Send California your Social Security complaints

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If you’ve experienced any trouble or hiccups receiving your Social Security recently, California Attorney General Rob Bonta unveiled a new complaint page on Tuesday for residents to report disruptions they faced when accessing their benefits.

Social Security is funded by payroll taxes from today’s workers, which provide financial assistance to retired and disabled workers. Roughly 6 million Californians receive the benefit and more than 65 million Americans do in total. “Social Security is an essential program that provides critical support to millions…” a 2023 brief from Stanford University found.

As part of President Donald Trump’s push to slash federal spending, the Social Security Administration said in February that it would cut 7,000 jobs — or roughly 12% of its overall workforce. It also said it would reorganize its 10 regional offices down to four.

Though most of Bonta’s complaint form is applicable to those already receiving benefits, many of the reported confusion surrounding the agency’s changes relate to newly eligible people trying to sign up for benefits.

Agency offices, for example, are no longer accepting walk-in appointments. There have also been many reports of people facing longer wait times for appointments and to receive their first benefits and Medicare coverage. In Southern California, elderly people who rode the bus for hours to get to Social Security offices were reportedly turned away, according to The New York Times. People who call the Social Security Administration have waited hours on hold for someone to answer. Those who’ve tried to access their accounts online this week were taken to a dead-end page that says “Bad request.” 

To rein in “widespread fraud” — a claim repeatedly made by the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency, and characterized by fact-checkers as exaggerated and misleading — the agency also planned to require in-person proof of eligibility. This meant that starting April 14, people would have no longer been able to file for benefits over the phone. But after receiving backlash from advocates and members of Congress, the agency walked back these restrictions.

On Wednesday Bonta also joined 20 other attorneys general in support of the American Association of People with Disabilities’ lawsuit challenging the Social Security Administration’s staffing cuts and policy changes. 

• Bonta, in a statement: “Through their erratic and illegal actions, the Trump Administration and DOGE have weakened both the Social Security Administration’s ability to serve people and the public’s trust in essential government services. This has made it harder — at times impossible — for older adults and persons with disabilities to access the lifesaving benefits and services they depend on.”

Speaking of Trump and Bonta, the attorney general joined with Gov. Gavin Newsom Wednesday to say they are suing Trump and other federal officials over the administration’s tariffs initially imposed earlier this month, writes CalMatters’ Alexei Koseff.

In April the president invoked “emergency economic powers” to levy a 10% tariff on all countries importing goods to the U.S., as well as higher reciprocal tariffs on some other nations. But within hours after taking effect, Trump paused most of the reciprocal tariffs, while also increasing China’s import tax.

The fallout resulted in a $6.6 trillion wipeout in the stock market in the first few days, and poses a major risk for California’s public pensions and state budget — which is partially dependent on the income tax generated from stocks. China is also California’s largest trading partner.

• Newsom, in a statement: “President Trump’s unlawful tariffs are wreaking chaos on California families, businesses, and our economy — driving up prices and threatening jobs. We’re standing up for American families who can’t afford to let the chaos continue.”

The lawsuit argues that without specific authorization from Congress, Trump’s actions are “unlawful,” and calls for a judge to immediately pause the tariffs.

Read more here.

Let’s dive into some higher education news:

• Injunction against Sonoma State University: Facing a $24 million budget gap and steep declines in enrollment, Sonoma State in January said it planned to terminate more than a dozen majors for the 2025-26 academic year and eliminate the university’s intercollegiate sports teams. But on Tuesday a county judge temporarily blocked California State University leaders from cutting Sonoma State’s academic programs after student athletes sued, arguing that the university didn’t follow system procedures. A new hearing is scheduled for May 1. Read more from CalMatters’ Mikhail Zinshteyn.

• Inequities in dual enrollment courses: High school students wanting to get a headstart on their college education can take dual enrollment courses, which allow them to attend a community college, typically for free. Students in these programs are more likely to go on to a community college or university compared to their peers who aren’t. But California rural students, male students and students of color don’t enroll in and complete dual enrollment courses at the same rate as others — potentially leading them to miss out on opportunities that better prepare them for college. Read more from Delilah Brumer of CalMatters’ College Journalism Network.

A freeze on food deliveries from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is leaving hundreds of California food bank shipments in limbo. CalMatters’ Jeanne Kuang and video strategy director Robert Meeks have a video segment on how broader federal and state budget cuts are threatening nutrition aid as part of our partnership with PBS SoCal. Watch it here.

And check out another video from CalMatters’ Adam Echelman and Robert about college athlete earnings in California and the disparities in name, image, and likeness deals. Watch it here.