under attack. For many students in Los Angeles County and across California, hunger has become another barrier layered onto an already complex path to completion. The CalFresh for Students Act helps ease that burden by reducing unnecessary administrative hurdles and ensuring students can access the food support they deserve,” says Vanessa Aramayo, Alliance for a Better Community.

“Students across the state are relying on our state leaders to take action and invest in our success through holistic resources and support services, especially when over 400,000 California students participate in CalFresh, yet an estimated 300,000 more are eligible, losing out on $140 million of missed benefits for the state,” says Aditi Hariharan, President of the UC Student Association. “We are proud to co-sponsor the CalFresh for Students Act to ensure every student has access to the nourishment they need to be successful in their education.”

“Continued efforts to streamline public benefits access, such as the CalFresh for Students Act, are essential to addressing the basic needs crisis, reducing administrative barriers across state, campus, and county systems, maximizing the investment of federal funds into local and statewide economies, and supporting student persistence to graduation that sustains California’s innovation, community, and competitive workforce, says Aaron Kunst, Co-Director of the CalFresh Higher Ed Contract. 

“Too many students face unnecessary administrative barriers when seeking food assistance, the CalFresh for Students Act improves access to critical benefits to ensure that hunger is never a barrier to college completion, academic success, and student well-being," says McKenna Mustazza, Policy & Executive Associate at NextGen California.

“CalFresh is essential to the survival of millions of young people and students across California,” says Katrina Linden, Western Regional Director at Young Invincibles. “California has long led the fight against hunger, yet looming federal cuts threaten to erase the progress our state has fought so hard to achieve. Access to food assistance is a necessary lifeline, and Young Invincibles is proud to support this investment in our students.”

"The economic pressures of high rent, rising food prices, and increased utility rates are squeezing students in unprecedented ways. While California has forged more equitable access to college pathways, there is much work still to be done in creating systems that support students after admission. Connecting students to all the benefits for which they are eligible not only supports the individual but also provides a great return on investment for the state. The Coalition of California Welfare Rights Organizations is proud to support the CalFresh for Students Act to help close equity gaps and increase college completion rates in California’s higher education systems”, says Heather Willoughby, CalFresh and CalWORKs Policy Analyst CCWRO.

The bill has already hit the ground running, with widespread coalition support. Co-sponsors include Alliance for A Better Community, California Competes: Higher Education for a Strong Economy, Center for Healthy Communities, Coalition of California Welfare Rights Organizations, Junior Leagues of California State Public Affairs Committee, Michelson Center for Public Policy, NextGen California, Southern California College Attainment Network, uAspire, UC Student Association, and Young Invincibles. Beyond co-sponsors, organizations from every corner of the state are rallying to urge the Legislature to invest in students’ access to food support services and are united in the fight for students’ access to CalFresh to support their basic needs, increase well-being and educational success, and promote workforce development by strengthening college attainment. 

###

About Senate Majority Leader Ashby

Senator Ashby represents Sacramento County, serves in the California State Senate as Majority Leader, and is the first woman elected to represent the metropolitan area of Sacramento in the California Senate in more than 20 years. She previously served on the Sacramento City Council and was the sole woman for more than half of her 12-year tenure. She is also the only member in city history to serve as Vice Mayor or Mayor pro Tem for 8 years. She is a graduate of McGeorge School of Law and earned her baccalaureate at the University of California, Davis.