California and Australia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), forging a new climate partnership between two of the largest economies in the world.

The MOU outlines five years of cooperation between California and Australia on clean energy, clean transportation, clean technologies, nature-based solutions, climate adaptation, green finance and investment and circular economy.

Led by Governor Gavin Newsom and The Honorable Dr. Kevin Rudd, Australia’s Ambassador to the United States, the California and Australia delegations signed the historic MOU at the Stanford Mansion in Sacramento.

What Governor Newsom said: “California and Australia are on the front lines of the climate crisis. From extreme heat and historic drought to catastrophic wildfires and rising sea levels, the last few years have further crystallized the need for urgent action. It’s not enough for us to act alone. We’re coming together to confront the greatest crisis our world has ever known for the good of all Californians and Australians.”

What Ambassador Rudd said: “I’m proud to join Governor Newsom for the signing of this landmark climate MoU. While Australia and California face shared challenges from the climate crisis, we also share a mutual ambition to find bold solutions to combatting climate change and achieving net zero emissions. This MoU accelerates our cooperation and affirms our intent to be global leaders in areas including clean transportation, clean energy, nature-based solutions, research and development, and climate-friendly business.”

The text of the MOU can be found here. In addition to the MOU, Governor Newsom and Ambassador Rudd signed a Joint Statement affirming their partnership on the climate action outlined in the MOU.

Following the MOU signing, the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) co-hosted a business forum with CalChamber and the Australian Embassy that focused on the importance of public-private collaboration in the fight against climate change.

HOW WE GOT HERE: California’s world-leading climate policies have led the state to exceed its 2020 climate target four years ahead of schedule, and created partnerships across the U.S. and around the world:

• Earlier this month, California signed a MOU with the Chinese province of Hainan to advance climate action.

• In 2022 alone, California signed Memorandums of Cooperation with Canada, New Zealand and Japan, as well as Memorandums of Understanding with China and the Netherlands, to tackle the climate crisis. The Governor also joined with Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia to recommit the region to climate action.

• Last year, California enacted aggressive climate measures with a sweeping package of legislation backed by a multi-billion-dollar record investment.

• The California Climate Commitment cuts pollution, protects Californians from big polluters, accelerates the state’s transition to clean energy, and expands economic opportunities for all Californians.

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To continue expanding the state’s affordable housing stock and increase capacity for additional climate-smart infill housing, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the first funding awards under a new streamlined application process aimed at accelerating the development of new projects while saving time and money at the local level.

What you need to know: Approximately 58 communities across California were awarded more than $825.5 million to build 9,550 homes as part of a new funding approval process that eliminates the need for a developer to submit multiple applications. This includes roughly $700 million in funds for multifamily development and $125 million for infill development. Today’s funding announcement will ultimately benefit an estimated 187,500 people over the total lifetime of all projects combined.

Why it’s important: The application process to receive state housing funding in California was needlessly complex, and time consuming, resulting in delayed projects and extra cost. Under Governor Newsom, this process has been overhauled. Now, what previously required four separate applications has been narrowed down to just one submission. What Governor Newsom said: “As we demand more housing to be built at the local level, it is incumbent upon the state to reimagine and modernize our own approval process,” said Governor Newsom. “State applications that were once redundant, and overly bureaucratic, are now streamlined to ensure projects are not stalled in an endless bureaucracy that favored process over production.”

This new process was made possible when Governor Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 434 by former Assemblymember Tom Daly (D – Anaheim), which allowed for multiple housing applications to be narrowed down into a single award process. Under this new approach, requests for housing development funds have soared. The first round of new Multifamily Finance Super Notice of Funding Availability (Super NOFA) received more than $3.5 billion in developer requests – a sharp contrast to years of undersubscription. ““The California Multifamily Super NOFA transformed a once burdensome and lengthy funding application process into an accessible and smart one-stop shop that will get more housing built faster,” said Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramírez. “This results in new homes for struggling working families, veterans, farmworkers, and people exiting homelessness.

