Gov. Newsom Signs Executive Order Providing Expedited Funds For COVID-19 Response
SACRAMENTO (CBS SF) -- California Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday day signed an executive order that allows for the immediate use of funds to support the state's continuing response to protect the public's health amid the coronavirus crisis.
COMPLETE COVERAGE: CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
The executive order will facilitate expenditures from the state's Disaster Response-Emergency Operations Account as well as from any other legally available fund to help with the COVID-19 response.
At the Governor's instruction last week, the Department of Finance transferred $1.3 billion from the state's traditional budget reserve into the Disaster Response-Emergency Operations Account in preparation to pay for costs associated with the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. With this transfer and the $99 million available balance, a total of $1.4 billion is now available in that account.
The state legislature also enacted SB 89 prior to adjourning last month which created an additional mechanism to provide up to $1 billion from the state's General Fund for expenditures related to the COVID-19 emergency.
Most of the state's expenditures associated with the COVID-19 response are expected to be largely reimbursed by the federal government.