Seeking Relief & Ensuring An Equitable Recovery: A Primer for Capturing the Next Wave of Federal Relief Funds at the Local Level - Advancement ...
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Seeking Relief & Ensuring An Equitable Recovery:
A Primer for Capturing the Next Wave of Federal Relief
Funds at the Local Level
March 9th, 2021
10:00 - 11:30am
Welcome! We’ll begin in a few minutes. Share your name, organization, and city/region you work in in the All panelists and attendees chat! Make sure to send your message to All panelists and attendees
Meeting Crisis with Courage: A COVID-19 Budget Webinar for Advocates and
Policymakers
Take a deep breath and
get present.
Working Agreements & Zoom Basics
• We invite you to stay present
• Attendees are muted and your videos are off
• This webinar is being recorded and the recording and slides
will be shared after the session
• Use the Chat and Q&A functions to engage
• We'll share a survey link at the end—please help us
improve by filling it out!
Featured Speakers
Jacky Guerrero, Anisha Hingorani, Daniel Wherley, Myanna A. Elycia Jovana
Advancement Advancement Advancement Khalfani-King, Mulholland Graves, Morales-Tilgren,
Project CA Project CA Project CA Advancement Advancement Project Leadership Counsel for
Project CA CA Justice and
Accountability
Agenda I – Welcome and Introductions II – Preview of Next Federal COVID-19 Relief Package III – COVID-19 Racial and Economic Impacts & Local Response IV – Lessons from CARES Act & Partner Spotlight V – Recommendations VI - Closing
“Meeting Crisis With Courage” budget
playbook brief is available at:
http:/www.advancementprojectca.org/covid
Part II: Preview of the Next Federal COVID-19 Relief Package: The American Rescue Plan
Multiple Sources of Government COVID-19 Relief Funding
FEDERAL
FEDERAL
COVID-19 Relief 2020
The CARES Act 2020
(December)
$2.2 trillion
$900 billion
CALIFORNIA FEDERAL
COVID-19 Relief Package American Rescue Plan
2021 Proposal 2021
$7.6 billion $1.9 trillion
Preview: The American Rescue Plan
o Stimulus payments o Subsidies for health insurance premiums
o Enhanced unemployment aid o Restoration of emergency paid leave
o Rental assistance and extended eviction o Small business assistance
moratorium
o Support for vaccines and testing in communities
o Continued increase in food stamp benefits and and in schools
nutrition assistance
o Aid for K-12 schools - $130 billion!!
o Emergency funds for childcare providers
o $15 hourly minimum wage
o Expanded child tax credit
o And aid for state and local governments…Preview: The American Rescue Plan State & Local Aid
o $350 billion in emergency funding for state, local, tribal, and U.S. territories
o State Government & Washington D.C. - $195.3 billion
o Local Government - $130.2 billion
o Tribal Governments & U.S. Territories - $24.5 billion
o $20 billion in relief for public transit agencies
o $20 billion for tribal governments’ response to pandemic
Bottom line – the local aid amount would more than double what the CARES Act provided
… and with fewer restrictions on use.What We Know: The American Rescue Plan State & Local Aid
Allowable Uses Allocation Methodology
• Respond to and mitigate the public • Half of the local government aid will
health emergency and/or its go to counties using a Community
negative economic impacts Development Block Grant (CDBG)
• Cover costs incurred as a result of allocation methodology
the pandemic
• Replace revenue that was lost, • Other half will go to cities and
delayed or decreased, anchored in municipalities of 50,000 people or
pre-pandemic estimates less, again using CDBG and another
formula
• Funds expended over multiple years.
Source: National Association of CountiesWhat We Know: Estimated California Allocation $42.3 billion
Estimated California Allocation
$42.3 billion
$1.3 B, 3%
$7.7 B, 18% State Govts
Metro Cities
$7.0 B, 17% $26.3 B, 62% Counties
Other Non-Counties
Source: U.S. House of Representatives, Estimates as of 2.25.21What We Know: Estimated Allocation of Local Aid by County
County CARES Act American Rescue Plan Percentage Increase
Merced $ 29 million $ 54 million 46%
Kern $ 157 million $ 175 million 10%
Fresno $ 81 million $ 194 million 58%
Sacramento $ 181 million $ 301 million 40%
San Bernardino $ 380 million $ 423 million 10%
Riverside $ 431 million $ 480 million 10%
Orange $ 554 million $ 616 million 10%
Los Angeles $ 1 billion $ 1.9 billion 47%
Source: U.S. House of Representatives, Estimates as of 2.25.21What We Know: Estimated Direct Allocation of
Local Aid by Metro Cities
Metro Cities American Rescue Plan
Merced $28 million
Riverside $79 million
Bakersfield $96 million
Sacramento $122 million
Santa Ana $143 million
Long Beach $153 million
Fresno $177 million
Los Angeles $1.3 billion
Source: U.S. House of Representatives, Estimates as of 2.25.21Anticipated Timeline for American Rescue Plan Adoption &
Funding Dispersal
Senate and House deliberation. Aid available at the local level.
