Little time, big agenda when California lawmakers return
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers are returning to work Monday for a furious fiveweek sprint that will include contentious debates about police brutality, unemployment benefits, hospital mergers and a moratorium on evictions during the coronavirus pandemic.
The state Legislature has shut down twice because of the coronavirus, losing precious time to work through issues and cut deals on key legislation. Now, most of the 55 standing committees will only meet one more time, limiting the number of bills that can pass by the Aug. 31 deadline for the session.
“Some people are just going to run out of time on some of their tougher bills,” said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, Democratic chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee that is the gatekeeper for most legislation moving to the Assembly floor.
But some lawmakers are working on another solution: Asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to call them back for a special session to give them more time to pass tough bills, including those aimed at addressing the fallout from the coronavirus. The request will come in the form of a letter from some lawmakers, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said.
Coronavirus-related bills include a proposal from state Sen. Jerry Hill that would make COVID-19 infections eligible for worker’s compensation benefits and a bill from state Sen. Anthony Portantino that would expand paid sick leave for food-sector workers. The most contentious issue could be a bill by Democratic Assemblyman David Chiu that would prevent landlords from evicting tenants unable to pay their rent during the pandemic.
Rendon said the idea of the Assembly passing such sweeping bills nine months ago would have “probably been science fiction.”
Lawmakers are also discussing how they could replace some federal unemployment benefits set to expire Friday. Since mid- March, 8.7 million Californians have filed for unemployment and the state has paid $50 billion in benefits, so much money the state has had to borrow from the federal government to make its payments.
Californians can get up to $450 per week in unemployment benefits, but the federal government has been adding an extra $600 per week to that total, boosting pay for many beyond the hourly wages they earned while working.
Congress is considering extending those benefits but many Republicans oppose the idea, saying it deters people from returning to work.
Discussions in the state
Legislature, where Democrats have a super-majority in each chamber that allows them to pass bills without any GOP votes, have focused on replacing part of the $600 should it expire.
Supporters of the move say it’s critical for low-income wage earners, especially those who lost their jobs twice — once under Newsom’s statewide stayat- home in March that shuttered most of the economy and again within the last month when the governor reimposed closures for bars, gyms, malls and other indoor businesses, and limited restaurants, hair salons and other business to outdoor service. to curb the resurgent virus.