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New federal guidelines on face masks mark a pandemic turning point, but how they apply in California and Los Angeles remain to be seen.
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Mask Milestone, Mask Confusion
In a sign of America’s progress against COVID-19, federal officials have announced a sweeping relaxation of
face mask guidelines, which now suggest fully vaccinated people can stop wearing masks in most places either outdoors or inside.
Though the move is a milestone moment in the pandemic, it comes with some caveats. First, the guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is only a recommendation, with the final call largely being decided by state and local governments. California has strict mask rules consistent with the CDC’s previous mask guidance, and officials said they will remain in effect at least for now as they study the new recommendations.
Cities are getting a windfall from Biden s COVID relief bill. Now how are they going to spend it? Joey Garrison, USA TODAY
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WASHINGTON Mayors are accustomed to juggling priorities with limited city revenue: Park upgrades or staff pay increases? Street paving or that long-awaited new community center?
The crunch tightened during a global pandemic.
But an infusion of $350 billion in federal COVID-19 rescue funds now headed to local and state governments this week sets up a new – and welcomed – dilemma: how to spend a financial windfall.
Two months after President Joe Biden signed his American Rescue Plan into law, the Treasury Department on Monday made available a historic amount of direct aid to thousands of city and county governments. Local governments are in line to collectively receive more than $110 billion over two years in addition to $125 billion for the reopening of public schools. Another $195.3 billion
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Shortly after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention s immunization advisory committee voted Wednesday to approve the use of the Pfizer vaccine on the younger age group, the city of Long Beach announced it would begin offering the shot to those aged 12 to 15 starting Thursday.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health also quickly cleared its sites and other providers in the county to begin offering the inoculations starting Thursday. Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said there are about 500,000 county residents aged 12 to 15. It is a key group of individuals for us to reach so that we can increase our coverage in terms of the county s total population, Ferrer said Thursday.
Local California Governments Can Start Up Universal Income Programs Under Newsom Proposal
On 5/14/21 at 2:56 PM EDT
California s new budget proposal could open the door for cities to implement new programs to help the poor.
Governor Gavin Newsom s budget proposal, which he announced Friday, includes $35 million over five years to pay for universal basic income pilot programs.
The plan would not create a statewide guaranteed income program but instead would help pay for local governments to start their own initiatives to target low-income families. Local governments would help pay for the program through taxpayer dollars or private donors.
For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.