Imagine: You are at the grocery store, ready to check out. You put your card in the reader. It is declined. And you have no other way to pay. That is what is happening to thousands of San Diego residents who have had their EBT cards hacked and drained of funds.
This is an ongoing problem that California Governor Gavin Newsom recently addressed in his budget proposal for 2023-24. He set aside $50 million to increase EBT security this year. EBT cards look like credit or debit cards, but they do not have the same security protections. This leaves San Diego residents who rely on CalFresh benefits vulnerable to theft. And, coupled with the high cost of housing, inflation and other challenges, having their funds stolen could propel people who already have very little money, closer to insolvency.
The San Diego Union-Tribune investigative reporter Jeff McDonald wrote about the EBT theft problem and the people who have been affected. He joined Midday Edition Thursday.
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Asylum seekers are struggling to navigate a new app that's supposed to let them schedule appointments to be considered for entry into the U.S. Then, people who clean the county administration building say they are being mistreated and retaliated against by the company that employs them. -
U.S. Customs and Border Protection released their plan this week for Friendship Park, taking community input into account, and revising a plan that caused a public outcry. But park advocates are not satisfied, and said it furthers the border wall plan set forth by former president Donald Trump. And, Imagine: You are at the grocery store, ready to check out. You put your card in the reader. It is declined. And you have no other way to pay. That is what is happening to thousands of San Diego residents who have had their EBT cards hacked and drained of funds.
