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 »This week, the Newsom Administration announced a series of actions as the state moves into Stage 2 of California’s Pandemic Resilience Roadmap, allowing certain businesses to reopen as soon as today. Below, we highlight those actions: Statewide Report Card On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom released a report card detailing how the state has made progress…
Read More »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…
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