California's poverty problem

While trying not to fall asleep, I came across this article.
After reading it, I started to wonder if, by the social services departments wanting prestige and power, that they might actually cause the poverty that they are "trying" to prevent.
It also led me to wonder if the old axiom of "Give a man a fish and you give him one meal, Teach him to fish and you teach him to work." could in fact, become reality.
Does the very fact that you pay a person not to work, actually take away his desire to work?
Further in the article, it suggests that the anti-poverty programs led to the rest of the disasters in California, up to an including the high energy prices, and soaring housing costs.