Past Budget Priorities

Budget Priority

2019-20 State Budget Update #2
January 2019

CWDA issues Budget Updates that include information about the Governor’s proposals, budget subcommittee actions, Budget Conference Committee actions, leadership negotiations, and Governor’s vetoes.

Download CWDA 2019-20 State Budget Memo #2

Budget Priority

2019-20 State Budget Update
January 2019

CWDA issues Budget Updates that include information about the Governor’s proposals, budget subcommittee actions, Budget Conference Committee actions, leadership negotiations, and Governor’s vetoes.

Download the CWDA 2019-20 Budget Update

Press release

CWDA Statement on the California 2018-19 Budget Agreement

“CWDA is pleased with the overall 2018-19 budget picture, particularly the anti-poverty programs and measures that represent who we are as a state. This year’s budget tackles homelessness and begins to address the growing population of families experiencing the trauma of deep poverty – a phenomenon that is, quite simply, a stain on California’s reputation as the fifth-largest economy in the world.

Budget Priority

2018-19 State Budget Update

CWDA issues Budget Updates that include information about the Governor’s proposals, budget subcommittee actions, Budget Conference Committee actions, leadership negotiations, and Governor’s vetoes. 

Budget Conference Committee Memo – June 11, 2018

Budget Priority

Support Increased CalWORKs Single Allocation Funding

The California State Association of Counties (CSAC) and the County Welfare Directors Association (CWDA) support the Assembly’s proposal to restore $23.5 million that was proposed to be cut from the Single Allocation in the 2018-19 May Revision. The Senate also took an action to restore $10 million to the Single Allocation for employment services, and we thank both houses of the Legislature for their support of this vital funding.

Budget Priority

Support Additional Funding for Continuum of Care Reform Effort

The California State Association of Counties (CSAC), County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California support the ASSEMBLY version of the Budget to provide $49.1 million General Fund in 2018-19 above the May Revise proposal to address unfunded new workload and ensure successful implementation of the Continuum of Care Reform (CCR) effort.

CCR Budget Memo – May 26, 2017

Budget Priority

Support Funding to Address IHSS Case Management, Information, and Payrolling System (CMIPS) Backlog

The County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA) and the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) support the Assembly version of the 2018-19 budget to include $2.5 million General Fund (one-time) and trailer bill language to address the automation backlog in the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) automation system known as CMIPS. The Assembly version will improve CMIPS automation so county social workers can better serve IHSS providers and consumers without burdensome workarounds.

Budget Priority

Support Ending Deep Poverty in the CalWORKs Program

The County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA) respectfully supports the Senate’s proposal to increase CalWORKs grant levels in order to end extreme poverty for children in the CalWORKs program. The CalWORKs program serves 1.1 million individuals in California, 80 percent of whom are children. Yet, the level of support provided to CalWORKs families today is insufficient to meet basic needs and lift all of these children out of deep poverty.

Budget Priority

Support Ending Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Cash Out

The California State Association of Counties (CSAC), County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) are in strong support of ending the SSI Cash Out and increasing the economic security of nearly 370,000 Californians by allowing them to receive CalFresh benefits, as well as the efforts to mitigate any negative impacts on those households who will have a benefit reduction or loss due to this change.

Budget Priority

Support Resource Family Funding at the Time of Foster Placement

The California State Association of Counties (CSAC) and County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA) appreciates the Administration’s and Legislature’s support for a long-term solution to ensure the relatives and non-related extended family members of foster children receive funding at the time of placement, prior to approval under the Resource Family Approval (RFA) process.

Budget Priority

Support CalWORKs Home Visiting Initiative

The County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA) supports the Assembly’s proposal to expand and enhance voluntary evidence-based home visiting by making permanent the CalWORKs Home Visiting Initiative and utilizing the resources provided by the Administration for the first few years of the program to extend its reach to CalWORKs families beyond first-time parents under age 25.

CalWORKs Home Visiting Initiative Memo – May 29, 2018

Budget Priority

Support In Home Supportive Services Administration Funding

The California Association of Counties (CSAC) and the County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA) are in support of additional funding above that provided in the May Revision to support county administrative costs in the In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Program. We are grateful for the $22.8 million General Fund provided in the May Revision and all the work done by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) on a new budget methodology for IHSS administration that led to the additional funding.

Budget Priority

Establish Home Safe: Homelessness Prevention for Vulnerable Seniors

CWDA is seeking $15 million State General Fund to establish Home Safe, a homelessness prevention and rapid re‑housing demonstration grant program for victims of elder and dependent adult abuse and neglect. This proposed one‑time augmentation would allow 15 participating counties to demonstrate over three years how providing short-term housing crisis intervention can help reduce the incidence and risk of homelessness among California’s older adults.

Budget Priority

CalWORKs Single Allocation Cut:
A Direct Hit to Clients

The proposed $248 million cut to the CalWORKs Single Allocation comes on the heels of a current-year, $160 million cut. If adopted, this would mean a reduction of more than 20 percent over two years. Counties cannot sustain their programs at this level of funding. A new fact sheet from CWDA provides additional detail and examples from counties regarding the effects of staffing and services cuts on the families we serve.

CalWORKs Cut Impact Fact Sheet

Budget Priority

CWDA, SEIU California Urge CalWORKs Budget Restoration

CWDA and SEIU State Council have issued memos to the chairs and members of Assembly Budget Subcommittee 1 and Senate Budget Subcommittee 3, urging their restoration of a proposed $248 million cut from the CalWORKs Single Allocation, which funds eligibility activities, employment and supportive services, and child care to CalWORKs recipients. The cut proposed in the May Revision is $50 million higher than that included in the January budget and represents a 13.3 percent cut to the current year funding level.

Budget Priority

Support Public Health Nurses for Children in Foster Care

CWDA supports the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) request for additional public health nurses in the Health Care Program for Children in Foster Care. By leveraging a 75 percent federal match, this budget request would bring in an additional $11,534,651 additional federal funds to ensure foster children receive appropriate health and mental health care, and only receive psychotropic medications that are medically necessary.

Budget Priority

Support Grants to Combat Human Trafficking

CWDA supports the request put forth by the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST) for $15 million in grant funding to local agencies to combat human trafficking.

Budget Priority

Mental Health Children’s Crisis Services – Oppose Proposed Funding Reduction

CWDA opposes the proposed $17 million State General Fund reduction in the Governor’s budget for the development of a continuum of mental health crisis services for children and youth.

Budget Priority

Psychotropic Medication Review – Support National Center for Youth Law Request

CWDA supports the National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) request to establish a centralized psychotropic medication review for children in foster care. By leveraging a 75 percent federal match, this budget request would bring in $240,075 additional federal funds each year to ensure California’s foster children only receive psychotropic medications that are appropriate and medically necessary.

Budget Priority

Emergency Child Care Bridge Program for Foster Children

CWDA along with numerous child welfare organizations support the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program for foster children, a $31 million budget proposal to increase access to early care and education services for abused and neglected children across the State. This program would help to immediately stabilize vulnerable children in the most appropriate placement, and provide them with a bridge to long-term, high quality early education programs.