SECTIONS 10530-10535

10530.  It is the intent of the Legislature that, in developing theplan required by this chapter, counties shall make an effort not toduplicate planning processes that have already occurred within thecounty, but rather to build upon, and incorporate where appropriate,existing local plans that provide for a collaborative approach toemployment services, economic development, and family and children'sservices. These shall include, but are not limited to, county GAINplans developed prior to CalWORKs implementation, county plansdeveloped pursuant to Section 18987.3, economic development plans,employment development plans, and plans intended to guide any otherlocal efforts relevant to CalWORKs implementation.10531.  Each county shall develop a plan consistent with state lawthat describes how the county intends to deliver the full range ofactivities and services necessary to move CalWORKs recipients fromwelfare to work. The plan shall be updated as needed. The plan shalldescribe: (a) How the county will collaborate with other public and privateagencies to provide for all necessary training, and support services. (b) The county's partnerships with the private sector, includingemployers and employer associations, and how those partnerships willidentify jobs for CalWORKs program recipients. (c) Other means the county will use to identify local labor marketneeds. (d) The range of welfare-to-work activities the county will offerrecipients and the identification of any allowable activities thatwill not be offered. (e) The process the county will use to provide for theavailability of substance abuse and mental health treatment services. (f) The process the county will use to provide for child care andtransportation services. (g) The county's community service plan. (h) How the county will provide training of county workersresponsible for working with CalWORKs recipients who are victims ofdomestic violence. (i) The performance outcomes identified during the local planningprocess that the county or other local agencies will track in orderto measure the extent to which the county's program meets locallyestablished objectives. (j) The means the county used to provide broad public input to thedevelopment of the county's plan. (k) A budget that specifies the source and expenditures of fundsfor the program. (l) How the county will assist families that are transitioning offaid. (m) All necessary components of the job creation plan required bySection 15365.55 of the Government Code in counties that choose toimplement the program described in Chapter 1.12 (commencing withSection 15365.50) of Part 6.7 of Division 3 of Title 2 of theGovernment Code. (n) Other elements identified by the director, in consultationwith the steering committee under Section 10544.5, including elementsrelated to the performance outcomes listed in Sections 10540 and10541. (o) How the county will comply with federal requirements of theTemporary Assistance for Needy Families program (Part A (commencingwith Section 601) of Subchapter 4 of Chapter 7 of Title 42 of theUnited States Code). (p) How the county will coordinate welfare-to-work activities withthe local private industry councils or alternate administrativeentities designated by the Governor to administer localwelfare-to-work programs, including the expenditure of state or othermatching funds provided to the county welfare department forwelfare-to-work activities. No later than September 1, 1998, and eachyear thereafter, subject to continued welfare-to-work funding, eachcounty shall submit an addendum to its plan required under thissection that describes its coordination efforts.10532.  The department and the counties shall implement theprovisions of the CalWORKs program in the following manner: (a) The department shall issue a planning allocation letter andcounty plan instructions to the counties within 30 days of theenactment of the CalWORKs program. (b) (1) Each county shall submit a plan for implementation of theCalWORKs program within four months of the issuance of the planningallocation letter by the department. A county may beginimplementation of its plan upon submission of the plan to thedepartment or the effective date of the CalWORKs program, whicheveris later. (2) Within 30 days of receipt of a county plan, the departmentshall either certify that the plan includes the description of theelements required by Section 10531 and that the descriptions areconsistent with the requirements of state law and, to the extentapplicable, federal law or notify the county that the plan is notcomplete or consistent stating the reasons therefor. (3) If a county is notified that its plan is not complete orconsistent, the county shall, within 30 days, resubmit a revised planto the department for certification. (c) A county shall begin enrolling all new applicants for aidunder this chapter in the county's welfare-to-work program no laterthan six months from the date of issuance of the planning allocationletter references in subdivision (a) or two months after thecertification of the county plan, whichever is later. (d) Funds remaining at the end of the 1997-98 fiscal year or the1998-99 fiscal year from the funds provided to a county in thoseyears pursuant to Section 15204.2 shall be available to a countyuntil July 1, 2000, and may be expended only for the purposes setforth in Section 15204.2.10533.  