Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that his office submitted a request to the state Legislature to free up disaster response funding that would allow the state to invest more than $1.4 billion in acquiring personal protective equipment for the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Newsom’s office requested $495 million in funding to cover the first tranche of payments for the state’s procurement efforts. The funds would help the state purchase equipment directly from suppliers and, in some cases, bid against other states and even the federal government for supplies.
“That is not an insignificant amount of money,” Newsom said of the $1.4 billion plan, “but we’re dealing at a time where we need to go boldly and we need to meet this moment without playing small ball any longer.”
The request is part of Newsom’s bid to secure some 500 million N95 masks, face shields, surgical gowns and other protective equipment items in preparation for the state’s expected surge in coronavirus cases as spring
turns to summer.
The state has, so far, secured more than 41.5 million pieces of protective equipment and distributed them to local hospitals and jurisdictions fighting to contain the virus. More than a million of those procured pieces of equipment have come from the national stockpile, according to Newsom.
“We need to coordinate and organize our nation-state status as we can only in California with our procurement capacity that, quite literally, is second only to the United States itself,” Newsom said.
“California is in a position not only to leverage those supply chains, leverage our investment, but do so in a way that protects the taxpayers as well,” he said.
Mark Ghilarducci, the director of the governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said the state is also working closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to focus its equipment dispersal efforts on counties across the state that have been identified as hot spots for coronavirus cases, including Alameda, San Francisco, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.
“There are a number of different efforts that are happening simultaneously,” Ghilarducci said. “These are all sustainable, they will meet our needs in the short, medium and long term.”
Public health officials around the state have now confirmed 16,957 coronavirus cases and 442 deaths due to the virus, Newsom said. In addition, 1,154 residents around the state are currently in intensive care due to the
virus.
“tranche of payments” ? ? ?
Anybody got a dictionary that covers 45 cent words ?
The word was used in a story in the East Bay Times this morning.
earth to og – you’re the only here one that didn’t already know the word.
I would like to know why he keeps saying we are going to have are peak in mid May when all models show our peak will hit next week??
what models are you looking at? From what I understand California’s Social distancing success has moved the peak out which was the plan so that the hospitals aren’t overrun.
Healthdata.org
Thank You Gov. Newsom for securing 200 million masks per month for the Golden State!
Highlight the word, right click, then click on Search.
I wonder how much of that $1.4 billion Newsom will try to earmark for financial aid to illegal aliens? He’s pushing hard for it. As if California taxpayers have not suffered enough. Jerk.
Is it true that 3 concord costco employees have tested positive for the Coronavirus?
Gabbin’ Newscum makes me throw up a littte bit in my mouth each time I see him on TV, I can’t turn the channel fast enough.
He’s handled this incredibly well – maybe you should put aside the partisan hackery.
HooHaa
We can agree to disagree. In my opinion he has not handled this well at all. Early in March he stated that the state was monitoring 8400 people for the virus, when we had fewer than 100 cases in the state. We had not tested that many people … he was trying to scare the general population.
His little hourly reality show that he puts on every day is his need for attention. He sees the issue and is jumping up and down to say ‘Look at me! Look what I can do!’ and I believe the only reason is that he is looking at a bigger office. I won’t vote the glory seeker clown that I think he is.
He is proposing that we cancel schools a week after we said it would be a two week shutdown in mid March. He did not even let the second deadline pass before he extended it again.
So we can agree to disagree. I think he is an absolute fool of a man who seeking nothing but a name for himself.
Every household should get a rationed amount of PPE, there should be a stored designate place with firearms that is inspected by the sate to make sure everything is up to code.
You’re saying the state should provide us all with masks if we need them and guns as well? Not a bad idea.
That’s an incredible waste at a time when it isn’t necessary and there are shortages in areas that require PPE.
Where can I buy an N95 mask?
Lowes, Home Depot, Ace hardware and Walmart sells N95 face mask.
All of those places sold masks six months ago. Where have you been lately?!?
Harbor Freight had them on sale last Fall for a couple bucks each.
So if I read this right the “so called” governor wants to bid against other states to get the PPE. That tells me he doesn’t care about the rest of the country.
Actually it’s a consortium pulling together purchasing power to buy larger quantities at a better price. California will take extras and sell to other states in need.
The feds failed and should be doing exactly this.
Trump unfit and dangerous.
Nope, he does not! He will sell to the rest of the country so he can tell those states when he runs for president, ‘see what i did!’. He does not care about this site, he only cares for what puts him in the limelight so he can get the glory.
Bidding against other states when we have a pandemic … really a ‘proud’ moment for him … newSCUM.
parent has it right. The gov is also sending the breathing equipment, that the south bay says they need, to other states so he can call for their votes when he runs for president.
Hope everybody enjoys his daily gift to the state speeches at noon. Does he really need to talk 20 to 50 minutes every day? A pol has never had it better.
If Ca gets 2million a month how is that possible?
You know them by their fruits!!!