Voluntary and confidential. And colluding daily texts including daily texts and phone calls checking in throughout the 14 day monitoring period. They can selfreport symptoms on text, alerting Public Health officials that testing may be ride. Over 50 people have been trained to do this outreach including librarians, city staffers and ucfs medical staffers. Well hear about this program coming up in a News Conference that starts at 1 00 p. M. Back to you. Looking live to wall street where stocks are taking a dive. The dow is down a little bit more than 300 points. It dropped 530 points or 2 . Shthe pacts of ng a new coronavirus sales. The government reports retail dropped 8. 7 march. Auto sales fell 25 . And sales of clothing and accessory stores plunged 50 . One area did see a surge. Grocery store sales were up 27 . Now back to top story. Governor good afternoon, newsom giving an update. I want to just extend, again, our deep condolences to those family members, loved ones of those lives lost over the last 24 hours. I began yesterdays press conference by making a point that yesterday we had the highest total number of deaths since this disease began here in the state of california. Today we recorded 63 not a statistic but a life. I just want to extend my heartfelt condolences and extend appreciation for not only those loved ones and families impacted, but i had the privilege yesterday of talking to over 150 faith leaders from every conceivable part of this state. And one Common Thread was how one deals with grief at this time. Particularly the loss of a life and how one organizes funeralservices and all the logistical challenges that in the best of the times are difficult. But at this moment are made even more challenging. And so, again, i just felt incumbent, important, to begin by recognizing the totality of the crisis that is still at hand. Not only here in the state of california, but throughout the nation. Ghescordeds yesterday were e but so re tions. And so by no stretch of the imagination are we out of the woods. Despite the fact that we put forward a frame work yesterday to begin to consider the prospects reopening at certain sectors. I want folks to know we will maintain our individual lens and maintain our path that is on. A path that prucing bun we are yet a place wherwe can start reopenin with that said, people are not where they were, just a few weeks ago as it relates to unemployment claims within the last four weeks. 2. 7 million californians have filed for Unemployment Insurance. We are in the process right now of dealing with an unprecedented number of people making phone calls into our edd department. Our Employment Development department. We are trying to process these applications and turn around in time. We are doing so for not only employee ease but independent contractors. People that are selfemployed. Bit more about tha you a little moment. But i want to first just begin by saying this. I just signed an executive order that will extend our call center. So we can meet the volumes of inquiry. We will extend it from the hours from 8 00 in the morning to 8 00 in the evening seven days a week. A few days back we commented the edd department had a call center since 2013 that was operating from 8 00 a. M. To noon just five days a week. That is when we had record low unemployment. And just like that now 2. 7 Million People claiming now the need for Unemployment Insurance in just over one month. So now Record Number of call volumes. I just want to thank our partners, particularly sciu 1,000. An incredible work force that has been redeployed to et that demand. 740 inedd have repositioned themselves, gotten trained and are now redeployed in a position to address the call volume. But more over to answer those calls and give you quality information. 600 additional state employees are being redeployed between now and monday to do the same. So in total, 1,340 individuals now will be redirected and will start the process of helping you process your earned benefits. And so i just want to applaud julie sue who will speak in a moment. Her department, the department of labor and the incredible partnership that she has formed within her agency and all the men and women that went and did above and beyond work. Just on easter as a proof point and specific example. We thought it was appropriate considering the burnout and the volume that we gave people a little time off on Easter Sunday. 100 of those state employees refused that time off because they cared war about you andtores. In turn they were able to process a couple hundred thousand distributions just on Easter Sunday. To help people most in need in the state of california. So if you ever have any doubt about the value of public employees, i hope you will consider that example. Rather than stepping aside, they stepped in. And they took the time to consider other people first. Not just themselves. I just want to applaud all of those that did heroic work on Easter Sunday and continue to do heroic work every single day to process what looks like a million or so payments a week. Those numbers, we hope, will get even greater, even higher, rather, in the next few weeks. But that is the current processing a couple hundred thousand checks in a day that we were able to turn around in these efforts and other efforts that have been put in place at edd. So that is an update specifically on employment insurance. And by the way, those checks are retro active in many places. Particularly as it relates to 600 per week additional check that are being received from the federal government stimulus support. And so people should look forward to getting those checks, by the way, they are cd in debt cards transferred into their possession in very short order. As i said, there is 1. 5 million selfemployed. 1. 5 million small businessmen and women. Individuals that have otemees. D direct assistance. The federal government created a program called pua. Pandemic unemployment assistance. The pua program we are setting up in the state of california. And we are doing so in a very methodical and thoughtful way. Instead of just putting out applications and having people wait weeks and weeks and weeks for eligibility and for notification around the distribution of payments, we are organizing a very deliberate process in realtime to set up our pua system. In a way we can turn around checks within 2448 hours. Ly ask julie sue to come up and talk a little bit more if that. I wa topoint about the pua pro. This shot a way temperature and it is not a way of protecting those in platform economy, the gig economy from not providing wage data to the state of california. They must provide that wage data for the state of california. If we were in pursuit of tada, we would use the traditional lines of Unemployment Insurance. But not all are paying into the Unemployment Insurance process. And that is why the state of california advanced