ENROLLMENT IN CITIZENSHIP CLASSES SWELLS : SCHOOL PREPARES STUDENTS FOR TEST.

Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

Against a backdrop of looming federal and state welfare reform cutbacks aimed at illegal immigrants, citizenship classes have become an extremely popular offering at Golden Oak Adult School, the principal said.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services has sent out thousands of letters to welfare recipients since President Clinton signed welfare reform legislation in August. The letters, sent to legal residents who receive some form of public assistance, were written in Vietnamese, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Korean, Armenian and Tagalog, said Golden Oak Principal Bob Weber.

The letters warned recipients about the government benefits they would lose unless they became U.S. citizens. ``We're expecting a huge number of (people) to come in to take our classes to prepare them for the (citizenship) test and the interview,'' Weber said.

Golden Oak's spring term will begin March 24, Weber said.

Golden Oak Adult School is becoming a testing site for the Immigration and Naturalization Service's citizenship program. ``Anybody can come here. It will be a one-stop site,'' Weber said, noting students also will be able to take care of INS fingerprinting and photo identification requirements at the Newhall Avenue campus.

The state and federal changes will be many under welfare reform.

Foreigners with temporary or tourist visas will be ineligible for state medical assistance. A new law will make it illegal to use temporary or tourist visas as proof of residency, which is required of indigent residents to receive federally funded Medi-Cal distributed by the California government. Welfare reform legislation signed by President Clinton in August overhauled the nation's 60-year-old welfare system.

One aspect of the new law, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, says that unless some recipients work, the federal government will impose harsh financial penalties. In California, 25 percent of welfare recipients must work at least part time by the end of 1997. The rate will rise to 50 percent by 2002.

Another aspect toughens many rules for welfare recipients, including requiring them to establish child paternity.

Medi-Cal's prenatal care for illegal immigrant women would be cut beginning in July under a plan by Gov. Pete Wilson.

Federal welfare reform includes a provision requiring states to abolish state-funded benefit programs for illegal immigrants.

Established 48 years ago, Golden Oak Adult School is the second oldest in the William S. Hart Union High School District, Weber said. Average enrollment is about 4,000 per year, and about 1,300 of those students are taking English as a second language courses, Weber said.

The campus offers about 70 classes each term, many of them state-mandated courses like English as a second language, courses to obtain a high school diploma, American citizenship, parenting skills and independent living skills for developmentally disabled adults, Weber said.

Golden Oak's other course offerings are more recreational in nature: computers, country western dance, health and fitness, public speaking, sign language - even a gourmet dining class taught by chefs of local restaurants, Weber said.

The fall, winter and spring terms generally have 10-week and five-week courses, and the state-mandated classes are offered free of charge, Weber said. The others range in price from $10 to $39, plus the cost of books or class materials.