Rules Committee Advances Jennifer Troia Nomation to Lead California Department of Social Services

SACRAMENTO — The California State Senate Rules Committee advanced the nomination of Jennifer Troia to be director of the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) on April 9, referring the confirmation to the full Senate after committee members questioned her about program enrollment, homelessness interventions and the timeline for a new child-welfare case-management system.

Troia told the committee she has worked more than 20 years on safety-net programs and that CDSS has made measurable gains while noting continuing gaps. She highlighted increased CalFresh participation and steps the department is taking to reach eligible but unenrolled Californians, including targeted outreach, language-access improvements and a streamlined application for older adults.

Committee members pressed Troia on timelines and program accountability. Senator Laird asked what the department has learned about boosting CalFresh enrollment among eligible but nonparticipating populations; Troia cited outreach efforts that helped raise participation in federal CalFresh benefits and said the department has moved participation from 66 percent in 2020 to 81 percent in 2022 for eligible Californians. Troia also said CalFresh provides roughly $1,100,000,000 in federally funded food benefits each month to more than 5,500,000 Californians.

Troia described several CDSS housing and homelessness efforts, including the Housing and Disability Advocacy Program, the HomeSafe program for older adults and the Bringing Families Home program for families involved in child welfare. She told senators that program evaluations show higher-than-average exits to permanent housing for participants: 50 percent exit to permanent housing in the Housing and Disability Advocacy Program (with 77 percent approval rate on disability applications), 62 percent exit to permanent housing in HomeSafe (76 percent still housed at six-month follow-up), and 54 percent of participants in Bringing Families Home exit to permanent housing — with the program reporting a 49 percent reunification rate for participating families versus a roughly 29 percent baseline.

Senators also pressed Troia about CARES, the state’s replacement child-welfare case-management system. Troia told the committee Version 1 of the CARES system is scheduled to go live in 2026 and described implementation as complex because it must meet federal requirements and interface with other systems statewide. Committee members raised concerns that the department had not spent an earlier appropriation of about $50,000,000 and asked about the use of out‑of‑state contractors; Troia said multiple contractors and the Office of Technology and Systems Integration are involved and that CDSS is engaging with the Legislative Analyst’s Office on timeline questions.

Several senators and public commenters praised Troia’s long record working on child-welfare and social‑safety programs. Dozens of organizational representatives spoke in support during public comment, including providers, child-advocacy groups and county welfare directors.

Committee action: A motion to advance Troia’s nomination to the full Senate was made by the vice chair of the committee. The committee initially recorded a 3–0 vote and kept the roll open; a subsequent roll call recorded votes in favor by Senators Maguire, Grove, Caballero, Laird and Jones, producing a final 5–0 tally and referral to the Senate floor for final confirmation.

Troia told the committee she views the work as personal — noting her experience as an adoptive parent through foster care — and said she will continue efforts to increase program enrollment, improve language access, and coordinate housing and disability services with other state, local and federal partners.

Votes at a glance

- Motion: Move confirmation of Jennifer Troia to the full Senate floor. - Mover: Madam Vice Chair (as recorded in the hearing). - Vote: Maguire — aye; Grove — aye; Caballero — aye; Laird — aye; Jones — aye. Tally: yes 5, no 0. Outcome: approved (referred to full Senate).

What the committee recorded as next steps: Troia’s nomination will appear on the full Senate floor for a final confirmation vote.