County Cuts Welfare Aid to Single Adults

Despite earlier protests from advocates for the poor, the Board of Supervisors Tuesday quietly cut welfare payments for single adults from $341 monthly to $302.

The supervisors discussed the issue in closed session after their regular board meeting and quickly approved the cuts in General Relief payments without public comment.

General Relief is intended for single adults who do not qualify for the federally subsidized Aid to Families with Dependent Children program.

The cut is effective Dec. 1. The county’s chief administrative officer, Richard B. Dixon, recommended the cut as a way to help the county balance its $13-billion budget.

In fiscal year 1990-91 there were 645,000 people on General Relief. The following year there were 912,692, an increase of 41%.

Joel Bellman, a spokesman for Supervisor Ed Edelman, said the $302 figure includes a $293 allotment, plus a $9.25 clothing allowance that is paid in lump sums twice annually.

Activists contend that the cut will force more people into homelessness.

Activists said they were particularly incensed about the cuts in light of a $265-million increase in pension benefits to county officials.

Last month, lawyers asked a Superior Court judge to force the county to honor a year-old court settlement in which it agreed to increase General Relief payments from $312 to $341. There has been no ruling on the request.

“It’s a continuing outrage,” said Bob Newman, a staff attorney for the Western Center on Law and Poverty. “They committed a year ago to pay $341 a month. Now, they are not even waiting to hear from the court whether they can do it.”