Evidence snapshot covering wages vs. cost of living, wage-bargaining history, Public Authority/County performance signals, available training (for completeness), and primary sources.

Wages vs. Cost of Living

• IHSS provider wage (current): $20.04/hr (effective Jan 1, 2025).
• Living wage (single adult, no children): $35.44/hr (MIT).
• Gap: −$15.40/hr (IHSS ≈ 56.5% of living wage).

County History of Fair Bartering for Wages

• Union representation: SEIU Local 2015 represents Santa Clara IHSS providers.
• 2025 bargaining climate: Active negotiations and rallies (spring–summer 2025) pushing for wage improvements above $20 and stronger benefits.

Public Authority & County Support (Performance Signals)

• Provider onboarding: Clear “5 steps” enrollment flow (PA site), plus county page that routes to PA steps, ESP setup, 426A linkage, and Direct Deposit.
• Registry: Active PA registry providing pre-screened, background-checked providers to consumers.
• Advisory governance: IHSS Advisory Board appointed by Board of Supervisors; generally meets monthly; agendas/minutes available via PA site/Sourcewise calendar; composition set in county ordinance.
• Payroll systems: ESP and EVV required; PA and CDSS pages provide sign-up/help links.
• Public KPIs: No county-posted timeliness metrics; rely on state oversight benchmarks until local KPIs are published.

Available Training (for completeness)

• Local: Orientation materials and resource posts; no recurring public training calendar surfaced on PA site.
• State: CDSS provider orientation + EVV Help Center and ESP resources.

Sources & Links

• Current wage:
  Santa Clara PA (wage notice);
  IHSS Advocate wage list;
  official hub: CDSS wage hub.
• Living wage:
  MIT Living Wage — Santa Clara County.
• Union & 2025 activity:
  SEIU 2015 Santa Clara campaign updates;
  Urge BOS to invest in long-term care;
  Rally for livable wages.
• PA operations:
  PA enrollment (“5 steps”);
  PA registry;
  County provider application page;
  Board of Supervisors meeting portal;
  Advisory Board info.
• State orientation/EVV:
  CDSS: How to become an IHSS provider;
  CDSS EVV Help Center;
  ESP portal.