LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Sept. 9 approved a motion to protect the privacy of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP applicants in the county, and initiate or join existing legal actions in response to the United States Department of Agriculture or USDA mandate for SNAP applicant data.
In July 2025, the USDA requested that states turn over data on applicants to SNAP for the last five years, including applicants’ names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, mailing addresses, and even shopping history. Moreover, USDA suggested that failure to comply with the request could result in withholding of federal funding for the program, putting states and counties in an impossible choice between providing nutrition assistance or protecting the privacy of residents.
With nearly 1.5 million recipients served through SNAP in Los Angeles County, the program supports the county’s most vulnerable residents, including some non-citizens, and parents who legally apply for benefits on behalf of their United States citizen children. Long-standing state and federal laws have historically protected SNAP applicants’ information. However, given ongoing mass immigration raids and changing federal policies, the new USDA demand has pushed immigrants away from programs they are eligible for – even when they are desperately in need of assistance for their health, safety, and well-being.
Alongside 21 other states, California filed a lawsuit challenging USDA’s demand for the personal and sensitive data of SNAP applicants, on the basis that it violates federal policy laws.
The approved motion directs county counsel, in consultation with the Department of Public Social Services and Public Health, to immediately explore all legal remedies available to the county in response to the USDA’s mandate to release SNAP applicants’ personal information. This may include, but not be limited to, initiating, joining, or supporting existing legal actions taken by the State of California on this matter.