CA AB221

Establishes emergency food assistance program providing $600 prepaid cards to low-income California residents regardless of immigration status through nonprofit entities by July 1, 2023.

Requires State Department of Social Services to procure prepaid cards limited to grocery purchases and contract with eligible nonprofits (food banks, federal food program providers, disaster relief organizations) to distribute benefits.

Limits nonprofit administrative expenses to 25 percent of total program costs and requires nonprofit entities to maintain distribution records and conduct multilingual community outreach.

Exempts contracts awarded under this chapter from personal services contracting requirements, Public Contract Code, and State Contracting Manual approvals.

Requires department to complete report by January 1, 2023 recommending permanent food assistance solutions for low-income residents and communities excluded from emergency relief; program and report provisions expire January 1, 2025.