HomeMy WebLinkAbout20200420_LtrToNewsom_Childcare-EssentialWorkersCity of San Luis Obispo, Office of the City Council, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401-3249, 805.781.7114, slocity.org
April 20, 2020
The Honorable Gavin Newsom
Governor of California
State Capitol
1303 10th Street, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: (916)558-3160
Re: Childcare for Families of Essential Workers
Authority and Funding for Local Agencies
Governor Newsom:
With schools closed for the remainder of the school year, many families are facing difficult
childcare situations, and this problem is particularly acute for healthcare workers whose work
is critical to keeping our communities safe. These essential workers are forced to choose
between missing work or leaving a child without proper care.
I commend you for signing the recent Executive Order (N-45-20) to provide expanded access
to childcare for essential workers, but the guidance from the Department of Education and the
Department of Social Services is not enough to provide the flexibility and funding necessary
for local governments to support the provision of childcare programs quickly to meet the
growing need. I am writing to ask for your immediate action to protect our communities by
ensuring that essential workers providing for the wellbeing of our community have safe,
reliable childcare.
Local governments are in the best position to facilitate the frontline childcare to support the
unique needs of each of our communities. Some cities, including Sacramento, Los Angeles,
and San Francisco, are already creating childcare slots for the children of healthcare workers
at public buildings such as recreation centers and libraries, which are supported with best
practices that limit potential spread of COVID-19 within the childcare facility and limit the
chances of children spreading the virus back to their parents and families.
I ask the state to implement policies and provide funding to local agencies that will
permit local agencies to support the immediate needs of essential workers for safe and
accessible childcare programs. I urge you to provide authority and funding that would
support flexibility to local agencies and their community partners to provide services such as:
1) Financial assistance to essential workers who must now find childcare in order to
provide for the critical health care and other essential needs of their communities,
allowing for funding that ensures healthcare workers can take all the shifts necessary
without worrying about how to care for dependents.
2) State funded leave programs to support essential workers to designate someone to take
their emergency family leave granted to them under the Families First Coronavirus
Response Act who can care for their children, so that the healthcare or other essential
worker can continue working, while ensuring their dependents have care.
3) Regulatory flexibility to allow transitional or emergency childcare centers that can
quickly be established by local agencies.
I urge you to consider these proposals as you continue to finalize a statewide childcare plan
for healthcare workers. I understand there are many issues to deal with in this time of crisis,
but I also want to ensure healthcare and all essential workers can continue to go to work and
to support their patients and their communities.
Sincerely,
Heidi Harmon
Mayor
City of San Luis Obispo
cc: San Luis Obispo City Council
State Senator Bill Monning, fax (916) 651-4917
State Assembly Member Jordan Cunningham, fax (916) 319-2135