The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

City tries to brace for welfare reform law

By Steve Enders

Sunnyvale's City Council is stepping up to make sure it doesn't get left in the dust created by recent welfare reform laws.

At last Tuesday's meeting, it passed a motion to do a number of things it hopes will make the city more welfare-friendly, including: urging the Chamber of Commerce and other business organizations to hire and train qualified welfare recipients; hiring a qualified applicant who is a welfare recipient; giving bidding preference to outside vendors who employ current and/or former welfare recipients; continuing efforts to increase the amount of available and affordable child care; encouraging the building of more low-income housing; and advocating improved public transportation.

The city is also calling on nonprofit groups to collaborate when assisting those in need, as well as boosting its readiness to increase funding to outside groups to address welfare-related impacts in the community.

Mayor Jim Roberts remarked that only 1 percent of the valley's welfare recipients are from Sunnyvale.

"That's good," he said, "but with a booming economy, and the recession hits--as it always does--then more people will fall under this."

More than 1,900 Sunnyvale residents will receive CalWORKS assistance (formerly AFDC) when the law changes Jan. 1. According to the city, another 3,675 people receive other kinds of assistance, but welfare reform only impacts those receiving CalWORKS and legal immigrants receiving food stamps.

Since the federal government has transferred the responsibilities of welfare to the state and county level, these impacts are difficult to gauge, according to the city's report.

The city's staff also identified some positive news related to welfare, such as a potential reduction in welfare recipients, increased attention to public education and a cultural change in how welfare is viewed.

In order to achieve the city's goals, jobs must be available and economic development must continue.

Suzi Blackman, director of the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce, told the council that local businesses should be ready to hire qualified employees.

"We need to educate businesses so there are no false perceptions as to what [employees] can and can't do," she said.

Blackman cited as a possible blueprint for the city a recent forum in Mountain View, where business leaders met with welfare service agencies to better understand the people who are looking for work.

With the current economic development strategy, the city's report says that its goal is "not to take on new responsibilities but to find ways to accomplish current responsibilities even more effectively."

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, December 24, 1997.
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