SB 435: Collection of demographic data: CalFresh program and State Department of Public Health.

(1)Existing law requires specified state agencies, boards, and commissions, in the course of collecting demographic data as to the ancestry or ethnic origin of Californians, to use separate collection categories and tabulations for specified groups. Existing federal law provides for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known in California as CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Under existing law, the State Department of Social Services (department) administers the CalFresh program. Existing law requires the department to publicly report specified information, including certain data specific to students enrolled in an institution of higher learning who receive CalFresh benefits, as specified.

This bill would require the department, in the course of collecting demographic data directly or by contract as to the ancestry or ethnic origin of California residents for any report on the CalFresh program, to use separate collection categories and tabulations for each major Latino group, Mesoamerican Indigenous nation, and Mesoamerican Indigenous language group, as specified.

Existing law requires specific state agencies, boards, and commissions to report, as specified, data on collection categories and tabulations for specified groups. Existing law requires the collected data to be made available to the public except for personal identifying information, which shall be deemed confidential.

This bill would require the department to include the collected data in every demographic report on ancestry or ethnic origins of California residents that the department publishes or releases on or after July 1, 2027. On or before July 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, the bill would require the department to report to the Legislature on the above-described data collection and methods used to collect that data. The bill would require the department to make available to the public the collected data, except for personal identifying information, as specified. The bill would require the department to update its data collection to reflect additional Latino groups, Mesoamerican Indigenous nations, and Mesoamerican Indigenous language groups as they are reported by the United States Census Bureau, as specified. The bill would require the department to comply with the bills requirements as early as possible, but no later than July 1, 2027.

On or after January 1, 2026, the bill would require the State Department of Public Health to comply with the bills requirements if funding is appropriated for this express purpose, as specified.

(2)Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.

This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.