42 California County Administrators Request Allocation of Fed’s CARES Funding

Sonora, CA – County Administrative Officers/County Executive Officers from 42 California counties have sent a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom requesting an allocation of the CARES Act funds received by the state.

County Administrative Officers/County Executive Officers from the Mother Lode counties including Tuolumne, Calaveras, Amador and Mariposa have signed on to the letter that stresses the strain on county budget to pay for COVID-19 expenses.

The letter states that these 42 out of 58 county governments have populations of less than 500,000 making them ineligible for direct federal CARES 2 funding. It requests that the governor “ensure equitable funding for smaller counties to help us address the unprecedented demands we face to reduce and contain the spread of COVID-19.”

It points out that the California State Association of Counties has already requested 80% of the $1.1 billion state residual CARES Act funds be allotted to smaller counties. The letter also notes that these counties “collectively represent approximately 6.3 million Californians, who deserve as much assistance as those in more populated areas.”

The entire letter can be viewed here.