what is well known within the state a decision where we cot fewed through ab five a bill that i signed with relationship to this issue. So i just nt folks to know that their status, even if they choose the pua process, is not at peril of their employment. Again ill ask julie sue in just one second to talk more about that as well. One final thing, im a fan of employment insurance. And this is something when i was a former mayor of San Francisco during the great recession, we were able to work with Speaker Nancy Pelosi to get a pilot through the federal appropriations to put together an employment insurance. Not just an Unemployment Insurance program. Its common they refer to across the country as a Work Share Program. The state of california has a modest Work Share Program. We want to advance that program. We want to expand it significantly. Get more employers into that program. I signed an executive order on that. To significantly increase the time to application the time to creation and development of those programs. And i dont want to moralize this, i dont want to get into a National Frame right now. But i can just say this, i think one of the most significant things we can do in the United States of america is reimagine our unemployment system. And do more of what youre seeing in countries like germany and elsewhere are doing. And that is provide the employment insurance. So people can stay in their status, their benefits included. Even with reduced hours in an economy even as acute and challenging as ours today. The federal government did a version of this in the cares act as it relates to th paycheck protection program. Its a variability. But the opportunity to do this at scale avails itself on a National Frame. But also to begin a new to think about how we can scale that program, our Work Share Program in the state of california. So that was the purpose of the executive order. Extend those hours 8 00 to 8 00 starting monday. Extend our ability to process even more checks. Encourage people to fill out the Unemployment Insurance forms. Let selfemployed individual contractors know of the availability now of our pua program. And let folks know that, that status as it relates to that determination of your classification as an employer will not be impacted by the creation of our employment. And the governors executive order today is ing to allow us to open up the hours of our call center so those that are seeking a live person to talk to will get help to do that much more easily. We will be seven days a week from 8 00 a. M. To 8 00 p. M. Beginning monday. And on the pandemic unemployment assistance or pua, we will be launching that application on april 28th. So in roughly two weeks, the application will be up. It will apply to those that are selfemployed, those that are independent contractors, and to employees whose wage data is not scuffle. The work history is not scuffle to qualify for Unemployment Insurance. And to others that have exhausted their Unemployment Insurance benefits. Once you apply on april 28th, you will be able to certify the next day. And we will be turning around payments within 2448 hours. The first payments should be out by april 30th. I know many have been waiting for that. I want to reiterate the governments point, once payments begin they are retro active. The Program Begins in terms of when you can receive money if you are unemployed due to covid 19 after that first week of february. So the checks, the payments that you received, the benefits will go all the way back to that first week of february if co19. We inr week on top of the regular Unemployment Insurance benefits will also apply to pua starting on march 29th. So when our applications go up in a couple weeks, that money will be retro active. Ly add one last thing, there has been a lot of conversation about the technology limits here in california. Our technology limits evwewill able to follow services. So we will pay within the three week time period. Thank you. Were very proud of our labor secretary and she will avail ourselves to any question. That last point she made is a really important point. We had a 21 day processing of Unemployment Insurance claims and we are still within that limit within her capacity and teams capacity. I want to applaud her for her capacity to surge those efforts. She started intentionally by not focusing on the call center as much as processing the claims. And now we are at a position where we can do that and expand the call center. So all of this in interim process. And building on the efforts that are built from the previous day and correcting and addressing and adjusting our efforts in realtime. Speaking of addressing realtime need. Our Diverse Communities in the state of california include our immigrant communities. I dont know if people know this, it is a remarkable thing. Onehalf of our children cali at of their family that is an immigrant. Onehalf. This is a state where 27 of us are foreign born. That is diversity to a scale that doesnt exist in any other state. Regardless of your status documented or undocumented, there is people in need. This is a state that steps up. Always to support those in need. Regardless of status. 10 . 10 of the work force sun documented. 10 . And over representation of that work force is undocumented in the areas that are so essential to Meeting Needs of tens of thcuanfood californians todcto sectornufag and logistics sector. And in the construction sector. There is an over representation of people without dock. Ation. By the way paying just last year over 2. 5 billion of local and state taxes. Those are individuals that do not benefit from the pua program. Do not benefit from the ui. Dont benefit from the stimulus that was just signed by the president. The 2. 2 trillion. Yet many in mixed status families are having a hard time taking care of their children and taking care of you and your loved ones in skill nursing facilities. On thejob site. Making sure your food is being procured and distributed. And making sure you have the ability to go to a grocery stow. But are still addressing the essential needs of tens of millions of californians. And that is why im proud as governor to be the first state to announce a program for direct disaster assistance. We are putting up 75 million in partnership with philanthropy. Philanthropy is matching our donations, not dollar for dollar, but putting in another 50 million. So a total of 125 million to provide individual assistance. For those individuals that are quite literally putting themselves on the line in helping support this economy and those most at need at this moment. I want to in particular thank the Emerson Collective zuckerberg, james irvine foundation, california endocument, and blue shield foundation. They seated the philanthropic part of this. Jobs 1 million through emerson they put into this effort. There is a group called gcir that is a philanthropy