Welfare Fix and Foot-Dragging

Orange County’s ambitious effort to move welfare recipients into the work force has hit a snag just as the going gets rough. Sacramento and Washington should work out their disagreements quickly to let the county get on with the job.

March was to be the month that people who have received aid for more than two years and don’t have jobs would be required to perform community service. That’s a reasonable requirement.

The problem occurred when officials in Sacramento and Washington could not agree on whether those doing community service had to be paid the minimum wage, $5.75 an hour in California.

While state and federal officials determine what’s required, county welfare recipients are continuing to receive benefits without working for nonprofit organizations. That could wind up costing those on aid, since welfare reform laws specified that most of it would be offered for a total of 60 months in a lifetime.

Orange County’s welfare rolls have dropped by more than half since welfare reform took effect two years ago. But as social workers predicted from the beginning, the first to find jobs have been those with the most skills. Those still unemployed even during a booming economy may have problems, such as dyslexia, that make it difficult to find work. Or they may have problems finding child care.

Community service would benefit those who perform it and the groups receiving it. It could help welfare recipients make the transition to full employment. And various groups could benefit from extra hands.

As it is, a number of organizations now are provided with help from those ordered to perform community service for breaking the law. Nonviolent offenders sometimes are sentenced to help out as a condition for avoiding jail. But that is unpaid work.

Caltrans uses men and women sent by judges to pick up trash along highways. The Someone Cares soup kitchen in Costa Mesa gets help cleaning cooking utensils. Other groups use offenders to help out with paperwork.

Sacramento and Washington should make it a priority to determine the needed payments, helping those unable to find a job at least make a start in getting off the welfare rolls.