California Legislature Now Set to Reconvene May 4

The California Legislature pushed back its scheduled return to the Capitol by three weeks to May 4 to give public health officials more time to deal with the coronavirus spreading through the state. It is unclear what this new schedule will mean for pending legislation. Legislators have been told by leadership that they must prioritize their bills and that COVID-19, wildfire response and housing issues will have first priority.

Despite the legislative deadline delay, Senate President Pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) issued a joint statement on April 10 confirming that the legislature will begin conducting COVID-19 oversight hearings during the week of April 12. The bipartisan oversight hearings are expected to gather information on spending by Governor Gavin Newsom Administration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before recessing in March, the California Legislature appropriated $1.1 billion in funding at Newsom’s urging so that he would have resources to commit in responding to the crisis. The joint statement from California’s two legislative leaders recognizes the need to continue to observe “physical distancing” at this stage in the crisis, but said appropriate accommodations would be made to “ensure public participation” and to “protect public health.”

Separately, Atkins held a Senate hearing on Thursday, April 16, in the State Capitol. The hearing was the first to be held by a newly created Senate Special Budget Subcommittee on the COVID-19 response. The new subcommittee is chaired by Senator Holly J. Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee.

For more information contact Trudi Hughes.