SACRAMENTO
Newsom proclaims State of Emergency in Trinity, Tehama and Shasta Counties due to fires
Gov. Gavin Newsom today proclaimed a state of emergency for Trinity County due to the McFarland and Monument fires; Tehama County due to the McFarland and Dixie fires; and Shasta County due to the McFarland Fire. The fires collectively have burned nearly 100,000 acres, destroyed homes and caused the evacuation of thousands of residents.
The Governor on Saturday met with firefighters, local law enforcement and elected officials in Greenville, which was devastated by the Dixie Fire last week. California recently secured Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAGs) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to support the state’s response to the River Fire, Dixie Fire and Lava Fire. Governor Newsom has proclaimed a state of emergency in counties impacted by the Antelope and River fires, the Dixie, Fly and Tamarack fires and the Lava Fire and Beckwourth Complex.
The text of the proclamation can be found at https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/8.10.21-Monument-_McFarland_Dixie-Fire.pdf
—Submitted
SACRAMENTO
No rent relief in sight
Back in July, Gov. Newsom was all but begging desperate Californians to apply for rent relief. Since then tens of thousands have.
But most are still waiting.
The state had $5.2 billion in aid from the federal government to help cash-strapped renters stay in their homes. But in a pattern seen across the country, that money hasn’t been getting out the door.
What’s the hold up? Consider the laundry list of problems that have regularly beset the state’s pandemic response programs: Faulty websites, confusing application process, language barriers, overwhelmed bureaucracies and people simply not knowing that help is available.
Cities that have opted to run their own programs haven’t fared much better.
- Gabriel Guzman, who sought help from the Chula Vista rent relief program: “We have the capacity to go online. We know our way around. It’s a wonder how people who have less access are able to make their way through this ordeal.”
In April, the city of Los Angeles was swamped with requests for aid, blew through its allotment and stopped taking applications. It’s not clear when more cash will arrive so tenant advocacy groups are sounding the alarm and urging the city to open a new waitlist, CalMatters Nigel Duara reports.
For the time being, Californians are legally protected from eviction — except for those who aren’t. But that moratorium ends after Sept. 30.
That can’t come soon enough for some. Last week, a group representing the state’s landlords sued the state over the eviction ban. And Monday, developer Geoff Palmer (a major donor to the recall campaign) took the city of Los Angeles to court over its local eviction protections, asking for $100 million in damages.
—Ben Christopher, CALMatters
—Compiled by Ariel Carmona Jr.
