Governor Newsom Thanks Legislature for Partnership in Providing Critical Support for Californians Amid Crises 

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SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom issued the below statement following the end of the 2020 legislative session:

“Even in the midst of a global pandemic and subsequent economic recession, historic wildfires, and the pain of persistent and systemic racism, state government came together this year to advance critical priorities that will help the people of this great state. I want to thank the Legislature for their important work and partnership this year.

“Faced with the uncertainty of a quickly expanding pandemic, California together moved quickly to protect those who are most vulnerable from a new, deadly disease and expanded the state’s public health infrastructure.

“Building off our work last year protecting tenants from unfair rent increases and evictions, together we crafted and passed the strongest statewide protections in the nation for tenants who weren’t able to pay their rent because of COVID-19.

“Even during this global health crisis, California didn’t take its eye off a foundational challenge – our state’s housing crisis. We harnessed the urgency of the coronavirus pandemic to get more than 22,000 vulnerable individuals experiencing homelessness off the street through Project Roomkey. And we prioritized funding to make thousands of those new units permanent.

“Even now, as we continue our emergency response against the virus, California is sowing the seeds for our future economic recovery – offering tax relief to small businesses and accelerating bonds to help stimulate growth.

“The Legislature also passed several bills protecting those who work on the front lines of the pandemic – from expanding paid leave and employer notifications to establishing new worker compensation protections and stronger enforcement tools to keep workplaces safe. This legislation helps ensure that we have the right policies in place to safely reopen and protect workers and their families.

“In the midst of an unprecedented drop in revenue, the Legislature came together to pass a budget that funded key priorities – protecting key investments in wildfire protection and disaster response and targeting more than $5 billion in emergency aid to help kids most at risk of learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That balanced budget still carried forward a number of other priorities to help Californian families – such as the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit, expanded health care coverage and small business relief.

“And California made meaningful progress in ensuring our utilities are accountable for their safety performance and creating a safe and reliable energy future.

“There’s still much work to be done to address the challenges families face and the crises that demand our attention. I look forward to continuing this work with the Legislature as we together work to face our current challenges and build a brighter future.”

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