SECTIONS 10000-10002

10000.  The purpose of this division is to provide for protection,care, and assistance to the people of the state in need thereof, andto promote the welfare and happiness of all of the people of thestate by providing appropriate aid and services to all of its needyand distressed. It is the legislative intent that aid shall beadministered and services provided promptly and humanely, with dueregard for the preservation of family life, and withoutdiscrimination on account of ancestry, marital status, politicalaffiliation, or any characteristic listed or defined in Section 11135of the Government Code. That aid shall be so administered andservices so provided, to the extent not in conflict with federal law,as to encourage self-respect, self-reliance, and the desire to be agood citizen, useful to society.10001.  The purposes of the public social services for which stategrants-in-aid are made to counties are: (a) To provide on behalf of the general public, and within thelimits of public resources, reasonable support and maintenance forneedy and dependent families and persons. (b) To provide timely and appropriate services to assistindividuals develop or use whatever capacity they can maintain orachieve for self-care or self-support. (c) To provide protective services to handicapped or deprivedpersons subject to social or legal disability, and to children andothers subject to exploitation jeopardizing their present or futurehealth, opportunity for normal development, or capacity forindependence.10001.5.  (a) In order to carry out the intention of the People ofCalifornia that only citizens of the United States and alienslawfully admitted to the United States may receive the benefits ofpublic social services and to ensure that all persons employed in theproviding of those services shall diligently protect public fundsfrom misuse, the provisions of this section are adopted. (b) A person shall not receive any public social services to whichhe or she may be otherwise entitled until the legal status of thatperson has been verified as one of the following: (1) A citizen of the United States. (2) An alien lawfully admitted as a permanent resident. (3) An alien lawfully admitted for a temporary period of time. (c) If any public entity in this state to whom a person hasapplied for public social services determines or reasonably suspects,based upon the information provided to it, that the person is analien in the United States in violation of federal law, the followingprocedures shall be followed by the public entity: (1) The entity shall not provide the person with benefits orservices. (2) The entity shall, in writing, notify the person of his or herapparent illegal immigration status, and that the person must eitherobtain legal status or leave the United States. (3) The entity shall also notify the State Director of SocialServices, the Attorney General of California, and the United StatesImmigration and Naturalization Service of the apparent illegalstatus, and shall provide any additional information that may berequested by any other public entity.10002.  When an applicant for or recipient of public social servicesis incapable of managing his own resources and planning or carryingout arrangements for his own care and maintenance, and the applicantor recipient cannot secure the services of a private attorney, ifauthorized by the board of supervisors, the county counsel at therequest of the county department, or the district attorney, if acounty counsel does not exist, may initiate and carry out proceedingsfor the appointment of a public or private guardian or public orprivate conservator, or for changing the form of legal protectionwhen this is indicated. Costs incurred in such proceedings for theprotection of applicants or recipients, when not available from theperson's own resources, shall be a proper welfare administrative orservice cost, except where a relative engages a private attorney toaccomplish this purpose.