Great news! Under my leadership as Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, the state just passed a major COVID-19 relief package, providing immediate help to struggling Californians, small businesses, nonprofits and safety net programs hardest hit by the pandemic.

The bulk of assistance is provided through the Golden State Stimulus plan, a direct payment of $600 to 5.7 million individuals or households needing it the most:

• Working Californians earning less than $30,000
  • Taxpayers who qualify for the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) for the 2020 tax year will receive the $600 shortly after submitting their 2020 tax return.

• Californians left out of federal stimulus programs:
  • Californians with income of $75,000 or less and were excluded from federal stimulus payments because they file taxes with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), rather than a Social Security Number (SSN), will receive a $600 payment. Because ITIN filers earning less than $30,000 became eligible for CalEITC for the first time this year, they may also qualify for an additional $600 under that program.
  • Eligible CalWORKs recipients will receive their $600 automatically around mid-April.
  • Eligible elderly or disabled Californians who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI) will also receive this $600 automatically, once the program receives federal approval.

For more information or to see if you qualify for the Golden State Stimulus, please visit the Franchise Tax Board's website here.

In addition, the COVID-19 relief package includes more grants for small businesses and nonprofits, while also implementing fee waivers for hair salons, restaurants and other local places we enjoy in our neighborhood. We also allocated $1.6 billion to support our UC and CSU systems, community college students, childcare programs and other services, such as $35 million for food and diaper banks.

There's still more work to do, and we are continuing to hold budget hearings to get your input and shape California's fiscal priorities as we emerge from the pandemic.

Sincerely,

Phil Ting
Assemblymember, 19th District