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): $18.67/hr (as of 2025).
• Living wage (single adult, no children): $30.98/hr (MIT; data updated Feb 10, 2025).
• Gap: −$12.31/hr (IHSS ≈ 60.3% of living wage).

County History of Fair Bartering for Wages

• Union representation: UDW/AFSCME Local 3930 (District 5 covers Santa Barbara).
• Recent levels: External wage lists show Santa Barbara at $18.67/hr for 2025; local campaigns continue to push for higher wages.

Public Authority & County Support (Performance Signals)

• Provider onboarding: Online enrollment, scheduled in-person appointment to verify ID/SSN, Live Scan, then ESP/Direct Deposit setup.
• Registry: PA maintains a screened provider registry and referral system (application/vetting required).
• Advisory governance: IHSS Advisory Committee listed on county boards portal (Brown Act–noticed; vacancies/roster posted).
• Payroll systems: ESP & EVV required; county and CDSS pages provide sign-up/help links.
• Public KPIs: No county-posted metrics for application→enrollment days or payroll timeliness; rely on state oversight benchmarks.

Available Training (for completeness)

• Local: Orientation materials and FAQs; no recurring public training calendar surfaced on PA site.
• State: CDSS orientation/EVV help and ESP resources.

Sources & Links

• Current wage:
  IHSS Law 2025 wage list;
  IHSS Advocate 2025;
  official hub: CDSS wage hub.
• Living wage:
  MIT Living Wage — Santa Barbara County (updated Feb 10, 2025).
• Union:
  UDW District 5 (Kern/San Luis Obispo/Santa Barbara).
• PA operations:
  Santa Barbara County IHSS Public Authority;
  Provider enrollment;
  Provider registry;
  IHSS FAQs;
  IHSS Advisory Committee listing.
• State orientation/EVV:
  CDSS — How to become a provider;
  CDSS EVV Help Center.