The Brief

LOS ANGELES - Nearly 5.5 million California residents will lose CalFresh/SNAP benefits on Nov. 1 due to the ongoing government shutdown.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries.

Here's what you need to know.

Is CalFresh the same as SNAP?

What we know:

In California, CalFresh is the name for SNAP.

CalFresh is California's state-specific name for SNAP, the federal food assistance program that provides aid to low-income households.

This isn't the first time the Golden State uses names different from federal names. In California, the Medicaid program is known as Medi-Cal, and the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program operates as CalWORKS.

What is CalFresh?

Local perspective:

The CalFresh program helps

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