Two anti-poverty groups are slamming San Diego County's administration of the food stamp program, saying it falls woefully short of reaching all the people who are hungry and forces applicants to scale unnecessary hurdles.

The San Diego-based Supportive Parents Information Network and the Caring Council of San Diego report calls for mandatory review of all application denials and benefit reductions, reduced waiting times and an end to a home-inspection requirement.

The report comes on the heels of a similar study released last week by Claremont McKenna College that found the county spends less on welfare and other public assistance programs than do similarly sized California counties.

Claremont's report also said the county denies more assistance applications ---- nearly 61 percent ---- than any of the 11 other counties its researchers profiled.

County officials say they are making strides, getting food stamps to nearly 60,000 more people than were being helped just two years ago. About 165,000 country residents now receive food stamp assistance, said program manager Dale Fleming.

Fleming said the county overhauled its application process last fall to speed up decisons. Advocacy groups need to see how the new system plays out over time, she said.

"After doing business the same way for 30 years, we've changed things and I hope they give us a chance to see how it's working," she said.

On Tuesday, the county will issue its own "report card" on the education, health and economic well-being of the region's children and families. That report will come during a regular business meeting of the Board of Supervisors.

The lead researcher for the Supportive Parents and Caring Council report, Bill Oswald, said the 73-page document released Friday reaffirms preliminary findings issued last spring.

"The county has turned the eligibility process into an assembly line in which only 35 out of 100 applicants get approved, and most take longer than a month," Oswald said. "The county still needs to address its system."

After the initial findings were released in April, the county responded with a plan to allow people to apply online and create an online appointment system to reduce wait time. It also said it would promote the program's benefits for low-income county residents.

Still, too much time and money is put into looking for system cheaters, Oswald said.

"Their mission is stopping fraud when their mission should be getting food stamps to people who need them," he said.

The emphasis on verifying eligibility protects the program's integrity and resources, county officials say. The county administers the food stamp and other welfare programs for the state and federal government.

While home inspections are required of cash grant applicants, they're not for food stamp applicants. But Oswald said about seven out of 10 people requesting food stamps also apply for cash grants. The cash grants are part of the CalWorks program the county administers for qualifying people and families who need help to pay rent and utilities.

The resulting inspections and state-mandated fingerprinting scares many people away, activists contend. California is one of only three states that require fingerprinting to receive food assistance.

Oswald said he believes staffers at the county's Health and Human Services agency are generally sympathetic and responsive to the needs of the poor. The five-member Board of Supervisors is not, he said.

"Their attitude toward people in poverty verges on hate-speak," he said. "They need to get off this addiction to fraud that they have that says poor people lie and cheat."

Efforts to reach Supervisor Pam Slater-Price, chairwoman of the Board of Supervisors, for a response were not successful.

The Supportive Parents and Caring Council study is available online at www.caringcouncilsd.org.

Call staff writer Mark Walker at 760-740-3529.