California readying new round of $600 stimulus payments

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/08/24/california-readying-new-round-of-600-stimulus-payments/

On July 12, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 129, which includes $12 billion in cash relief for middle-class families “hit hardest by the pandemic.”

“The state is taking on the inequities laid bare by the pandemic, expanding our support for Californians facing the greatest hardships…,” Newsom said of the $100 billion California Comeback Plan. The bill also includes billions of dollars aimed at combating homelessness, climate change, affordable housing, primary education and other infrastructure updates.

The Golden State Stimulus payments were drawn from federal pandemic recovery funds and the state’s $75.7 billion budget surplus. Newsom’s office estimates nearly two-thirds of Californians will be eligible for a stimulus check of $600. Qualifying families with children will receive an additional $500.

California workers make up 11.7% of the nation’s workforce, and in recent weeks the state accounted for 21.4% of all unemployment benefits. More than 3 million people in the state are still receiving some form of unemployment benefits. The state’s unemployment rate was 7.6% in July, the second-highest in the nation tied with New Mexico and New York.