group. They are the ones organizing that 50 million raise. And that 50 million goal. And for me that is in live inning and ennobling. Its just recognition from some of the worlds great philanthropists that reside here that they recognize all of this is in this together. And even if is gaps, we can help to fill them. Im not here to suggest that 125 million is enough. But im here to suggest that it is a good start and im glad its starting here in the state of california. By the way, all of our efforts are not limited to just direct financial relief. I made clear last week that we are allowing what we call presumptive eligibility to exist through our medical system. Not just in the emergency room or hospitals, but get tested in Community Clinics and get thoseclinics reimbursed. Remember in the United States of america, we have universal health care. Its in the emergency rooms. And you as a taxpayer pay expotentially more on the back end thanvithe eventiveas a taxpayer and helps keep more of us healthier and safer. And so this is an example with this Communicable Disease that can spread easily to make sure people know they to get tested and treatment if positive. This is a good Health Strategy and a right moral, ethical, and economic can thing to do. So that is an additional area of support that is pardon parcel to help our Diverse Communities in the state of california. Child care, food banks, and others made available as needed to help the most vulnerable keep people at work. Those that need to be at work for essential services. All again part of the package and pride that we have in california. And californians at this moment to do more and to do better. Again, i recognize we still have more to do in this space space and obviously i want to extend recognition of that and also appreciation that we will endeavor to find more areas of support over the next days and weeks and certainly over the next year as we transition back to some version of normalcy. A lot of which we spoke to yesterday. Let me briefly speak to a few additional things we do on a daily basis. That is to give you an over all view of the trend lines and proof points, data that come in within la speaking of 24. 24,424 individuals have tested positive for covid 19 to date. I gave you the number of people that have lost their lives 821. The number of people in our hospitals, in our icus, we had some favorable numbers that came out yesterday. Hospitalization rate went up 1. 5 . Again we want to see that declining. We want to start to see that flatte ulti see those numbers go down. Decline from their growth. Flatten and then go down. Speaking of going down, there is 1,175 individuals in the icus. That number went down from yesterday. 2 . That is a very good sign. The number of what we refer to puiui, ui, a lot of acronyms. Pui is persons under investigation in the hospitals and in our icus. Those numbers are also trending down. By multiples of that. 2 . I will remind you what i do on a daily basis, those are the numbers i look up every morning when i wake up first. Those are the numbers that will guide our decisions when we ultimately expand our Testing Capacity in the state of california. And isolate and quarantine individuals. Part of the six specific strategies and frame work that will allow us to pull back and ease up. But they are not there yet. It is incumbent upon all of us those lines beginning to flatten and decline. Lets stay at it, stay the course and continue to do everything that we can to meet this moment head on. So that is broad strokes. Of course we are here to answer any questions and provide additional insight and data. Can you hear me okay . Yes. Hello . We are here. Sorry. Okay. Yeah. Governor, thank you for your time. So temporary hospitals are being set up there is a 900 bed temporary hospital in the gymnasium. But there is no indication that they are going to be used any time soon. Do you think we are over planning or over spending on these . Do you think they will be used . Can you explain why . I dont know the word over planning in pandemic applied. I think we are appropriately planning. We have been approach way lot planning in this surge phase to meet the needs based upon modeling that would require us to find an additional 50,000 alternative care sites beyond our licensed hospital bed total system. We are doing more every day to secure not only the sites, but to secure the ppe and the personnel for those sites for this reason. Rear not out of the woods. I told you those death rates, the highest recorded yesterday. The hospitaln tear still too high. The rate of concern continues to permeate systems all across the state of california large and small. And let me extend consideration as well. The announcement we made yesterday around our phased strategy based upon science, based upon health data, also assumes that if people go back into the community and begin to have contact where they are not putting on face coverings, where they are not always practicing the kind of physical distancing that they currently are with the stay at home order, that we could see an increase in the number of people infected. We have to provide the capacity in the system. And make sure we procure that capacity before we enter into that next phase. So every one of those beds from my perspective are important in terms of our capacity to deliver on the hope and promise that we can start to ease up on the home orders. And so i dont think its an over correction. I think its an appropriate adaptation to the current new normal and provide us the kind of relief if indeed we need them without having to be in a crisis mode but having already planned in that respect. Thank you. Governor. Different subject. I see that a state legislature has asked you to halt all sales of firearms and tion stidyohad any views on whether gun sales were an essential or nonessential service or whether this should be a county by county decision. We made the determination on directives going back weeks now. When asked specifically this question about l. A. County and their efforts. Saying i defer to the sheriffs and their determination at the local level. Hi, governor. You mentioned testing in Community Clinics. We know testing is an issue. I talked to clinics where they have 20 tests, if any. And so when you send, we are sending low income undocumented people to these clinics, what are you doing to make sure that, you know, these clinics are prepared to support these patients that they are able to give patients the test and services. Its a wonderful question. Its the right question. Its one we anticipated a week or so ago with the creation of a testing task force. Led by a last night we got new numbers back that showed 12,200 additional tests were conducted in the last 24 hours. Amew uncement a we april 14. The goal is to get to 25,000 tests and then to grow exponentially from there into may and june. That is usin