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Parents, advocates press Assembly subcommittee to end CalWORKs sanctions and expand supports
Summary
A coalition of parents and anti-poverty advocates urged the Assembly Budget Subcommittee to implement recommendations from the January CDSS report to ‘Reimagine CalWORKs,’ including ending unnecessary sanctions, increasing grants and expanding supportive services. County and labor representatives also urged budget adjustments to county single
Scores of parents, Parent Voices organizers and anti‑poverty advocates asked the Assembly Budget Subcommittee to implement recommendations from the January California Department of Social Services report to reimagine CalWORKs.
Speakers urged lawmakers to end what they called unnecessary sanctions, increase monthly grants, expand supportive services such as child care and housing assistance, and better align county CalWORKs single‑allocation methodology to current costs.
Why it matters: CalWORKs is California’s principal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance program for families. Advocates argued that sanctions and low grant levels push families deeper into poverty and that program redesign could reduce reliance on emergency services.
What public commenters and organizations said
- Parent Voices leaders and several parents described relying on CalWORKs to pay for child care, food and housing and said program changes should be implemented quickly. Many requested that the state implement the January CDSS recommendations "as soon as possible."
- The Western Center on Law and Poverty and Children Now supported pilots to reimagine CalWORKs and urged reforms including fewer punitive sanctions, improved access to supportive services, and attention to workforce and housing barriers.
- The California State Association of Counties supported an additional $245 million to address the CalWORKs single allocation shortfall and asked for an updated allocation methodology starting in 2026–27; labor unions emphasized the need to strengthen provider capacity and county infrastructure.
Quotations
"Sanctions keep families in poverty, which is the opposite of what CalWORKs is intended to do," Parent Voices speakers told the committee during the public‑comment period.
Committee follow‑up and context
Members asked CDSS and county representatives about technical changes and county administrative needs. County representatives described dual‑enrollment efforts with Medi‑Cal and other outreach to raise participation and asked for resources to support eligibility workers doing cross‑program enrollment.
Ending
The subcommittee did not take votes at the hearing; members asked staff to continue working with CDSS, CWDA (County Welfare Directors Association) and advocates on implementation details and on county single‑allocation funding methodology.
