COVID-19 State Policy Update 04.10.20

Yesterday, Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) issued a statement to announce COVID-19 hearings next week.  “We strongly believe the Governor and his team are working diligently on the behalf of Californians, but we promised the people of California we would provide this oversight when we passed emergency COVID-19 funding in March,” Atkins and Rendon said.

Subsequently, Senate President pro Tempore Atkins announced that the newly-created Senate subcommittee will hold a hearing on Thursday, April 16th.  The subcommittee is set to review of the state’s COVID-19 spending, including spending authorized by the Legislature in March.   The Department of Finance (DOF) and Legislative Analyst’s Office also will participate in the hearing.

Recall, on April 7th, the Department of Finance (DOF) letter sent to lawmakers regarding spending on personal protective equipment (PPE).  The state plans to spend $990 million N-95 and surgical masks.   In response, yesterday, Senator Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), as Chair of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC), sent a letter to Director of the California Department of Finance (DOF) Keely Martin Bosler.  The letter asks for additional details of the contract Newsom is executing to purchase 200 million masks per month.  Details requested include, among other things, what performance standards would be used for the manufacturer of the masks, the price per mask, and production and delivery timelines.  A copy of the JLBC letter can be found here.  

In a Los Angeles Times article on the issue, Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), chair of the Assembly’s budget committee, offered the following:   “We’re getting very little information.  We have great trust and faith in the governor, but we also have a job to do to ensure that every dollar he’s spending can stand up to scrutiny.”

Lastly, on the legislative front, today Senator Atkins sent a letter to Senate Policy Committee Chairs, stating “upon our return, it is imperative that we are ready to take the necessary deep dive to solve problems related to the well-being of all Californians.” The pro Tem formally asking that members “reconsider their priorities and reduce the number of bills they carry accordingly.”

Today, Friday April 10, Governor Gavin Newsom held his roughly hour-long daily briefing to provide an update on the state’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak.  He opened by addressing California’s COVID-19 modeling, as well as mobility data that is being collected.   

Dr. Mark Ghaly, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HSS), provided additional details by using visual slides complete with charts.   His and the Governor’s messaging is clear – the stay-at-home orders and physical distancing efforts are working.  However, both continue to repeat that the positive trends could change if California loses focus.  In terms of when these orders may be lifted, Governor Newsom said, “We have some detailed plans that we are very close to making public.”

The Governor also provided an update on efforts for seniors with a focus on skilled nursing facilities, said that the state is now monitoring 191 of the 1,224 skilled nursing facilities in California due to COVID-19 cases or concerns.  Guidelines on this issue are forthcoming.  Additionally, Governor Newsom announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will step in to help provide meals to seniors at home who need help.  “We are able now to partner with restaurants and begin to procure 3 meals a day of nutritious food,” he said of the new effort. He also mentioned the work of Steph Curry, of the Golden State Warriors, and his wife Ayesha and all their efforts to provide meals to the community and their with FEMA.

Consistent with past briefings, the Governor provided the latest COVID-19 hospitalization and intensive care unit (ICU) patient figures.  The number of coronavirus hospitalizations is now 2,897.  The number of coronavirus patients in ICU beds is 1,145, a 1.1 percent increase from the previous day.  There was a decrease yesterday of 1.9 percent.

During the Q&A, Governon Newsom was asked about plans if a natural disaster happens that requires a power shutoff.  In response, he said, “We have the best and the brightest at Office of Emergency Services. All of that planning continues. We have National Guard focusing on vegetation management in anticipation of the fire season.”  On this question, he continued, “All this work we did on PG&E and the bankruptcy was predicated on a safety-first culture to substantially increase their public safety efforts and do so before June 30th, if indeed they are going to emerge from bankruptcy.  We’re monitoring…”

Yesterday, April 9th, following the daily briefing,  the Governor’s office issued a press release with the details of the state’s new program to provide doctors, nurses and other critical front-line health care workers access to no-cost or low-cost hotel rooms.  The press release mentioned a partnership with United Airlines, which will provide free, round-trip flights for volunteer medical professionals from across California and the country who join the state’s health care workforce.  A copy of the Governor’s press release can be found here.

Also on April 9th, the Governor announced that starting this Sunday, California workers who are receiving unemployment benefits will begin receiving an extra $600 on top of their weekly amount, as part of the new Pandemic Additional Compensation (PAC) initiated by the CARES Act. In the last four weeks, California has processed about 2.3 million unemployment insurance claims, which is more than the total number of claims filed in 2019.  A copy of the Governor’s Press release can be found here

The Governor also signed an executive order (EO) to address upcoming local elections.  Three local special elections that have been scheduled for May and June will be held as all-mail ballot elections.  A copy of the Governor’s executive order can be found here and the text of the order can be found here.  A copy of the Governor’s press release can be found here.

Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has urged insurance companies to extend auto insurance coverage for drivers who are using their personal vehicles to fulfill deliveries for California’s essential businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.   Under today’s Notice, insurance companies should not deny a claim under a personal auto policy solely because the driver was providing delivery service on behalf of a California essential business impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The Notice applies to 16 categories of “essential critical infrastructure workers” identified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 19th, including those who deliver food, medication, and other essential goods.  A copy of the Notice can be found here.   A copy of the Department of Insurance (DOI) press release can be found here

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced the most recent statistics on COVID-19 – there are a total of 18,309 confirmed positive cases and 492 deaths in California.  As of April 8th, local health departments have reported 1,803 confirmed positive cases in health care workers: this includes on-the-job exposures, and other exposures, such as travel and close family contact.  More information regarding the most recent COVID-19 statistics can be found here.

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