Gardner

The plaintiffs, a class of indigent residents of Los Angeles County (the County) who receive aid through the County’s general assistance (GA) program, appeal from denial of a preliminary injunction. This class action lawsuit for declaratory and injunctive relief and a petition for writ of mandate was filed in response to a plan by the County to reduce its general relief cash grants from $293 to $212 per person per month. The latter figure was calculated by deeming health care in County medical facilities to be “in-kind aid,” and by crediting a portion of its cost against the County’s obligation under Welfare and Institutions Code section 17000 to provide general assistance to the indigent. The County contends it is authorized by Welfare and Institutions Code section 17000.5 to do this.

We are compelled to disagree. Section 17000.5 allows only the value of in-kind aid to be credited against a county’s obligations under that section. Based upon the record before us, and upon the law which has been brought to our attention by the parties and through our independent research, we conclude that “aid,” as used in the statute, does not include medical care. We therefore reverse…