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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01.12.21 FW_ SYASL COVID-19 Update From:Ring, Brian To:Alpert, Bruce;Bennett, Robin;Clerk of the Board;Connelly, Bill;Cook, Holly;Cook, Robin;Kimmelshue, Tod; Lambert, Steve;Lucero, Debra;McCracken, Shari;Paulsen, Shaina;Pickett, Andy;Ring, Brian;Ritter, Tami; Rodas, Amalia;Sweeney, Kathleen;Teeter, Doug Cc:Pickett, Andy;Snyder, Ashley Subject:FW: SYASL COVID-19 Update Date:Tuesday, January 12, 2021 5:25:59 PM Attachments:SYASL COVID-19 Update 1.12.2021.pdf FYI. Brian Ring Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Administration 25 County Center Drive, Oroville, CA 95965 T: From: SYASL County Info <SYASLCountyInfo@SYASLpartners.com> Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2021 5:22 PM To: SYASL County Info <SYASLCountyInfo@SYASLpartners.com> Subject: SYASL COVID-19 Update ATTENTION: This message originated from outside Butte County. Please exercise judgment before opening .. attachments, clicking on links, or replying. To: County Administrative Officers and Interested Parties From: Paul J. Yoder and Karen Lange Date: January 12, 2021 RE: SYASL COVID-19 Update Please find attached our daily SYASL COVID-19 update. -Paul and Karen COVID-19 Updates www.covid19.ca.gov January 12, 2021 Newsom Administration - Resources / Mutual Aid / Executive Orders Today, California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly provided an update on COVID-19 in California. Dr. Ghaly also provided an update on the County Tier System as follows: o Purple to Red: Trinity o Back from Red to Purple: Humboldt o Purple: 54 o Red: 3 o Orange: 1 o Yellow: 0 You may view slides from todayiefing here and SYASL staff notes here. Legislative / Budget News Yesterday, the Assembly Budget Committee met to review the Governors 2021-22 Proposed State Budget. You may view hearing materials here, and SYASL staff notes here. -19 page here for updates. The LAO has been releasing a series of reports regarding Federal actions affecting California related to developments around COVID-19. View here. Asm Budget: G Proposed 202122 Budget Overview Adoption of Committee Rules January 11, 2021 Ting Today we are holding our first assembly budget committee We continue to have problems with COVID, and even with vaccines we face challenges in the months to come We have additional one-time revenue due to states dependence on income taxes, and it looks like high income earners have done well and we are the beneficiaries programs Pleased to see our Assembly Blueprint principles One was to preserve the good to repairing our social safety net and our investments in education, also wanted adequate response to COVID, like public health infrastructure We wanted to protect the most vulnerable in our state, and we need to continue to support the most vulnerable families and businesses We need to invest in people who have lost their jobs and may need to change careers We look forward to hours of deliberation and the subcommittees and pass a balanced budget by the deadline Fong I look forward to serving with you on the upcoming process You have been open and look forward to continuing relationship Now is important time looking to solve number of crises We must get back to basics, glad the Governor focused on budget reserves, but also goes opposite direction, not addressing homelessness and power shutoffs I am worried about vulnerabilities for schools and businesses Everyday Californians will continue to struggle I want to provide regulatory and tax relief to businesses and school We need to safely reopen school to address learning loss We need to make government work for people, eliminate frustrating bureaucracy We are in results- Adoption of Committee Rules for the 2021-22 Session Ting Start here, motion Motioned and seconded Vote: motion passes -22 Budget Proposal Erika Li, Department of Finance I am Chief Deputy at the DOF, thank you for opportunity to speak on the The theme running across proposal, one of broad-based economic recovery Laser focus on job creation and expanding opportunities for all Californians mainly those hardest hit Revenues increase, $158 billion up, 22% up California GDP took hit, but the by quarter three up to 2019 level Underscore there are 4 million receiving UI benefits, less than half of jobs lost have been recovered since last year $165 billion General fund, remains resilient and strong reserve Pay down retirement liabilities, also scheduling program suspensions be delayed by a year Improved revenue picture due to three factors, not as severe as expected, due to federal stimulus dollars However, the second, unequal spread of wage loss high wage workers pivoted to telework to spare their jobs High wage pay more taxes, buffered wage loss to state Also had record stock moves, increased capital gains at operating deficits in out years The revenue surplus in 21-22, is followed by losses growing until 24-45 May revision With budget structure, immediate action proposals o State continues to prioritize emergency response, $4 billion, include efforts testing, contact tracing, homelessness and food bank spending o Immediate budget action request, five issues $2 billion for safely reopening schools, to mitigate impacts on students Golden state Stimulus, $2.4 billion, $600 dollars for low-income households Small business grants, $575 million and fee waivers $2.6 billion federal relief coming, needs to be discussed on how to get dollars out and the eviction moratorium Impress the urgency Other proposals are affordability issues, bringing healthcare costs down, costs of housing, environmental justices, homelessness package and investing money in long term solutions In summary invests in jobs and broad-based recovery Wood I have some comments and observations, this will be challenging year for us Loss of live and effect from COVID virus Bringing things back to the way they were, make the year very difficult Funding for hundreds of issues, this year is