This week, the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) published a post detailing impacts on California’s state budget in light of COVID-19 and new federal resources that may assist in addressing state budget issues as a result of responding to the pandemic. The LAO examines sources of a potential budget problem where the state’s anticipated General Fund…
Read More »Yesterday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued the “Disaster Financial Management Guide” to support jurisdictions in establishing and implementing sound disaster financial management practices. The guide takes an all-hazards approach and addresses a broad range of issues and contains concepts, principles, and resources applicable to the COVID-19 pandemic response. The guide identifies capabilities and…
Read More »This week, President Donald Trump directed his administration to place a hold on all funding to the World Health Organization (WHO). Each year, the U.S. Government provides approximately $400 million to $500 million to WHO to support its international health planning, coordination, and response activities. The Trump Administration contends that the WHO mismanaged the handling…
Read More »This week, the California Budget & Policy Center published an issue brief around health coverage during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. The report discusses recent short-term actions by policymakers to mitigate serious health threats caused by COVID-19, including extending coverage for COVID-19 testing and treatment through Medi-Cal. While these actions have provided temporary access to…
Read More »This afternoon, the Newsom Administration Department of Finance (DOF) sent two letters to Senate and Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee Chairs notifying the Legislature of the Administration’s intent to provide $100 million in emergency funds approved by the Legislature last month to support child care providers and essential workers. $50 million is proposed to be…
Read More »Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon on Thursday released a joint statement indicating they are organizing committee hearings prior to the Legislature’s return to Sacramento to increase oversight on how funds are being spent during the COVID-19 pandemic. In their statement, Atkins and Rendon noted, “We strongly believe the Governor…
Read More »The Department of Finance (DOF) on Tuesdayissued a letter to Senate and Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee chairs notifying the Legislature of the California Office of Emergency Services’ (Cal OES) intent to make an initial down payment of $495 million to secure a newly established supply chain of masks in response to the COVID-19 pandemic….
Read More »Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Gavin Newsom issued a series of executive orders within the past week. Below, these orders are detailed: Telehealth Services Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-43-20 on Friday, April 3, relaxing specified state privacy and security laws for medical providers so they can provide telehealth services without the risk of…
Read More »The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) continues to issue several relevant reports related to COVID-19 and its impacts on California. Included among the recent reports: Federal Health-Related Response: This report highlights key federal actions in response to COVID-19 related to public health broadly and individual health care services. The post examines recent actions by Congress, the…
Read More »Over this past week, Governor Gavin Newsom continued to issue several executive orders in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. These orders are detailed below: Judicial Council Emergency Authority On Friday, March 27, Newsom issued Executive Order N-38-20 expanding the emergency authority of the California Judicial Branch. The order allows the Judicial Council and the…
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