WOODLAND, CA — As the federal government shutdown deepens, Yolo County officials are taking emergency action to shield residents from the fallout of suspended CalFresh benefits, even as President Donald Trump’s administration faces mounting criticism for partially defying a federal court order to restore full food aid.
At its November 4 meeting, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution allocating $225,000 in one-time tobacco settlement funds to support residents impacted by the delay in federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments. The board also authorized an agreement with the Yolo Food Bank to coordinate emergency food distribution.
“Yolo County is taking decisive action to protect our most vulnerable residents during this challenging time,” said Mary Vixie Sandy, chair of the Yolo County Board of Supervisors. “Our partnership with the Yolo Food Bank and local agencies reflects the strength of this community. When our residents are in need, we come together to ensure no one is left behind.”
More than 27,000 Yolo County residents have gone without CalFresh benefits since November 1, after the Trump administration halted federal funding amid the shutdown. CalFresh, which is 100% federally funded, serves some of the county’s most vulnerable residents — including families with young children, seniors, and unhoused individuals.
According to county data, of the 18,700 CalFresh households in Yolo County, 2,400 include at least one child under 10, 3,200 include a child under 17, 4,300 include an adult over 60, and 2,400 lack a fixed nighttime residence. The delay has put thousands at immediate risk of hunger.
To address the crisis, Yolo County has coordinated with the Yolo Food Bank, city partners, UC Davis, and the Yolo County Office of Education to expand food access across the region.
The Yolo Food Bank has increased allocations by 20 percent across nearly 60 regular distribution sites and is working with 47 local partner organizations to meet rising demand. Emergency distributions are scheduled this week at the Woodland and West Sacramento Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) service centers, as well as on the UC Davis campus.
“We’re moving quickly to ensure no family in Yolo County goes without food during this disruption,” said Monica Morales, director of the Yolo County Health and Human Services Agency. “This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to supporting residents through coordinated, community-driven action.”
The $225,000 in emergency funding will provide direct financial assistance for families to purchase food and supplement local distribution programs. The Yolo Food Bank also launched the Food First campaign, a community-wide fundraising effort encouraging residents and businesses to contribute at www.YoloFoodBank.org/FoodFirst.
“We are so grateful to be working with Yolo County, our partner agencies, volunteers, and donors to ensure that we are assisting CalFresh recipients and other food insecure community members in this time of need,” said Karen Baker, executive director of the Yolo Food Bank. “We encourage all members of our community to join us in this effort by visiting our website.”
Yolo County Supervisor Lucas Frerichs emphasized that the county’s actions reflect its values.
“My role as County Supervisor is first and foremost to serve and protect our most vulnerable neighbors — children, families, and seniors across Yolo County,” he said. “With the uncertainty surrounding CalFresh benefits, food insecurity is rising. True to the Yolo Way, leaders and community members are stepping up with urgency and compassion through the new Food First initiative, ensuring that no one in our community is left behind.”
Trump Administration Defies Federal Court Order
The local response comes amid national outrage over President Trump’s handling of the SNAP crisis. On Tuesday, the White House confirmed it would issue only partial food assistance payments, despite federal court orders requiring the full distribution of benefits.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the administration would “fully comply” with the court’s order to release some payments, adding, “We’re getting that partial payment out the door as much as we can and as quickly as we can.”
The move came just hours after Trump appeared to contradict that position on Truth Social, writing that SNAP “will be given only when those Radical Left Democrats open up the government, which they can easily do, and not before!”
The statement sparked confusion, prompting emergency court filings from several states and nonprofit coalitions.
“This is immoral. See you in court,” wrote Skye Perryman, CEO of Democracy Forward, one of the organizations suing to force full compliance with the court order.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) later acknowledged that it would deplete $4.65 billion from a contingency fund to provide reduced benefits — roughly half of what households are owed for November. The decision followed a temporary restraining order issued by U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island, which directed the federal government to either pay full SNAP benefits using alternative funds or issue partial payments no later than November 5.
In court filings submitted Monday, USDA Deputy Under Secretary Patrick A. Penn stated that the agency had decided against using Section 32 Child Nutrition Program funds to cover full benefits, citing concerns that doing so would “jeopardize those crucial programs” that provide meals to 29 million schoolchildren nationwide.
“Using billions of dollars from Child Nutrition for SNAP would leave an unprecedented gap in Child Nutrition funding,” Penn wrote, noting that the USDA’s decision effectively limits November SNAP benefits to half the usual amount.
The Rhode Island order followed a similar ruling from a federal court in Massachusetts, both of which found that the administration’s initial suspension of benefits was unlawful. Despite those decisions, the USDA confirmed it would provide only partial payments and continue withholding full aid until further court proceedings.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta condemned the administration’s actions in a statement Tuesday. “My fellow attorneys general and I took the Trump Administration to court because they chose to suspend November SNAP benefits. That decision was not only unlawful, as two federal courts ruled on Friday; it has also forced the 42 million individuals who rely on SNAP to scramble and figure out where their next meal is going to come from,” Bonta said.
“This morning, we learned that the Trump Administration has decided, at long last and in the face of growing public pressure, to partially fund November SNAP benefits,” he continued. “This is an important development, but the reality is that SNAP benefits won’t become immediately available to recipients. This lag is problematic and the result of President Trump’s failure to follow the law until ordered to do so. In addition, today’s announcement by the Trump Administration represents a moral failure. We are the richest country in the world, and the federal government could fully fund November SNAP benefits if it wanted to.”
The administration’s partial compliance has prompted calls for additional court intervention. A federal judge in Rhode Island has scheduled another hearing to consider whether to compel the USDA to provide full benefits using unused tariff funds intended for child nutrition programs.
In Yolo County, officials said they would continue to monitor developments closely while doing what they can locally. The county’s immediate goal is to ensure that no one goes hungry while the legal battle in Washington continues.
Follow the Vanguard on Social Media – X, Instagram and Facebook. Subscribe the Vanguard News letters. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit davisvanguard.org/donate or give directly through ActBlue. Your support will ensure that the vital work of the Vanguard continues.
Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat himself, says that Democrats “own the shutdown,” which he described as a “fail.”
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/02/politics/video/senator-john-fetterman-pennsylvania-blames-democrats-for-the-government-shutdown-sotu
Gee, someone in government who is actually able to call out their own party’s failure. How I wish this were commonplace, people calling out their own team’s failures.
CNN election night coverage:
Democrat Hakeem Jeffries stated, “Donald Trump and Republicans shut the government down and refuse to reopen it.”
CNN’s Dana Bash then countered, “Mr. Leader, you guys are voting no on opening the government, not Republicans.”