Assembly to Meet as a Committee of the Whole: Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D- Lakewood) announced he will convene the Assembly as a Committee of the Whole on May 26, 2020. The Committee of the Whole will meet to address the State Budget, in order that it may be passed by the statutory deadline, June 15. This would be the first time the Assembly has used the Committee of the Whole process in a quarter century. The committee will be livestreamed in high-definition on the Assembly’s website: https://www.assembly.ca.gov/todaysevents
May Revise Budget: Governor Newsom released the May Revision to the 2020-21 state budget, which presents an expenditure plan of $202.2 billion with $133.9 billion in General Fund expenditures. For comparison, this represents a 5.47% decrease from 2019-20 budget expenditures.
May Revision Letters of Support: The Assembly and Senate have begun hearing the Governor’s May Revision proposals. Letters expressing support need to be finalized and presented to the Committees. The Assembly Budget Subcommittee 4 prefers receiving letters in hard copy. JEDE is available to assist stakeholders in submitting letters.
Where to send letters in order to be included on the JEDE packet: ajed@asm.ca.gov
Deadline: Wednesday, May 20, 2020, at 5:00 pm for a list submitted prior to Assembly Budget Sub 4 hearing on Thursday, May 21.
PPP Forgiveness Application: The SBA, in consultation with the US Department of the Treasury, released the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness Application. In the announcement, SBA said it would soon be issuing regulations and guidance to further assist borrowers as they complete their applications, and to provide lenders with guidance on their responsibilities.
NEW State Contract Opportunity: The California Department of General Services released a RFI on Cal eProcure for the N95 masks, respirators, and other medical equipment. Please help get the word out about this solicitation.
Council of Development Finance Agencies and hundreds of development finance stakeholders delivered two critical messages to Congress: the next stimulus package must include a bonds title provision and must reauthorize the State Small Business Credit Initiative.
Disaster Relief for Undocumented Workers: On Monday, May 25, 2020, a new $75 million state program will help undocumented immigrants who have suffered financially due to the pandemic. The Disaster Relief Assistance for Immigrants Project provides disaster relief payments of up to $1,000 per household on a first-come, first-served basis until the state funding runs out. https://files.constantcontact.com/949abb7b101/2ffdb4c2-068b-4db6-a448-5b3e141f01fc.pdf
New Data from 2018 Annual Business Survey: The US Census Bureau released new statistics on women-owned employer firms from the 2018 Annual Business Survey (ABS). Estimates show that in 2017 women owned 1.1 million employer firms. The sectors with the most women-owned businesses included the health care and social assistance industry with 16.9% (192,159); professional, scientific, and technical services with 16.4% (185,649); and the retail trade industry with 11.7% (132,894).
E-Commerce and COVID-19: The World Trade Organization published a new report which examined how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected e-commerce, including the implications for cross-border trade. It notes the increased use of e-commerce as consumers adapt to lockdowns and social distancing measures and draws attention to several challenges, such as the need to bridge the digital divide within and across countries.
Economic Recovery Editorials: Fox and Hound published economic recovery editorials by several of our favorite community development stakeholders. The first editorial is by principals at California Forward and the second by California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce leadership, in partnership with Alliance for Climate Resistant California.
Open Markets and Economic Recovery: A Joint Declaration on the Importance of Collaboration, Open Trade and Innovation in Tackling COVID-19 was issued by 33 global think tanks. The Joint Declaration called for a range of policy measures to assure the supply of essential medical goods and to support the innovation that will enable future COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. Development of the Joint Declaration was facilitated by the Global Trade and Innovation Policy Alliance, a body of leading trade, economic and innovation think tanks that work together to enable growth through policies supporting innovation and open markets. http://www.gtipa.org/publications/2020/05/15/joint-declaration-importance-collaboration-open-trade-and-innovation
Corona Proposes to Safely Open: The Executive committee of the Corona Chamber Board of Directors voted to send a message that it is time to safely reopen the City of Corona. Last week, the County of Riverside submitted a Readiness and Reopening Framework to the Governor for approval to move to the next stage of opening.
Status on County Variances: Local health jurisdictions that meet the criteria set forth by the California Department of Public Health and follow the process in the county guidance may move further ahead in Stage 2 of the resilience roadmap. As of 5/19/20 at 10:00 am, 24 counties have moved further into Stage II reopening.
Regional Health Variances: The California Department of Public Health announced a new verification opportunity for counties to move through Stage 2, opening additional sectors of their economy at their own pace. To qualify, counties must attest that hospitalization and test positivity rates are stable or declining; that they have a significant level of preparedness with testing, contact tracing, PPE and hospital surge; and that they have adequate plans related to county-wide containment. The announcement states that this process could be especially useful for more densely populated urban areas. https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR20-091.aspx
San Diego RECOVER Guidelines: The Responsible COVID-19 Economic Re-Opening (RECOVER) Advisory Group released its Stage II re-opening recommendations. RECOVER is a binational and bipartisan group of nearly thirty industry experts and civic leaders, convened by the City and County of San Diego, to advise how businesses can prepare to safely reopen. https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/san_diego_ready_-_strategies_to_reopen_san_diegos_economy.pdf
GRANTS
EDA Grants: The US Department of Commerce has released its FY 2020 EDA Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance Programs including CARES Act Funding. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. Program awards are from $100,000 to $30 million. There is a match requirement and, generally, the EDA award may not be more than 50% of the total project cost. https://www.eda.gov/funding-opportunities/
Extraction Funding: The US Department of Energy announced:
Talk to Someone About Your Economic Impact Payment: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is starting to add 3,500 telephone representatives to answer some of the most common questions about Economic Impact Payments. IRS telephone assistance and other services will remain limited, and answers for most of the common questions related to Economic Impact Payments are available on www.IRS.gov. Announcement: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-adds-phone-operators-to-answer-economic-impact-payment-questions
