The 2026-27 Budget: Food Assistance Programs

Feb 18, 2026 - Tightening rules for waivers based on economic conditions, ending California ’s statewide waiver. (The state is seeking waivers under the tighter rules on a county-by-county basis and has obtained waivers for several counties.)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5126

Trends in CalWORKs: Participant Characteristics

Jun 16, 2025 - Caseload Over Time Historically, Caseload Generally Increased Following Economic Downturns. During economic downturns, many households lose jobs and other sources of income. Some of these households enroll in CalWORKs .
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5057

The 2025-26 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 13, 2025 - (On a technical basis, under the administration ’s estimates, we estimate the balance of the Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties [SFEU] would be about $3  billion before the Governor ’s proposals.)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4951

California’s Child Welfare System: Addressing Disproportionalities and Disparities

Apr 24, 2024 - Improving the Economic Stability of Child Welfare Families. The Legislature has taken several budget actions and passed policy bills over the past few years that aim to improve the economic supports for child welfare system involved families.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4897

The 2025-26 Budget: Food Assistance Programs

Feb 19, 2025 - Second, the COVID-19 public health crisis and consequent economic downturn likely led to further caseload increases. Finally, as mentioned, maximum benefit amounts increased in the last five years. This increase in benefits also may have made the program more attractive to recipients relative to the administrative requirements to enroll, m aking some recipients potentially more likely to enroll or maintain enrollment.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4971

Comparing CalWORKs Take-Up Rates Across Demographic Groups

Feb 14, 2023 - In this brief, we (1) compare the economic and demographic characteristics of our estimated CalWORKs‑eligible population to those of the overall population of California, and (2) compare the CalWORKs take‑up rates for various demographic and economic groups of eligible families.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4678

The 2021-22 Spending Plan: Human Services

Nov 22, 2021 - During the first year of FFPSA implementation, a county may elect to begin providing prevention services by providing written notice to DSS prior to fully completing its com prehensive prevention plan.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4476/3

The 2023-24 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Nov 6, 2023 - CalWORKs caseload and costs generally increase during and following economic recessions, and decrease during economic expansions. The public health emergency and subsequent recession caused by COVID-19 represented a deviation from this historic norm, with caseload decreasing from about 360,000 in March  2020 to about 285,000 in September 2021.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4812/2

The 2022-23 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Oct 21, 2022 - Generally speaking, CalWORKs caseload and costs increase during and following economic recessions, and decrease during economic expansions. The public health emergency and subsequent recession caused by COVID-19 represented a significant deviation from this historic norm, with caseload decreasing from about 360,000 in March  2020 to about 285,000 in September 2021.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4640/2

The 2025-26 Budget: Overview of the Federal CalWORKs Pilot

Feb 21, 2025 - According to the state’s pilot application, both efforts would aim to increase CalWORKs take-up, helping more families to achieve long-term economic and well-being goals. Presented Potential Opportunities to Center Family Engagement, Reduce Administrative Burden, and Increase Participation.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4978