Press Release – June 29, 2022

Sacramento, CA – As legislators prepare to vote on the FY 2022-23 budget agreement announced with Governor Newsom earlier this week, the Child Support Directors’ Association of California (CSDA) released the following statement:

“With an estimated $97 billion budget surplus this year, California leaders had an unprecedented opportunity to address our state’s epidemic of child poverty by investing in the local child support agencies (LCSAs) that deliver funding for children’s well-being and engage parents in meeting their responsibilities. 

“Unfortunately, this budget does not do enough to support California’s children, particularly children of color, and families served by LCSAs.

“The budget takes a step in the right direction by planning for California to end the punitive practice of financially penalizing children whose families access CalWORKs support with a phased approach beginning in 2023. Still, the budget continues to underfund LCSAs to assist families in need. 

“New federal rules give California the opportunity to modernize formulas that are too often inflexible and not customized to unique family circumstances, sometimes resulting in unintended negative consequences for low-income families and communities of color. Unfortunately, this budget does not position California to deliver on this opportunity to strengthen family support.

“CSDA will continue working with the Legislature and Administration to strengthen the local child support agencies across California that 1 in 8 children rely on for food, clothing, shelter, health care, and other essentials.”

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