Current Affairs Of Pakistan & World: California Today: What’s in the Federal Stimulus for Californians?

California Today: What’s in the Federal Stimulus for Californians?

March 16, 2021

People dined outdoors in San Francisco on Friday as Mission District businesses and restaurants began to reopen.Jim Wilson/The New York Times

By Jill Cowan

Last week, President Biden signed into law a historic, wide-reaching $1.9 trillion stimulus package aimed at throwing a lifeline to Americans struggling through the pandemic.

In California, the news has come as a particular relief.

Many businesses here have been closed or restricted for a year. Children have been learning from home, and mothers have borne a disproportionate burden caring for them. Essential workers have been reporting to their jobs without a guarantee that they'd be able to take time off if they or a family member got sick.

[Here are the answers to questions about the stimulus and how it will affect you.]

The pot of stimulus money going to the state government, $26 billion, was so large that officials here were put on the defensive after they revised the state's budget projection at the beginning of the year. They had been expecting a daunting $54 billion deficit last year. Instead, state officials in January projected a $15 billion surplus.

But officials have emphasized that the surplus is essentially already accounted for, because of various state-funded relief programs.

And for Californians, the economic pain will be lasting — and federal aid is necessary.

"Don't equate where we are on a revenue basis with where we are on an economy basis," said H.D. Palmer, a deputy director of the state's Department of Finance. "It is going to take us at least two years, if not longer, for us to get back to prepandemic employment levels."

[Democrats see the passage of the popular stimulus as a major political opportunity.]

California lost a record of 1.6 million jobs, and while the state government has fared better than expected, cities have been facing difficult shortfalls, thanks to the state's tax structure, as my colleague Vindu Goel wrote recently.

And, of course, California has by far the most residents of any state, which means that Californians will, in aggregate, receive lots of direct aid.

Over all, the Department of Finance estimated that California would receive more than $150 billion, including money that will go to state and local governments, as well as directly to families, businesses and other entities.

Here's a look at where some of that money is projected to go:

$40 billion: That's how much, collectively, Californians are expected to get in the $1,400 stimulus payments. (They're already being deposited.)
$30 billion: That's how much Californians are expected to get in additional unemployment insurance benefits.
$16 billion: That's the amount that is expected to be split between city and county governments to help make up for lost local tax revenue during the pandemic. And that's what pays for essential services like law enforcement and firefighters. The money can also be used for water, sewer and broadband infrastructure projects.
$15.9 billion: That's how much is expected to go to California's grade schools to help them safely reopen, including by purchasing protective equipment, improving buildings, increasing transportation capacity and reducing class sizes.
$5 billion: That's how much could go to California colleges.
$4 billion: That's how much California's transit agencies, which have been facing doomsday scenarios, are expected to get.
$3.9 billion: That's how much of the $40 billion that the bill set aside for child care in total is expected to come to California.
$3.8 billion: That's about how much, total, is expected to go to emergency rental assistance, as well as utility payments, food assistance and other safety net programs besides unemployment insurance.
$550 million: The full federal bill includes $10 billion for capital projects, or big investments that will help make work, education and public health monitoring easier. Each state is set to get $100 million, plus additional money according to a formula based on population.
$300 million: That's how much the state is expected to get to help expand vaccination efforts. And that's in addition to the FEMA mass vaccination sites that are already running.

[Read more about how the full federal bill is divided up.]

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Here's what else to know today

Brookdale Richmond Place in Lexington, Ky., in January.Jessica Ebelhar for The New York Times

Compiled by Jonathan Wolfe

California prosecutors sued Brookdale Senior Living, the country's largest chain of senior living communities, accusing the company of manipulating the federal government's nursing-home ratings system. [The New York Times]
Gov. Gavin Newsom has enlisted a roster of progressive stars — including Stacey Abrams, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders — to fight the recall effort. [The New York Times]

Here's what to know about the drive to oust Mr. Newsom from office.

In an interview with The Times, Senator Alex Padilla, the Democrat who was appointed to fill Vice President Kamala Harris's seat, pressed for a pathway to citizenship for five million unauthorized immigrants who are essential workers. [The New York Times]

Read more about how the virus has pummeled Pacoima, Mr. Padilla's hometown.

Millions of Californians are newly eligible for coronavirus vaccines, including transit workers, commercial airline employees, those in federal immigrant detention centers and the homeless. [CalMatters]
According to infection data obtained by a legal transparency website, hundreds of virus cases were reported at Tesla's Bay Area plant after Elon Musk reopened it in May. [Washington Post]
Three people were killed and six others were injured when they were struck by a car in an underpass beneath the San Diego City College campus. [The New York Times]
California may issue guidelines addressing microplastics in drinking water, although it's unclear how dangerous they are. [CalMatters]
After a viral video showed a group of Uber passengers in San Francisco coughing on a driver and ripping off his mask, two of the riders were arrested. [The New York Times]
Disneyland is temporarily suspending perks like FastPasses and Extra Magic Hours when the parks reopen, citing complications from the virus. [The Orange County Register]
According to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, California has the second highest life expectancy for its population among states, behind Hawaii. [CBS]

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And Finally …

Amanda Seyfried in "Mank," which earned 10 Oscar nominations on Monday.Netflix, via Associated Press

Maybe you won't be surprised that "Mank," the movie about the genesis of "Citizen Kane" and Netflix's ode to Old Hollywood, racked up 10 Academy Award nominations on Monday.

But there were plenty of history-making surprises in the full list of nods, including the nomination of two women for best director and nine of the 20 acting nominations going to people of color.

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Still, the Academy remains overwhelmingly white and male. It remains to be seen how the ceremony on April 25 will address a year defined in large part by protests against racism.

For their part, the Grammys ended up being an enjoyable, thoughtful show Sunday night; the performances were the closest any of us could come to an arena concert or festival with our favorite big-name artists. And as my colleagues wrote, the outdoor setting near the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles was a novel pandemic solution.

Maybe the Oscars, which are set to be broadcast for the first time from Union Station downtown, as well as from the usual Dolby Theater in Hollywood, will benefit from a similar shake-up.

In any case, the event won't significantly disrupt transit service, officials said.

California Today goes live at 6:30 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: CAtoday@nytimes.com. Were you forwarded this email? Sign up for California Today here and read every edition online here.

Jill Cowan grew up in Orange County, graduated from U.C. Berkeley and has reported all over the state, including the Bay Area, Bakersfield and Los Angeles — but she always wants to see more. Follow along here or on Twitter.

California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from U.C. Berkeley.

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