Updated 3:45 p.m.
California, Oregon and Washington are joining-up to create a framework for reopening the West Coast economy.
On Monday, the Democratic governors of those states announced a pact to prioritize public health and science when weighing decisions about when to allow people to return to work.
Each state will have its own timeline for reopening businesses after coronavirus stay-home orders, but will follow the principles outlined in the agreement.
“As home to one in six Americans and gateway to the rest of the world, the West Coast has an outsized stake in controlling and ultimately defeating COVID-19,” the three governors said in a joint statement.
The announcement comes hours after President Trump said he — and not the nation’s governors — would decide when to reopen the economy.
When asked directly about that, California Gov. Gavin Newsom continued to praise the federal government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak.
“I have all the confidence in the world moving forward that we’ll maintain that collaborative spirit … as it relates to a roadmap for recovery,” he said.
Newsom teased a plan for resuming economic activity in California, which he plans to release Tuesday.
The governor also announced more than $40 million for at-risk children and foster families during the pandemic.
“We’re not giving up on our focus and our oversight and our legal responsibility to protect our children at this very difficult period of time,” Newsom said.
The bulk of the money — nearly $28 million — will go to some 25,000 families in the form of an extra $200 per month to pay for groceries and other necessities during the crisis.
The rest will pay for expanded social worker outreach, support for family resource centers, and laptops and cell phones for some foster youth to access online education.
Newsom also said he will temporarily extend the emancipation period in order to allow the roughly 200 children who age out of the foster system each month to remain in their current living situation.
Watch Gov. Gavin Newsom's Full Update
Follow us for more stories like this
CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you. As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.
Donate Today
