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TIARA VIAN: From KJZZ News in Phoenix, I’m Tiara Vian. The state agency responsible for confirming which Arizonans qualify for SNAP benefits reported dropping millions of calls in 18 months, a period in which nearly half a million Arizonans who previously received food stamps were ruled ineligible. From KJZZ’s politics desk, Camryn Sanchez reports.
CAMRYN SANCHEZ: Data obtained by KJZZ shows more than half of applicants in Arizona were denied SNAP benefits for failing to complete a phone interview to verify their eligibility within 30 days. Kelly Murphy with the Arizona Early Childhood Alliance says those denials have more to do with faults at DES than issues with applicants’ eligibility.
KELLY MURPHY: Families who are eligible, who need help, aren’t getting it because the system, for probably many reasons, is creating a barrier to them.
CAMRYN SANCHEZ: Between October 2024 and March 2026, DES reported that nearly nine in 10 calls failed to result in completed eligibility reviews. The agency also reported itself at fault for more than 3 million dropped calls with SNAP applicants during that same period of time. Murphy says the DES data undercuts claims that new SNAP work requirements have eliminated waste and fraud.
KELLY MURPHY: You can’t naturally make the assumption that we dropped all these people out of the system because they were fraudulently obtaining benefits. We dropped them out of the system because we made it harder for them to get the benefit.
CAMRYN SANCHEZ: Year over year, Arizona has cut SNAP beneficiaries at the highest rate in the nation. Camryn Sanchez, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
TIARA VIAN: The Arizona Attorney General’s Office has filed a consumer fraud lawsuit against cosmetics company L’Oréal for the marketing and sale of chemical hair relaxer products containing toxins that have been linked to certain cancers. KJZZ’s Gisela Contreras reports.
GISELA CONTRERAS: The suit claims L’Oréal has violated the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act and created a false impression that the products are safe. Dark & Lovely, Optimum, and Amazonia are marketed toward Black women and designed to chemically straighten hair. The suit alleges the hair relaxers contain toxic chemicals classified as “probable human carcinogens” by federal and international agencies. Studies show that women who use chemical hair relaxers have a higher risk of developing certain cancers. The AG’s office is seeking consumer relief and a halt in future sales without warning of health risks. Gisela Contreras, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
TIARA VIAN: Find our news online at kjzz.org.