different, carefully consider and ensure our priorities are targeted enough to have water fall effect Need less about adding more money to budget but where we put it Addressing the pandemic is paramount Helping people hurt financially will get us all to a better place Are we giving e To protect the environment are we giving enough to prevent wildfire I notice that, we have $1.5 billion for electric cars, $575 million going to small business, is that the right number Over 4 million small businesses in this state, these people will buy the electric car infrastructure Important that the money we put in places, does the job and targeted Provide brief assessment and I have staff and colleagues available as well website ime surplus, this is large, but is lower than the $26 billion windfall we estimated in November fiscal outlook The revenue from DOF and our office are similar Over three-year budget term, difference of $1.7 billion Estimate of surplus different o Different interpretation of true up deposit of debt repayment of rainy-day fund is o Second, administration has $2.8 billion higher in corona virus expenses than we have o Third, trends for health and human services like caseloads, the administration is about $2 billion higher than our office How we see governor allocating windfall, allocation to one-time spending, sum to $8.1 billion, $2.9 billion going to States discretionary fund, $2.5 billion used for revenue reductions, $1.3 billion for ongoing spending, $700 million for debt and liability payments Prop 98 portion, due to substantial increase in minimum guarantee, increase is such that the state has $19.1 billion for K-14 spending Allocate $8.4 billion one time to pay down deferrals, about $4 billion left on deferrals In addition, the Governor is requesting $6.6 billion for grant funding for school districts $4.6 billion for grants to provide expanded academic program for disadvantaged or higher needs Overall, the prop 98 package reflects reasonable mix, significant emphasis on one time, to provide cushion for prop 98 going forward On page three, federal relief packages, considerations o Legislature will want to determine state resources to those not receiving federal assistance o In general, we think you would want to emphasize state initiatives that compliment instead of duplicate Governor is asking for nearly $13 billion in early action approval Concerns about incentive funding for schools to resume in school process districts to participating On tax refunds for low-income California, in federal package, there was stimulus money, some The fee options in the budget we think are reasonable proposals In early action proposal, longer time frames and longer timeframe to consider programs We suggest asking, is what is being proposed is their direct pandemic proposal Is the proposal really that time sensitive? proposed proposal? On budget resilience, there are significant pressures on out years, want you to keep that in mind Think you should consider this in the coming months Committee Member Questions Cooper Follow up, disconcerting we spend $1.5 billion on EV, and only $500 million on small businesses What have we gotten? One question, the incentives for purchase for more vehicles We have people sleeping in their cars, and we are trying to incentivize electric vehicles This is insane The cost of living in California is high for everyone I believe in climate change, but people statement now is survivability No one is thinking about electric vehicles and this concerns me and is tone deaf to Californians We need to increase charging stations to 8 times what we have to support vehicles end Because of CARB rules, can use other cars in their fleets everywhere else in the country been in effect for over ten years, looking at Central Valley, they have gotten least number of rebates, mostly going to the Bay Area We are screwing the most downtrodden Sleeping in your car or incentivizing Li Underlying theme is job creation, and to construct new fueling stations that is why the ZEVs piece is in there Regarding subsidies, $465 million is going to plus up programs, to get more people into cleaner vehicles There are other things we could be funding, but this is one part of the plan Cooper I hope the administration considers that is not on the top of list for average citizen, it is about survival and having a job and house Homelessness is off the charts; I see people living in their cars Li I will add we have $1.75 billion to expand Homekey, Cooper We have put billions toward homelessness, and we have seen increases in homelessness, it goes to mental health and substance abuse I know some improvements, what does it mean on behavioral health needs? DOF Of part of homelessness package, $750 million of one-time general fund for DHCS to acquire or rehabilitate facilities for short term residential or behavioral health services We are working with counties on this The concept to have more certified at county level, and the effort is kind of complimentary to serve more people in the community Cooper My concern, lots of folks to come in, it is cold in Sacramento right now, never heard anyone in this administration talking about conservancy for these people Is their life better out on the street or getting three meals a day? To me we are tackling it but not with holistic approach Reyes Applaud the Governor for tackling issues our State is facing, I look forward to working with legislative leader to respond As we move to vote on early action items and prioritize through the lens of equity We continue to ensure Golden State will expand to CALITC including I10 filers, must include this Must have workforce development and get people back to work The proposed investments in clean air and transportation infrastructure, meets goals of majority of Californians Inland areas are disproportionally impacting from \[articulate matter from the transportation Sends signals to polluted communities of color the state is committed to clean air for all The new proposed funding for