March June
February May
Extended unemployment benefits
Typical budget adoption timeline
set to expire by March 14; urgency
for local governments; meaning aid
to adopt Budget Resolution and
funding could be rolling out by this
Reconciliation before benefits
time.
expire.Part III: COVID-19 Racial and Economic Impacts & Local Government COVID Response
Widening Racial and Economic
Disparities
• Widening existing disparities
based on race/socio-economic
status
• Increased wealth gap
• Harms of race-neutral policy-
making
Image Source: Economic Policy Institute. Inequities exposed: How Covid-19 widened racial inequities in
education, health, and the workforce.Widening Economic Disparities
Disparities in the workforce
o K-shaped economy
o Top of the K = Higher income workers
o Bottom of the K = Lower income workers
o Essential workers
Image Source: The Street. Mish Talk. Global Economic Trend AnalysisLocal Government COVID-19 Response
o The fiscal crisis led to immediate cuts to services and programs
o Lacked systematic policy changes
o Provided band-aid fixes instead of solutions
o Ongoing transparency, accessibility, and accountability barriers
o Summer of racial justice uprisings elevated justice reinvestment as
long-term systems change solutionDefund the Police and Justice Reinvestment
Defund the Police Justice Reinvestment
o Long term strategy to systemic change o A solution to defunding public safety
o Not a stand-alone solution
o Reinvest in care models that give back to
o Community involvement around the communities that have historically been
discussion of defund devalued/divested
o Recognition of community violence vs. o Focus on public policies that close care gaps
police violence against communities
Data source: NYU Review of Law and Social Change 2021 Colloquium, Defund to Abolish Communities with Police: We Keep our Communities SafeNEW COVID-19: Statewide Vulnerability & Recovery Index
https://www.racecounts.org/covid-statewide/#statewide-indexCOVID-19: Statewide Vulnerability & Recovery Index
• A ZIP Code level tool to identify the
communities most in need of
immediate and long-term pandemic
and economic relief
• Comprised of three components:
• Risk Component measures the risk of
COVID-19 infection.
• Severity Component measures the risk of
severe illness or death from COVID-19.
• Recovery Need Component measures
needs related to economic and social
recovery.
https://www.racecounts.org/covid-statewide/#statewide-indexOur Indicators
Severity Component
Risk Component
Recovery Need Component
1. Latinx, Black, AIAN, and 1. Latinx, Black, AIAN, and 1. Latinx, Black, AIAN, and
NHPI Population NHPI Population NHPI Population
2. Essential Workers 2. Population Below 200% of 2. Essential Workers
Poverty Level
3. Population Below 200% 3. Population Below 200% of
of Poverty Level 3. Seniors Ages 75+ in Poverty Level
Poverty
4. Overcrowded Housing 4. Uninsured Population
Units 4. Uninsured Population
5. Unemployment Rate
5. Diabetes Hospitalization
Rate
6. Heart Attack
Hospitalization Rate
https://www.racecounts.org/covid-statewide/#statewide-indexOur Methodology
Correlation with Final Indicator
Literature & Existing Data
Data Gathering Reliability Testing COVID-19 Case
Review
Data List
Reviewed: Our Data Sources: 1. Tested reliability of 1. Analyzed
1. Indices from the CDC, 1. American American correlations
the Public Health Community Survey Community Survey between indicators
Alliance of Southern 5-Year Estimates, Estimates at ZIP and available ZIP
California, the 2018. Code level. Code level case
California Health 2. California Office of data.
Interview Survey, and Statewide Health
others. Planning and
2. CA COVID-19 Case and Development,
Death Data by Race 2013-2014 (update
and Place. in progress).
3. Articles on COVID-19
exposure and severity.
https://www.racecounts.org/covid-statewide/#statewide-indexIndex
Results
https://www.racecounts.org/covid-statewide/#statewide-indexRisk
Results
https://www.racecounts.org/covid-statewide/#statewide-indexSeverity
Results
https://www.racecounts.org/covid-statewide/#statewide-indexRecovery
Need
Results
https://www.racecounts.org/covid-statewide/#statewide-indexWays You Can Use the Index • Map communities by Index Score and by Risk Score, Severity Score, and Recovery Need Score • Zoom in on your ZIP Code, County, Assembly District, or Senate District • Download the data and rank communities by indicators For more information and to see results for your area, visit: https://www.racecounts.org/covid-statewide/#statewide-index
Take 3 deep breaths…
Part IV: CARES Act Shortfalls & Partner Spotlight
CARES Act Response to Widening Economic Disparities Source: U.S. Department of Justice
CARES Act Response to Widening Economic Disparities
Did the CARES Act meet the needs
of vulnerable populations?
