Refugees and Welfare

The two-part series (Feb. 9 and 10) on Southeast Asian refugees clearly indicates that welfare fraud is an unfortunate fact of life in California. However, the practice of working “under the table” while collecting welfare payments is certainly not restricted to immigrants from Southeast Asia. The exclusive focus on refugees neither fully tells their story nor explains the root structural causes of high welfare dependency in this state.

California is one of the few states that employs a policy of assisting two-parent families. At the same time families are considered ineligible for aid when the father becomes fully employed, regardless of earnings.

These two factors, in my mind, account for California’s relatively high dependency rates. As a result, many families have little choice but to remain on welfare, since self-sufficiency is virtually impossible to achieve with minimum-wage jobs.

Contrary to the assertions made in the two-part series, California’s welfare dependency rate among refugees is declining. Tens of thousands of refugees of families are fully self-supporting, contributing citizens who work and report their wages legally.

Without question, The Times’ report rightly challenges us to strengthen our service and enforcement systems. But instead of pointing the finger at any one ethnic group, let us focus our efforts on addressing the systemic problems that form the foundation of dependency among our low-income families.

DAVID ROBERTI

President Pro Tempore

California Senate

Sacramento