Will wonders never cease? In a recent exclusive from KCRA’s California correspondent Ashley Zavala, there has been a major drop in fraud and theft surrounding California’s food benefit programs.
California is seeing a major drop in fraud and theft associated with food and cash benefits thanks to new technology, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said.
According to state data shared exclusively with KCRA 3 on Thursday, there has been an 83% decline in theft associated with Electronic Benefits Transfer, also known as EBT. The EBT system is used to provide benefits through programs such as CalFresh, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs).
KCRA 3 Investigates has reported that the state’s EBT system has been the target of organized crime, losing millions per month to fraud and theft for years. Data provided by the California Department of Social Services showed that in January 2024, the figure was at $20.9 million per month.
But that has changed drastically over the last year, the Newsom administration said, with the help of the state’s newer Office of Data and Innovation (ODI) and new card technology. As of November 2025, the monthly loss is down to approximately $3.6 million per month.
“In the fight against benefit theft, data is more than a tool—it’s a necessary partner. In California, we’re leading the way by turning innovation into action by stopping theft and ensuring benefits reach those who truly need them,” Gov. Newsom said in a statement.
Of course, Gov. Hair Gel takes a victory lap and the credit. This is the same governor who is refusing to hand over SNAP data to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins so that the USDA can isolate what fraud in the program may be coming from the state. So, the timing of this “release” is very interesting.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump made remarks in Detroit, where he signaled that California and other sanctuary cities and states would no longer be given federal funding carte blanche as long as they refuse to remove the illegal aliens in their midst. On Friday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reinforced Trump’s remarks with data. States like Minnesota, California, and New York may cost the entire nation $500 billion annually in fraud alone.
Dive Deeper: ‘Just Say No’: Trump Ends Another Gravy Train for Sanctuary States and Cities
Treasury’s New Fraud Crackdown: From Minnesota Mess to National Fix
So, if what Newsom says about this drop in fraud proves true, consider it him making an attempt to clean up his act before the state is cut off the federal teat. While the updates made by Newsom’s Office of Data and Innovation (ODI) might have played a role in the precipitous drop in fraudulent EBT transfers, as we have seen with the disparities and changes in the homelessness data, with $24 billion in funding that somehow disappeared into the ether, state budget information, and now reports of Medicare and real estate fraud, any numbers that come from the governor’s office are suspect.
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What is not suspect is the numbers released by the Trump administration on its Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) surges in California. Despite the vociferous opposition by Newsom and his sanctuary state cohorts, since January 2025 through June, the number of illegal aliens arrested has been consistently increasing.
President Trump has directed the Department of Homeland Security to increase immigration arrests. The Freedom of Information Act data from the University of California, Berkeley, has shown that ICE has averaged around 666 daily arrests since January.
The ICE calculator shows 1,626 arrests in FY 2025 in Los Angeles and San Francisco alone. In December 2025, the Department of Homeland Security did an end-of-year surge in Central California that netted some of the worst of the worst.
ICE Los Angeles arrested 118 illegal aliens in California’s San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties during a six-day surge operation between December 26 and December 31, including pedophiles, registered sex offenders, burglars, domestic abusers, and serial drunk drivers.
“ICE ended 2025 with a surge operation in California targeting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens. 118 illegal aliens were arrested including pedophiles, registered sex offenders, burglars, domestic abusers, and serial drunk drivers,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Criminal illegal aliens flock to California because they know Governor Newsom and his fellow sanctuary politicians will allow them to terrorize innocent American families. In 2026, our law enforcement will continue to do what Gavin Newsom refused to do: make California safe again.”
While correlation does not always imply causation, it’s fairly evident that the removal of the very people who have benefited the most from the fraud has resulted in a reduction in the amount of fraud now occurring.
This is a good thing, as California citizens who are in need of these benefits can now apply and actually receive them, and maybe in a timely fashion. With the slew of new taxes and restrictions the California legislature has voted in and is attempting to enact, the citizens who haven’t fled the state will be needing all the help they can get.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump, illegal immigration into our great country has virtually stopped. Despite the radical left’s lies, new legislation wasn’t needed to secure our border, just a new president.
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