California will continue to act with urgency to find new, innovative solutions to fast track housing development.” The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) last year combined state-funded multifamily housing programs to make them accessible to more communities, more equitable in serving the lowest-income Californians, and more targeted toward achieving better outcomes in health, climate, and household stability. “California continues to advance our commitment to building 2.5 million homes — with one million affordable homes — by 2030, as outlined in our Statewide Housing Plan,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez.

“Our simple approach to funding helps us accelerate much-needed construction and ensure the lowest-income Californians have access to quality homes near jobs, transit, schools, and other necessities that will make our communities more inclusive for decades to come.”

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On November, 22^nd 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom announced $47 million in new funding for California tribal nations to support their efforts to prevent and end homelessness and meet the housing and services needs of their communities.

The awards include $20 million in tribal homeless assistance grants from the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH) to fund projects in 16 tribal communities across the state, and four Homekey awards from the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) totaling $27 million to fund 75 homes for members of four tribes, including homeless youth.

“California is investing in getting people off the streets and into safe housing throughout the state with a particular focus on Native Americans and populations disproportionately impacted by homelessness,” said Governor Newsom.

The tribal grants program was created by Governor Newsom and the Legislature to provide flexible funding to support the efforts of California tribes to address homelessness in their communities. An additional $20 million in tribal grants will be awarded in 2023.

“Tribal nations in California have been actively working to address housing insecurity, overcrowding and homelessness, but funding for housing and homelessness has often been an obstacle,” said BCSH Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramírez. “We heard that loud and clear through consultation and listening sessions held by our teams. We believe that these new direct resources will lead tribal leaders to move more quickly in meeting the unique challenges faced by members of their communities. We are committed to supporting the priorities laid out by tribal leaders and these grants will help address specific needs identified by the Tribal leadership. We look forward to expanding this partnership in the future.”

California’s nation-leading Homekey program has been one of the state’s most successful innovations to rapidly house people experiencing homelessness, by public and tribal entities purchasing existing buildings or manufactured homes. Since its inception, Homekey has funded more than 200 projects that when complete will provide more than 12,500 temporary and permanent homes for Californians experiencing or at risk of homelessness. More than 140 homes have been funded in partnership with tribes.

“HCD’s California Indian Assistance Program’s mission is to provide technical assistance to tribal partners to ensure access to housing funds and programs, including Homekey,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez. “These four Homekey projects announced are just the beginning–HCD will continue to collaborate directly with tribal communities and partners to meet their unique housing needs.”

This announcement includes the following HHAP grants:

• The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Lakeport, will receive $5.2 million to create 65 housing units along with classrooms and support spaces for youth experiencing homelessness in Lake and Mendocino Counties.
• The Cahto Tribe of Laytonville Rancheria will receive $2.6 million to create a wellness and resource center in Mendocino County.
• The Round Valley Indian Tribes, Covelo, will receive $2.5 million to expand infrastructure to support new permanent housing for tribal members in need.
• The Pit River Tribe, Burney, will receive $2.4 million to support rapid rehousing, services coordination and homelessness prevention efforts.
• The Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, Santa Rosa, will receive $1.2 million to improve data collection efforts and systems that serve tribal members experiencing homelessness statewide with designated service areas in Sonoma, Mendocino, Contra Costa and Lake Counties.
• The Tolowa Di Nee’ Nation, Smith River, will receive $1 million to support rapid rehousing and case management for tribal members along the North Coast of California and South Coast of Oregon.
• The San Pascual Band of Mission Indians, Valley Center, will receive $790,000 to assist tribal members experiencing homelessness.
• The Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me Wuk Indians, Jamestown, will receive $630,000 to support interim shelter and street outreach in Tuolumne County.
• The Pala Band of Mission Indians will receive $610,000 to support housing efforts on the reservation.
• The Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of the Stewarts Point Rancheria will receive $610,000 to support their transitional shelter.
• The Yurok Tribe, Klamath, will receive $570,000 to assist with rapid rehousing, case management, outreach and youth engagement.
• The Torres Martinez Desert Band of Cahuilla, Thermal, will receive $540,000 to support housing, shelter and services for members experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
• The Wilton Rancheria, Elk Grove, will receive $460,000 to support efforts to assist tribal members experiencing homelessness.
• The Bear River Band of Rohnerville Rancheria, Loleta, will receive $340,000 to aid with rapid rehousing and other services for members experiencing homelessness.
• The Guideville Rancheria, Talmage, will receive $250,000 to leverage Homekey funding in the construction of 16 units for youth experiencing homelessness.
• The Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake will receive $250,000 to support housing efforts within the community.

