Today, Governor Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom announced new initiatives related to 911 services and services for domestic violence victims amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The California Office of Emergency Services (OES) Public Safety Communications Branch rolled out “text-to-911” capability throughout the state, allowing individuals to text ‘911’ for emergency services. According…
Read More »Late Thursday, the Department of Finance (DOF) notified Senate and Assembly budget and appropriations committee chairs of the Newsom Administration’s intent to transfer $1.831 billion to the Disaster Response-Emergency Operations Account (DREOA) to support the state’s ongoing response efforts to COVID-19 through the end of the fiscal year on June 30, 2020. DOF details allocations…
Read More »Following the release of Governor Gavin Newsom’s FY 2020-21 May Revision Budget last week, Senate and Assembly budget subcommittees convened several hearings this week to assess the Newsom Administration’s proposals and to provide stakeholders and the public an extended amount of time to weigh in on May Revision proposals. Given the abbreviated budget timeline due…
Read More »This week, Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-65-20 addressing a number of issues in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The order extends the timeframe for local governments to submit claims for reimbursements to the State Controller’s Office (SCO) and extends expiration dates for Medical Marijuana Identification Cards (MMIC). Any MMIC that would otherwise have…
Read More »Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the launch of “California Connected,” the state’s contact tracing program and public awareness campaign. As part of the new initiative, public health workers throughout the state will connect with individuals who test positive for COVID-19 to ensure individuals and their potential contacts have access to confidential testing, medical care, and…
Read More »This week, the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) and the State Board of Pharmacy waived a series of regulations authorizing pharmacists statewide to collect specimens for COVID-19 tests and order tests for consumers. The specimens will be delivered to and processed at public health, university, or commercial laboratories. The test must be authorized by the…
Read More »Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, federal and state leaders continue to attempt to respond to significant economic relief needs nationwide. Below, we highlight these actions: Western States Pact Urges $1 Trillion for State and Local Governments This week, Governor Gavin Newsom announced governors and legislative leaders from California, Colorado, Oregon, Nevada, and Washington sent a…
Read More »Late last week, the Department of Finance (DOF) notified the chairs of the Senate and Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committees of its intent to increase emergency fund expenditures in response to COVID-19. Recall, the Legislature appropriated up to $1 billion in emergency funds to the Newsom Administration in mid-March just prior to taking its unprecedented…
Read More »On Monday, the Assembly Committee on Accountability and Administrative Review convened an oversight hearing on state contracting in an emergency, particularly amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The hearing, held in the Assembly Chambers to accommodate physical distancing, was opened by Accountability and Administrative Review Chair Cottie Petrie-Norris discussing the state’s rapid response to the pandemic, including…
Read More »This week, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), in partnership with the George Washington University, launched a contact tracing estimator tool to assist local and state health departments in determining workforce needs amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The tool allows users to…
Read More »