Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced an additional $147 million in awards for Homekey, California’s $600 million program to purchase and rehabilitate housing, including hotels, motels, vacant apartment buildings, and other properties, and convert them into permanent, long-term housing for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The most recent awards were provided to 12 applicants…
Read More »Governor Gavin Newsom met the constitutional deadline to sign or veto bills passed by the Legislature on Wednesday, September 30, officially concluding the 2020 legislative year. During this second year of the 2019-20 legislative session, and despite COVID-19 related interruptions, the Governor signed 457 bills and vetoed 56. This week, the Governor held multiple virtual…
Read More »This week, the Assembly convened two oversight hearings of interest to local health departments. Below, we summarize the hearings: Public Health Guidance and CalREDIE On Tuesday morning, the Assembly Subcommittee No. 6 on Budget Process Oversigth and Program Evaluation hosted state officials from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the California Department of…
Read More »This week, the Department of Finance (DOF) issued its first quarterly report of the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) provided by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Recall, the CARES Act was signed into law in March and provided state and local governments with federal funds for expenditures incurred between March 1…
Read More »The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed H.R. 8406, a revised version of the HEROES Act, on a 214-207 vote. The sweeping $2.2 trillion measure, narrowed from its original $3 trillion price tag, would provide $436 billion in assistance for state, local, territorial, and tribal governments. The measure would also extend the deadline to…
Read More »Today, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced that he renewed the COVID-19 national public health emergency for an additional 90 days, effective October 23. Recall, HHS Secretary Azar initially declared COVID-19 a national public health emergency on January 31, 2020. According to Secretary Azar, the renewal of the national emergency will allow…
Read More »On Wednesday, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released details of the state’s new health equity metric which is part of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy framework. According to the state, the equity metric is intended to help guide counties in their continuing efforts to more effectively fight COVID-19, including through more intensive…
Read More »This week, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) launched its seasonal influenza vaccination campaign, “Let’s Fight Flu Together.” The campaign includes materials available to assist partners in communicating the importance of a seasonal influenza vaccination, including communications messaging and social media images. Additional campaign materials and resources, including infographics and public service announcements, are…
Read More »This week, the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom announced an additional $137 million in awards to 15 applicants for 19 projects totaling 938 units as part of the state’s $600 million Homekey initiative to purchase and rehabilitate housing – including hotels, motels, vacant apartment buildings, and other properties – to convert them into permanent, long-term…
Read More »On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an emergency proclamation for Napa, Sonoma, and Shasta counties due to the Glass and Zogg fires. The Governor additionally requested a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration to assist state and local wildfire response and recovery efforts in Fresno, Los Angeles, Madera, Mendocino, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Siskiyou counties. A…
Read More »