by: Cecilia Treviño
Posted: Mar 10, 2025
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A month after discovering Kern County EBT beneficiaries had been losing millions to theft, 17 News and the community, had yet to hear from county supervisors on this topic until District 3 Supervisor Jeff Flores confirmed supervisors were not made aware of the thefts.
“I have been notified actually through the press, in the great work of [17 News] covering these stories,” said Flores.Kern County In Depth: Millions in EBT cash benefits stolen
The thefts have been going on for years with millions being stolen, but law enforcement had not mentioned it to members of the Kern County Board of Supervisors.
“I’ve not been notified by the DA on this specific amounts in Kern County, or EBT fraud,” Flores said. “I am periodically updated by the DA on a number of crime issues, enforcement issues, things in my district, but not on EBT yet.”
Flores assumed office on January 2, 2023. EBT theft ramped up years before that, during the pandemic.
Since July 2021, over $439 million in benefits were stolen statewide. In the last two years, around 22,000 theft reports were made in Kern County, but arrests started being made only this November, resulting in three cases involving five Romanian nationals.Kern County District Attorney warns of EBT fraud after millions in benefits lost
Supervisor Flores says there are things the county can do.
“In terms of strengthening the sanctions, that’s one way my serve on the Legislative Committee for the county along with my colleagues, and we’re tasked with improving, managing our legislative platform, weighing in on bills in Sacramento,” Flores said.
Though county supervisors do not manage state programs like CalWORKs or CalFresh, Flores says it’s important to talk about this.
“These people are living check to check, card to card, for basic needs,” he said. “For food, for medicine, for gasoline, and so it hurts the most vulnerable.”