childcare, opens 4400 more slots for childcare Must continue to protect housing and education options to successfully reintegrate into classrooms Also, equitable distribution of the vaccine and protect all Californians We need to help small businesses Gallagher This committee really needs to look at the early action proposals, there is a lot wanting here I think the LAO made good point; many proposals not targeted in the way they should be Appreciate in this budget there is money for small businesses The fee waivers we should do for sure I will agree with my colleagues early, pointing out the $1.5 billion for electric charging stations could be spent in other places of priority The Governor said that is consistent with policy set, this is not set by this body, it is set by his policy that he established We establish the policy not him; this is the wrong place to spend the money $2.6 billion of federal funding, looks like small landlords will get some, we have done nothing to help them so far, many are struggling and may be foreclosed on target the people hurt by that Then we are doing $2.4 billion in EITC refund, we also want to target to people effected EDD is where our biggest focus should be We only got $550 million to EDD We need to make sure we get payments out of work right now Vaccines, $360 million to get vaccines out, the most important issues right now We know right now the vaccines are not getting into arms because they are getting caught in bureaucratic process The biggest thing to get schools open is get teachers and support staff vaccinated End with education, the incentive grant is too burdensome, will not be able to meet all the requirements to reopen schools and take advantage Almost like going back to categorical programs End on wildfires, give the governor credit for five years, additional money, but is its continuous appropriation These wildfires need attention now, we need to double down on cap and trade, going into forest management, reduces carbon plaguing my communities and others get more money into this and reduce carbon Rivas I appreciate efforts on homelessness, I want to bring up consideration, I think the reason this is not adequate is because it is one-time funding The nature of this restricts response to homelessness, doesn for multiple years agency responses No funding for services, housing-based services which are vital to end homelessness Creating new programs that may live for one year then there will be increases to homelessness about the concerns they expressed in a statement? Jessica Holms DOF We hav they are identifying as barriers Rivas We hear that now one connected with them before this went out concerned about equity; most are low income who attend LA schools Holms So that was surprising, but we also recognize that many school districts are facing equity issues Allows for districts in counties with high transmission rates allows them to participate and there is equity built in Rivas Hope you will consult with large school districts on revised plan Ramos We are getting lots of calls from EDD and the backlog they continue to have I would like to see what has been put in that area to free up that backlog Great we identify funding and grants for small businesses, but what matric are we using to determine the money going out, I know that the mom and pop are being hit the hardest In my district in hospitality, looking at EITC and income there, we need to look at there and the greatest impact to get there Li Regarding EDD backlog, they were inundated there with claims, but still exists backlog They have redirected employees, extended hours for call centers, extended days, but it will take time Regarding businesses, the fee relief is something crafted around giving businesses the most impacts some relief, includes bars and restaurants, including barbers and cosmetology The business grants will be coming in and we will look at based on need and impact Can get you more detail Ramos If we can start to understand matric, then we can reach out to our constituents Moving on to schools, we know during this time not just adults going through mental health issues, kids do also What resources are there for that mental health aspect, homeless youth in my area is huge and has probably increased, what resources do we have now Is there anything for mental health resources? Li We have $400 million proposal for students in particular, funding will have Department of Healthcare Services working with local health offices and schools to identify children to receive early interventions Highlights impacts that students have had Ramos We were successful of getting office of suicide prevention into law, but we need to ensure we health at forefront On vaccinations, we know the delivery and populations calling me, money being put into disbursements, will this be overseen by the State or will it trickle down to the counties? Li Going to the local level, we are in communication with local health offices The dollars included in budget is estimate, based on the thought of what would be required for vaccination distribution Ramos Also, many employees had to take pay cut, is any discussion of making employees whole Li With improved revenues, it does make sense to address that, we can most likely address in spring Bloom This is a challenging year, increased needs and decreased funds, the pandemic is the most Automobile exhaust remains the biggest polluters We must incentivize movement to electric vehicles The housing and homelessness crisis continue and affects millions, we must continue to address that They have put together package to address this issue, but from my perspective it is not enough money and not ongoing Finally, none of us should forget in 2020 was the worst fire season we have ever seen Wildfire prevention that ties into climate change, but it is extremely important for us to address We need reliable sufficient source of funding to address that crisis Carrillo unemployment insurance remains large issue in my district What