Hunger in California, a December 13, 2009 lead editorial in the Los Angeles Times, documents why California is a bad place to be hungry:

“While the demand for food stamps is increasing across the nation, people who are eligible for the program are less likely to be enrolled in it here than in any other state but Wyoming. The percentage of low-income children who eat free breakfasts at school here is also lower than the national average. Even if the financially crippled state had to pay for food stamps and school breakfasts, its failure to feed the poor would be a source of shame. Nothing is more fundamental to society than keeping hunger at bay. But food stamps and subsidized breakfasts for children are federal programs; the state is responsible only for some administrative costs for food stamps. In other words, the state and many of its school districts are turning away money to alleviate hunger, money that would boost the spending power of impoverished households, improve the health of residents and help children achieve more in school — all of which would improve the state’s economy too.”

California and Wyoming are the only two states where less than half of those eligible for food stamp assistance actually receive them. The editorial details several of the obstacles erected by California to receiving food stamp assistance.