The Homekey awards announced include:

• The Wiyot Tribe will receive more than $14 million to purchase, convert and operate an office building and two single-family Victorian-style homes into 39 interim and permanent units serving homeless youth and one manager unit, to create the Jaroujiji Youth Housing Project in Eureka. This project was fully funded through the Homekey youth set-aside.
• Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians will receive nearly $6.6 million for the acquisition of a 15-apartment complex, its rehabilitation and operations in Lakeport.
• Guidiville Indian Rancheria in partnership with Northern Circle Indian Housing Authority will receive nearly $4.6 million for the construction and operations of 16 new units in Ukiah. The site will include a community garden and electric trike sharing.
• Northern Circle Indian Housing Authority will receive $1.9 million for the new construction and operation of four permanent affordable homes for chronically homeless individuals in Hopland.

Cal ICH staff will continue to listen to and support the tribes as they implement their funded projects, and technical assistance will be provided as needed. Grant recipients will provide Cal ICH with quarterly and annual progress reports.

The Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) will release a third round of Homekey funds in early 2023 after receiving stakeholder feedback for potential revisions.

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Governor Gavin Newsom convened local leaders to discuss their plans to tackle the homelessness crisis and identify new strategies and opportunities to more ambitiously address street encampments across the state.

Earlier this month, Governor Newsom announced the state was holding the third round of Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) grants for local governments whose plans, collectively, would only reduce statewide unsheltered homelessness by 2% by 2024. The Governor, in partnership with cities and counties, set a path forward for applicants to receive their HHAP round three funding, with grants being released as early as next week – provided that local governments agree to more ambitious reductions in unsheltered homelessness. The Governor challenged local leaders to submit more ambitious plans for their next round of funding – 21 so far have pledged to step up in writing. The state is expecting the remaining applicants will do the same.

“This was an important conversation that allowed us to speak with candor and to share some good ideas with one another,” said Governor Newsom. “Local leaders talked about the need for more city-county collaboration, more land use reforms to build housing faster, and to focus on keeping people housed who may be on the brink of homelessness — these leaders are our partners, and we all recognize we’re in this together.”

The third round of HHAP grants provides a share of $1 billion to every county, Continuum of Care, and the 13 largest cities in the state, on the condition that each local government has a plan approved by the state that reduces the number of unsheltered homeless individuals and increases permanent housing. The state has so far provided over $1.5 billion of flexible emergency aid to address homelessness through the Homeless Emergency Aid Program and the first two rounds of HHAP funding.

HHAP round four applications are due by November 29, 2022.

Governor Newsom’s $15.3 billion plan to tackle homelessness is an all-of-the-above approach funding the largest expansion of homeless housing in California history, providing local governments more money than ever before to address homelessness, and creating groundbreaking programs like Homekey and Project Roomkey which have become national models for getting people off the streets faster than ever before and at a fraction of the usual cost.

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Governor Gavin Newsom announced a historic agreement that strengthens California’s partnership with Mexico and advances key border projects and initiatives. In Mexico City, state representatives and a delegation of regional leaders joined the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) to sign the new Toll Revenue Sharing Agreement with Mexico which supports the construction of the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry at the San Diego-Tijuana border. The new state-of-the-art border crossing facility will reduce wait times, curb greenhouse gas emissions, power economic growth and bolster binational trade along the busiest border region in the Western Hemisphere.

