General Relief Welfare Cuts of 12.3% Urged

In a move that would affect thousands of indigent people, county officials on Monday recommended cutting General Relief welfare payments by 12.3%, forcing the county’s poorest residents to live on just $299 a month.

General Relief payments, made to single men and women, are currently $341 each month. Chief Administrative Officer Richard B. Dixon recommended the cut as the county attempts to balance its $13-billion budget.

Welfare advocates said the cut would mean increased hunger and deprivation for those who depend on General Relief as their sole source of income.

“People who receive GR are at the very bottom of the safety net,” said Richard Rothschild, an attorney with the Western Center on Law and Poverty. “Any kind of cut at all will render even more people homeless and cause more pain and agony.”

About 90,000 people receive General Relief checks each month, costing the county $309 million each year. Unlike other welfare programs, General Relief is funded entirely by the county without federal or state subsidies.

Dixon said the county’s severe budget crisis made the proposed reduction in General Relief payments unavoidable. The county is also contemplating deep cuts in health services, libraries, the Sheriff’s Department and the County Jail system.

“If you don’t apply the GR cut, how many more jail beds do you want to close?” Dixon asked rhetorically.

In a memo to the Board of Supervisors, Dixon pointed out that the General Relief caseload increased 41% in the last year, a reflection of the recession’s impact.

The proposed cut would save $23.4 million, he said.

Dixon added that recently adopted state legislation gave all counties the legal authority to lower their General Relief payments. He raised the specter of thousands of needy people descending on Los Angeles County if its welfare payments are higher than those of surrounding areas.

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to debate the proposed welfare cuts today. Joel Bellman, a spokesman for Ed Edelman, said the supervisor is “very concerned” about the recommended cut because “it may force more people into homelessness.”

The reduction in General Relief payments would be another sharp blow to the Department of Public Social Services, which administers all county welfare programs. Dixon’s proposed budget would also eliminate about one-eighth of the department’s work force.

Carol Matsui, DPSS spokeswoman, said General Relief recipients are the county’s “most needy population.” She added, however, that a cut in General Relief payments may be cushioned somewhat by an increase in food stamp payments.

Welfare advocates said that if the board adopts the cut, they will likely fight the move in court. Last year, civil rights groups won a court settlement raising General Relief payments to their current level.

Said Lisa Mead, an attorney with Public Counsel, a public-interest law firm: “We’re not going to sit around and let it happen.”