Today, Saturday April 18th, Governor Gavin Newsom held his daily briefing, this time in Santa Clara County to provide an update on Project Roomkey, the state’s initiative to shelter those experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 crisis. Newsom also provided a general update on the State’s response to the pandemic.
Project Roomkey had set an initial goal of securing up to 15,000 rooms across the state. Today, Newsom reported more than 10,970 rooms have been secured thus far to house homeless people. He added that the state has placed 4,211 homeless individuals in rooms, which he stated is about 38 percent of the rooms acquired already being put to use and that they numbers will increase.
The elderly, medically vulnerable, and people who have tested positive or have been exposed to the virus will be prioritized for these rooms. Chef José Andrés and World Central Kitchen will be helping with Project Roomkey by providing three hot meals daily. Newsom highlighted http://serve.ca.gov as a place for people to help deliver meals or otherwise volunteer in their communities.
On the Project Roomkey effort, Newsom commended his senior counselor for housing and homelessness Jason Elliott and Department of Social Services (DSS) Director Kim Johnson for their work on the issue. Additionally, Newsom recognized a partnership with Motel 6. Motel 6 is providing 47 of its motels for the state’s effort, which Newsom said will push California past its goal. He also stated that the agreement with Motel 6 includes the potential for those motels to continue to house homeless people after the pandemic ends. When asked, Newsom said, that funding to keep these rooms for shelter into the future will come through some sort of partnership between federal/state/local governments and philanthropy, but did not offer any specific details.
Newsom did acknowledge that while many local governments have helped house the homeless, others have resisted. “Some cities are blocking these efforts at a time of crisis,” Newsom said. “Cities that are blocking those efforts, please consider the morality of those decisions.”
President of the Santa Clara Board of Supervisors Cindy Chavez and Mayor of San Jose Sam Liccardo also offered comments at the briefing. Liccardo urged policymakers to provide additional funds that would allow cities and counties to purchase those rooms as long-term homelessness solutions.
Consistent with past briefings, Newsom provided the latest COVID-19 hospitalization and intensive care unit (ICU) patient figures. The hospitalizations went up to 3,221, a 1.3 percent increase. The number of coronavirus patients in ICU beds is 1,173, a 0.1 percent decline from the previous day.
During the Q&A, Newsom was asked about the protests in Huntington Beach and elsewhere. He responded by saying, “I just want to encourage people when you practice your free speech, do so safely. This virus knows no ideology.”
As a follow-up from the Senate’s oversight budget hearing held on April 16th, Newsom was asked about the state’s nearly $1 billion mask deal. He said the contracts for masks are “hundreds and hundreds of pages” that will be released soon. The contracts are finalized, but his administration wants to wait to release them until the masks are secured.
Following yesterday’s announcement regarding the formation of a state Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery, the Governor’s office issued a press release that included a full list of the Task Force members. The full list can be found here.
As noted in the press release: “The Task Force will be co-chaired by Governor Newsom’s Chief of Staff Ann O’Leary and philanthropist, environmentalist and businessman Tom Steyer, who was also appointed Chief Advisor to the Governor on Business and Jobs Recovery. He will receive no compensation for his service. Members of the Task Force include Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, Senate Minority Leader Shannon Grove, Assembly Minority Leader Marie Waldron, former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, Walt Disney Company Executive Chairman Bob Iger, former head of the Small Business Administration Aida Álvarez and dozens of prominent leaders in business, labor, health care, academia, and philanthropy.” A copy of the Governor’s Office press release can be found here.
Additionally, Friday evening, Newsom signed an executive order (EO) that allows for temporary waivers to certain foster youth programs to ensure continuity of care in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The EO will allow county child welfare agencies and probation departments to perform necessary functions using alternative processes other than face-to-face interactions. The text of the Governor’s executive order can be found here and a copy can be found here. A copy of the Governor’s office press release can be found here.
The Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) recently issued FAQs on executive order concerning supplemental paid sick leave for food sector workers. The DLSE FAQs can be found here.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced the most recent statistics on COVID-19, there are a total of 27,528 confirmed positive cases and 985 deaths in California. As of April 16th, local health departments have reported 3,155 confirmed positive cases in health care workers. This includes on-the-job exposures, and other exposures, such as travel and close family contact. Also, as of April 16th, more than 258,700 tests had been conducted in California. At least 251,610 results have been received and another 7,200 are pending. More information regarding the most recent COVID-19 statistics can be found here.