“Mexico is one of California’s most important international partners and we share a deep bond that stretches back generations,” said Governor Newsom. “Our state is a national leader when it comes to international cooperation and smart, clean infrastructure investments that are critical to the U.S. supply chain. At a time when states are using the border as a wedge issue to divide people, California and Mexico are showing how cross-border agreements can strengthen our communities while growing our economy and bringing a host of shared benefits.”

Congressmember Scott Peters, California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis and Assemblymembers David Alvarez and Chris Ward witnessed the signing of the Toll Revenue Sharing Agreement, which comes on the heels of the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry Project receiving a $150 million INFRA grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the largest award nationally, which will go toward the construction of the new border crossing facility and related transportation infrastructure. The new port of entry is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024.

“This new agreement, which I signed as a witness, will bring economic prosperity to our cross-border region,” said Lt. Governor Kounalakis. “The Otay Mesa East Port of Entry is a vital link in our nation’s supply chain and in creating thousands of jobs. This historic revenue sharing agreement solidifies the joint commitment of California and the Government of Mexico to boosting trade and creating jobs.”

U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar noted the significance of the signing on “California Day” with a local reception to recognize Caltrans, SANDAG, and local partners who have built the necessary supporting transportation infrastructure and have planned and developed the Otay Mesa East priority project over the last several decades.

“California and Mexico share just 140 of the 2,000 miles of our border, but Cali-Baja punches far above its weight in terms of its contributions to our binational economy and family,” said Ambassador Salazar. “The Otay Mesa East Port of Entry is proof of the dynamism and creativity of our relationship and a symbol of the 21st-century border we want to create.”

The State Route 11 Otay Mesa East Port of Entry project is a joint venture between SANDAG and Caltrans in collaboration with state and federal partners in the U.S. and Mexico to create a 21st-century border crossing for the San Diego-Baja California megaregion that will enhance regional mobility and fuel economic growth and binational trade.

The proposed border improvements will provide fast, predictable, and secure border crossings by constructing a four-lane, tolled road connecting directly to a state-of-the-art Customs and Border Protection Land Port of Entry and a California Highway Patrol Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facility.

Governor Newsom’s approach to border policy recognizes the vibrancy of the border region and that safe cross-border movement of people and goods are essential for California, regional economies and the many residents who cross the border daily for school, family and business. The administration prioritizes safety, strengthening our economic ties, as the agreement does, and supporting humanitarian efforts that protect the health and well-being of arriving migrants and our border communities. California recently invested $477 million to support the state’s model COVID-19 response and humanitarian efforts at the southern border.

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Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the COVID-19 State of Emergency will end on February 28, 2023, charting the path to phasing out one of the most effective and necessary tools that California has used to combat COVID-19. This timeline gives the health care system needed flexibility to handle any potential surge that may occur after the holidays in January and February, in addition to providing state and local partners the time needed to prepare for this phaseout and set themselves up for success afterwards.

With hospitalizations and deaths dramatically reduced due to the state’s vaccination and public health efforts, California has the tools needed to continue fighting COVID-19 when the State of Emergency terminates at the end of February, including vaccines and boosters, testing, treatments and other mitigation measures like masking and indoor ventilation. As the State of Emergency is phased out, the SMARTER Plan continues to guide California’s strategy to best protect people from COVID-19.

“Throughout the pandemic, we’ve been guided by the science and data – moving quickly and strategically to save lives. The State of Emergency was an effective and necessary tool that we utilized to protect our state, and we wouldn’t have gotten to this point without it,” said Governor Newsom. “With the operational preparedness that we’ve built up and the measures that we’ll continue to employ moving forward, California is ready to phase out this tool.”

To maintain California’s COVID-19 laboratory testing and therapeutics treatment capacity, the Newsom Administration will be seeking two statutory changes immediately upon the Legislature’s return: 1) The continued ability of nurses to dispense COVID-19 therapeutics; and 2) The continued ability of laboratory workers to solely process COVID-19 tests.

