In this Issue
Top Headlines
Regional Reopening Parameters Announced
Governor Signs Executive Orders on Property Tax and Workers’ Compensation
Federal Updates
Update From Washington, D.C.
More Federal Help for Seniors
Treasury Updates Coronavirus Relief Fund Guidance
Help NACo Tell The County Story
CSAC News
Recognizing County Service
Policy Reports
California Tightens Its Belt
Appeal Court Decision on $0 Bail
HHS Updates
Governor Signs Executive Order on Marriages
HCD Funding Opportunities and Upcoming Housing and Land Use Webinars
Assembly Returns to Session; COVID-19 Informational Hearings
CalPERS Releases New COVID-19 FAQs
RAND Issues COVID-19 State Policy Evaluation Tool
Meetings, Webinars,Training etc.
Do You Know? San Luis Obispo County
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Regional Reopening Parameters Announced
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Governor Gavin Newsom announced impending strict guidance for any county wishing to accelerate through Stage 2 of the Governor’s Resilience Roadmap. The Governor assumes roughly two-week chunks of time for each phase if COVID-19 spread and deaths are flat or declining. The Governor also indicated that he could modify the statewide stay-at-home order to allow lower-risk retailers to open with safety precautions as early as tomorrow. A full memo regarding the Variance Criteria is available here. For counties that wish to accelerate through Stage 2, the following parameters are part of the guidance.
Process for Developing Acceleration Plans
- County Health Officer must review criteria and identify areas of need and discuss with CDPH to obtain resources
- Complete form of yes/no answers and descriptions
- Health Officer attests to the veracity of plan
- Board of Supervisors must submit letter of support for plan
- Local and/or regional hospitals and health systems must submit letter(s) of support for the plan
- Plans reviewed by CDPH and posted online
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Governor Signs Executive Orders on Property Tax and Workers’ Compensation
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Governor Newsom yesterday signed an Executive Order to allow county officials to waive penalties for property taxes delinquent due to financial hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The order is effective through May 6, 2021, and applies to property taxes that become delinquent between March 4, 2020, and March 6, 2021. CSAC requested this Executive Order to ensure county officials had clarity on this authority for property owners who were not able to pay by the April 10 deadline. A Coalition of County leaders, including CSAC, California Association of County Treasurers and Tax Collectors, the Rural County Representatives of California and the Urban Counties of California issued a response in support of the action.
Also yesterday, Governor Newsom signed an Executive Order to provide workers’ compensation benefits to employees who contract COVID-19. The benefit is a rebuttable presumption that requires a positive test, or a diagnosis followed by a positive test. It applies to any worker who was directed to work outside the home between March 19 and July 5, and who began showing symptoms within 14 days of doing so.
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Update From Washington, D.C.
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Democrats Set to Unveil New COVID-19 Relief Bill; Senate Panel Unanimously Approves Bipartisan Water Infrastructure Legislation
In the coming days, House Democrats are expected to unveil their proposal for the next phase of federal coronavirus relief. The forthcoming package – which they have dubbed “CARES 2” – is expected to rival the size of the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (PL 116-136).
In an extremely positive development for California’s counties, House Democratic leaders have indicated that the bill will include provisions designed to provide direct federal aid to all counties, with funds awarded on the basis of population. The legislation also will include a separate but equal fund for cities, as well as federal support for states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and tribal governments. For her part, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has called for as much as $1 trillion in assistance for states and local governments. The funding, which the speaker suggested could be used for both direct virus expenditures and revenue losses, would be available to cover expenses over a four-year timeframe.
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More Federal Help for Seniors
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On April 30, President Trump announced additional efforts to ensure the safety and well-being of America’s seniors during the coronavirus pandemic. FEMA is coordinating two shipments totaling a 14-day supply of personal protective equipment to all 15,400 Medicaid and Medicare-certified nursing homes in America. The first shipments are expected to begin next week. The shipments are meant to supplement existing state and local efforts to provide equipment to nursing homes. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is also providing states with $81 million from the CARES Act to increase their inspections of nursing homes. The Health and Human Services Agency also recently announced nearly $1 billion in grants to assist older adults and people with disabilities by allowing counties to provide services such as home delivered meals and care services in the home.
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Treasury Updates Coronavirus Relief Fund Guidance
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The US Treasury Department today added an additional item to their guidance document on eligible uses for the Coronavirus Relief Fund, the $150 billion for states and local agencies. The new item seeks to clarify rules about when the funds may be used for payroll expenses for first responders and other employees whose services are “substantially dedicated to mitigating or responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency.” We expect yet further guidance for the CRF to be issued later this week.
