California, seen as a leader in US coronavirus response, faces new guidelines, budget cuts and scrutiny
- The state is reeling from sharp revenue drops and slashed budgets: within months it will go from a surplus of more than US$6 billion to a US$54 billion deficit
- Governor Gavin Newsom surprised many this week by considerably loosening the guidelines around reopening
California, the most populous US state, has been lauded for its handling of the coronavirus. Widespread moves – among the earliest in the country – to lock down the economy and keep citizens at home are credited for keeping it from seeing the devastating death tolls and overrun hospitals experienced by other densely populated areas like New York City. And, as most states rush to reopen their economies, California has emerged as a moderating voice, with Governor Gavin Newsom often saying that his state would be guided by science and not political pressure.
Today, the reality on the ground in California paints a different picture. Though its infection rate and hospital capacity still offer reason for optimism, its budget has been slashed and the government’s response to the outbreak has come under scrutiny, leaving the state’s reputation as a global leader in tackling the coronavirus on shakier ground.
On Monday, Newsom surprised many by considerably loosening the guidelines around reopening, rendering all but five of the state’s 58 counties ready to begin returning to what he has described as the “new normal.”
Speaking during his daily coronavirus briefing, Newsom said improving trends in bringing the virus under control as well as increased testing and contact tracing were the reasons for loosening the restrictions.
Previously, counties had to show that they had only one case per 10,000 residents and that they had no Covid-19-related deaths over a two-week period. But the new regulations require fewer than 25 new cases per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks, with the requirement for no deaths in the last 14 days dropped entirely.
Under the new rules, counties will have to register no greater than a 5 per cent increase in Covid-19 hospitalisations over a seven-day period, and less than 8 per cent of residents testing positive for the coronavirus in the same time span.
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As it stands, all California counties except for Sacramento and Los Angeles – the state’s most densely populated county, which remains a virus hotspot – have begun reopening following government guidelines.
“The one size does not fit all,” said Newsom.
The next step would potentially see dine-in restaurants, shopping centers, community centres and schools able to reopen with modifications.
Two of the national parks in California have reopened, with car parks opening for the first time this week at 27 state parks and beaches.
In his appearance on Monday, the governor hinted that church services and some basic amenities – “yes,” said Newsom, “that includes getting a haircut” – were a matter of weeks away, and that professional sports could resume as early as June with “modifications and very prescriptive conditions” and without any fans in the stands.
Still, even with the newly accelerated reopening, California is a far cry from states like Georgia and Texas where governors bucked expert advice – and in many cases pleading from their own mayors – to open up their economy all at once, and where people have flocked to bars, restaurants and beauty parlours.
Reopening in California remains much more measured, with daily life far from anything resembling normalcy. For most Californians, it means being able to pick up purchases kerbside from retailers but still not eating in restaurants. And in Los Angeles and the San Francisco area, stay-at-home orders are being extended, not curtailed.
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And while Newsom has faced criticism from those who say he is bowing to political pressure in rushing to reopen, the numbers are heartening.
California has seen 81,903 confirmed coronavirus cases and 3,296 deaths – with 1,842 of the deaths in Los Angeles County. While those numbers are high, they are trending downward: hospitalisations have declined by more than 7 per cent in the last two weeks, while the number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care units has fallen by nearly 9 per cent.
Over the last two days, California has seen 77 deaths, the fewest over a 48-hour period in a month, with the Bay Area not reporting a single death in that time, the longest it has gone without a fatality since March. This as the state increased testing – having performed more than a million – and bolstered its tracing capacity.
The numbers may be encouraging, but increasingly the specifics of the state government’s response are coming under scrutiny.
The initiative to move the state’s estimated 150,000 homeless people into vacant hotel rooms is one example. It is a project Newsom routinely points to in his briefings, although a Los Angeles Times report on Tuesday found that of the 15,000 hotel rooms leased by the state government, half remain unoccupied, with the governor’s own office confirming that 7,700 rooms were vacant.