“California’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has prepared us for whatever comes next. As we move into this next phase, the infrastructure and processes we’ve invested in and built up will provide us the tools to manage any ups and downs in the future,” said Secretary of the California Health & Human Services Agency, Dr. Mark Ghaly. “While the threat of this virus is still real, our preparedness and collective work have helped turn this once crisis emergency into a manageable situation.”

Throughout the pandemic, Governor Newsom, the Legislature and state agencies have been guided by the science and data to best protect Californians and save lives – with a focus on those facing the greatest social and health inequities – remaining nimble to adapt mitigation efforts along the way as we learned more about COVID-19. The state’s efforts to support Californians resulted in:

• Administration of 81 million vaccinations, distribution of a billion units of PPE throughout the state and processing of 186 million tests.

• Allocation of billions of dollars to support hospitals, community organizations, frontline workers, schools and more throughout the pandemic.

• The nation’s largest stimulus programs to support people hardest hit by the pandemic – $18.5 billion for direct payments to Californians, $8 billion for rent relief, $10 billion for small business grants and tax relief, $2.8 billion to help with overdue utility bills, and more. California’s pandemic response efforts have saved tens of thousands of lives, kept people out of the hospital and protected the economy:

• California’s death rate is the lowest amongst large states. If California had Texas’ death rate, 27,000 more people would have died here. If California had Florida’s rate, that figure jumps to approximately 56,000 more deaths.

• In only the first ten months of vaccines being available, a study showed that California’s efforts saved 20,000 lives, kept 73,000 people out of the hospital and prevented 1.5 million infections.

• California’s actions during the pandemic protected the economy and the state continues to lead the nation in creating jobs and new business starts:

– “‘Lockdown’ states like California did better economically than ‘looser’ states like Florida, new COVID data shows,” with California’s economy having contracted less than such states – economic output shrank 3.5% on average for the U.S., compared with 2.8% for California. – Since February 2021, California has created 1,628,300 new jobs

– over 16% of the nation’s jobs, by far more than any other state. By comparison, Texas created 1,133,200 jobs (11.3% of the nation’s) and Florida created 787,600 jobs (7.9% of the nation’s) in that same timeframe.

– Since the beginning of 2019, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that over 569,000 businesses started in California, by far more than any other state.

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Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he has signed several measures to advance animal welfare in California, including SB 879 by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), which ends unnecessary toxicological testing on dogs and cats.

“For many families, including my own, pets are beloved companions that enrich our lives every day,” said Governor Newsom. “I’m proud to sign this legislation to advance our state’s leadership on animal welfare by ending cruel and unnecessary testing on dogs and cats, among other measures to protect the health and safety of pets in California.”

SB 879, the PET (Prohibiting Extraneous Testing) Act prohibits toxicity testing on dogs and cats for pesticides, chemical substances and other products, which often does not advance scientific research on toxicity in humans. The bill includes exemptions for tests related to products intended for use in dogs or cats, including medical treatments. SB 879 does not impact federally required testing.

“As we celebrate California becoming the first state in the nation to prohibit certain testing on dogs and cats, we extend our gratitude to Governor Newsom for signing The PET Act, SB 879, into law,” said Kitty Block, President and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States. “Passing this bill shows California’s dedication to protecting animals from a life of suffering and isolation for the sake of unreliable tests. We appreciate Senator Wiener’s leadership on SB 879 and remain committed to ending all harmful toxicology testing on animals.”

Governor Newsom also signed AB 1648 by Assemblymember Brian Maienschein (D-San Diego), which requires kennel owners to create a natural disaster evacuation plan as one of the conditions for obtaining a kennel license or permit. AB 1290 by Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-San Jose) clarifies that stealing or taking someone else’s companion animal is theft.

In addition, the Governor signed SB 774 by Senator Robert Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) to facilitate the emotional support dog certification process for homeless individuals and AB 2723 by Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena) which expands microchip registration requirements for dogs and cats to support the return of lost pets to their owners and deter theft.

