Alternative Welfare Bill Wins Support

Concerned that a proposal by Gov. Pete Wilson gives too much authority to the state, Ventura County supervisors agreed Tuesday to support alternative welfare reform legislation that would give counties the ability to design their own systems.

The newly proposed legislation by state Sen. Mike Thompson (D-Napa Valley) would also extend the time for new welfare recipients to find a job from one year to two years before losing their benefits, the same as federal reform legislation. The governor’s plan calls for a one-year limit.

In other areas, the bill calls for the state to provide some form of assistance to legal residents who are indigent, blind or disabled and in danger of losing their federal Supplemental Security Income benefits.

The legislation also requires the state to assist legal immigrants in obtaining citizenship.

Although Thompson’s bill is expected to win approval from the Democratic-controlled Legislature, Wilson’s support is uncertain. Last year, the governor vetoed Ventura County’s own welfare reform legislation after it won the unanimous support of the then-Republican-controlled Legislature.