On Tuesday, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the California Department of Technology (CDT) announced that OptumInsight, Inc. has been selected to develop the state’s new COVID-19 data reporting system. The system will collect, track, and report COVID-19 cases as a standalone database and is expected to supplement CalREDIE. The new data reporting…
Read More »Just days after receiving final legislative approval and being signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom, California’s flavored tobacco ban faces yet another challenge by the tobacco industry. SB 793 by Senator Jerry Hill bans the sale of flavored tobacco products statewide, including mint and menthol products. The measure faced significant opposition from the tobacco…
Read More »In the early morning hours of Tuesday, the California Legislature concluded its 2019-20 Regular Legislative Session, marking the end of a tumultuous and historic session repeatedly interrupted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Legislators were met with significant time constraints, challenges associated with remote voting, and contentious policy and process debates leading up to the conclusion…
Read More »The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week issued an emergency order temporarily halting specified residential evictions nationwide due to increased COVID-19 transmission risks associated with evictions. The CDC order prohibits through December 31, 2020, owners or landlords from pursuing evictions of individuals who declare under penalty of perjury that they have…
Read More »This week, California State Auditor Elaine Howle designated the state’s management of federal funds allocated in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic a “high-risk statewide issue.” The State Auditor made her determination based on a series of factors including but not limited to the significant amount of funding granted to the state, the expansion of…
Read More »In a legislative year that has constantly changed, this week was no different. On Wednesday, the Senate cancelled their planned floor session due to a member of their chamber testing positive for COVID-19. Despite the positive case in the Senate, the Assembly elected to continue their scheduled hearings and floor session. On Thursday, the Senate…
Read More »This week, the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 6 on Budget Process Oversight and Program Evaluation convened an informational hearing on remaining budget trailer bills just ahead of the end of this year’s legislative session. The Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee was initially scheduled to meet on Thursday, but the hearing was postponed until likely…
Read More »Today, Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled a sweeping new framework that imposes risk-based criteria on tightening and loosening allowable activities and expands the length of time between changes to assess how movement within communities affects the trajectory of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Governor’s Office, the state’s new framework builds upon lessons learned from…
Read More »On Wednesday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California has entered into an expansive $1.4 billion contract with major diagnostics company, PerkinElmer. The contract aims to establish a new laboratory facility, expand COVID-19 laboratory testing capacity, address supply chain challenges, and reduce the cost of tests for all Californians. Specifically, PerkinElmer will increase the state’s capacity…
Read More »This week, Governor Gavin Newsom issued two executive orders amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Below, we provide a brief summary of the orders. Executive Order N-75-20 On Monday, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-75-20 addressing a series of issues and areas related to COVID-19. Notably, the order authorizes the California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA),…
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