• Short answer is no
• Small Businesses Supports
• Individual Payments and
Unemployment Insurance
• State, Local and Tribal
Government Aid
Source: U.S. Department of JusticeCARES Act – CA State & Local Revenue • California received $15.3 billion total from the CARES Act to cover costs through December 2020 and later extended to December 2021. • At least $5.8 billion went directly to counties and cities with populations of at least 500,000 people. • The remaining portion of $9.5 billion went to the state, but much of this was reallocated to localities, especially those with populations below 500,000. • These funds were not flexible, as they must be spent on new expenditures directly related to COVID-19.
CARES Act Local Budget Case Studies: Fresno City
Fresno City / CARES Act Spending / $92M
Aug 2020
Nutrition, Parks, Community
Centers, Childcare, Housing,
Homelessness, etc.
Small Business Grants, Farmers
Grants, Business Education
Fresno City Case $13M, 14%
$21M, 22% Health Clinics for
Study Takeaway: Southwest/Southeast Fresno
$4.6M, 5% Testing, Contact Tracing, PPE
Equity-guided
decision-making with $33M, 36% $10M, 11%
Staff Salaries, Future Costs,
$10 million set aside $11M, 12% Reimbursements, Retrofit & Tech
for clinics in high- Upgrades
Pending
need areas.CARES Act Local Budget Case Studies: San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County / CARES Act Spending / $430M
Sep 2020
$20M, 5% $5M, 1% Costs & Projections through
San Bernardino Dec
County Case Study Business Program
Takeaway: $93M 21%
Technology Projects
Serious transparency Cities, Schools, Fire Agencies
concerns with CARES $262M, 61% (proposed)
$20M, 5%
Act spending, more Private Hospitals (proposed)
details about the Costs $30M, 7%
& Projections category Nonprofits (proposed)
needed.CARES Act Local Budget Case Studies Takeaways
• Lack of Process & Spending Transparency
• Given the constricted timeline, localities adopted spending plans
quickly, hindering advocates from engaging and informing spending decisions.
• Limited/Non-existent Community Engagement
• Policymakers, department heads, city managers, and county executives have
been primary decision-makers.
• City vs. County Implementation
• Cities with equity-focused investments benefitted from robust community
advocacy; counties are challenging targets given size, reach, and public health
functionsACCOM
CARES Act Budget PLI
Advocacy SH M EN T S
Takeaways
• Structural Challenges
• COVID-19 deepened structural budget challenges that will take many years
for localities to recover from
• Insufficient Relief and Inequitable Recovery
• We are witnessing the compounded effects that the lack of equity focus creates
–many communities have not yet seen relief, contributing to uneven and
unequal recovery
• Justice Reinvestment
• Justice reinvestment presents a compelling solution to equitable budget recoveryPartner Spotlight Jovana Morales-Tilgren, Housing Policy Coordinator
CARES Funding in Merced County LCJA in partnership with 99Rootz and FIV formed a coalition to ensure we worked together with residents and youth to advocate for CARES funding. Equity for us meant including the needs and priorities of the communities we work in. We began engaging in this campaign in late July/early August. BOS voted on a rent/mortgage/utility assistance program on December 8, 2021 ($1million total).
CARES Funding in Merced County
Meetings with Supervisors
Consistently engaged with BOS Petition (over 250 signatures)
Different media platforms (Univision, Merced Sun-Star, social media)
for 4 months: Virtual press conference, where residents/youth and partners uplifted
the urgency
Narrative was shifted to “every county in the Central Valley has
used their funds to help their residents except Merced County.”
Lessons Learned: Implementation!Part V: Budget and Policy Recommendations
Recommendations – Goals and Narratives
1. Keep Advocacy Goal & Targets Tightly Focused on Equity
• Partner with key department(s) to tailor ask & develop an implementation strategy.
• Ground budget asks using available data.
• Keep in mind how one-time asks might best serve your long-term goals.
2. Redefine Relief & Recovery Narratives
• Public officials don’t have all the answers and often miss/ignore community needs.
• Engaged communities aren’t antithetical to speed/effectiveness – they enhance it.
• Emergency relief is more than tests, a healthy recovery is more than vaccines – and the
community hasn’t recovered until all have recovered.Recommendations – Strategies
3. Invest in Holistic Health, Divest from Harmful “Justice” Models
• Push for flexible health investments that include but extend beyond COVID-19.
• Pair advancing community health with divestment from suppression models.
• Focus on closing care gaps for low-income communities of color and
restoring defunded health and social services.
4. Aligning Community, Building Alliances = Focusing Power
• Broad, inclusive, supportive coalitions are critically important.
• Use your community budget platform as a gravitational force pulling folks together.Moment of Reflection
What is one insight you are taking with
you today?
What additional information would you
like to see future webinars address?
Please respond in the chat box.Upcoming Advancement Project CA Webinar
March 30 - Save the Date!Don't forget to fill out our survey!
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