• Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Aug. 26 that the state signed a contract with PerkinElmer, a major diagnostics company, to allow California to process up to 150,000 additional COVID-19 tests a day, with a results turnaround time of 24 to 48 hours. The state’s goal is to begin processing tests in a new laboratory facility by Nov. 1 and run at full capacity by March 1, 2021, at the latest. “This first-of-its-kind agreement aims to disrupt the testing marketplace, help break supply-chain logjams and drive down the costs for tests for every Californian,” according to Newsom’s office. The per-test cost would be about $31. “To support this contract at the lowest cost to taxpayers, the state will enter into a contract for third-party billing services to recoup costs from health insurance companies or other payers,” the governor’s office stated. Then on Aug. 28, Newsom announced that he signed an executive order to help the state build out its laboratory capabilities. The order will “expedite efforts by the Department of General Services and the Department of Public Health to establish and operate up to three sites for use as laboratories to increase the state’s COVID-19 testing capacity,” according to Newsom’s office
• State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson’s (D-Santa Barbara) Senate Bill 493, which ensures that California schools provide a transparent and fair process for all students involved in a sexual assault allegation, passed the state Assembly on Aug. 30, representatives from Jackson’s office announced. The bill is a direct response to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ rollback of Title IX protections for student survivors of sexual assault on college campuses. Jackson’s new bill will require state-funded colleges and universities “to adopt common-sense processes that ensure a fair, transparent, consistent response to reports of sexual violence,” Jackson’s office stated. This includes making it easier for students to report sexual harassment and violence, requiring that schools respond to off-campus incidents that could interfere with a student’s access to education, and prohibiting “courtroom-style direct cross-examination of survivors by their assailants or their attorneys.” It would also require adequate training for school officials involved. “Studies show at least 1 in 5 U.S. women, 1 in 8 men, and 1 in 4 trans or gender non-conforming students survive sexual assault as undergraduates,” according to the senator’s office.
• Gov. Gavin Newsom, state Senate President Pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego), and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) announced on Aug. 28 that they reached an agreement on Assembly Bill 3088, an eviction protection bill. Co-authored by Assemblymembers David Chiu (D-San Francisco) and Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara), and state Sens. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) and Anna Caballero (D-Salinas), the bill will protect tenants and small-property owners from the economic impacts of COVID-19, according to Newsom’s office. “Struggling renters need protection from evictions for missed rent, and property owners need relief from foreclosure. Our agreement today provides both,” Newsom said in a media release. The agreement protects California renters with pandemic-related economic hardships by disallowing eviction until Jan. 31, 2021, “so long as the tenant makes certain declarations and partial payments going forward,” the release stated. “Tenants are still responsible for repaying unpaid rent eventually, but it can never be the basis of an eviction.” The agreement also protects small-property owners from foreclosures with new “accountability and transparency protections.” This includes expanding the Homeowner Bill of Rights to cover all properties from single-family homes up to four units owned by landlords, the release stated. “These new laws will provide immediate protection for millions of struggling Californians worried about keeping a roof over their heads or making next month’s mortgage payments,” Newsom added in the statement.
This article appears in Sep 3-10, 2020.