The 31st District Digest (May 25 to May 29)

May 30, 2020

 

The 31st District Digest (May 25 to May 29)

 

This week brought us difficult, yet critically important, discussions about our state’s budget and the implications the COVID-19 pandemic will have on our lives in the years to come.

My office received numerous calls from community members concerned about cuts to vital state services that contribute to California’s goals to build a healthy, equitable future for all who call it home. Thank you to each and every community member who called this week, and in the weeks before, to let us know exactly what our District’s priorities should be. As the chairman of the California State Senate’s Budget Subcommittee on Education, I will continue to advocate on behalf of students of all ages and backgrounds.

Though we are reopening Riverside, COVID-19 and its impacts have not ended just yet. We must remain ready to adapt. Here are the updates for this week:

 

California’s Path Forward

46 More DMV Field Offices to Reopen for Appointments, Including Riverside East (link)

On Tuesday, the Dept. of Motor Vehicles (DMV) announced that beginning Thursday, May 28th, 46 additional DMV field offices would be reopened across California, including our Riverside East location, as well as our neighboring San Bernardino and Temecula offices. If you previously had an appointment scheduled during to the statewide DMV field office closures and were not able to go into your specified office, the DMV will be working to reschedule those with transactions that require an in-person visit. Examples include:

  • Paying registration for a vehicle impounded because of registration-related issues
  • Reinstating a suspended or revoked driver license
  • Applying for a reduced-fee or no-fee identification card
  • Processing commercial driver license transactions
  • Applying for a disabled person parking placards (this can also be done by mail using the REG 195 form)
  • Adding an ambulance certificate or firefighter endorsement to a driver license
  • Verifying a transit training document to drive a transit bus
  • Processing DMV Express customers for REAL ID transactions, if time and space allow

The DMV Virtual Field office is available to take facilitate all other transactions and can be found here.

 

New and Expanded Support for Victims of Domestic Violence (link)

On Friday, Governor Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom announced a series of new initiatives to support victims of domestic violence amidst the impact of COVID-19. These initiatives include:

  • $5 million in state funding towards coalitions to support families impacted by domestic violence;
  • A new partnership to secure private funding with $3 million in seed funding;
  • An executive order to help ease the financial strain on domestic violence service providers; and
  • New private sector partnerships to support survivors fleeing violence.

COVID-19 has highlighted the deeply troubling reality that for some, home is not always the safest environment. As we continue to move forward in addressing the impact of COVID-19 on our society, it is critically important that we also work ensure that victims and survivors of domestic violence have the resources they need to secure freedom and justice.

 

EDD: Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (link)

On Thursday, the Employment Development Dept. (EDD) released an update regarding the new federal extension called the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program which begins its phased roll-out on Wednesday.  PEUC provides up to 13 weeks of additional unemployment benefits to individuals who previously collected state or federal unemployment compensation (UC) but exhausted those benefits.

 If the EDD determines that:

  • You have received all available benefits on your UI claim with the benefit year that had not yet expired; OR
  • Your regular UI claim had expired, but you do not have enough wage information to qualify for a new regular UI claim; OR
  • You had been receiving PUA benefits until the PEUC extension was implemented and are now potentially eligible for the PEUC extension

The EDD will automatically file a PEUC extension for you on your last valid regular UI claim.

For more information about PEUC and to see frequently asked questions, click here.

 

New Executive Orders in Response to COVID-19 (link)

On Friday, Governor Newsom issued an executive order addressing a number of topics in California’s response to COVID-19. These topics included:

  • An extension of authorization for local governments to halt evictions for renters impacted by COVID-19 through July 28;
  • An extension of the waiver permitting the DMV to allow for mail in renewals of driver’s licenses and identification cards;
  • Waiving certain programmatic and administrative requirements that restrict child care and afterschool programs from serving the children of essential infrastructure workers; and
  • Suspending statutory set-asides for economic development and housing for Community Development Block Grant program funding received under the CARES Act.

For the full text of the order, click here.

 

P-EBT: Food Assistance for Families with Children Eligible for Free or Reduced-Price Meals (link) (Spanish)
Families with children eligible for free or reduced-price meals may qualify for extra food benefits of up to $365 per eligible child in the form of Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer or P-EBT, while their school is closed due to COVID-19.  Most families with children who receive CalFresh, Medi-Cal, or Foster Care benefits would have automatically received their P-EBT card between May 11 and May 22. Families who applied for CalFresh, Medi-Cal, or Foster Care benefits after their school closed will receive their P-EBT card in the mail before June 30.

Families with children who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals and who do NOT get CalFresh, Medi-Cal, or Foster Care benefits must apply online before June 30, 2020. Applications are now open and can be found here.

 

Riverside County Updates and Resources

Houses of Worship to Reopen in Riverside County (link) (Spanish)

On Monday, Riverside County announced that houses of worship would now be able to reopen following guidance released by the state. Services may begin immediately but, as per statewide guidelines, should be limited to about 25 percent of normal room occupancy or 100 people, whichever is less. Further, the state has also provided guidelines on cleaning and disinfecting protocols for houses of worship to observe in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 to among community members in attendance and their families. For the full state guidance, click here.

 

Barbershops and Hair Salons can now open in Riverside County (link) (Spanish)

On Tuesday, Riverside County announced that barbershops and hair salons may now reopen in accordance with state guidance allowing haircuts, styling, and coloring, so long as they can be performed with both the worker and client wearing protective face coverings. Services that require touching the client's face, such as facials, eyelash adjustments, eyebrow waxing, and threading, have no be cleared and therefore not currently allowed. For the full guidance, click here.

