Gov. Gavin Newsom removes his face mask before presenting his budget proposal in Sacramento on Jan. 8, 2021. Photo by Rich Pedroncelli, AP/Pool
Lawmakers return to Sacramento today to kick off a new legislative session — but time is already running out to respond to some of the pandemic’s most pressing issues.
Around 2 million Californians could lose their homes on Feb. 1 if lawmakers don’t extend the state’s eviction moratorium. A similar number of people currently can’t access their unemployment benefits due to a massive claim backlog and apparently ill-targeted anti-fraud measures. Meanwhile, the vast majority of California’s 6.1 million K-12 students haven’t been inside a classroom in 10 months.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, who proposed a record-breaking $227 billion budget on Friday, wants lawmakers to immediately act on a few key proposals that can’t wait until June, when a final budget will be approved after months of negotiation. They include:
- Extending the eviction moratorium and distributing $2.6 billion in federal funds for low-income renters and small landlords.
- Approving $2.4 billion to send $600 stimulus checks to 4 million low-income workers, including undocumented immigrants who pay taxes.
- Approving a $2 billion plan that would incentivize schools to reopen campuses.
- Approving $575 million in small-business grants.
- Approving $250 million to help build permanently affordable housing.
- Approving $70 million in small-business fee relief.
Other issues likely to dominate the legislative session include increasing housing production and decertifying bad cops — bills on both topics failed last year — expanding broadband access, revamping the unemployment department and banning fracking.
But the ultimate test for both Newsom and lawmakers will be school reopenings, CalMatters’ Laurel Rosenhall reports. Teachers unions have already opposed a Democratic bill that would force schools to reopen when infection rates drop, and when Newsom hinted Friday that the state might intervene if unions and schools boards can’t agree on a reopening plan, the pushback was swift.
- Jeff Freitas, president of the California Federation of Teachers: “We are in the middle of a devastating COVID-19 surge, and any discussion of returning to in-person instruction is premature.”
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The coronavirus bottom line: As of Sunday, California had 2,670,962 confirmed cases (+1.9% from previous day) and 29,701 deaths (+1.6% from previous day), according to a CalMatters tracker.
CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.
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