This week, the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Health and Human Services and the Senate Special Committee on Pandemic Emergency Response each held informational hearings on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Below, we detail these hearings: Assembly Sub. 1 Examines Health Care Workforce, Safety Net Programs On Monday, the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 convened…
Read More »This week, both the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) issued fiscal updates detailing projected budget deficits amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The reports were released ahead of next week’s May Revise budget that is expected to be released by Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday, May 14. Below, we highlight the…
Read More »Governor Gavin Newsom issued a number of executive orders within the past week related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Below, we highlight these orders: CalWORKs Enrollment Governor Newsom late last week issued Executive Order N-59-20 temporarily broadening the capability of counties to enroll persons into the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program using…
Read More »The California State Assembly will return to Sacramento on Monday, May 4 following an unprecedented joint recess due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Senate was also scheduled to return on Monday, but Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins indicated the Senate will instead return to Sacramento on Monday, May 11. Recall, legislative leaders once already…
Read More »On Tuesday, Governor Gavin Newsom and California Department of Public Health Director Dr. Sonia Angell provided an update on California’s Pandemic Resilience Roadmap, detailing the statewide approach to reopening the state in light of COVID-19 through four phases. The four resilience roadmap stages include: Stage 1: Safety and Preparedness Stage 2: Lower Risk Workplaces Stage…
Read More »This week, Governor Gavin Newsom launched new initiatives related to food insecurity and access and childcare amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The initiatives are detailed below: Farm to Family Program Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, California food banks have seen an unprecedented level of demand, seeing a year-over-year increase in demand of approximately 73 percent, according…
Read More »On Monday, the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 6 on Budget Process, Oversight, and Program Evaluation held its second COVID-19-related hearing to explore recovery efforts and economic stimulus activities. In beginning the hearing, Subcommittee Chair Assembly Member Phil Ting discussed the ongoing and anticipated fiscal implications of COVID-19, including that the state is unable to deficit…
Read More »On Thursday, the Department of Finance (DOF) issued a two-page budget letter directing all state agencies and departments to immediately undertake specified actions to reduce current year expenditures amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Pointing to the significant economic impact from COVID-19, DOF indicates that revenue decreases and cost increases are expected to last for several…
Read More »Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed Executive Order N-58-20 allowing adults to obtain a marriage license, at the discretion of their local county clerk, via videoconferencing as long as both adults are located within the State of California, are present, and can present identification during the video conference. The license can then be issued via…
Read More »On Tuesday, the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) published a report summarizing recent federal legislative and other actions to allocate funding to respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The post details federal emergency funding streams and the process by which federal COVID-19-related funding will flow to public and private entities throughout the state. The full LAO…
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