The 2021-22 and 2020-21 state budgets included a total $50 million investment for a statewide Animal Shelter Assistance Program administered by UC Davis to give the state’s animal shelters the training and resources they need to work toward the state’s no-kill goal. Since taking office, Governor Newsom has signed several measures to end the retail sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in California, ban the sale of new fur products, prohibit the use of animals like elephants and bears in circus acts, ban hunting, trapping or killing bobcats, and require shelters to microchip all reclaimed or adopted cats and dogs.

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Hotter and drier weather conditions spurred by climate change could reduce California’s water supply by up to 10% by the year 2040. To replace and replenish what we will lose to thirstier soils, vegetation, and the atmosphere, Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced California’s latest actions to increase water supply and adapt to more extreme weather patterns caused by climate change.

Last Thursday’s announcement follows $8 billion in state investments over the last two years to help store, recycle, de-salt and conserve the water it will need to keep up with the increasing pace of climate change, generating enough water in the future for more than 8.4 million households by 2040.

The actions, outlined in a strategy document published by the Administration called “California’s Water Supply Strategy, Adapting to a Hotter, Drier Future” calls for investing in new sources of water supply, accelerating projects and modernizing how the state manages water through new technology.

This approach to California’s water supply management recognizes the latest science that indicates the American West is experiencing extreme, sustained drought conditions caused by hotter, drier weather. The warming climate means that a greater share of the rain and snowfall California receives will be absorbed by dry soils, consumed by thirsty plants, and evaporated into the air. This leaves less water to meet the state’s needs.

“The best science tells us that we need to act now to adapt to California’s water future. Climate change means drought won’t just stick around for two years at a time like it historically has – extreme weather is the new normal here in the American West and California will adapt to this new reality,” Governor Newsom said at the Antioch Brackish Desalination Project. “California is launching an aggressive plan to rebuild the way we source, store and deliver water so our kids and grandkids can continue to call California home in this hotter, drier climate.”

To help make up for the water supplies California could lose over the next two decades, the strategy prioritizes actions to capture, recycle, de-salt and conserve more water. These actions include:

• Creating storage space for up to 4 million acre-feet of water, which will allow us to capitalize on big storms when they do occur and store water for dry periods

• Recycling and reusing at least 800,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2030, enabling better and safer use of wastewater currently discharged to the ocean.

• Freeing up 500,000 acre-feet of water through more efficient water use and conservation, helping make up for water lost due to climate change.

• Making new water available for use by capturing stormwater and desalinating ocean water and salty water in groundwater basins, diversifying supplies and making the most of high flows during storm events.

These actions are identified broadly in the Newsom Administration’s Water Resilience Portfolio – the state’s master plan for water released in 2020 – but they will be expedited given the urgency of climate-driven changes. To advance the infrastructure and policies needed to adapt, the strategy enlists the help of the Legislature to streamline processes so projects can be planned, permitted and built more quickly, while protecting the environment.

Over the last three years, at the urging of the Governor, state leaders have earmarked more than $8 billion to modernize water infrastructure and management. The historic three-year, $5.2 billion investment in California water systems enacted in 2021-22 has enabled emergency drought response, improved water conservation to stretch water supplies, and enabled scores of local drought resilience projects. The 2022-23 budget includes an additional $2.8 billion for drought relief to hard-hit communities, water conservation, environmental protection for fish and wildlife and long-term drought resilience projects.

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As part of the state’s ongoing response to the monkeypox outbreak, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency to bolster the state’s vaccination efforts. The proclamation supports the work underway by the California Department of Public Health and others in the administration to coordinate a whole-of-government response to monkeypox, seek additional vaccines and lead outreach and education efforts on accessing vaccines and treatment.

“California is working urgently across all levels of government to slow the spread of monkeypox, leveraging our robust testing, contact tracing and community partnerships strengthened during the pandemic to ensure that those most at risk are our focus for vaccines, treatment and outreach,” said Governor Newsom. “We’ll continue to work with the federal government to secure more vaccines, raise awareness about reducing risk, and stand with the LGBTQ community fighting stigmatization.”

