Low-Wage Workers In California Can’t Afford To Take Family Leave. This Bill Seeks To Change That. Monday, July 12, 2021 | Sacramento, CA Miranda Griswold cuddles her three-year-old, Rhys, before bedtime at their Merced home on July 8, 2021. “Six weeks is nothing,” Griswold said of the current family leave allotment. Anne Wernikoff / CalMatters Miranda Griswold and her partner were thrilled to grow their family when they had their first child in 2018. The less thrilling part: adding baby costs to their existing expenses — alimony payments, student loans and credit card bills. Griswold had a C-section and her doctor recommended she stay at her Merced home for six weeks of recovery time. Her fiancé, who works at a commercial printing press, returned to work after one week of vacation because they couldn’t afford for him to take more time off using family leave, which would replace only 60% of his wages.