Go figure, and so go's the Nation ?..........
SACRAMENTO — When Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature overhauled the state's welfare program last month, some people learned a jarring fact for the first time: California has one-third of the nation's welfare recipients.
That California has a lot of people on welfare was not a secret. In addition to its size, the state has a long history of heavy focus on social services, in part because of years of Democratic dominance in Sacramento.
But the size of California's welfare rolls is disproportionate when you consider the state has only 12 percent of the nation's population. Some of it has to do with the benefits being more generous than in many other states, but experts also point to various economic and social factors.
There's more to support the notion that this is the welfare state.
California:
• Pays out one of the highest maximum monthly cash grants to the average family on welfare, $638.
• Continues aid for children even when the parents lose eligibility.
• Provides benefits even to some who find a job and helps with child care and transportation while attending school or training.
On the flip side, California is not the land of endless "Cadillac" benefits:
• The actual average cash grant for the typical family of three is $463.
• Welfare payments have been cut twice since 2009 while 18 states have provided nominal increases.
• The high cost of housing eats up more of the aid than in other states with smaller grants.
People in California will start moving off welfare more quickly due to changes made by the governor and lawmakers, even though their primary goal was to save money and help chip away at a huge budget deficit. They imposed a shorter benefit period, but avoided making cuts in grants in the state's $6.7 billion welfare-to-work program, called CalWORKS. (Federal taxpayers do pick up $3.7 billion of the tab.)
California by far spends more than any other state on welfare. But broken down on a per-capita basis, the story is a little different.
That overall figure amounts to $179 annually for every man, woman and child in California. That trails New York ($256) and Hawaii ($233). Two large states among the lowest in per capita spending are Texas ($32) and Florida ($44). The national average is $99.
The figures for the states do not include other support, such as food stamps, known as CalFresh in California, or Medicaid, known as Medi-Cal in California.
The amount California spends and the level of its benefits have been central to the long-running debate over why so many people here are on welfare.
Is California a magnet? NOOOOOOO !
Is California the welfare capital? | UTSanDiego.com
SACRAMENTO — When Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature overhauled the state's welfare program last month, some people learned a jarring fact for the first time: California has one-third of the nation's welfare recipients.
That California has a lot of people on welfare was not a secret. In addition to its size, the state has a long history of heavy focus on social services, in part because of years of Democratic dominance in Sacramento.
But the size of California's welfare rolls is disproportionate when you consider the state has only 12 percent of the nation's population. Some of it has to do with the benefits being more generous than in many other states, but experts also point to various economic and social factors.
There's more to support the notion that this is the welfare state.
California:
• Pays out one of the highest maximum monthly cash grants to the average family on welfare, $638.
• Continues aid for children even when the parents lose eligibility.
• Provides benefits even to some who find a job and helps with child care and transportation while attending school or training.
On the flip side, California is not the land of endless "Cadillac" benefits:
• The actual average cash grant for the typical family of three is $463.
• Welfare payments have been cut twice since 2009 while 18 states have provided nominal increases.
• The high cost of housing eats up more of the aid than in other states with smaller grants.
People in California will start moving off welfare more quickly due to changes made by the governor and lawmakers, even though their primary goal was to save money and help chip away at a huge budget deficit. They imposed a shorter benefit period, but avoided making cuts in grants in the state's $6.7 billion welfare-to-work program, called CalWORKS. (Federal taxpayers do pick up $3.7 billion of the tab.)
California by far spends more than any other state on welfare. But broken down on a per-capita basis, the story is a little different.
That overall figure amounts to $179 annually for every man, woman and child in California. That trails New York ($256) and Hawaii ($233). Two large states among the lowest in per capita spending are Texas ($32) and Florida ($44). The national average is $99.
The figures for the states do not include other support, such as food stamps, known as CalFresh in California, or Medicaid, known as Medi-Cal in California.
The amount California spends and the level of its benefits have been central to the long-running debate over why so many people here are on welfare.
Is California a magnet? NOOOOOOO !
Is California the welfare capital? | UTSanDiego.com
