California Governor Seeks $500 Million for Coronavirus Fight

(Bloomberg) -- California Governor Gavin Newsom called on state lawmakers to approve an emergency $500 million spending package to help combat the coronavirus outbreak.

He also asked for legislation that would provide an additional $100 million to schools and allow them to maintain funding levels even though many districts are closed because of the crisis. Newsom declared a statewide emergency Sunday.

Since he requested lawmakers to waive the normal 72-hour wait period for bills before voting on them, they could approve the measures as early as Monday.

The most populous U.S. state has more than 335 confirmed cases and at least 6 deaths from the virus known as COVID-19. A large swath of the San Francisco Bay Area neared total shutdown Monday when officials said that the 6 million people who live there must stay home except for essential needs.

“Our state, our nation, and our world are facing a challenge unprecedented in modern times,” Newsom said in a letter to legislators. “The COVID-19 pandemic compels us all to find new ways of coming together, even as we must also seek out new ways of staying apart.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael B. Marois in Sacramento at mmarois@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Elizabeth Campbell at ecampbell14@bloomberg.net, Romy Varghese

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.