To expand vaccination efforts, the proclamation enables Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel to administer monkeypox vaccines that are approved by the FDA, similar to the statutory authorization recently enacted for pharmacists to administer vaccines. The state’s response to monkeypox builds on the infrastructure developed during the COVID-19 pandemic to deploy vaccine clinics and ensure inclusive and targeted outreach in partnership with local and community-based organizations.

As part of the state’s ongoing response to the monkeypox outbreak, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency to bolster the state’s vaccination efforts. The proclamation supports the work underway by the California Department of Public Health and others in the administration to coordinate a whole-of-government response to monkeypox, seek additional vaccines and lead outreach and education efforts on accessing vaccines and treatment.

“California is working urgently across all levels of government to slow the spread of monkeypox, leveraging our robust testing, contact tracing and community partnerships strengthened during the pandemic to ensure that those most at risk are our focus for vaccines, treatment and outreach,” said Governor Newsom. “We’ll continue to work with the federal government to secure more vaccines, raise awareness about reducing risk, and stand with the LGBTQ community fighting stigmatization.”

To expand vaccination efforts, the proclamation enables Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel to administer monkeypox vaccines that are approved by the FDA, similar to the statutory authorization recently enacted for pharmacists to administer vaccines. The state’s response to monkeypox builds on the infrastructure developed during the COVID-19 pandemic to deploy vaccine clinics and ensure inclusive and targeted outreach in partnership with local and community-based organizations.

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As part of the state’s ongoing response to the monkeypox outbreak, Governor Gavin Newsom today declared a State of Emergency to bolster the state’s vaccination efforts. The proclamation supports the work underway by the California Department of Public Health and others in the administration to coordinate a whole-of-government response to monkeypox, seek additional vaccines and lead outreach and education efforts on accessing vaccines and treatment.

“California is working urgently across all levels of government to slow the spread of monkeypox, leveraging our robust testing, contact tracing and community partnerships strengthened during the pandemic to ensure that those most at risk are our focus for vaccines, treatment and outreach,” said Governor Newsom. “We’ll continue to work with the federal government to secure more vaccines, raise awareness about reducing risk, and stand with the LGBTQ community fighting stigmatization.”

To expand vaccination efforts, the proclamation enables Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel to administer monkeypox vaccines that are approved by the FDA, similar to the statutory authorization recently enacted for pharmacists to administer vaccines. The state’s response to monkeypox builds on the infrastructure developed during the COVID-19 pandemic to deploy vaccine clinics and ensure inclusive and targeted outreach in partnership with local and community-based organizations.

Last month, California public health leaders urged federal partners to make more vaccine doses available to the state as quickly as possible so that the state can expand eligibility to both confirmed and probable exposures, as well as to individuals who are at high-risk of contracting the virus. To date, the state has distributed more than 25,000 vaccine doses and will make additional allocations in the coming days and weeks. Los Angeles County has received a separate allocation of vaccine. In all, the state has received more than 61,000 doses. The state is also supporting overall vaccination efforts in collaboration with locals, including helping provide staffing and mobile clinics. The state allocates doses to local health departments based on a number of factors, including the number of reported monkeypox cases in an area and estimate of at-risk populations.

As of July 28, the state had expanded its testing capacity to process more than 1,000 tests a week. The state’s public health laboratory leaders have been working with local public health, academic, and commercial laboratories to ensure testing capacity is increasingly available and coordinated with the public health response. CDPH is also expanding treatment options. Access to the antiviral prescription drug tecovirimat (TPOXX) used to treat monkeypox is limited, but the treatment can now be administered at more than 30 facilities and providers across the state.

The state continues outreach and education efforts to inform Californians about monkeypox and ways to limit its spread. The state has hosted multiple webinars for local health departments, community-based organizations, and other health care providers and has attended various town halls and community meetings to speak with and hear from the public and local leaders. CDPH is also scheduling listening sessions with the LGBTQ community. CDPH is currently running paid ad campaigns on various digital media platforms to promote awareness and engage communities at higher risk of contracting monkeypox.

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