PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA - Following the passage of the State of California’s budget on June 30, 2020, the City of Long Beach will receive $40,280,494 in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) funding support the City’s COVID-19 pandemic response efforts.

“Our priority has been and will continue to be protecting public health and providing support to our residents,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “This funding will allow us to continue to do that, and we are very grateful to Governor Newsom for his support.”

Falling just below the population threshold to receive a direct federal CARES Act allocation, Long Beach will receive State funding in the State’s FY 21 budget, which provides $450 million to qualifying California cities that did not receive funding from the federal government. 

CARES Act funding is restricted to certain uses by the federal government and, based on the most current available guidance, can legally fund City costs in response to the pandemic, including funding the support of public health efforts, support for community and residents, and business and economic resiliency support.

City staff will bring a recommended plan to the City Council on July 14, 2020, which will outline the potential uses of the funds to assist in the pandemic response. Major categories will include:

• Reimbursement of public health and City expenses such as staffing, testing, contact tracing and any of the City’s emergency response efforts.
• Future costs of the pandemic response, through December 2020, the deadline for the CARES Act money to be spent.
• Direct funding to support care of vulnerable populations.
• Programs to support residents affected by COVID-19.
• Programs to support businesses and non-profits affected by COVID-19.

Further details on staff recommendation for funding-eligible programs and expenses will be available on Monday, July 6, 2020. The City Council will review staff recommendations for funding-eligible programs and expenses on July 14, 2020. 

For the latest information on COVID-19, with details on all that the City of Long Beach is doing to keep our residents safe, visit: longbeach.gov/COVID19 and follow @LongBeachCity on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.