Some of the state’s large deals to secure personal protective equipment (PPE) have also come under scrutiny.
While initially lauded for its fast response in avoiding the PPE shortages that other state hospitals faced, California has faced criticism as details of its dealings come to light.
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One example is the nearly US$1 billion contract it signed with Chinese electric car manufacturer BYD, paying nearly US$3.30 per mask. Many of the masks failed to materialise or were deemed “not acceptable” by federal regulators. Even as the state has managed to get some of its payment refunded, questions remain as to why it agreed to pay half the sum up front, while the state of Washington negotiated a deal in which it paid only upon delivery.
California is also reeling from deep budget cuts, which have brought years of economic growth to a crashing halt. Within a matter of months, the state will go from a surplus of more than US$6 billion to a US$54.3 billion deficit.
The cuts are likely to be felt deeply by first responders and frontline workers even as the pandemic rages on, and have left the famously independent state to join most other US states in pleading with Washington for assistance.
Speaking on CNN on Sunday, Newsom was asked what would happen if California did not get federal aid.
“I hope they'll consider this, the next time they want to salute and celebrate our heroes and first responders, our police officers and firefighters, consider the fact that they are the first ones that will be laid off by cities and counties,” he said. “The folks that are out there, the true heroes of this pandemic, our health care workers and nurses, those county health systems have been ravaged, their budgets have been devastated and depleted, they’ll be the first ones to be laid off.”
California is not alone. In Washington state, even Seattle-based UW Medicine – considered the forefront of the nation’s fight against Covid – announced last week a historic US$500 million budget shortfall, forcing 1,500 professional and non-union staff into one- to eight-week furloughs.
California’s schools have also been hit hard by the cuts. According to the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office, K-12 schools and community colleges will need about US$82 billion this year in order to maintain their current standard of service. The state’s new budget allots them US$70.5 billion – a shortfall of US$11.5 billion in a year when schools were expecting a funding increase.
Schools are already struggling to adapt to the coronavirus – ending the year early, moving to an online curriculum and, for state colleges, dropping standardised testing requirements – and are facing increased expenses in bringing their campuses up to new government health standards.
Now in an already uncertain time, cuts have led to six of the state’s large urban school districts – which teach more than 1 million students – to announce that because of budget shortfalls they may need to delay opening in the fall.
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On Monday, superintendents of the six districts, including Los Angeles Unified, submitted a letter to state legislative leaders reading in part: “Reopening our school campuses will require more – not fewer – resources to ensure and sustain proper implementation of public health guidance and the safety of all of those involved. Cuts will mean that the reopening of schools will be delayed even after state guidance and clearance from public health officials is given.”
And it’s not just the budget cuts that are facing resistance. Some of the state’s expenditures are also facing criticism, especially a new programme that will provide taxpayer-funded assistance to undocumented immigrants to the tune of US$75 million.
California is home to more than 2 million people who are in the US illegally. As many as one in 10 workers are undocumented, and many provide essential services.
The programme has been the target of ire from some on the right. When it was introduced, California Senate Republican leader Shannon Grove said: “Instead of meeting these urgent needs, Governor Newsom has chosen to irresponsibly pursue a left-wing path and unilaterally secured [millions] for undocumented immigrants.”
But Newsom has been steadfast. “California is the most diverse state in the nation. Our diversity makes us stronger and more resilient,” he said when announcing the initiative.
“Every Californian, including our undocumented neighbours and friends, should know that California is here to support them during this crisis.”
“Regardless of your status, documented or undocumented, there are people in need.”
People in the US illegally are barred from receiving most types of federal assistance, and the California programme will help an estimated 150,000 immigrants. Individuals can receive a one-time payment of US$500, or US$1,000 per household on a first-come, first-served basis.
The programme’s hotline was jammed from the moment it launched, receiving 630,000 calls in the first 90 minutes.
