CalWORKs recipients are paying more than $20 Million a year in surcharges to banks in order to access their basic needs grants through the CalWORKs program.  Stimied by legislative opposition from the banks, advocates turn to the California Department of Social Services lead efforts to remove the burden of surcharges from our poorest families.

By an overwhelming margin, American voters oppose cutting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, as a way to reduce government spending, according to new poll data released today by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC).

The California Work Opportunities and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) is the largest anti-poverty program for families with children in the United States. But with the program at a crossroads, weakened by repeated budget cuts and increasing reliance on bookkeeping maneuvers to meet federal work participation, alternative approaches must be employed to achieve the goals of reduced caseloads and a true path to economic self-sufficiency for our poorest families.

On January 5th, Governor Jerry Brown released his January budget proposal, which calls for significant changes to Medi-Cal, the California Work Opportunities and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, and childcare benefits. These cuts come after several years of cuts to health and human services programs. This just weeks after the catastrophic state Supreme Court's ruling last week that eliminated redevelopment agencies without an option to continue.

Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed House Resolution H.R. 3659 by voice vote that extends the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program through September 30, 2012. The state's TANF block grant is used to fund the California Work Incentives and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, which provides basic needs grants and work-training for very poor families with children.