There is positive news at the federal level as direct and robust
fiscal relief to all counties is included in budget
reconciliation legislation that the House is anticipated to vote
on next week.
For California alone, the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery
Fund is estimated to provide $7.7 billion in funding to
all 58 counties that can be used flexibly for public health
emergency costs, addressing negative economic impacts of the
pandemic, and replacing lost revenue.
Now is the time for counties to do everything we can to ensure
this funding remains in the final legislation that is passed by
Congress and sent to the President.
The Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) approved the
Governor’s emergency request to allocate $1.2 billion in federal
funding to counties today. See the JLBC letter here and
the county-by-county allocation chart here.
The formula, developed in consultation with the 61 local health
jurisdictions (58 counties and three cities), distributes $1
million in base funding to each jurisdiction. The remaining funds
are allocated using a formula wherein 50 percent is based on
population, 25 percent is based on populations most impacted by
COVID-19 (Black, Latinx, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders),
and 25 percent based on poverty. The base allocation, ethnicity,
and poverty measures ensure a fair allocation for all counties.
The Employee Relations policy area falls under the jurisdiction
of the Government Finance and Operations (GFO) Policy Committee
and is responsible for all issues related to public employment
and retirement. Specific issues areas are pension benefits and
pension system administration; labor relations; issues regarding
county negotiations with employees; workers’ compensation; and
other risk management issues facing public employers.
With a willingness to make a difference, Placer County
prioritized helping its small businesses and nonprofits
make it through the pandemic. Through sharing emergency federal
funding and partnering with nonprofit and private sectors, Placer
was able to respond quickly to emerging needs.
As COVID-19 cases began to explode regionally, nationally and
globally in early 2020, many California counties began to shutter
businesses and encourage the limitation of operations not deemed
“essential.” Businesses shut their doors with the intent they
could reopen soon. “Give it two weeks, help ‘flatten the curve,’”
we were all told.
As we all know, those initial two weeks have turned into a year
of limiting business operations to some extent within nearly
every sector in California. The ebb and flow of reopenings and
state-mandated closings has resulted in tremendous loss of
revenue for what no business could have prepared.
When the federal government announced the Coronavirus Aid,
Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act with funding for local
governments, Placer County was quick to share funding with the
community to help sustain the local economy.
