Coronavirus-related updates

Brian W. Jones

State Senator‚ District 38

Some quick and important updates:

Tap water is safe to drink!

The San Diego County Water Authority would like everyone to know that the region’s tap water is safe to drink‚ and that there is no evidence that the Coronavirus is transmitted through treated water.

You can visit https://www.sdcwa.org/san-diego-regional-water-supply-safe to learn more.

DMV announces extensions for all expiring driver’s licenses

The DMV announced April 14 that they are extending driver’s licenses that are expiring during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information‚ go to https://virtual.dmv.ca.gov/. If you need any DMV assistance‚ please call my office at 619-596-3136.

Unemployment insurance payments

California Labor Secretary Julie A. Su announced April 14 that they are working to process payments on most unemployment claims in a three-week window. She also outlined a rough timeline for the launch of the new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program‚ which they are hoping to have online in two weeks.

PUA provides federally funded benefits distinct from the Unemployment Insurance program for certain individuals out of work or partially unemployed due to the COVID-19 crisis, including the self-employed‚ individuals who lack sufficient work history‚ and independent contractors.

To read the secretary’s full letter‚ visit https://www.labor.ca.gov/news/.

Senate Special Committee on Pandemic Emergency Response

Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) announced April 15 the creation of a special bipartisan committee of 11 senators, including myself.

I am ready to serve on this committee to review how we responded as a state to the COVID-19 pandemic‚ and more importantly‚ work to better prepare ourselves for any similar emergency we may face in the future.

Coronavirus spending tracker

The Senate Republican Caucus has set up a website to track the spending of coronavirus dollars in California.

You can view that webpage at https://cssrc.us/covid/spending.

As always‚ if I can assist you in any way‚ please call my office at 619-596-3136 or email me at [email protected].

My full COVID-19 resource page, which we’re updating regularly, can be viewed at https://jones.cssrc.us/covid.