LOS ANGELES : Judge Refuses to Halt Cut in Welfare to Single Adults
A judge Wednesday refused to stop Los Angeles County from cutting welfare payments to poor, single adults by $39.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kurt Lewin gave no reason for denying the temporary restraining order. Advocates for the poor have contended that the ranks of the homeless will swell if the cut in general relief payments takes effect Friday as scheduled. The cut will put the monthly allotment at $302.
Attorneys from several public interest law groups sued the county in October to block the cuts, and a decision is pending. The lawyers returned to Lewin’s courtroom Monday seeking the temporary order, arguing that many people will face immediate eviction if their checks are reduced.
Attorney Roberta Fesler, who represented Los Angeles County, said that if Lewin granted the order but later allowed the cut, the county would be unable to recoup the estimated $500,000 from people who go off general relief between December and January.
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