Today, Monday, June 1st, Governor Newsom provided a live update focused largely on the statewide protests related to the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minnesota. Governor Newsom delivered his comments from the Genesis Church in South Sacramento where he was introduced by Pastor Tecoy Porter and met with leaders in the Black community and elected officials regarding the protests and racial issues. The Governor spoke about the ongoing racial issues feeding the protests and noted repeatedly he understands protestors’ frustration over a situation that never seems to change. “the voices of concern, consternation, and anxiety are real, they are raw. I recognize foundationally and fundamentally that so often people in my position are inadequate to the moment.” The Governor stated he understands the protestors have run out of patience because the situation never changes. After each similar event there is rhetoric calling for change, protests pointing out the inequality and need for change, and leaders come together and pledge change—even pass new laws in some cases, and yet, the Governor stated, “we continue to see these situations occurring over and over again. I am humbled as I am here today facing this moment. We are capable of meeting this moment. The Black community is not responsible for what is happening here, we are, we are responsible, we are accountable. Let’s call this out. We’ve been talking about institutional racism, but we prune away at the issue, we don’t tear it out, we don’t change the culture.” The Governor told the audience it is time for us to own our behavior and our contributions to the society we have—one dominated by violence and power.
Governor Newsom noted he agreed with Pastor Porter who stated, “we are fighting two pandemics: racism and COVID-19.” The Governor cited Dr. Martin Luther King more than once, noting the civil rights leader “did not wait to become president to make change, he led his life living to his moral authority, which is something we are all capable of doing.” The Governor called on everyone to answer to their moral authority and do as Senator Robert Kennedy said, “make more gentle the life of this world.”
The Governor also spoke to those who have committed acts of violence, vandalism, and looting, noting “while we hear your voices as well, it is not with the same sensitivity. There is no place in this nation or this state for violent threats against other human beings.” The Governor told the audience “now is the time for courage and to bring your voice forward.” He thanked the leaders of the faith community, elected officials, and members of the Black community who came together to meet and find solutions to the systemic issue of racism. The Governor also thanked the leaders who are working to keep the peace and keep the community safe during the protests.
News on COVID-19
Executive Order
Late in the day on Friday, May 29, the Governor’s office issued a press release (read more here) announcing the Governor signed an Executive Order waiving some Education Code requirements related to teacher credentialing; allowing DMV by-mail renewals for some transactions; and waiving regulations governing administration of the Emergency Services Grant funding received under the CARES Act regarding housing (read the order here).
The state has now passed the 2 million mark in the number of Californians tested for the virus. The Governor continued to urge people to get tested. He noted that while there were a few testing centers closed for safety reasons during the protests over the weekend, there were still plenty of testing centers open. He noted the teams leading the testing effort were able to conduct more than 67,000 tests just yesterday, which took the state over the 2 million mark (find a testing center here).
Last week, the public health directors in Sonoma, Lassen, and Imperial Counties rescinded their Phase 2 reopening for businesses, due to contact tracing investigations that led to more community-spread cases of COVID-19, which if not stopped put the community at risk for wider spread of the virus.
Q&A
The questions, fed by a pool reporter, were focused largely on the rhetoric of President Trump and asking for a response from the Governor. Governor Newsom noted he is purposefully choosing to not focus on the negative rhetoric or get involved in an unproductive discourse. He is instead “focusing on the positive and working with those leaders who want to see real change, whether it is regarding the pandemic of racism or the pandemic that is CCOVID-19.” The Governor noted the state has many resources to call upon as needed, such as the California Highway Patrol with 7,000 officers on tactical alert and working 12-hour shifts, also upwards of 1,100 National Guardsmen and women at the ready to assist, many of whom, he noted, are already assisting in counties hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. He stated there is a formal protocol for activating allied support and mutual aid and it works from the bottom up, not the top down, which means mayors and chiefs throughout the state are working together to provide safety and security in their community and the state and federal government stand ready to assist, if needed.
There was one question regarding the state budget. The reporter asked the Governor if he had a response to the fact that the Senate, last week, passed its own version of the state budget and did not include a pay cut for state employees. The Governor responded he appreciates the work done in both the Senate and the Assembly and noted there is a formal process for the budget and he respects that process and the work done by legislative leaders in the spirit of cooperation and collaboration. He noted he believes they will meet the statutory deadline to pass a budget by June 15 and he will sign it by July 1.
The final question focused on whether the Governor is concerned about the spread of the COVID-19 virus among the protestors, many of whom were not wearing masks or practicing social distancing. The Governor responded that he again encourages everyone to find a test location near them (find a testing center here) and to continue to follow the guidelines of wearing a face mask and keeping at least 6 feet apart.
The Governor closed the briefing by reminding everyone what Pastor Porter said, “we are not fighting one pandemic—we are fighting two. The decades-long institutional racism that exists in our society and the COVID-19 virus. Now is the time for courage and to be a leader for change in our society.”
Guidelines Issued to Date
As a reminder and for reference purposes, the most recent guidelines published by the California Department of Public Health for retailers to allow in-store shopping may be read (here). The guidelines and modifications for faith-based organizations, which includes limiting in-person congregant gatherings to only 25% of membership or 100 congregants with significant modifications in order to protect public health (read more here). Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control is also providing guidance for faith-based organizations (read more here). The guidelines include disinfection instructions, equipment recommendations, and how to manage physical distancing.
State Variance Guidelines
As noted in previous briefings the Governor outlined next steps in California’s reopening of the economy, including dining-in restaurants, as part of Phase 2 and working though the state’s Roadmap to Recovery (read more here). In anticipation of more counties moving forward for Phase 2 variances, the state has made available guidelines for businesses seeking variances from their local county public health department. Of particular interest are the guidelines for dine-in restaurants where business across the state is down an estimated 93% (read more about dine-in guidelines here). The following are links to the guidelines for other business sectors (read the guidelines for office workspaces here), malls, including enclosed, outdoor and strip malls to open for pick-up only (read the retail guidelines here). Find additional guidelines for other businesses here).
Californians are urged to familiarize themselves with their county’s variances and requirements. Counties will report in real time their data related to testing, contact tracing, hospitalizations, and infection rates. The COVID-19 page will be updated regularly, so people are able to read about the current state of the stay-at-home order and Phase 2 progress for every county (read more about county guidelines here), including their self-certification and attestations.
Key milestones – COVID-19 update – as of today (6.01.20)
- 4,251 deaths, up by 38 or +0.9%
- 113,006 positive cases +2.7% Officials are watching county trends.
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2,012,583 tests conducted. Now averaging more than 45,000 daily
- Latinos continue to have the highest percentage of positive cases at 54.3%; Caucasians 20%; Asians 9.1%, and Blacks 5.2%.
- Hospitalizations increased by 33 to 2,973 up by 1.1%
- The majority of hospitalizations are in LA County 1,289, followed by San Diego County at 306; Orange County 283; Riverside 195; San Bernardino 136; Alameda 99; Imperial 73; Fresno 68; Kern 59; San Francisco 50; San Mateo 46.
- ICU – 1,053 down by 14 or -1.3%