On Tuesday evening, Governor Gavin Newsom outlined a plan for what the next year or so will look like for The Golden State. It was realistic, though gut-wrenching, in nature. From the onset of the pandemic, the state’s leadership has taken exemplary steps, doing everything in their power to contain the situation as well as plan ahead. On Wednesday, Newsom announced new efforts to help California’s workforce, including a fund to help undocumented immigrants.
Undocumented immigrants make up about a significant part of California’s population and 10% of the state’s workforce. Many are also essential workers, with a disproportionate amount of them working in construction, manufacturing and agriculture.
In March, the Trump administration put together a $2.2 million stimulus package that included $1,200 per individual citizen (with adjusted amounts for families), but did not take into consideration the millions of undocumented workers who pay billions of dollars in taxes every year.
California’s $125 million relief fund is meant to address that loophole. This is the first state in the nation to be proactive about filling that gap.
“California is the most diverse state in the nation,” Newsom said. “Every Californian, including our undocumented neighbors and friends, should know that California is here to support them during this crisis. We are all in this together.”
The package will allow for undocumented immigrants to receive $500 per individual and $1,000 per family. The money is for those who need it and reportedly is not based on income. It’s also accessible without status or privacy concerns. In other words, “their personal information will not be required to get support.”
“CA thrives because of our immigrant communities, not in spite of them,” his camp tweeted.
“This is a good start, but we have more to do,” Newsom said.
For now, the only question is which governor is going to follow suit first?