• Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Jan. 14 the launch of additional measures for his Safe Schools for All Plan, which was first released on Dec. 30 as “California’s framework to support schools to continue operating safely in-person and to expand the number of schools safely resuming in-person instruction,” his office said at the time. The additional measures focus on transparency, accountability, and assistance, according to a statement, as well as an online hub. The website, schools.covid19.ca.gov, was launched as “a one-stop shop” for information returns to in-person instruction. “Learning is non-negotiable, and getting our kids and staff back into the classroom safely will help us continue turning the corner on this pandemic,” Newsom said in the statement. “With proposed new funding and ongoing conversations with districts, school employees, stakeholders, and the Legislature, we remain committed to our Safe Schools for All Plan and helping all students—with a focus on those in disproportionately impacted communities—get the help they need to return to in-person instruction.” The Safe Schools for All Plan is built on four pillars: funding, safety and mitigation, oversight and assistance, and transparency and accountability. “Schools should reopen safely according to a phased-in approach that prioritizes our youngest students and students disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, including students with disabilities,” the statement said. The new measures include “a historic level of funding for schools” in the governor’s 2021-22 proposed state budget, updated guidance for schools from the California Department of Public Health, a State Safe Schools Team that will provide oversight and assistance, and “an interactive GIS [geographic information system] map that will be launched on the Safe Schools for All Hub in the coming weeks.”
• On Jan. 12, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), along with Reps. Jimmy Panetta, Jim Costa, Dan Newhouse, Doug LaMalfa, and Fred Upton led a bipartisan letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) “urging them to allocate specific funding to protect our nation’s essential agricultural workers as the department works to implement agricultural provisions from H.R. 133—the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021,” a statement said. “The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 directed the secretary of agriculture to use at least $1.5 billion to purchase and distribute agricultural products and to provide grants and loans to protect agricultural workers from COVID-19.” According to the statement, on Jan. 4 the USDA announced plans to spend $1.5 billion on the Farmers to Families Food Box Program, but it did not commit to funding agricultural worker safety. The representatives are now asking the USDA to prioritize funding specifically for agricultural worker safety. “Growers, ranchers, and vintners in my district want to protect their essential workers from the virus, but they need our help. Agriculture workers are at an elevated risk of contracting COVID-19, which is why I worked hard to ensure they are protected in the latest COVID-19 relief package. I urge the agriculture secretary to move quickly to protect our workers, food supply chain, and public health from COVID-19,” Carbajal said in the statement.
• State Sen. Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) wrote in a Jan. 11 Facebook post that her Assembly Bill 1864, which passed in 2020, can be implemented now that it’s 2021. “This bill provides California the ability to investigate and prosecute previously unregulated financial products and services, including debt collectors, credit repair companies, consumer credit reporting agencies, debt relief companies, rent-to-own contractors, and private school financing companies,” Limón said. “This work comes at the right time as the COVID-19 pandemic continues affecting many Californians that may have to use financial services to remain afloat.”
This article appears in Jan 21-28, 2021.