The Little Hoover Commission, California’s independent state oversight agency, this week issued an issue brief in response to questions posed by a series of California State Senators relative to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on housing in California. In developing its brief, the Commission determined that thousands of renters, landlords, and homeowners across California, particularly those…
Read More »This week, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH declared racism a serious public health threat. Director Walensky, as part of the agency’s declaration, announced a series of new efforts being led by the CDC to accelerate its work to address racism as a fundamental driver of racial and…
Read More »This week, the Biden-Harris Administration outlined a series of actions to address the country’s “gun violence public health epidemic.” Following numerous high-profile mass shootings in Colorado and Georgia, the Biden-Harris Administration called on Congress to pass legislation to reduce gun violence. In the meantime, however, the Administration announced it is taking a set of actions…
Read More »On Monday, the California State Legislature will return to Sacramento from its week-long spring recess. Lawmakers face an extremely busy month ahead as they work through policy committee hearings, facing deadlines in late April and early May to advance to the floor bills introduced in their house of origin. Recall, the Legislature is operating in…
Read More »Today, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced updates to the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy framework allowing additional activities to resume with modifications to reduce risk. According to CDPH, increasing vaccination rates and a near-record low statewide COVID-19 test positivity rate is allowing the state to make additional modifications to the reopening…
Read More »On Thursday, as eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines expanded to residents ages 50 and older, Governor Gavin Newsom toured a COVID-19 community vaccination site in Los Angeles County and received his Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine administered by California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly. The Governor was joined by various state, community,…
Read More »Today, California State Auditor Elaine Howle issued an audit report on California’s management and use of federal COVID-19 funding allocated to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Recall, Auditor Howle in August 2020 designated the state’s management of federal COVID-19 funds a high-risk issue given the substantial amount of funds received and the risk…
Read More »This week, the Biden-Harris Administration announced continued expansions of its COVID-19 vaccine efforts. As a result of these expansions, the federal government anticipates by April 19 90 percent of adults in the U.S. will be eligible for a vaccine and 90 percent will have a vaccination site within five miles of where they live. Below,…
Read More »Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday announced emergency action to increase the state’s firefighting capacity ahead of an anticipated difficult wildfire year. Using Emergency Fund authorization, the Governor approved $80.74 million for 1,399 additional firefighters with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) to bolster fuels management and wildfire response efforts. Under the…
Read More »This week, the California State Senate and Assembly continued with a steady pace of policy and fiscal committee hearings. Following the adjournment of yesterday’s floor sessions, the Legislature began its week-long spring recess. Legislators are set to return to Sacramento on Monday, April 5, and, upon their return, will face a very busy month ahead….
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