What federal $$$ means for CA
If the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package that the U.S. Senate passed late Wednesday night is passed by the House of Representatives and signed into law by President Donald Trump, California will receive over $10 billion in block grants, individuals will see up to a $600 increase in weekly unemployment benefits, and there will be other “specific, very direct support” to the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday.
Newsom said $5.5 billion would be allocated to the state and the rest to local governments. But he emphasized the importance of putting money directly in people’s pockets, saying that federal unemployment relief “cannot happen soon enough,” given that over 1 million unemployment insurance claims have been filed in California since March 13.
Many of the people filing for unemployment are still recovering from the 2008 recession, the governor added.
- Newsom: “People are older and still struggling. And so these are individuals that once again are disproportionately impacted by this moment. … We need to focus on those faces, their stories, not just the face of government, not just the face of business, but on the faces of individuals struggling day in and day out to make ends meet, struggling to feed their families, feed themselves.”
California currently provides weekly unemployment insurance ranging from $40 to $450. With the federal stimulus package, many Californians would receive more than $1,000 a week, Newsom said.
Yet California’s unemployment insurance system faces significant hurdles in meeting increased demand. A recent report from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office anticipated delays “much longer” than three weeks for workers to receive first benefits. And if California decided to increase weekly benefit levels during the coronavirus crisis, the report said it could take the department a year to adjust because of technological limitations.
It’s unclear whether those limitations would also affect the rollout of federal unemployment insurance benefits, the Sacramento Bee reported.
Another way of putting money directly in people’s pockets: Newsom said Wednesday that JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, US Bank and nearly 200 state banks and credit unions will provide a 90-day mortgage payment grace period for Californian homeowners directly impacted by coronavirus, CalMatters’ Laurel Rosenhall reports.
“The worst is yet to come”
The number of Californians testing positive for coronavirus has been doubling every three to four days, instead of the expected six to seven days, California’s Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly said Wednesday, adding that a surge in patients is expected within the next two weeks.
Based on evolving data models, Ghaly said, the 50,000 extra hospital beds the state anticipates needing for an influx of coronavirus patients is “exactly where we need to be for phase one.” But he added that there are “early signs” some of California’s efforts to slow the spread of the virus “are making a difference” in “certain pockets of the state.”
As a surge in coronavirus cases hits states like New York — 13 individuals died of COVID-19 in a 24-hour period beginning Tuesday — health officials say a similar wave could soon strike California, although Newsom’s early and aggressive shelter-in-place order may have helped contain the spread of the virus and limit deaths.
- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Tuesday: “The peak is not here yet. The peak will be bad. People will lose their lives.”
- San Francisco Health Director Grant Colfax on Monday: “The worst is yet to come. Every community where the virus has taken hold has seen a surge in the number of coronavirus patients who need to be hospitalized. We expect that to happen in San Francisco soon, in a week or two, or perhaps even less.”
As more Californians are tested, the number of positive cases will rise. As of Tuesday, 66,800 tests for the novel coronavirus had been conducted in California — up 39,200 from Monday — and 48,600 results are still pending, CalMatters’ Rachel Becker and Ana Ibarra report.
The Bottom Line: As of 10 p.m. Wednesday night, California had 3,158 confirmed coronavirus cases and 67 deaths from the virus, according to a Los Angeles Times tracker. (These numbers are different from those of the state Department of Public Health, which are updated less often.)
Other stories you should know
1. The challenges of tackling coronavirus in the Central Valley
The central San Joaquin Valley has a doctor shortage that could be exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Because of the large ratio of patients to doctors, each doctor faces a higher risk of being infected by the virus. On top of that, Fresno County residents suffer from diabetes, asthma, cancer and serious heart conditions at higher rates than the rest of California — meaning they also have increased risk of contracting COVID-19. The Fresno Bee’s Manuela Tobias explores the county’s response to these challenges in a CalMatters collaboration.
2. How to adjust special education rules in a pandemic?
While many shuttered school districts are switching to distance learning during the pandemic, some are reportedly limiting or not offering instruction out of fear that they’ll be sued for not being able to provide special education students with an equal education online, EdSource reports. Last weekend, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced greater flexibility in federal special education laws and reiterated that districts should continue providing special education services. Some advocates say this will help special education students get the instruction they need and deserve; others say the increased flexibility will let school districts off the hook and allow them to say “this is the best we can do” without actually trying their best.