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City leaders debated whether Redlands should fund food assistance directly or focus on coordinating nonprofits as state and federal food programs face continued uncertainty, funding reductions and tighter eligibility rules.
REDLANDS, Calif. — As federal food assistance rules tighten and California food bank funding faces uncertainty, the Redlands City Council is weighing whether the city should play a larger role in addressing food insecurity through grants, transportation assistance and better coordination among local nonprofits.
During a May 5 meeting, council members reviewed recommendations from the city’s Food Security Task Force, which identified five strategies aimed at improving food access and child nutrition in Redlands. Council Member Paul Barich was absent from the meeting.
The discussion revealed differing views over what role the city should play in addressing food insecurity, including whether Redlands should allocate funding, staffing or coordination resources to support existing nonprofit efforts.
The task force was formed after the council adopted a resolution in November 2025 establishing the city’s Food Security and Child Nutrition Supportive Initiative. City staff said the group met three times with nonprofit and faith-based organizations to identify gaps in food access and barriers facing residents.
Homeless Solutions Manager David Rabindranath presented five recommendations developed through the task force discussions:
Rabindranath told council members that city staff have already begun reaching out to community partners, including the Redlands Chamber of Commerce, to help address some immediate operational needs identified by food providers.
Rabindranath said local businesses may be able to donate cardboard boxes and reusable tote bags, which food distribution groups described as a significant ongoing expense.
He also said the city is searching for grant opportunities but has found limited federal funding currently available for food assistance programs.
“There isn’t many grants on the federal level currently for food,” Rabindranath said, though he noted staff are exploring state agricultural grant opportunities that could help connect local produce suppliers with food distribution programs.
Rabindranath said providers also asked the city to help publicize food distribution events to better direct residents to available resources.
He added that organizations, including the Salvation Army, continue seeing elevated demand for food assistance despite the restoration of some SNAP benefits because inflation and rising grocery prices continue straining household budgets.
“Even though the SNAP benefits have come back, the high cost, they are still seeing a high demand of food from families especially,” Rabindranath said.
Part of the council discussion centered on recent changes to food assistance programs.
The task force was initially formed at the request of Davis in October 2025 when federal SNAP funding disruptions affected CalFresh recipients in California.
Since then, some federal funding has been reinstated following multistate lawsuits against the federal government.
While some funding was restored, food assistance advocates say the overall outlook remains uncertain.
CalFresh — California’s version of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP — continues to face reductions tied to federal policy changes adopted under H.R. 1, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” According to the California Health and Human Services Agency, more than 3 million California households could lose some or all food assistance benefits because of expanded work requirements and eligibility restrictions phased in between July 2025 and June 2026.
Changes include stricter time-limit rules for able-bodied adults without dependents, expanded work requirements for additional groups and the elimination of benefits for many lawfully present immigrants, including refugees, asylees and trafficking survivors.
Beginning June 1, 2026, federal policy will expand time limits on CalFresh enrollment to new groups including caretakers of children 14 and older, older adults, former foster youth, veterans and people experiencing homelessness. These groups were previously exempt from time limits.
By October 2026, the state of California will be required to contribute to annual CalFresh administrative costs. In October 2027, the state will need to pay a portion of CalFresh monthly benefits.
At the same time, food banks across the Inland Empire are warning about possible cuts to CalFood, a separate California program that supports food banks by purchasing and distributing food, often sourced from California farmers.
Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino recently warned that CalFood funding could fall by 90% in the next state budget cycle if lawmakers do not renew temporary funding increases enacted during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The program currently averages about $62.7 million annually but could return to its longtime $8 million baseline without legislative action.
The proposed reduction first appeared in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s January budget proposal. In response, the California Senate’s budget proposal included an additional $100 million for food banks on top of the program’s $8 million baseline allocation. Newsom is expected to release his revised state budget proposal May 15, with lawmakers required to finalize the budget by June 15.
