(a) The board of supervisors of any county may adopt a standard of aid below the level established in Section 17000.5 if the Commission on State Mandates makes a finding that meeting the standards in Section 17000.5 would result in a significant financial distress to the county. When the commission makes a finding of significant financial distress concerning a county, the board of supervisors may establish a level of aid which is not less than 40 percent of the 1991 federal official poverty level, which may be further reduced pursuant to Section 17001.5 for shared housing. The commission shall not make a finding of significant financial distress unless the county has made a compelling case that, absent the finding, basic county services, including public safety, cannot be maintained.
(b) Upon receipt of a written application from a county board of supervisors, the commission may make a finding of financial distress for a period of up to 36 months pursuant to regulations that are necessary to implement this section, which shall be adopted by the commission. The period of reduction may be renewed by the commission upon reapplication by the county. Any county that filed an application or reapplication that was approved for a period of up to 12 months by the commission on or before December 31, 1996, shall be deemed to have had that application or reapplication approved for a period of 36 months. If the period of financial distress is delayed by court action, the period shall be tolled during that delay.
(c) As part of the decisionmaking process, the commission shall notice and hold a public hearing on the county’s application or reapplication in the county of application. The commission shall provide a 30-day notice of the hearing in the county of application or reapplication. The commission shall notify the applicant county of its preliminary decision within 60 days after receiving the application and final decision within 90 days after receiving the application. If a county files an application while another county’s application is pending, the commission may extend both the preliminary decision period up to 120 days and the final decision period up to 150 days from the date of the application and any current period of significant financial distress of the applicant county that has been set pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be extended for the same period.
(d) This section shall not be construed to eliminate the requirement that a county provide aid pursuant to Section 17000.
(e) Any standard of aid adopted pursuant to this section shall constitute a sufficient standard of aid.
(f) A county board of supervisors may continue the standard of aid adopted under this section beyond the period in subdivision (b), irrespective of whether the county has applied for or received a renewal of the authority to reduce aid as permitted by subdivision (b), provided the county acts in accordance with all of the following:
(1) The county may not prohibit an employable individual from receiving aid under this part for less than six months in a 12-month period, whether or not the months are consecutive. If an employable individual has taken and continues to take all steps to apply for appropriate positions and has not refused an offer of employment without good cause, a county shall extend aid until the individual has received aid for nine months in a 12-month period. The time limit provided in this paragraph shall begin for each employable individual at the time the employable individual is enrolled in the mandatory welfare-to-work program set forth in paragraph (2).
(2) The county shall, within six months of the county’s implementation of this subdivision, require employable individuals to participate while on aid under this part in services equivalent to the welfare-to-work program provided for pursuant to Article 3.2 (commencing with Section 11320) of Chapter 2 of Part 3. Employable individuals shall participate in this program as a condition of eligibility for aid under this part.
(3) This subdivision shall not be construed to give preference to recipients of benefits under this part for welfare-to-work services under Article 3.2 (commencing with Section 11320) of Chapter 2 of Part 3.
(g) The commission may adopt emergency regulations for the implementation of this section.
(Amended by Stats. 1998, Ch. 329, Sec. 30. Effective August 21, 1998.)