Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code § 18002
The Governor may, within 15 days prior to the commencement of any fiscal quarter or during any fiscal quarter, proclaim the existence of a period of welfare emergency, whenever he finds as facts all of the following:
(c) Federal assistance to this state for joint public assistance for the entire fiscal quarter has not been received, and it is improbable that such federal assistance will be received by the state prior to the usual time for transmitting such federal assistance to the counties of this state.
Any period of welfare emergency proclaimed by the Governor pursuant to this section shall commence on the date of the proclamation by the Governor, and shall continue until federal assistance is received by this state for joint public assistance for the first quarter following the date of the proclamation, or until the commencement of the second quarter following that date, whichever first occurs. In no event shall any period of welfare emergency continue for more than four calendar months, nor shall any subsequent period of welfare emergency be proclaimed unless federal assistance has been received by this state for each prior fiscal quarter commencing during any prior period of welfare emergency.