Countywide : Lawsuit Seeks to Force Increase in County Aid
Saying that no one can live on $289 a month in Orange County, a group filed a lawsuit Wednesday, challenging the legality of the county’s general assistance program.
The county provides a maximum of $289 a month each for 1,800 residents who do not qualify for welfare, Social Security or other aid.
The lawsuit was filed in Orange County Superior Court by the Legal Aid Society of Orange County, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Western Center on Law and Poverty Inc.
The county has failed to provide sufficient monthly benefits to cover transportation and clothing expenses, as required by state law, the suit alleges. The suit seeks to force the county to provide recipients an additional $13 a month for clothing and an undetermined amount for transportation.
The level of aid now provided by the county is “more than some (counties), less than others,” according to Western Center lawyer Robert D. Newman.
He said Los Angeles County provides a maximum of $247 a month for general relief recipients, with the level scheduled to increase to $312 on July 1, 1988.
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