Board directs cross-department coordination, progress reports as 1.5 million residents lose CalFresh benefits
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a motion to expand the role of its year-old Office of Food Systems, requiring every county department to designate a liaison and deliver a long-term strategic plan by late 2026.
Supervisors Lindsey P. Horvath and Janice Hahn authored the measure, which passed unanimously. It comes as more than 1.5 million Angelenos have lost CalFresh benefits during the ongoing federal government shutdown, and programs like Local Food for Schools face deep cuts.
The Office of Food Systems, launched in January 2025 as a public-private partnership housed under Community Partners with philanthropic backing, will now coordinate directly with 19 county departments, from Public Health to Parks and Recreation. Each must name a management-level liaison to work on food-access priorities.
An interim progress report is due June 16, 2026; a final strategic plan, including options to bring the office fully in-house, must be presented verbally to the board by Oct. 20, 2026.
The office, originally the Office of Food Equity, grew out of a 2021 Food Equity Roundtable and a 2023 strategic plan. It already led emergency food distribution after this year’s wildfires and is developing a rapid-response communication network for future crises.
The board also directed its legislative affairs unit to loop the office into state and federal policy tracking and seek its input on advocacy positions.
Separately, the county this month awarded a $10 million contract to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank to boost purchases and added pop-up pantries across its 940-site network. Residents seeking food can use the pantry locator at lafoodbank.org.