Commencing July 1, 2011, the department shall establish aCalWORKs county peer review process, which shall be implemented on astatewide basis no later than July 1, 2012. The peer review processshall include individual CalWORKs data reviews of counties, based onexisting data. Counties shall receive programmatic technicalassistance from teams made up of state and peer-county administratorsto assist with implementing best practices to improve theirperformance and make progress toward meeting established stateperformance goals, as specified in Chapter 1.5 (commencing withSection 10540) and Section 15204.6.10534.  (a) Each county shall perform a comprehensive review of itsexisting CalWORKs plan developed pursuant to Section 10531, and shallprepare and submit to the department a plan addendum detailing howthe county will meet the goals defined in Section 10540, while takinginto consideration the work participation requirements of thefederal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (P.L.109-171). The plan shallinclude immediate and long-range actions that the county will take toimprove work participation rates among CalWORKs applicants andrecipients. The plan addendum, at a minimum, shall include all of thefollowing: (1) How the county will address increased participation in thefollowing areas: (A) Providing upfront engagement activities. (B) Reengaging noncompliant or sanctioned individuals. (C) Providing activities to encourage participation and to preventfamilies from going into sanction status. (D) Achieving full engagement by individuals who are required toparticipate, and who are partially participating, not participating,or are between activities. (E) Other activities designed to increase the county's federalwork participation rate. (2) A description of how the county will utilize the singleallocation and other funding that will be committed to the county'sCalWORKs program. (3) A description of anticipated outcomes, including the number offamilies affected, that will result in county program improvements,and the projected impact on the county's federal work participationrate. (4) A proposed plan to measure progress in achieving theanticipated outcomes pursuant to paragraph (3) on a quarterly basis. (5) A description of how the county will collaborate with localagencies, including, but not limited to, local workforce investmentboards, community colleges, and adult education and regionaloccupational programs that provide activities that meet federal workparticipation requirements and provide participants with skills thatwill help them achieve long-term self-sufficiency. (b) Each county shall submit its plan addendum to the departmentno later than 90 days after the department issues guidance for theaddendum by all-county letter. Each addendum shall include acertification that the county board of supervisors has been briefedregarding the contents of the plan. (c) Within 30 days of receipt of a county plan addendum, thedepartment shall either certify that the plan includes the elementsrequired by subdivision (a) and that the descriptions are consistentwith state, and to the extent applicable, federal law, or notify thecounty that the addendum is not complete or consistent, stating thereasons therefor. (d) Pending certification of the plan addendum, a county shallcontinue to operate its program according to its existing plan, andmay implement changes consistent with the goals of the activities tobe described by the addendum as specified in subdivision (a). (e) A county shall submit an addendum to the county plan, asrequired by this chapter once every three years, as required by thedepartment.10534.5.  (a) The department shall review the county plans developedpursuant to Section 10534 in order to identify promising practicesin the areas of upfront engagement and reengagement of sanctionedfamilies, and shall work with the County Welfare DirectorsAssociation (CWDA) and county welfare directors to gather informationon implementation and results of these practices, that can informfuture efforts to increase participation in welfare-to-workactivities. (b) The department, in conjunction with the CWDA, shall review thecounty plans and work with county welfare directors and the CWDA todetermine what activities and strategies that counties are using toencourage participation among time-limited families, and gatherinformation about the characteristics of the time-limited population. (c) The department shall provide a written update to theLegislature on March 1, 2008, of the information required bysubdivisions (a) and (b) that is gathered by that date. Thedepartment shall provide the final report of the information requiredby subdivisions (a) and (b) to the Legislature and county welfaredirectors, on or before September 1, 2008.10535.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, of the amountappropriated in Item 5180-101-0890 in the Budget Act of 2006, ninetymillion dollars ($90,000,000) in federal Temporary Assistance forNeedy Families block grant funds for the CalWORKs program shallremain eligible for expenditure until June 30, 2008.