Sacramento pilot-project welfare program bars whites, Asians, Hispanics

(The Center Square) - A new Sacramento unrestricted cash welfare pilot 
program that will distribute $725 per month to selected low-income 
parents or guardians of black or indigenous children allows individuals 
to apply regardless of immigration status.

The program does not provide an option for parents of white, Asian, or 
Hispanic children, leading critics to wonder why the county adopted 
racial restrictions when a needs-based program would be more fair and 
less subject to legal scrutiny.

“The County’s consideration of race is problematic because the 14th 
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution forbids the government from 
classifying individuals based on race. This program would be 
presumptively invalid unless it is remedying specific discriminatory 
acts by the government,” said Andrew Quinio, Pacific Legal Foundation 
attorney, to The Center Square. “That doesn’t seem to be the case here. 
It is unclear what discriminatory laws or policies by Sacramento are 
causing disproportionate outcomes for low-income families that merits a 
discriminatory solution.”

The Sacramento Family First Economic Support Pilot will provide $725 
per month for 12 months to 200 randomly selected parents or legal 
guardians of black or indigenous children up to five years old living 
in select Sacramento zip codes with an income under 200% of the federal 
poverty level.

The program is funded by a state grant through the California 
Department of Social Services and has a goal of “improving child and 
family well-being and decreasing the potential of contact with or entry 
into the foster care system.”

The program’s website notes Sacramento black children were “4.3 times 
as likely to have a (Child Protective Services) allegation, 4.6 times 
as likely to have a CPS investigation and 4.5 times as likely to be 
removed from their family than White children,” with indigenous 
children 2.2 times more likely to have an allegation, 2.9 times as 
likely to have an investigation, and 1.8 times as likely to be removed.

The four eligibility criteria are residence in ZIP codes 95815, 95821, 
95823, 95825, 95828 and 95838 in Sacramento County, and the black or 
indigenous children must live with the applying parent at least half 
the time, the maximum annual income for a single parent with one child 
would be $40,880, and the applying household must not already be 
participating in another “guaranteed income” pilot or program.

“Immigration status does not impact eligibility,” wrote the FFESP on 
its FAQ page. “Families of any immigration status are welcome to 
apply.” Applications are available until the end of October 13.

There are no conditions for how the money must be spent, or actions 
participants must take. “You do not need to do anything to receive the 
guaranteed income, and you are not required to participate in any 
service,” continued the FAQ.

The FAQ does say winners must participate in a baseline survey, and 
that contractors “will be working with pilot participants and a subset 
of applicants who were not selected to participate in the pilot who 
volunteer to tell their stories about how receiving—or not 
receiving—the guaranteed income affects their families” in order to 
“contribute to research that informs expansion of guaranteed income as 
a strategy to support families.”

State Sen. Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks, who represents much of Sacramento 
County, shared his concern about the program unfairly leaving out 
Hispanic, Asian, and white families that have similar economic needs.

“Citizens who are Hispanic, Asian, or white would be eliminated from 
consideration,” Niello said to The Center Square. “The budget is a 
zero-sum game and we are eliminating similar opportunities for 
citizens, and that concerns me.”

Niello also expressed concerns that the program as-is does not seem 
built around eventually getting recipients to self-sufficiency, and 
suggested that low average public education outcomes should be looked 
at as a factor in higher rates of CPS intervention.

Answering "no" to the pre-application questionnaire asking "Is the race 
of this child either Black/African American and/or American 
Indian/Native American?" leads to an automatic end of the survey, 
telling respondents they do not qualify and that "There are many 
resources available to Sacramento County residents to support family 
well-being."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/sacramento-pilot-project-welfare-
program-bars-whites-asians-hispanics/ar-AA1rC0r3