resources are included to address the backlog and Ui benefits and what steps are being taken to address fraud? On homelessness, for too long state and local government provided short term strategies, how is there long- We are putting very expensive band aid on very large wound How will the state maintain investments in Homekey in one-time funding? Will it be available for ongoing operating subsidies? Li Mentioned earlier the efforts Increases resources for program, with more positions in budget years to support UI claims prevention and fraud prevention When large part of fraud was found in June of July, EDD implemented front end application to have better checks, doing more cross checks as well There is understanding there is lots of workload, but we need to balance issues In terms of long-term strategies for homeless, it is multilayered Want to get at root cause, $1.75 billion in homelessness, traditional efforts like Homekey Now HCS side is another side, lots of homeless need something more intense than just room and shelter over their head Trying to get at long term solutions In regard to long term investment, it is one time, but to acquire hotel, motel, senior living, so they have increase housing supply We are trying to integrate services with shelter Carrillo The response by EDD has been inadequate, to comprehend how challenging it has been for families across the state and people losing home and their trust in government I would say I recognize there is short amount of time in this hearing, but in Sub 4 hearing, we need to be prepared to hold department accountable and then provide solutions Fong Delve into specifics of budget, to LAO, reading you analysis, any alternatives to revitalize the California economy Maybe like allowing PPP revenues to be tax deductible? Petek We had some questions about whether some proposals could be made more impactful than currently proposed than providing more direct grants to businesses on the margin LAO On potential merits to making the PPP funds deductible We discussed the funds going to small businesses should be targeted to those most effected First rounds were not particularly targeted to those most effected Fong Those who are impacted are suffering during this pandemic and to say a hospital that got a loan and is now expected to pay taxes on that, or barber or hotel, if discussion is to make small business relief more robust, you would think we would need to provide more assistance LAO I would say, it could be policy worth deliberation Any funding we are putting for assistance for small businesses, there will be limited funding for small business, there will be tradeoffs, but more broadly would affect money that could go toward other areas Fong LAO think we have specific proposal for you at this time Li I would say that that package was passed in late December Regarding PPP conformity, we would need to look at erosions in terms of revenues This is not considered or part of our budget, but we would have to consider impacts to the bottom line Fong What can school districts expect from the state, not, lots of detail about reopening, what is the Li We have been attempting to be open as possible with school districts and addressing their needs Regarding $2 billion and $4.6 billion proposal, to deal with impacts and detriments to education Testing is one of the eligible efforts, and will be one way to turn back to in school instruction Fong The concern from reality of th wanting to reopen schools Why are we talking about addressing deferrals completely? What are pros and cons and thought process of why not pay off all deferrals for schools? Li Simple answer is to pay off as much as possible to supporting schools and also leave room for other things that need to get done conversation and we look forward to weeks and months ahead Petek Our office would point out as two budgets in one, prop 98 is separate Our office views your consideration to paying down more of the deferrals now Fong We asked school districts to continue to spend and not knowing when money would come in the future Petek Paying down as soon as possible is a good idea Fong Are there proposals in this budget to increase supply of nurses? Are there budgetary items to deal with hospital staffing? Li Point out on page 46, costs for facilities are mentioned DOF In addition to what was mentioned, lots of response have been related to surge activities, also highlight rate increases to skilled nursing facilities through Medi-Cal program Fong Hospitals and skilled nursing facilities all have pressure for staffing, is there a long-term plan to expand nursing programs at universities Any process to allow licenses from other states to work in our facilities? Li We are expanding healthcare capacity and I can get you more information Fong How much is in budget for high-speed rail project? DOF The high-speed rail budget includes operation cost, about $85 million a year, also capital cost of about $500 million for cap-and-trade funds High speed rail working on plan Fong What was funding this year, would be lower right? DOF Current year budget is about $2 billion Fong Do expect the Governor to cut High-Speed Rail DOF Will depend on released funding plan Fong How are you planning to increase fire prevention projects? DOF Governor is investing $1 billion for wildfire and forest resilience, broad package, $323 million investment and goal is to get critical fire prevention projects on the ground to prepare the state for fire season The package addresses some permitting processes, also important environmental document Number of permitting efficiencies Fong No doubt EDD is failing, the answers provided today are broad based, there needs to be detailed plans Money is not the issue, still not operating functionally, we asked for detailed proposal Petek Right now, indicated the state would be above the limit by this coming year, the rules that are half of the amount of overage would go back to taxpayers and school This will be discussion for the May revision Arambula