As California Fully Reopens, Governor Newsom Announces Plans to Lift Pandemic Executive Orders

Governor to lift Stay-at-Home Order and retire county tier system on June 15 as the state fully reopens

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today took action to lift pandemic executive orders as the state moves Beyond the Blueprint next week to fully, safely reopen. That includes terminating the Stay-at-Home Order that was implemented early in the pandemic to protect Californians and retiring the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Effective June 15, restrictions such as physical distancing, capacity limits and the county tier system will end.

The Governor is also continuing the wind down of executive actions put in place since March 2020 to help facilitate a coordinated response to the pandemic and ensure the state could quickly and efficiently respond to the impacts of the pandemic. A subset of provisions that facilitate the ongoing recovery – such as the provision allowing pharmacy technicians to administer vaccinations as the state continues to vaccinate millions of eligible Californians every week – will remain in place. 

“California is turning the page on this pandemic, thanks to swift action by the state and the work of Californians who followed public health guidelines and got vaccinated to protect themselves and their communities,” said Governor Newsom. “With nearly 40 million vaccines administered and among the lowest case rates in the nation, we are lifting the orders that impact Californians on a day-to-day basis while remaining vigilant to protect public health and safety as the pandemic persists.”

The state’s decisive and early action through the Stay-at-Home Order directing Californians to limit their interactions with people from other households and the Blueprint criteria guiding the tightening and loosening of allowable activities based on the level of community transmission helped slow the spread of the virus, saving lives and protecting the state’s health care delivery system from being overwhelmed. With nearly 40 million vaccines administered and among the lowest case rates in the country, California is entering a new phase, lifting these restrictions to fully reopen on June 15.

The Governor’s Office today established a timeline and process to continue winding down the various provisions of the 58 COVID-related executive orders, which suspended statutes and regulations to help the state and businesses continue operations during the pandemic. To ensure that impacted individuals and entities have time to prepare for the changes, the provisions will sunset in phases, beginning later this month, in July and in September. For example, the suspension of certain licensing requirements for manufacturers to produce hand sanitizer will end on June 30, as shortages are no longer a concern. By the end of September, nearly 90 percent of the executive actions taken since March 2020 will have been lifted.

Today the California Department of Public Health released a new state public health officer order that goes into effect on June 15. The order replaces the previous pandemic public health orders with limited requirements related to face coverings and mega events, as well as settings with children and youth pending an expected update later this month to the K-12 school guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The action supports the full and safe reopening of the state, while maintaining focused public health requirements that address the risk posed by variants as some regions across the nation and world continue to experience high levels of transmission.

A copy of the order terminating the Stay-at-Home Order and the Blueprint for a Safer Economy can be found here. A copy of the order rolling back additional pandemic order provisions can be found here. 

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Governor Newsom Issues Executive Order to Support Communities Recovering from Wildfires

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued an executive order to assist communities recovering from devastating wildfires last year.

The order extends the state’s prohibition on price gouging for the following counties impacted by wildfires in August and September 2020: Butte, Napa, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Fresno, Lassen, Mendocino, Monterey, Shasta, Siskiyou, Solano, Trinity and Tulare.

The text of today’s executive order can be found here. 

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Governor Newsom Signs Legislation to Extend Eviction Moratorium and Assist Tenants and Small Property Owners Impacted by COVID-19

Legislation extends statewide eviction moratorium through June 30, 2021 and protects tenants’ credit

Creates State Rental Assistance Program to allocate $2.6 billion in federal rental assistance dollars to assist struggling tenants and small property owners

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today signed legislation to extend the state’s landmark eviction moratorium through June 30, 2021, protecting millions of Californians struggling as a result of the economic hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the passage of SB 91, California leads all states by enacting the strongest renter protections in the nation.

“Once again, California is leading the way by enacting the strongest eviction protections in the nation, which will provide relief for millions of Californians dealing with financial difficulties as a result of COVID-19,” said Governor Newsom. “This law not only provides greatly needed support for tenants, but also provides relief to small property owners in need of assistance to pay for mortgages, thanks to $2.6 billion in federal stimulus funding.”

On Monday, Governor Newsom, Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon announced an agreement on the legislation to extend the eviction moratorium established last year under AB 3088, which was set to expire at the end of the month.

“Today, we took the boldest action in the nation to protect California renters and support mom and pop landlords, but we know that we have more work to do and that we need to help the folks hurting in our communities understand how to access this critically-needed help,” said Senate President pro Tempore Atkins. “This is an important step. But it’s not the last step, and we will keep working on this issue so that no one has to walk this path alone.”

