August 28, 2026
Every family in California should be able to put food on the table without fear or red tape. AB 1049 will streamline the application process for state-funded food benefits and help eligible Californians get the food they need. California can protect our neighbors by fixing a rule that singles out immigrant families for extra burdens — and Governor Newsom can make that happen with his signature. Show your support for AB 1049 by calling Governor Newsom using our script below, and sharing this post with your networks.
AB 1049 removes a harmful and discriminatory rule called sponsor deeming from the application process for our state-funded food assistance program, the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP).
California created the CFAP in response to the 1996 passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), which excluded many immigrants from federal food assistance. Under CFAP, immigrants who are ineligible for CalFresh under PRWORA due only to their immigration status can still receive state-funded CalFresh benefits. Learn more here.
The Food4All campaign seeks to expand this program to all Californians, regardless of immigration status. Learn more about the Food4All campaign and the upcoming expansion of the CFAP to Californians ages 55 and older, regardless of immigration status, beginning October 2027.
Some recipients of CFAP have a sponsor, who is a US citizen or permanent resident who helped them become a lawful permanent resident (a person with a green card). Sponsors are responsible for financially supporting the person they sponsored as that person finds their footing in the United States.
“Sponsor deeming” is the process where part of the income and resources of an immigrant’s sponsor are counted toward the household income of the individual applying for certain government benefits, like CalFresh and CFAP. This puts families in a difficult position because their food benefit eligibility could be impacted if the sponsor fails to provide any form of financial support or if reporting the sponsor’s income makes their household income appear higher than it actually is. There are a few exceptions to the deeming rules, including for domestic violence survivors and immigrants who could face hunger or homelessness without assistance. However, these exceptions are difficult to screen for and can be missed in the determination of eligibility.
Additionally, sponsor deeming adds confusion and fear to the application process. Families may be unsure whether applying for food assistance will affect their sponsor, their immigration status, or their family’s safety. As a result, fewer eligible Californians apply for critical benefits that could keep them fed and healthy.
AB 1049 would remove barriers for low-income families in our state who face additional burdensome requirements due only to their immigration status. Removing sponsor deeming would simplify the application process and ensure that the food benefits that families receive are based on their actual financial situation, not on a technicality that has nothing to do with whether they need help today.
The Food4All coalition worked with Assemblywoman Celeste Rodriguez in early 2025 to introduce this bill after learning from community partners about the harmful impacts of sponsor deeming on immigrant families seeking access to the most basic need: food.
Read testimonials below on why AB 1049 is needed, or watch them here:
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.
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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.
No one else applying for CalFresh has to worry about a relative’s income being held against them — that’s a standard immigrant families should have too. When California removes sponsor deeming, families won’t have to choose between financial honesty and food security. The sponsor deeming rule is in place solely to further discriminate against immigrants who need food support simply because of where they were born. AB 1049 brings California closer to Food4All by removing unnecessary barriers to food access for California’s immigrant communities.
November 2024 – Food4All Coalition develops the idea for the bill and partners with Assemblywoman Celeste Rodriguez
February 2025 – AB 1049 is introduced in the Assembly
April 2025 – AB 1049 passes out of the Assembly’s Committee on Human Services (5-1) and Assemblymember Alex Lee signs on as a co-author
May 2025 – After being referred to the Suspense File, AB 1049 is held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee as a 2-year bill.
January 2026 – AB 1049 makes it out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, and heads to the Assembly floor for a vote. It passes and begins to make its way to the Senate!!
May 2026 – AB 1049 passes out of the Senate’s Committee on Human Services (4-1)
August 2026 – After being referred to the Suspense File, AB 1049 passes out of Senate Appropriations!!
**We are here!!**
On August XX, 2026, AB 1049 was voted on in the Senate floor session.
Next, the bill will head back to the Assembly for “concurrence”. This is because amendments were introduced on the Senate floor and the Assembly must approve them before it heads to the final stage in the bill process: the Governor’s desk.
As AB 1049 heads to Governor Newsom, join us in calling on him to sign this important bill for improving immigrant food access.
Call Governor Newsom
Take 5 minutes to use your voice to support immigrant food access. Use the script below to call the Governor’s office and urge him to sign AB 1049 into law so that sponsor deeming will cease to be a barrier to state-funded food assistance.
Hello, my name is [insert name], and I am from [organization/other affiliation/city in California]. I’m writing today to urge Governor Newsom to sign AB1049 into law.
AB 1049 would remove barriers for low-income families in our state who face additional burdensome requirements due only to their immigration status. Removing the sponsor deeming rule with this bill would simplify the application process and ensure that the food benefits that families receive are based on their family’s actual financial needs. This bill will bring equity to our state’s food safety net – please sign AB 1049 into law in support of food access for all!
[share any additional reasons why AB 1049 needs to be passed for you/your family/your community].
Thank you,
[name]
You can also leave a written comment in support of the bill through his website. See the instructions below:
Message Subject: Remove Unjust Barriers to Food Assistance for Immigrant Californians
Message:
On September 8, we are going to flood Governor Newsom’s phone line with calls in support of AB 1049! It is powerful when we are able to show collective movement and concentrate our calls on the same day. Please join us in calling him on September 8 and use our call script above!