I came up on Friday and still willingness to grab old school copy to read it I want to follow up today with DOF, includes proposals to make healthcare more affordable and use health data to improve outcomes In development of new offices and programs, how can the legislature best collaborate with the administration? And when can we expect more details? DOF We actually released language on the Office of Affordability just before the pandemic, we have covered pretty thoroughly with stakeholders st I think in terms of timing, we would plan to release details on February 1 statutory deadline that we have for trailer bill language Arambula I would encourage the legislature to have active role in discuss and vet these programs that are needed and need to be discussed This pandemic has brought to the forefront the disparities we have, how can we ensure equitable distribution of proposals? $400 million for student mental health, $750 million for real estate assets, how can these be equitably distributed? Li Equity goes throughout many of our proposals I would say we look forward to engaging with you on that in terms of implementation Arambula I want to acknowledge the case load projections closer to reality On the case load safety net increases have not increased, still need for housing, food security and more What can we do to simplify access to programs for those who are eligible? DOF We are seeing increases with continuous eligibility on Medicaid side and certainly they are continuing to take cases in Arambula How will the budget build a more robust public health infrastructure to meet ongoing and existing crises beyond the corona virus? DOF The resources reflected are focused on the surge efforts and increasing testing and also estimated funding for vaccine distribution efforts Highlight proposal to retrospective analysis of COVID pandemic through equity lens Clearly to say public health efforts were strained is understated but what is something we will want to look at Arambula departments, people still have other issues Want to talk about those on the frontlines, burnout and stress are discussed What behavioral health efforts are in the budget? Li Point to $400 million for behavioral health for students We are looking at funds for students and linkages in the workforce DOF Area where the administration has made investments in workforce, look toward the future and where we need to make plans At OSHPED, ongoing general fund commitment, UC and prop 56 loan repayment programs Arambula There are still regions of our state to have providers to deal with this pandemic Front line workers are in need of resiliency and build the pipeline and help with the next pandemic I know that those who are on the front lines need support Jones-Sawyer Area in public safety, I am concerned about four areas Courts, COVID, CDCR population and cameras On courts, nearly $200 million in trigger cuts, how much restored to courts and what remains for trial court operations? Administration asking for resources for self-help centers in the courts, how will these operate virtually? Second COVID, how much has CDCR incurred for COVID expenses? Is the administration considering releases of medically vulnerable populations? We need to have plan; do we have one? CDCR population, fewer than 95K prisoners in state prisons, how much has CDCR saved for population reductions, have these saving been redirected to other operations? Is there consideration of additional prison closures? Can 5 prisons be closed by 2025? Lastly, cameras. Total of $30 million for cameras, stationery and body cameras, due to lawsuit what is going on with interaction between prison guards needs it Li I think I can answer one, $200 million in trigger cuts, brings up to $70 million Courts are looking at savings But we can get back to you on the other questions We are trying to provide increases as best as we can There are ways we are trying to support entities Lee I want to ask about the $2 billion for safe reopening In the $2 billion in the incentive grants there are dates for respective grades to meet these plans, creates artificial date to meeting plans The entire state is I such deep purple, I am afraid we are moving into state that is motivated by date rather than the science Why are we putting pressure dates to pressure schools to make plans? Li I think the date illustrates the urgency of the matter; I think this is point of conversation We have been open with school districts to clarify plan, need to be more conversations McCarty Add on to the money for electric vehicle program, this is great use of one-time money If we want to address climate change and wildfires, we need to address mobile sources from cars Addiction and homelessness require long term expenditures Appropriate to take look at the state workers who took cuts last year Top priority to get students back to school in safe manner y school districts, not sure if $2 billion is the right number, will this make someone act or no May be some school districts who do nothing, I would like to revisit a requirement in smaller cohorts to require we get some instruction Rate reform, many of these programs on the bubble Lastly, I want to know the EC, glad to prioritize transitional kindergarten cuts last year Pleased to hear focus on financial aid significantly Rubio Conversations with super intendents, how long were the conversations? Holms So, I can speak to those meetings I have been a part of, we speak to many superintendents Many have been an hour and two hours Rubio I am talking about proposals Holms The administration has spoken with the superintendents For long time we received feedback from superintendents, but others from clarity around testing, the proposal provides that also Rubio Did you provide draft of proposal prior to release? Holms No part of the specific conversation, I know at the least they were discussed over zoom and calls, not sure about paper Rubio I have eleven school districts in my district, we had conversation with LA County