• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) released a statement on May 15 following the House of Representatives passing a COVID-19 relief bill titled The Heroes Act or House Resolution 6800. This is a follow-up to a relief bill signed in late March that provided many U.S. residents and businesses with financial relief assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a news release from Carbajal’s office, this proposed bill includes another round of direct payments to families, as well as $10 billion to a grant program designed to help small businesses experiencing hardship. “The Heroes Act provides more federal assistance to those who need it most: families, frontline essential workers, small businesses, and state and local governments,” Carbajal said in a news release from his office. The bill went to the Senate on May 20.
• On May 21, Santa Barbara County officials announced that the California Department of Public Health approved the county’s request to accelerate its reopening pace for the closures initiated in the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Restaurants, retail stores, shopping malls, some offices, schools, and child care centers can reopen with some modifications. “This is an exciting next step for our entire community, and we are thankful for the diligent cooperation of residents,” Public Health Department Director Van Do-Reynoso said in a news release from the county. “As local businesses work through reopening we encourage them to adhere to physical-distancing and hygiene guidelines while educating both staff and customers of new practices.” The county can only move into the next phase of reopening when Gov. Gavin Newsom announces it’s OK to do so. This next phase includes businesses such as hair and nail salons, gyms, and churches.
• State Assmeblymember Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) announced on Facebook on May 21 that he and some of his colleagues sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom requesting that personal care services, fitness studios, gyms, and other recreational facilities be allowed to reopen. These businesses, among many others, have been closed for the past two months as part of the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The state has allowed some businesses to begin reopening in recent weeks, however, the businesses included in Cunningham’s letter are slated to be part of the state’s next reopening phase. In his Facebook post, Cunningham said that his office had heard from numerous hair stylists, barbers, and salon owners who have been forced to shut down their businesses as a result of the lengthy closure. “These folks are hurting, and we need to get them back to work in compliance with the medical guidance,” Cunningham said in the post.
• On May 14, Gov. Gavin Newsom submitted his revised budget proposal to the state Legislature, which takes into account the financial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a news release from the governor’s office, this budget proposal includes cuts to close a $54 billion gap in funding attributable to the pandemic. “COVID-19 has caused California and economies across the country to confront a steep and unprecedented economic crisis—facing massive job losses and revenue shortfalls,” Newsom said in the release. “Our budget today reflects that emergency. We are proposing a budget to fund our most essential priorities—public health, public safety, and public education—and to support workers and small businesses as we restart our economy.”
