A MarketWatch columnist advised a 77-year-old living on Social Security, who gives leftover money to homeless people, to protect her own finances. California produces about a quarter of U.S. food, but that supply alone cannot guarantee access or affordability.
California produces more than a third of U.S. vegetables and three-quarters of its fruits and nuts, and is the country's largest milk producer, accounting for nearly 20% of U.S. milk. The columnist says food must be harvested, transported, stored, sold and purchased before it reaches people. McKinsey says one in five Black households is in a food desert with limited access to fresh ingredients. Some critics prefer "food apartheid," citing grocery chains, municipal decisions and a lack of government funding.
HUD counted 745,652 people experiencing homelessness on one night in January 2025—nearly 22 per 10,000. Its count includes people in some temporary housing. The columnist cited high living costs as one contributor to homelessness, alongside job losses, family breakdowns, mental-health and substance-misuse issues, and limited social support.