caucus, and the LA Super intendent said there was a 15-minute conversation They were not part of the process me When the LA delegation is frustrated, the info they are getting is not sufficient to having a plan Please have detailed answers to be able to return with answers to my constituents The purpose of these hearings is to have a dialogue to take information back to our districts to How do I better ask questions? Li The Trailer bill is out for the $2 billion and we appreciate the discussions with you Valladares early child education and resources we are providing to domestic violence victims Missing prioritizing millions affected by power shut offs Why does this budget not include funding to equipped local government with tools they need for PSP events? This issue has particularly hit my district hard There have been dozens of PSPS events in November In our cities the sun goes down early, people are crossing dark streets as they head home for work Why is there insufficient funding for our local governments to address this DOF There are a lot of things that we can include in this budget This is the starting point of the conversation Valladares Why was the decision to cut the funding? Li Will need to get back to you Valladares There are some good provisions for early childhood care The proposal provides too little in immediate assistance to parents and providers rd of the childcare industry We cannot miss the step to making our workforce has the quality education Where is the relief for essential childcare providers? What allocations are made for middle class working families? Li We are expecting about a billion $ from the federal government for childcare DOF The budget also includes 55 million in provider COVID-19 support We have significant resources on the pre-k side The 55 million is really focused on the provider side of things The resources from three and earlier would come out of the cannabis funding slots In October an additional 110 million was given to providers Valladares What resources in the budget are being allocated to domestic violence and rape crisis centers? What resources are in there? DOF This is an area where we have adult protective services to respond to urgent and critical needs In the CalWORKs program we have homeless assistance for emergency needs We made investments in the mental health proposal Those are some of the core programs in that area FEED CUT Bennett We need a steadier and more sustainable cap and trade funding source Ting Can you expand around the school opening proposal you had concerns around the timelines that were set and how the tax proposal could be more targeted? LAO The school districts would have to have a plan completed and a collective bargaining agreement st by Feb 1 Very short window to review that and then begin within two weeks Testing is the biggest change; districts would need to make sure they have funding and a plan for that We have some concerns about the capacity for the state and local health departments if the school districts are trying to do this at the same time Ting What did you think about the letter from the large districts? LAO I have a different understanding of the proposal than what was expressed in the letter Read as they would have access to funding Hard to assess fiscal cost without knowing the testing guidance Also, logistically can districts ensure they can get that many tests done in the time that is required On the Golden State Stimulus checks One group that has been excluded are those that filed under the ITIN process We would have you consider targeting this stimulus more toward those taxpayers that have not benefitted from the federal stimulus We are cognizant of the short timeline, so we hope to be working with your staff to improve the proposal and offer come alternatives Ting Back to the school reopening proposal Can you talk about the mindset of doing an incentive/grant-based program? Concerned about the timeline and districts that are not open taking advantage of the grant Li The important aspect is to have that open conversation This is a negotiation DOF It is going to work different for every LEA For folks who are in counties that have rates above 28 per 100,000 there is benefits for them Part of the rollout is trying to make sure that schools know how to be safe even when we have relatively high transmission rates The timing is actually doable for many LEAs We have two application dates because for some LEAs it is going to be hard to meet that February deadline We focused on trying to utilize as much of what we have of the remaining part of the school year In order for us to provide in-person instruction we need to start now We feel that this proposal has a lot of positives for everyone Ting DOF In addition to the proposed funds the important pieces are the new Health and Safety Guidance The new guidance is to provide trust that the school is reopening safely We have technical assistance to help LEAs who have barriers to things like testing We have multiple pillars to help break down those barriers The new guidelines will be out this week Ting My districts have been waiting for more specific guidance Will that be more directive? DOF Hard to speak to individual pieces of the guidance Testing cadences is very specific, so some aspects are quite specific Ting Why make districts that are strapped for time why make them apply rather than giving them the money DOF The application is very simple They just have to provide a copy of their school safety program and their collective bargaining Ting Whenever we hear something is a simple process, we find that is really the case Can you walk us through the small business appropriation? Li Those grants are only now being released Will be important to hear the feedback DOF any data available to know how we would pivot moving forward We do expect that data to come in in the coming weeks Ting Perhaps there is a way to have greater tiering for companies or organizations to have a certain high percentage of income loss There