LAGUNA HILLS : New Welfare Office Decision Postponed

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday postponed until January a decision on financing a full-service welfare office in Laguna Hills to serve more than 600 welfare recipients living in South County.

Financing for the Social Services Agency office in the 25200 block of McIntrye Street in Laguna Hills became an issue late last month after county officials closed down a small welfare office in San Juan Capistrano, forcing welfare applicants to go instead to an office in Costa Mesa. However, the San Juan Capistrano office was reopened less than a week later.

County welfare officials said they originally decided to close the office because its three eligibility workers were overwhelmed by the workload, and that welfare recipients could be better served in Costa Mesa.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Thomas F. Riley said the county had earlier considered financing the Laguna Hills office but the request had been rejected in August because of budget constraints.

Riley spokeswoman Susan Hinman said Tuesday that the supervisors delayed the decision until January, when they will receive a midyear financial report from the County Administrative Office. If the funds are approved in January for the Laguna Hills office, it may not be in full operation until June.

A report received by the supervisors Tuesday said the new Laguna Hills office would cost $116,987, and expanding it to a full-service office would require 60 days of planning and 10 new staff members.

The funds will be used to hire new welfare workers to staff the office. A 6,000-square-foot building has already been leased by the county.

Riley has vowed to lobby to get the funds to open the full-service office. “The supervisor is very serious about getting the office,” Hinman said.

Supervisors voted 5-0 to defer the action until January. They all have agreed not to propose any programs that would spend money from the county’s general fund until a financial examination of the county is done after the first of the year.