County Supervisor Ron Roberts appeared on KPBS last week to preview his State of the County address and provide an update on efforts to expand the county’s food stamps program.
County leaders have come under intense scrutiny in recent years because advocates for the poor say the county doesn’t provide social services to enough people. One survey, for example, consistently ranks San Diego last in the nation among metro counties in providing food stamps to eligible people. And it fell at or near the bottom for connecting the poor with several key aid programs beyond simply food stamps.
The county’s most recent data shows 245,000 people are enrolled in the food stamps program — 43 percent more than two years ago. But the rate has slowed precipitously since late 2010
Reached last week, a spokeswoman for the county’s Health and Human Services Agency said it coincided with a decrease in unemployment.