is a question whether or not the 25,000 grants would be increased, meant to tide people over for a couple months On CDCR Two of the highest institutions of COVID that the is under state authority and responsibility were around skilled nursing facilities and state prisons What precaution are being taken Li The spread in prisons is significant DOF The department has done quite a bit Temp tent facilities to allow physical distancing Implemented staff and inmate testing been a number of population reduction numbers that have been implemented Will need to get back to you on the specifics on the testing procedures to be sure Ting I know the Sec. in our last hearing emailed out guidelines Is there greater adherence to the guidelines? DOF Have to get back to you on that Ting In terms of the spread How is the containment going within the facilities? DOF Think the numbers are up from where they were at the beginning of the pandemic They are vigilant and realize they are still in an emergency state Ting Around skilled nursing facilities How is the strike team doing and are they able to limit the spread within those facilities? DOF Will need to follow up with details Ting All 80 of our offices have been inundated with phone calls about EDD The new identification software will take 3-4 weeks to identify people Some of these people have already had their identities verified EDD needs to provide real time information How do we rectify this communication issue? We believe that EDD should be handling these cases directly whereas Li I was not aware of the issue with the identification application More needs to happen, not an excuse Commit to maintaining the conversation Ting Again, it is very challenging to how much impossible to constantly address the latest EDD issue I have a standing request for three weeks with the Sec. for EDD to meet with BofA to fix the issue, they keep blaming the other We as a state have complete control of this agency and need to do everything possible to right that ship We need to see significant correction from the department Plan to have over 30 subcommittee hearings over the next 10 weeks Public Comment Richard The biggest fear I see is the fear of COVID There is no money that is being spent on therapeutics County Health Executives Association of CA Local health departments have huge funding needs They are actively working to ramp up vaccination sites The cost associated with these activities have not had enough assistance from the state Critical to reinvest in our public health infrastructure e3ven beyond the pandemic CSAC Appreciate the January budget The 1 million for wildfire prevention and the investment to address homelessness We are disappointed in the funding for public health and broadband Planned Parenthood Encouraged that the budget notes the need for ongoing telehealth needs for Medi-Cal Eager to see which flexibilities are included Looking for the investments to include equitable access to healthcare CA Council of the Blind Urge you to consider the needs of disabled and the blind in particular When setting up emergency projects like Roomkey The needs of blind people who do not drive or cannot read print are being overlooked across the board That needs to be addressed now The stimulus for the lowest income, under $35,000 should be made available to those of us receiving SSI/SDI National Association of Social Workers We want SSI/SDI recipients included in the Golden State Stimulus It is one program that did not recover from the last recession American Farmland Trust Appreciate the funding for critical climate smart agriculture LA County Office of Education We request eliminating all remaining deferrals Appreciate the provisions in the safe schools for all programs These purple districts need the resources to open once the guidelines are met Aviana Healthcare Appreciate the Prop 56 portion of the proposal AIDS Healthcare Foundation Appreciate passing through the money the federal government has provided for rental assistance But that is not at the level that is needed Need to be prepared to step up with substantially more CA Association for Bilingual Education English learners are not specifically called out as a group to be provided in-person instruction Worker Owned Recovery CA Appreciate you asking DOF questions whether the additional small business relief will be targeted and will be equitable We think worker ownership, where workers buy the business from the owner will help prevent sales to large businesses from out of state XXXX You need to consider the SSI/SSID with the stimulus Health services need to be better Californians Together Requesting that English learners be included in the students that must be prioritized for in- person instruction We request that the data on engagement be disaggregated so we know how this is impacting our most vulnerable students Appreciate the prioritization of the economic needs of families and early childhood development The support for student mental needs CA Council of Community Behavioral Health Agencies Appreciate the assistance for behavioral health XXXX We like the proposal Has one major shortcoming Half a million children on CalWORKs program have been left out Money is being stolen from the CalWORKs program and being shifted to the general fund Dr. Ghaly Update, January 12, 2021 Dr. Ghaly 36,487 cases Jan 12 42,136 7-day average 337,856 tests and slightly reduced 14-day positivity rate at 13.5% Both the 7 and 14-day positivity rate is at 13.5% We are having a lower rate of rising which is good news Hospitalizations have increased 5.5% over last 14 days ICUs have increased 10.6% over last 14-days currently 4,854 Rate of new covid hospital admissions declining from 3,500 per day to 2,500 per day over last two days The death numbers are very serious The state has taken steps to support counties and regions most impacted by surge in hospitalizations LA County has been particularly impacted Ambulance traffic is being redirected to hospitals with capacity Since 12/31, state has