Critical Wildfire Prevention Funding for California/Earth Day Action
Early Budget Action for Wildfire Prevention
This past week, the Legislature passed an important $536 million wildfire prevention package: SB 85 and AB 79.
Last year we saw historic wildfires rage across California, including the SCU Fire that consumed over 390,000 acres comprising areas of Senate District 15 in Santa Clara County. In September of last year, I sent an urgent request to Governor Gavin Newsom that Santa Clara County be added to the list of those counties eligible for FEMA aid. I am thankful that the State and Federal government heard my request and stepped up to provide federal support to our cattle ranchers and residents who lost an estimated $26 million from the fire.
California continues to face year-round fire seasons. To prevent more wildfire disasters, our state must address the core issue of climate change and reduce the conditions that spawned these intense fires.
As a member of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, I was pleased to support the Legislature’s wildfire resilience funding package that will proactively address the state’s impending drought and wildfire season by providing critical investments in fire prevention, forest management and restoration, as well as other initiatives to mitigate the risk of wildfire in California.
As California confronts more extreme and dangerous wildfires, we must prioritize restoring our ecosystem to prevent flammable vegetation. To this end, I applaud the critical funding appropriation of $155 million to go toward improving forest health.
Other important investments in this plan include $123 million for fire prevention grants to conduct critical vegetation management as well as $27 million in community hardening spending, including home hardening and defensible space inspections.
The $536 million package includes $411 million from the state’s General Fund as well as $125 million from our Greenhouse Gas Reduction Funds. Funding would be available immediately after these bills are signed into law.
Earth Week Webinar
In observation of Earth Week, I will be joining the Foundation for Climate Restoration for an online webinar this Friday April 23rd at 10:00am highlighting SB 582, a bill authored by Senator Henry Stern that I am a principal co-author of, which will contribute to job creation, climate justice, and ecosystem restoration.
Local and sub-national governments can play a unique role by making bold commitments and ensuring all stakeholders are involved in ensuring that climate restoration is undertaken in a just, equitable, safe, and economically viable fashion.
Ramadan Mubarak
Ramadan Mubarak to all those observing the month of Ramadan. I am wishing you a safe, happy, and peaceful month.
SD 15 Legislative Update
I’m proud to announce that bills in my 2021-2022 Legislative Package have passed their first key hurdles. By clearing their first committees, these bills have moved on to the appropriations process and are one step closer to becoming law.
SB 33, for instance, passed through the Senate Labor Committee. This bill will ensure disparities are addressed so that apprenticeship opportunities in the building and construction trades sector can be more inclusive of women, underrepresented, and disadvantaged populations in California. Increasing these opportunities for high-wage construction jobs will significantly improve economic security for all communities. Watch my testimony on this bill here.
SB 300, The Sentencing Reform Act, that passed through the Senate Public Safety Committee, will reform California’s unjust “felony murder special circumstance” law. We must protect the reforms our movements have made while also continuing to take bold steps to dismantle a criminal justice system responsible for unjust imprisonment. Watch my testimony on this bill here.
Many of my other bills are also moving forward. You can follow all of the bills in my 2021-2022 Legislative Package at this link. Click on the bill number the click “History” to see where each bill is in the legislative process.
Regional Action Plan to Reduce Homelessness in the Bay Area by 75% in 3 Years
We can reduce homelessness in the Bay Area by 75% in the next 3 years. All Home convened the Regional Impact Council (RIC), of which I was a part, where we developed a plan to do just that!
By prioritizing both transitional shelter and permanent housing along with preventative services, this plan takes a regional and integrated approach to tackle one of the greatest challenges we face in the Bay Area with the urgency it requires.
The Regional Action Plan includes an initial focus on extremely low-income residents with racial equity at the center of the effort. It recommends a new, integrated approach to planning and allocating resources, with simultaneous provision of Interim Housing to house and stabilize people currently living outdoors, a range of flexible Permanent Housing options, including rental subsidies to ensure long-term stability for formerly homeless people, and Homelessness Prevention measures, such as financial assistance and legal services for at-risk families facing eviction, to dramatically reduce the number of people entering homelessness in the Bay Area.
Learn more about the Regional Action Plan at this link: http://www.allhomeca.org/regionalactionplan/
CalSavers Deadlines Approaching
CalSavers is California’s retirement savings program designed for the millions of Californians who lack a way to save for retirement at their job. CalSavers was created by legislation passed in 2016 requiring California employers who do not offer an employer sponsored plan and have five or more employees to facilitate CalSavers - an automatic enrollment individual retirement account (IRA) with no employer fees or fiduciary liability.
