PERB and IHSS: The Loophole Built to Protect Counties, Not Caregivers
PERB—the Public Employment Relations Board—exists to make sure counties go through the motions. Show up to a meeting, make a token offer, drag it out for months or years. That’s all it takes to pass the “good faith” test. Counties don’t need to pay fair wages. They just need to keep the process alive long enough to check the box. This isn’t bargaining. It’s theater. And the counties know it.
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featured posts
PERB and IHSS: why “bargaining” doesn’t guarantee a living wage
IHSS Caregivers Speaking before the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors – 8-26-2025
The IHSS Cap Trap: 5 Steps to Understanding Why Wages Stay Low
IHSS Caregivers Speaking before the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors 08-19-2025
Santa Barbara County In-Home Caregivers Push for Higher Wages amid Crisis
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Fighting Unfair Pay and Support for Caregivers
AB 283 in Plain English
AB 283, also called the In-Home Supportive Services Employer-Employee Relations Act (IHSSEERA), would shift IHSS bargaining from 58 separate counties to the state level…
The Illusion of Support
On paper, California’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program looks compassionate, keeping people at home and saving counties millions, but caregivers stay poor…
PERB and IHSS: why “bargaining” doesn’t guarantee a living wage
You sit in county negotiations, explain rising costs, and get pennies in return. PERB only polices process, not wages, leaving caregivers stuck with pay far behind…
IHSS Caregivers Speaking before the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors – 8-26-2025
In recent months, IHSS caregivers in Santa Barbara County have demanded fair wages. On Aug 26, 2025, they urged $22/hr to match costs and neighboring counties…
PERB and IHSS: The Loophole Built to Protect Counties, Not Caregivers
We’ve been told we have the “right to bargain,” but in IHSS that right is an illusion. Counties stall, plead poverty, and caregivers stay broke under a fractured system…
PERB and IHSS: why “bargaining” doesn’t guarantee a living wage
You sit in county negotiations, explain rising costs, and get pennies in return. PERB only polices process, not wages, leaving caregivers stuck with pay far behind…
Founding of IHSS
Before the 1970s, most people with disabilities or older adults were placed in institutions. The Independent Living Movement and Medicaid opened the door to IHSS…
IHSS Caregivers Speaking before the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors – 8-26-2025
In recent months, IHSS caregivers in Santa Barbara County have demanded fair wages. On Aug 26, 2025, they urged $22/hr to match costs and neighboring counties…
The IHSS Cap Trap: 5 Steps to Understanding Why Wages Stay Low
IHSS wages are split by federal, state, and county funds, but a state cap stalls raises. Counties resist costs, leaving pay tied more to county wealth than need…
IHSS Caregivers Speaking before the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors 08-19-2025
At this week’s Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meeting, IHSS caregivers gathered to deliver a clear and urgent message: we need a living wage…
Santa Barbara County In-Home Caregivers Push for Higher Wages amid Crisis
Santa Barbara Independent (08/20/2025) — Caregivers called on the Board of Supervisors to raise wages to $22/hr. Mary Bouldin, 58, works 140 hours a week caring…
Sharing the poem – Welcome to Holland
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability—to help others imagine how it feels. It’s like this…
Our Journey with the Rare Genome Project
As a parent, you hope to have answers when something seems wrong. But when specialists say “we just don’t know,” the diagnostic odyssey leaves families in limbo…
Lists and Calendars – Info you should have on hand
Managing my son’s medications is critical. I keep a detailed table in Word (or Google Docs) and a copy on the fridge so anyone caring for him can access it easily…
