GSBE Business Update 10/01/2020
Fight for 501(c)6 Funding Continues
SRBX joins over 2,300 organizations in continuing to urge Congress to pass COVID relief funding that includes 501(c)6’s in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Local chambers and industry associations are working harder than ever with less resources to support their business members through the pandemic and strategically plan for economic recovery.
Senate Rep Leader Demands Gov Cancel $35 Million Contract to “Team Biden” Firm
Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove reports having sent a letter (please see attached) to Gov. Newsom “requesting that he investigate and cancel a $35 million contract to a public affairs firm with deep Democrat ties.”
Senate ends debate on stopgap funding bill, final vote Wednesday
Continuing resolution gives Congress until Dec. 11 to reach agreement on nearly $1.4 trillion in funding. The 82-6 cloture vote signals that the continuing resolution is all but certain to clear the Senate and go to President Donald Trump’s desk for his likely signature. He might have very little time to do so, if any senators decide to chew up all 30 hours of post-cloture debate.
Housing
Newsom on Monday asked lawmakers to approve an additional $200 million for local governments to convert properties into permanent supportive housing for homeless Californians, many of whom are moving out of temporary pandemic housing. The state currently has $600 million for Project Homekey, which has received 138 applications requesting more than $1 billion. In LA County, more than a third of the roughly 6,600 people who moved into hotel rooms have left. Of those, more than 50% are unaccounted for, 20% have returned to the street, 10% went to permanent housing and 3% went to another shelter. And, in SF, next steps remain unclear for many of the 2,340 homeless people living in hotels. However, amid a dearth of permanent supportive housing, they may be forced to return to shelters or encampments.
Updates to Prevailing Wage for Projects in SoCal
An interim determination changing the rate of pay for work performed by Craft of Teamster in Southern California Counties within Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura (does not apply to San Diego County). This determination applies to projects advertised for bids on or after October 10, 2020. To locate the new notice, click on the following link (or see attached document “DIR”): https://www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2020-2/NoticeIndex.htm