King

Each of the appellants is a recipient of public assistance (“welfare”) from the Alameda County Welfare Department. Appellants sought mandate in the superior court to compel respondent Director of the State Department of Social Welfare to render timely decisions on appellants’ appeals from county decisions reducing or terminating aid. The superior court denied relief; we have concluded that a writ of mandate should have been issued.

In California the public assistance programs are administered by county welfare departments (see Welf. & Inst. Code, § 11050 et seq.) A so-called “indigent aid” program is supported entirely by county financial resources at aid levels set by the county. (See Welf. & Inst. Code, § 17000 et seq.) More important than this general program of aid to indigents, in terms both of dollar amounts involved and numbers of recipients, are the four special categories of aid in which under terms of the Social Security Act the United States government participates in meeting program costs. Com gress conditioned federal financial participation in these programs upon the state’s presenting for federal approval, and thereafter conforming to, a plan for…