worked with LA county to discharge over 400 patients to lower and more appropriate levels of care Deploying more than 2k medical professionals across the state Will deploy an additional 1k+ medical professionals in the days ahead Stood up alternate care sites to care for less critically ill patients So far we have stood up 10 residential alternate care sites to support older vulnerable Californians in assisted living facilities Now more than ever, every Californians actions can make a difference in getting us all through this time The best thing each of us can do is: o Stay home o Only go out for essentials needs and work o Wear a mask whenever outside your home o Do not gather with those outside your household If you give covid an inch, it will take a mile We know people are tired and that this is exhausting but there is still more we need to do The goal of 1 million more vaccines by this weekend All hands on deck effort to administer to healthcare workers and those in long-term care settings as quickly and safely as possible Special efforts to vaccinate the vaccinators Large scale vaccination efforts this week will focus on the highest priority individuals Last week Gov asked for Federal Government to release millions of vaccines in storage so we can vaccinate more priority groups Gov has directed the Drafting Guidelines Working Group and Community Vaccine Advisory Committee to meet later today to evaluate new federal guidance Next steps include the opening of large-scale vaccination sites, including: o Dodgers Stadium o Petco Park o Cal Expo o Disneyland Regional Stay at Home Order o The order required that region stay in for at least 3 weeks o The trigger to come into the order was lower than 15% ICU capacity o Order currently remains: Bay Area Greater Sacramento San Joaquin Valley Southern CA We are actively calculating data from last 24 hours and will update you if any of these regions come out of the stay at home order Counties moving from Purple to Red: o Trinity Counties moving back from Red to Purple: o Humboldt Today: o Purple: 54 o Red: 3 o Orange: 1 o Yellow: 0 We have a health equity measure that allows us to work with counties and focus on communities that have had a disproportionate impact Humboldt county is in part of the state with the significant transmission so it is not a surprise that they are moving back to Purple If counties emerge from stat at home order, they will go to their appropriate tier We put the Regional Stay at Home order a month ago As the rate of transmission gets stronger, we will too We are hopeful that the hospitalizations in the middle of this month are less than we expect due to the regional stay at home order CalMatters State has a large over 65 population, will vaccines be opened to all seniors? Dr. Ghaly In some ways, having more vaccines in the state will make distribution easier We will be coming to you soon with some guidance and direction LA Times When will you expect new guidance to be implemented? When will it roll out? How soon will people be receiving these vaccinations? For left over vaccinations how far does that flexibility go? Dr. Ghaly We are looking at the new guidance from the federal government today and hope to have guidance on how that impacts us at the state level within the next 24 ours The first step is to have our teams go through the guidance and determine how it relates to us We should not waste vaccine AP Do we think having vaccine supercenters will help solve problems and speed us up to net tier? Do you anticipate schools will be open within Bidens timeline? Dr. Ghaly Our hope is that even in the smallest vaccination sites that there is no waste We do not want to waste vaccine, we realize it is a scarce resource We yet have a vaccine for our youngest citizens Vaccines are one tool, but not the only tool how this plays out in schools will be something we continue to work on Bloomberg News Do we have people getting second doses? If so, how many? Will this be added to updates? Dr. Ghaly A little over 99k, and yes this is the info we will continue to make public SF Chron Why are we seeing other states seemingly vaccinate faster and more efficiently? What are we doing differently? Dr. Ghaly Our focus on fairness and equity has slowed us down in getting the vaccine out the door compared to others ABC 7 News, SF Following up on directive out of LA County telling people to wear a mask in their homes around those they live with. Thoughts? Dr. Ghaly It is a balance We know a great deal of transmission happens at home The same rules that protect you in your workplace can protect you at home It is prudent and makes a lot of sense from a scientific perspective It makes a lot of sense to do this in areas where transmission is significant STAT Are you having discussions about contingency plans if a more transmittable version of the virus takes off there and what would that look like on top of what you have now? Dr. Ghaly Absolutely have been worried about it We have 38 cases Trying to determine if it is anywhere else The B117 variant is of particular concern It is the same strategy we need to be focused on our behavior LA Times In LA County there is an expectation we will see post-holiday surge this week-is it too early to know? Can you say why you think it was so bad after a better spring and summer? Dr. Ghaly th Today we are on the 12 day out which is when you start seeing hospitalizations from the 12/31 holiday Even though this week has been encouraging, we do expect to see a bump up in numbers in the second half of January San Diego Union Tribune Waivers for pharmacists with expired vaccination certificates heard the stat is considering a waiver so they can help? If so, when might that happen? Dr. Ghaly I will have to get back to you on that, I am not sure where we are in that process This is one of many things on the table being considered Thank you all for bearing with us My heart and thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones We look forward to keeping you updated