Designed to address retirement insecurity in California, where half are on track for financial hardship, CalSavers ensures everybody has an easy way to save for their future.
There are two ways to join: through a participating employer or directly. With CalSavers, enrollment is easy, investing is simple, and accounts are portable.
California’s new mandate is phased in over three years, with deadlines based on employer size. The registration deadline for employers with more than 100 employees passed on September 30, 2020 and the deadline for employers with 51-100 employees is June 30, 2021. Employers with 5 or more employees have until June 30, 2022 but are encouraged to register early.
Learn how to get started at CalSavers.com.
National Park Week - COVID-Friendly Community Events
In honor of national park week, below are some safe opportunities to explore our local parks!
• #PixInParks Challenge – The Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department has created this year’s #PixInParks Challenge. Hike all seven trails listed here and take a photo at each designated spot!
• Sundays – The Sundays in the Park series rotates through the City of San Jose park system. Find upcoming opportunities to volunteer and have fun to at this link.
• Saturdays - Community Workdays at the Heritage Rose Garden are back! This is an opportunity to practice safe volunteerism, so please sign-up for an upcoming session at this link to help get the rose garden back in shape. Learn more and sign-up here.
• First Saturday of the Month – Community Workdays are also back at the Historic Orchard at Guadalupe River Park. These workdays will focus on litter removal in and around the orchard, pulling and removal of weeds, minor repairs to infrastructure as needed, and generalized care and maintenance of the orchard itself. Learn more and sign-up here.
COVID-19 Update for Senate District 15
Vaccine Eligibility Expanded to Those 16+
If you’re 16 or older, you’re now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine! COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, and free for all Californians. Due to increased supply, vaccine eligibility is now expanded to individuals age 16 or older who live or work in Santa Clara County. Learn more about scheduling a vaccine appointment here: https://covid19.ca.gov/vaccines/
The state has announced that over 24 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in California.
Remember to Still Get Tested
Thank you to everyone for staying safe and getting vaccinated when they are eligible. You are protecting yourself and your community around you. The Santa Clara County Public Health Department recently announced that testing rates have dropped by about 34% these past two months. The number of tests given per 100,000 residents has decreased from a seven-day average of 958 to 632. Even if you are vaccinated, please do continue to get tested, especially if you have symptoms, are exposed to a known case, or before/after traveling. To schedule a test, visit www.sccFreeTest.org.
COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalizations
The total number of deaths due to COVID-19 in Santa Clara County is 2,013 as of Friday April 16th (up from 1,875 as of March 17th, 2021). The total case count has now reached 116, 772 (up from 113,044 as of March 17th, 2021) with a 7-day rolling average of new cases based on specimen collection date of 134 cases per day.
As of Friday, there were 102 COVID positive patients hospitalized in Santa Clara County (up from 96 the prior week). Of these hospitalizations, 21 were in the ICU. COVID positive patients now occupy 6% of all ICU beds, and 21% of beds are currently available. More data can be found through the Santa Clara County Public Health Department’s Data Dashboards.
County COVID-19 Testing
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center continues to offer free drop-in and appointment-based COVID-19 testing at several locations across the county. Residents can book an appointment for various sites in Vietnamese, Chinese, Spanish, or English. Visit www.sccfreetest.org to search for an available site by City or Date, or to see the complete list of available County testing sites.
County COVID-19 Vaccination
The County’s COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard continues to be updated daily with information about vaccine allocation and administration by healthcare providers throughout the county. Vaccine data from the California Department of Public shows that 54.6% of county residents age 16 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine. This means that 879,552 county residents are now partially or fully vaccinated.
The latest updates on vaccine eligibility and how to schedule an appointment are available on the County’s website at sccFreeVax.org. In addition, residents without internet access or who need additional assistance can make appointments for the County Health System vaccine sites through the Valley Connection Call Center at 408-970-2000. The Call Center is open Monday through Friday from 7am to 9pm and Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 4:30pm. Assistance is available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and other languages.
State Resources Posted on My Website
State resources and services available during the pandemic have been posted on my new website: sd15.sen.ca.gov. Just click on the "COVID-19" link under the “Resources” tab of my website to get connected to some of the most frequently used state resources, including resources for businesses and employers, students, those in need of housing and financial assistance, and more.
As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, comments, or concerns. I can be reached at senator.cortese@sen.ca.gov.
Thank you,
Dave Cortese
