• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California), and U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Los Angeles) announced a bicameral affordable housing bill—the Housing for All Act—that will invest in new affordable housing options and help Californians experiencing homelessness, according to a Feb. 25 press release. The bill includes Carbajal’s bipartisan Naomi Schwartz Safe Parking Program, which was introduced to support establishment and expansion of safe parking programs. “I am thrilled that my bill, the Naomi Schwartz Safe Parking Program Act, is advancing in the U.S. Senate as a part of Sen. Alex Padilla’s Housing for All Act. This comprehensive legislation package will help us address the core issues of homelessness and affordable housing in California and across the nation,” Carbajal said in a statement. “I’m proud to join Rep. Ted Lieu to introduce this legislation in the House. It will be another step toward our goal of ensuring every American has a roof over their head.” This legislation would invest $532 billion over the next 10 years to fund new housing units, rental assistance, safe parking programs, hotel and motel conversions, and eviction protection grants. “This legislation is an opportunity to invest and align resources in expanding affordable housing and strengthening proven solutions,” Sen. Padilla said in a statement. “Affordable housing is essential infrastructure, and that’s why I am proud to introduce the Housing for All Act of 2022 to ensure that every person has a place to call home.”
• Gov. Gavin Newsom announced California schools will no longer have indoor mask requirements, according to a Feb. 28 statement. Starting March 1, masks will no longer be required for unvaccinated individuals, but will be strongly recommended for all individuals in most indoor settings. Masks will still be required for everyone in high transmission settings like public transit, emergency shelters, health care facilities, correctional buildings, homeless shelters, and long-term care facilities. As always, local jurisdictions may have additional requirements beyond the state guidance. “California continues to adjust our policies based on the latest data and science, applying what we’ve learned over the past two years to guide our response to the pandemic,” Newsom said in a statement. “Masks are an effective tool to minimize spread of the virus and future variants, especially when transmission rates are high. We cannot predict the future of the virus, but we are better prepared for it and will continue to take measures rooted in science to keep California moving forward.” Ending the school mask mandate is a part of the state’s continued phased rollback of executive orders implemented during the pandemic.
• Santa Barbara County—in partnership with the California Office of the Small Business Advocate and the Santa Barbara Foundation—announced the Microbusiness COVID-19 Relief Grant Program with emphasis on microbusiness grants, according to a Feb. 24 press release. Eligible microbusinesses that were adversely impacted by the pandemic may apply for up to $2,500 in funding. The money comes from the California Microbusiness COVID-19 Relief Grant Program, and Santa Barbara County has $500,000 total in available relief funds. “The pandemic has been especially hard on very small businesses that often operate without much cushion,” 3rd District Supervisor Joan Hartmann said in a statement. “These microbusiness grants may serve as a lifeline to reestablishing reserves or as a means to invest in people, materials, or new ways of doing business. The grants offer another important resource to help businesses bounce back from the pandemic. We hope that many entrepreneurs will take advantage of this opportunity; microbusinesses contribute significantly to the economic well-being of our entire county.” Applications will be processed on a first-come, first-serve basis. If interest persists and funds are still available, the timeline may be extended.
This article appears in Mar 3-10, 2022.
