Coronavirus response

As Minority Leader, I have been working with the governor to coordinate the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. A number of important steps are underway.

Last week, we passed bipartisan legislation to provide $500 million in initial emergency funding expandable to $1 billion, to activate closed hospitals, increase equipment capacity for existing hospitals, provide hotel beds for the homeless, clean up child care facilities, fund In-Home Supportive Services addressing senior isolation, backfill schools for lost Average Daily Attendance, finance expanded family leave, reimburse for the cost of COVID-19 testing and much more.

Other steps include a DMV request that law enforcement use discretion for 60 days regarding driver’s license and vehicle registrations that expired on or after March 16. It will protect the health of individuals over 70 who are required to visit a DMV to take written or vision tests. More information is available at http://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/pubs/newsrel/2020/2020_12.

California’s Economic Development Department will allow employees unable to work due to COVID-19 exposure to file disability claims, and employees caring for ill or quarantined persons can file for paid family leave. Parents staying home with children due to school closures may be eligible for unemployment benefits, and an unemployment insurance claim can also be filed if work hours have been reduced.

Employers reducing hours of operation may apply for an unemployment insurance work-sharing program aimed at avoiding layoffs, and business faced with closure or layoffs can contact EDD Rapid Response teams to discuss their needs.

Employers may request a 60-day extension to file payroll reports and deposit payroll taxes without penalties or added interest. More details are available at https://edd.ca.gov/about_edd/coronavirus-2019.htm.

For the latest COVID-19 updates, visit the California Department of Public Health at http://www.cdph.ca.gov.

Lastly, we passed Assembly Concurrent Resolution 189, written by me and Assembly member Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood, to put the legislature in recess and allow some employees to telecommute. The work of the people will continue.

Assembly Republican Leader Marie Waldron, R-Escondido, represents the 75th Assembly District in the California Legislature, which includes the communities of Bonsall, Escondido, Fallbrook, Hidden Meadows, Pala, Palomar Mountain, Pauma Valley, Rainbow, San Marcos, Temecula, Valley Center and Vista.