skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Advocates Sue LA County over Emergency Food-Assistance Delays

play audio
Play

Tuesday, November 23, 2021   

LOS ANGELES -- Anti-hunger advocates filed suit Monday to force Los Angeles County to speed up processing of applications for emergency food assistance.

Those applications by law must be processed within three days, but the county's own data showed between October 2020 and September 2021, more than a third of applications took longer, affecting 54,000 households.

Frank Tamborello, executive director of Hunger Action Los Angeles, said the CalFresh program is akin to emergency response.

"When someone is hungry, every hour, every minute matters," Tamborello argued. "It is unconscionable that in Los Angeles County, the most vulnerable families have to wait for weeks to get something as basic as food assistance."

The county did not respond to a request for comment by deadline, but has acknowledged a surge in demand combined with staffing issues is straining the system.

Lena Silver, associate director of litigation and policy advocacy for Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County, said to qualify for emergency food assistance, you have to earn less than $150 per month and have less than $100 in cash, or be unable to pay your rent or mortgage.

"Emergency CalFresh is not a cushion," Silver asserted. "It gives people money for food who are at imminent risk of, or already experiencing, hunger."

Los Angeles County's 12-month average for applications processed past the deadline is at 36%, much higher than other large counties in Southern California. For example, San Bernardino County misses the mark more than 11% of the time. Orange County is at 7% and San Diego County is at 5%.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021