Skip to main content Currently Reading Are you a Bay Area resident dealing with debt as a result of the pandemic? We want to hear from you. FacebookTwitterEmail Close-up shot of a closure notice posted on the entrance of a Lather store in San Ramon, Calif.Gado via Getty Images The COVID-19 pandemic has caused more than 470,000 deaths in the United States, including about 45,000 deaths in California alone. It has also triggered an unemployment crisis and an economic crisis, and many California residents have fallen further into debt. The federal response to these crises has come up woefully short. State and local officials are, to some degree, limited by the federal government, but have also failed to provide meaningful financial relief, especially for laid-off workers, renters and small business owners. And women, particularly from marginalized communities, have been hit hardest: In December 2020, there were 2.1 million fewer women in the workforce than in February 2020.