If the trend is not reversed, the county could be penalized for serving fewer people than its contract requires, she said.

.......Officials speculate that clients are staying away because they mistakenly think Proposition 200 applies to the program, also known as WIC. "I've received 30 to 40 calls from women asking if they'll get deported if they come in," said Lionel Ballestos, a WIC public health aide. "They ask if the police are going to be here. I tell them no, but they don't believe me." WIC officials stress that immigration status is not a requirement for participation in the federal program. While some in the program are in the country illegally, their children are often citizens.