“Other funding has already decreased, and as we brace for upcoming changes with CalFresh, we are likely to see the needs in our area rise as food banks are expected to do more with less,” Joanna Solorio, interim CEO of Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino, said in a recent statement.
CalFresh provides monthly food benefits directly to eligible households, while CalFood funds food banks and distribution networks. Advocates say reductions in either program could increase pressure on local emergency food providers.
Against that backdrop, council members differed over what role the city should play in responding to food insecurity locally.
Council Member Denise Davis said nonprofits participating in the task force consistently identified funding as their greatest need.
“They need money,” Davis said. “They need money to continue buying food.”
Davis said food insecurity should be viewed alongside homelessness prevention efforts and argued the city should consider investing public resources to help community organizations meet rising demand. She specifically highlighted transportation challenges faced by residents trying to access multiple food distribution sites across the city.
Mayor Mario Saucedo said the task force was initially formed when federal SNAP funding disruptions affected CalFresh recipients in California, but noted that some federal and state funding had since been restored. He suggested that while food insecurity remains a concern, the city should focus on improving coordination among existing providers rather than immediately committing new city funding.
Saucedo emphasized that many nonprofits and faith-based organizations already provide food assistance throughout Redlands and suggested the city’s primary role may be improving communication and coordination between groups.
“What I was hearing was that there needs to be kind of a central clearing house of information so that amongst the nonprofits can share all that information,” Saucedo said.
Saucedo also called for greater involvement from organizations including the Redlands Interfaith Council, Chamber of Commerce and local service clubs.
“We have a wealth of nonprofits that really just need somebody to coordinate them," Saucedo said.
Council Member Marc Shaw questioned whether direct city funding was the best long-term solution, noting that schools and existing nonprofits already provide substantial food assistance programs.
Shaw said one of his main concerns during the discussion was whether children in Redlands were able to access meals.
“My key concern when this came up was whether or not we were getting children fed,” Shaw said. “In the discussions with the school district, there is an option there for them to get breakfast and lunch and it goes through the summer.” Noting that dinner remains a concern.
California schools currently participate in a statewide universal meals program established under state law requiring public schools serving grades K-12 to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students regardless of income. The program also includes summer meal options in many districts.
Shaw said he supported improving coordination among organizations but remained cautious about committing direct city funding for grants “especially where we are financially.”
During public comment, Redlands Interfaith Council President Kawa Shwaish said food resources already exist in the community, but many residents struggle to access them because services are fragmented.
“The resources are there,” Shwaish said. “It's just getting to them.”
Shwaish recommended the city focus on creating a sustainable coordination system that would help nonprofits share schedules, identify service gaps and connect residents with nearby resources.
He suggested the city consider dedicating staff time to maintaining communication among partner organizations rather than prioritizing direct mini-grants.
Assistant City Manager Chris Boatman said the city’s draft budget currently does not include funding for the task force recommendations and that council direction would be needed for the issue to be considered during upcoming fiscal year budget discussions before adoption in June.
Davis argued the council needed to act quickly to avoid losing momentum.
“I absolutely think we should move forward with at least considering this as part of the budget,” Davis said.
Davis said she supported both direct mini-grants and the possibility of dedicating city staff time to coordinating food resources and identifying service gaps.
“I would really hate to lose sight of the importance of this momentum that the task force is generating,” Davis said. “I think this is important to show our support in addressing food insecurity in Redlands.”
Saucedo, meanwhile, said he supported helping vulnerable residents but questioned whether city-administered grants would create burdensome reporting requirements for nonprofits while diverting resources away from direct services.
“I am very compassionate about providing the resources to the most vulnerable,” Saucedo said. “But we have to make sure that we have a strong network of nonprofits.”
Davis ultimately made a motion to include the task force recommendations in upcoming budget discussions, but the motion failed for lack of a second.
The council instead voted unanimously to continue the item and seek additional input from nonprofits and community organizations before deciding whether to move forward with specific programs or funding proposals.
Watch the full Redlands City Council meeting on YouTube.
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