California and 21 States Sue to Block USDA’s Data Grab of SNAP Recipients

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 21 colleagues led by New York AG Letitia James have filed suit in federal court to stop the USDA's unprecedented demand for five years of personal SNAP records.

• The May 2025 directive would force states to hand over Social Security numbers, home addresses and other sensitive details for millions of participants.


• California receives about $1 billion annually to run SNAP; the lawsuit warns withholding funds could jeopardize food aid for over 5 million residents.

The coalition argues the order violates state and federal privacy laws, bypassed public comment and improperly uses funding threats to coerce states.

Federal judge blocks Trump administration's freeze on Medicaid reimbursements for Planned Parenthood, granting a preliminary injunction that prevents cuts nationwide while litigation continues. Despite the legal victory, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte's Santa Cruz health center at 1119 Pacific Ave will stay closed, one of five California offices shuttered after funds were frozen July 4.

– The Santa Cruz clinic served 4,699 patients in the year ending June 30.
– PPMM projects a $100 million Medicaid-funding shortfall over the long term.

Local providers warn that Medi-Cal cuts could force more closures and layoffs across Santa Cruz County.

California homeowners have seen annual premiums double or more as insurers flee fire-prone areas, leaving millions without coverage. Governor Newsom's 2023 executive order and Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara's new "Sustainable Insurance Strategy" allow carriers to use state-approved catastrophe models and recoup reinsurance costs in exchange for gradually boosting policies in high-risk zones.

Key points:

• Formula and first prediction model approved, but average rate filings take 281 days.


• Insurers must increase wildfire-zone coverage by 5% every two years until reaching 85% parity with safer areas.


• Analysts warn consumers should not expect new policies or rate relief until 2025.

San Joaquin Valley growers are putting roughly 30,000 acres of wine grapes on "life support" as the state's wineries halt purchases and seek contract cancellations amid declining domestic and export demand. Wine sales in the U.S. fell 6% last year, driven by younger consumers choosing cocktails or abstaining and an unstable export market spurred by higher tariffs in Canada, according to SipSource.

Farmers like Nick Davis in Madera face uncontracted grapes: about 15% of his 180 acres—mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and French Colombard—lack buyers, forcing him to irrigate vines but forgo full cultivation. Industry observers warn that a surplus of roughly 1 million tons of crushed grapes and continued demand weakness could extend this downturn through at least 2027.