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Help NACo Tell The County Story
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America's 3.6 million county, parish and borough employees are on the front lines of the nation's response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Last week, NACo launched the We Are Counties campaign to help put faces on the many services counties provide, and we would be grateful for your assistance. We're encouraging California counties to participate and help NACo reach frontline county employees and encourage them to participate. By submitting a short video to NACo or uploading your own tweets and images, you can help demonstrate that talented public servants make essential services of life possible nation wide.
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Recognizing County Service
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Celebrated annually during the first week of May since 1985, Public Service Recognition Week honors those who serve our nation as federal, state, county and local government employees. As direct service providers administering many state and federal programs, California’s counties and their employees play huge roles both in our everyday lives and during emergencies like COIVD-19 when we need services the most. While unrelated, we feel that it is only apropos that Governor Newsom’s announcement to begin reopening California coincided with Public Service Recognition Week because of the incredible roles that County employees have played in the pandemic response and recovery.
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California Tightens Its Belt
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Department of Finance (DOF) sent Budget Letter BL 20-11, to a number of State Department Directors, Officers and Agency Secretaries outlining additional measures all state agencies and departments under the direct executive authority of the Governor must take immediately to reduce current year expenditures regardless of funding source. CSAC is sharing this information as an indicator of the impact COVID-19 is having on the state budget and fiscal management of state departments.
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Appeal Court Decision on $0 Bail
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A decision issued by the Fourth District Court of Appeal in Ayala, et al. v. The Superior Court of San Diego County addresses the application of the Judicial Council’s emergency rule for a $0 bail schedule. In this case, petitioners challenged the San Diego Superior Court’s implementation order as inconsistent with the Judicial Council’s emergency rule. Petitioners contended that bail for offenses and violations covered by the rule must be set at $0, and the superior court has no authority to increase bail or impose conditions in an individual case.
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Governor Signs Executive Order on Marriages
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Governor Newsom signed Executive Order N-58-20, which makes provisions to allow marriages to continue by videoconference for the next 60 days. The Order allows adults to obtain a marriage license, at the discretion of their local county clerk, through videoconferencing, as long as both adults are located within the State of California, are present, and can present identification during the video conference. The Order permits the license to then be issued via email and considers a photocopy, scan, or other electronic reproduction, to be considered legally valid for all required legal signatures. Please visit the CSAC COVID-19 resource page to access all pandemic-related Executive Orders.
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HCD Funding Opportunities and Upcoming Housing and Land Use Webinars
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Upcoming Caltrans Webinars on SB 743 Guidance Documents; Transit-Oriented Development Housing Program Guidelines and Funding Availability
Caltrans will be hosting two webinars this month to discuss the draft Transportation Analysis Framework (TAF) and the draft Transportation Analysis under CEQA (TAC). The Draft TAF assists Caltrans staff and other transportation professionals in identifying the best approach for analyzing Vehicle Miles Traveled under CEQA in various settings and for projects on the State Highway System (SHS). The Draft TAC guides Caltrans and other CEQA practitioners in making CEQA significance determinations for transportation projects on the SHS.
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Assembly Returns to Session; COVID-19 Informational Hearings
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The California Assembly returned to session today for the first time since the The California Assembly returned to session on Monday, May 4 for the first time since the Legislature adjourned on March 16, with the Senate scheduled to return next week. Along with that return came several new practices and reminders that this return to legislative business will be anything but a return to normal. Enhanced health and safety measures for the limited number of people entering the Capitol, legislators wearing face masks during hearings, testimony and public comment provided remotely, and some hearings held in the Assembly Chamber to accommodate social distancing are all set to become the new norm for legislating during the COVID-19 era. Throughout the week, the Assembly held a series of policy committee meetings, which were the first such hearings and committee bill votes since COVID-19 upended the legislative calendar. The Assembly and Senate also each held a COVID-19 related informational hearing, which are summarized below. Finally, both the Assembly and Senate have adjusted their legislative calendars and bill deadlines in response to the lengthy recess due to COVID-19.
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CalPERS Releases New COVID-19 FAQs
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The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) published a new webpage with frequently asked questions about the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the system. The questions are sorted in to the broad categories of Active Member, Retired Member and Employer, and then further broken down by topic. The answers cover a myriad of issues.
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RAND Issues COVID-19 State Policy Evaluation Tool
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In recent weeks, all levels of government have spent numerous hours discussing the health and economic impacts of COVID-19 to communities nationwide. In the midst of these necessary conversations, the RAND Corporation released a state policy evaluation tool to assist in weighing those two factors.
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Do You Know? San Luis Obispo County
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In 1772, the Mission San Luis Obispo was established here by Padre Junipero Serra and named for Saint Luis, the Bishop of Toulouse. The county’s name comes from the mission. San Luis Obispo County features beaches, coastal hills, and mountains of the Santa Lucia range, which support fishing, agriculture, and tourist activities. Strawberries and winegrapes are top agricultural products.
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Click here to see the latest county and local government job postings.
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