SACRAMENTO–California State Association of Counties, the voice of
California’s 58 Counties, reacts to Governor Newsom signing
broadband legislation.
California’s Counties applaud Governor Newsom, Assemblymember
Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, and Senator Lena Gonzalez for working
together to seize the moment and answer the call to increase
broadband access and affordability this legislative session. AB
14 (Aguiar-Curry) and SB 4 (Gonzalez), which were signed today,
join SB 156 in a series of legislative victories including
historic broadband infrastructure funding to close the digital
divide in California.
“This is remarkable news for all Californians, especially the
more than 2 million residents, rural and urban alike, who lack
broadband at even basic speeds,” said CSAC 1st Vice President and
Siskiyou County Supervisor Ed Valenzuela. “Not only do these
bills ensure that critical broadband infrastructure funding will
not expire, but they also maximize the impact of the recent $6
billion investment in broadband projects approved through the
signing of SB 165. Together, these bills extend a rural county
lifeline that will transform the way schools, small businesses,
healthcare organizations, and others can provide goods and
services statewide.”
SACRAMENTO – The California State Association of Counties (CSAC)
applauds the federal government’s decision to extend their 100%
reimbursement of Project Roomkey through the end of 2021.
“This is great news for Project Roomkey,” said CSAC President and
Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore. “This extended commitment
means that counties can continue to get more people into housing
and the services and programs they need.”
The federal government announced today that they will fully
reimburse states for housing of at-risk populations, as well as
for services such as emergency medical care and vaccination
response. Since the start of Project Roomkey in April 2020, over
42,000 of California’s most vulnerable residents have been
sheltered and a recent study concluded that there was an 81
percent success rate in the isolation/quarantine course.
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.
While the pandemic cast a harsh light on the economic inequality
in California and the fragility of our infrastructure, it also
ignited a desire to address these issues and delivered California
leaders a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a more
equitable and climate-resilient economy. Now, we need the
collective will to seize it.
Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed a bill that establishes a $600
million Community
Economic Resilience Fund (CERF) to encourage
regional leaders from government, business, labor, and the
community to work together to develop a blueprint for an economic
future that invests in industries that will thrive in a
carbon-neutral future, creates high-quality jobs, and builds a
more equitable economy that works for all.
California’s diverse economy — made up of our varied, regional
economies — is on the precipice of transition. County leaders
will be critical to help form what’s been dubbed a “High Road
Transition Collaborative” to increase the number of high-quality
jobs accessible to populations that have historically been
excluded from opportunity and incumbent workers facing industry
disruption. And we will only get the sizable regional funding
when we work together.