The legislation signed today pauses evictions for tenants who declare under penalty of perjury an inability to pay all or part of the rent due to a COVID-related reason. Tenants are still responsible for paying unpaid amounts to property owners, but those unpaid amounts cannot be the basis for an eviction, even after the moratorium ends.

SB 91 also establishes the State Rental Assistance Program to allocate the $2.6 billion in federal rental assistance California will receive. The program will target aid to income-qualified tenants most at-risk with unpaid back rent. Assistance will also be extended to property owners who agree to waive 20 percent of unpaid rent. By agreeing to this waiver, property owners will become eligible for 80 percent in rent reimbursements for amounts owed between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021.

"Those of us pushing to get this done knew that there were literally homes and lives at stake. I am grateful for the collaboration that helped us succeed in the face of a very tight deadline. Our work is not over- we must push to find more lasting solutions that protect Californians at risk,” said Speaker Rendon.

Approximately $150 million of the federal funds will be reserved for tenants in counties with populations of 200,000 or less and the additional funds will be available to counties with populations larger than 200,000. The state will directly administer $1.5 billion through contracted entities, and local governments can either join forces with the state or administer their own programs. The State Rental Assistance Program will begin accepting applications from property owners and tenants in March.

SB 91 prohibits the selling or assigning of rental debt that was accrued from March 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 until the end of the moratorium. However, the prohibition is permanent with respect to the rental debt of people at or below 80 percent of Area Median Income who meet the eligibility requirements of the Rental Assistance Program. Property owners or other housing providers are also prohibited from using COVID-19 related debt as a negative factor for evaluating a housing application, or as the basis for refusing to rent to an otherwise qualified tenant.

The Governor signed the following bills into law today:

·         SB 89 by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) – Budget Act of 2020.

·         SB 91 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review – COVID-19 relief: tenancy: federal rental assistance.

Today’s legislation and AB 3088 build on the state’s strongest-in-the-nation rent cap and eviction protections passed by the Legislature and signed into law by the Governor in 2019. Continuing efforts to address the housing availability and affordability crisis that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor’s proposed 2021-22 State Budget provides $500 million for infill infrastructure and an additional $500 million in low-income housing tax credits to support low-income housing development. The Administration is streamlining and reorganizing state housing programs to maximize housing production, while also continuing to support affordable housing.

The Governor has signed major legislation to boost housing production, remove barriers to construction of accessory dwelling units and create an ongoing source of funding for borrower relief and legal aid to vulnerable homeowners and renters. The 2019-20 State Budget made a historic $1.75 billion investment in new housing and created major incentives for cities to approve new home construction. In the first weeks of his administration, Governor Newsom signed an executive order that created an inventory of all excess state land and the Administration has launched partnerships with California cities to develop affordable housing on that land.

California has launched the “Housing is Key” campaign in vulnerable communities aimed at connecting renters and property owners with helpful information and resources.

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NOTE: This is an extension of the already existing statewide residential eviction moratorium and does not apply to self storage liens, unless you live in a city or county that has a moratorium - look up your city or county HERE to discover if you have one in your area. 

Governor Newsom, Legislative Leaders Issue Statement on Eviction Moratorium Extension

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom, Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon today issued the following joint statement on the extension of the eviction moratorium to protect Californians impacted by COVID-19:

“COVID-19 continues to devastate communities across our state and too many Californians remain one paycheck away from losing their apartments or homes. These families need protection and relief now. 

“Today, we are announcing an agreement to extend the eviction moratorium in California through June 30, 2021 – protecting tenants and small landlords from losing their housing as the nation continues to confront the pandemic. We are also moving forward as quickly as possible to deploy California’s share of the latest federal stimulus bill – ensuring that up to $2.6 billion in renter aid is administered quickly, equitably and accountably.  

“These critically needed federal funds, targeted to the most at-risk households with unpaid back rent, will help tenants stay afloat during and after this pandemic. Income-qualified tenants and their landlords can choose to receive direct rental assistance in exchange for forgiving prior rental debt.  

“While we are proud of this agreement, which maintains California’s COVID eviction protections as the strongest statewide rules in the nation, our work is far from over. This eviction moratorium and rapid deployment of funds to the most at-risk are among our top priorities. But we have more work to do, together, to tackle the structural housing cost crisis in California. The pandemic exacerbated these issues, it did not create them. And our work to address these fundamental issues must continue with urgency and resolve. 

“We thank the many stakeholders who have engaged in this process for the past several months, and we recommit ourselves to the work ahead to maintain California’s position as the most compassionate, progressive state in America.” 

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