 

Replacement COVID-19 Drive-up Testing site to be opened at former Sears Location in Riverside (link)

On Wednesday, Riverside County Public Health officials announced the replacement of the COVID-19 testing site at Harvest Christian Fellowship with the new site at the former Sears location in the City of Riverside. This location, as with all county and state run locations, is open to anyone, whether they have symptoms or not, and there are no out-of-pocket costs to individuals. Appointments are required and can be made by calling 800-945-6171.

 For a complete list of all testing locations and instructions on how to make an appointment, visit www.rivcoph.org/coronavirus/testing.

 

Riverside Superior Court to Resume Limited Juror Summons for Criminal Trials (link)

On Thursday, the Riverside Superior Court announced that it would begin summoning jurors for appearance dates in mid-June and anticipates that a limited number of cases will start at that time. Cases with statutory and constitutional timeframes will have priority. In order to maintain the health and safety of jurors, attorneys, staff and all other court users, the Court has worked with the Riverside County Public Health Officer to develop protocols for cleaning and sanitization, as well as social distancing.

If you receive a summons in the mail, please do not discard it. If you are summoned on or after June 15, 2020, you may check your status or request a postponement through one of the following options:

  • Log on to the Juror Web Portal at: https://www.riverside.courts.ca.gov/GeneralInfo/JuryInfo/juror-portal.php
  • Use the automated phone system: (951) 275-5076 or (760) 342-5264

The Court also announced an extension of its temporary closures. As per their statement found here:

  • The Corona Court, the Moreno Valley Court, the Temecula Court, the Hemet Court, the Riverside Self-Help Center and the Riverside Records Center will be closed from June 1, 2020 through June 12, 2020.
  • The Riverside Historic Courthouse, the Riverside Family Law Court, and the Palm Springs Court will be closed from June 1, 2020 through June 5, 2020.
  • Beginning on June 8, 2020, the Riverside Historic Courthouse, the Riverside Family Law Court, and the Palm Springs Court will be open to the public for the limited purpose of filing emergency matters, including, restraining order applications, requests to renew restraining orders, temporary guardianships, temporary conservatorships, and ex parte applications. Non-emergency matters must be filed via the eSubmit Document Submission Portal, U.S. Mail, or a courthouse drop box.
  • Beginning on June 1, 2020, the Banning Justice Center will be open to the public only for appearances on the criminal master calendar.

 

Throughout the closures, emergency matters have been and will continue to be heard on a limited basis, depending on case type. For more information on these emergency matters, click here.

 

Riverside County opens Cool Centers for those seeking to escape the Heat (link) (Spanish)

On Friday, Riverside County Public Health officials announced that they would be opening 14 cool centers county-wide starting June 1, in response to the triple digit heat that the region is expected to experience. All locations will be open to the public at no cost and will be modified to accommodate COVID-19 safety guidelines. Locations will be coordinated by the Community Action Partnership of Riverside County, in conjunction with Riverside University Health System – Public Health, and are located in schools, senior and community centers. Light refreshments and water will be available at some locations. For a list of cool center locations, visit www.capriverside.org.

 

Short-term Vacation Rentals may resume in Riverside County (link) (Spanish)

On Friday, Riverside County announced that homeowners who rent single occupancy residences for short-term stays within the County may resume operations but should do so while implementing health and safety guidance developed by the Riverside County Economic Recover Task Force. Guidance includes the following:

  • Rentals allowed in private homes where the guest rents the entire home and does not share any common areas with others. Home-sharing is not allowed.
  • No events or group gatherings are permitted until approved by the State of California. Only guests registered for the home should be on premise.
  • Complete a deep cleaning after each rental, using products and protocols outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  • Ensure a 24-hour reservation gap between when a guest departs and a new arrival.

For the full guidance as well as resources and information for small businesses, click here.

 

Upcoming Grants for Riverside Count Small Businesses (link)

On Tuesday, June 2, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors are set to approve creation of a Small Business Assistance Grant Program using funds from the CARES Act. Once approved, the program will award $10,000 grants to eligible small businesses with qualifications including:

  • Having fewer than 50 employees;
  • Having one year or more of operating history (documentation required);
  • A Safe Reopening Plan; and
  • Not receiving funding from federal programs, such as EIDL or PPP loans

Upon approval by the Board of Supervisors, the application will be made available online here.

 

 

Census 2020

Almost 64% of our District has completed the 2020 Census – and there is still time!

Thank you to all of our community members who have done their part to ensure that our state and our community is able to secure crucial federal funding. With our nearly 64% self-response rate, we are ahead of the statewide average by 3%! If you have not had a chance to respond, you still have the option of filling out the nine-question survey online at my2020census.gov using a code provided to you through the mail, or to be counted over the phone in your preferred language. Paper forms for the Census are also being mailed to those who have not yet responded so be on the lookout so you can do your part today!

 

 

Thank you all once again for your individual and collective commitment to the health and recovery of our District. As our County continues to restore itself in its expanded Phase 2 status, let us proceed with caution, compassion, and empathy. We are all in this together.

Until we meet again, please have a safe, happy, and healthy weekend.

 

Very Sincerely,

 

Richard D. Roth

Senator, 31st District.