Report Ordered on Long Welfare Lines

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday ordered welfare officials to report in two weeks on ways to relieve overcrowding in welfare offices.

The action was prompted by complaints from welfare recipients, especially at the South-Central Los Angeles office, that they have had to stand for as long as six hours in line outside because of crowding inside. The problem grew worse last week when fire officials enforced occupancy limits inside offices.

Advocates for the poor have blamed the crowding on the board’s conservative majority, which has cut staffing in the Department of Public Social Services. But conservative Supervisor Deane Dana said he believes the crowding can be reduced by better scheduling.

Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, who toured the South-Central office on Monday, said he is trying to relocate other county departments that share space in the building.

On a related matter, Hahn said he will call for an investigation into reports that Los Angeles County erroneously paid about $121.5 million to welfare recipients during a recent 18-month period. Dana said he was not disturbed by Los Angeles County’s 4.7% error rate, saying it is lower than that in Eastern cities.