History

(L to R) Charlie Stuart, CWD San Joaquin County, Ron Born, CWD San Francisco, C. A. Herbage, Deputy Director SDSW, and Sam Thompson, CWD Alameda County, attended the American Public Welfare Association nationwide meeting in Chicago, December 8, 1945.

CWDA was established at the 1926 annual meeting of the California Conference of Social Work. This non-official group of public welfare organizations, with a membership of 20 people, was first dubbed the Association of California's Executives of Public Welfare. The name was changed to the County Welfare Directors Association in 1943.

According to the first Constitution, the association's purposes included:

  1. Stimulating "cordial relationships and helpful cooperation" between county welfare departments.
  2. Endeavoring to improve the social work carried out by county welfare departments.
  3. Developing a mutual understanding and interpretation of California welfare laws.
  4. In cooperation with the State Public Welfare Department (today the Department of Social Services), endeavoring to establish well-organized departments of public welfare in each county to handle social service and relief programs.
  5. Working out agreements for handling inter-county matters such as transportation and establishment of residency.

On May 24, 1941, Andy Balich (left), manager of the Palomar Hotel, Santa Cruz, welcomed William C. Heck, Director of Ventura County, then President of the Asociation of California Executives of Public Welfare, and Mrs. Dorothea Sabin, Executive Secretary of the Association, to the Spring Meeting.

The association quickly became active in politics and decision-making at the local, state and federal levels. As early as 1928, members worked with representatives from Washington and Oregon to analyze the problem of residency determinations for migrant families and individuals. In 1935, President William H. Leach of Monterey County traveled to Washington, DC, to attend the first annual meeting of the American Public Welfare Association (today the American Public Human Services Association).

In February, 1939, the association began to grow, with the hiring of its first executive secretary. The secretary was to be employed "for the period of the Legislative session and for such additional time as the Executive Committee might find advisable." A major part of the job was issuing regular bulletins during the legislative session, with edited versions sent to non-members for $1 per month for individuals, $2 for agencies. By December 1944, every county welfare director was a member of CWDA and every county in the state was subscribing to the legislative bulletin.

Indicative of the wartime spirit, Miss Paul Ann Amrien, former Recording Secretary of California's Executives of Public Welfare, was commissioned a Third Officer in the WAAC in April 1943.

During World War II, the association and its members became highly involved in the war effort. Several directors joined the armed services or went to work for support agencies such as the Red Cross, and county departments lost many staff to the war. Many of those vacant positions were not immediately filled, as public relief caseloads were also on the decline. Price controls in effect during wartime made it possible for the association to continue meeting regularly. Lodging, meals, and entertainment cost just $5 a day at a 1944 meeting held at a resort in Lake County.

The association has always worked closely with the state social services department, from informal, irregular meetings in the early days to formal quarterly meetings beginning in 1944 and to the monthly meetings with state staff participation held today. Various committees were created to review and make recommendations on proposed policies and regulations. These committees have changed somewhat over the years, but still exist today in some form. CWDA has also played a role in issues such as welfare reform, issuing position papers and policy recommendations on the issue as early as 1966. A 1970 publication published by CWDA and the California State Association of Counties, "Time for Change," found its way to the desks of the President and Vice President of the United States, the Chairmen of the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees, the Governor of California, and every legislator in the state.

In 1984, CWDA hired a full-time, Sacramento-based executive secretary, who was subsequently named the association's first Executive Director. Today, CWDA employs eight full-time staff and contracts for federal representation with a Washington, DC-based legislative advocate. The CWDA Annual Conference draws hundreds of county, state and legislative staff, research professionals, and non-profit organizations from throughout the state and around the country.

The rich history of CWDA's 80-plus years as a social and political organization cements its place in the landscape of local, state, and national human services policy.