OPINION
June 13, 2012
Concerned about the rising number of Los Angeles residents applying for and receiving welfare - and by the skyrocketing amount of money that the county government is shelling out as a result - some county supervisors thought fraud might be responsible. Last year, they asked the county auditor-controller to explore that question and make recommendations about how to curtail any fraud that it uncovered. The upshot is a strong argument against allowing allegations of fraud to be used as a pretext for limiting benefits.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
June 11, 2012 | By Alexandra Zavis, Times Staff Writer
Concerned about growing welfare costs, Los Angeles County officials are considering additional measures to root out fraud and impose tougher sanctions on aid recipients who fail to comply with program rules. The proposed changes are supposed to ensure that scarce taxpayer dollars go only to those who meet residency and work requirements of the county's general relief program, which serves as a final safety net for indigent adults who don't qualify for state and federal aid. But advocates for the poor contend the crackdown would end up denying help to some of the region's most destitute residents who are eligible for assistance.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
April 16, 2012 | By Jason Song, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles County officials are counting on a surprising source of revenue to fill their expected $76-million budget shortfall: shrinking welfare rolls. As the economy soured, the number of people receiving general relief from the nation's largest local government had swelled from nearly 63,000 in fiscal year 2007 to an estimated high of almost 108,000 in 2011. But county officials expect that figure to shrink by almost 7,000 people this year, which could lead to an estimated $27.4 million in savings.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
May 9, 2011 | By Alexandra Zavis, Los Angeles Times
As welfare rolls grow, Los Angeles County officials are considering limits on how long some of the area's most destitute residents can receive cash aid. Supervisor Don Knabe is pushing a proposal to replace monthly general-relief grants with housing assistance for recipients who don't try to find jobs or apply for disability benefits within a set time period. The goal, he said, would be to drop from the rolls people who are "just riding the system" so that funds are available to help those genuinely in need.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
January 12, 2011 | By Garrett Therolf, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles County officials pushed back Tuesday against Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed budget, saying they want to meet with the local delegation to Sacramento to call attention to the pain that the cuts will cause close to home. William T Fujioka, the county's chief executive, said local leaders are concerned about whether state officials "truly understand the impact" of the proposed cuts to welfare, healthcare, prisons and other services. "All I see in this proposed budget are numbers," he said.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
February 9, 2010 | By Alexandra Zavis
Facing record levels of unemployment and looming state welfare cuts, Los Angeles County supervisors Tuesday finalized a plan to begin shifting responsibility for some of the most destitute residents to the federal government. County officials had set aside $7.2 million -- with the expectation of reaping twice that in savings -- to help general relief recipients apply for federal disability assistance or find work. They decided to use the funds to help recipients get into stable housing, locate medical records and obtain the detailed health assessments they need to apply for supplementary security income or veterans benefits.