Dear Constituent,|

My office will hold our third telephone Town Hall tomorrow, Tuesday, March 31, from 4 pm to 5 pm, focused on Staying Calm: Resources for Coping during this Corona crisis. The town hall will feature licensed clinical professionals and experts from the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. 

Our experts will discuss strategies to help each of us prevent anxiety and stress from taking over: whether we are living alone, are families with children now home 24/7, are one of the many still going to work in essential jobs, or are among those who lost a job.
During the telephone Town Hall, experts will provide information on strategies and resources such as:

• Managing frustration or anger
• Taking care of our own well being
• Coping with children and teens at home
• Dealing with social isolation
• Various hotlines for specific stresses or problems, like the Peer "Warm Line," Crisis Text Line, Caregiver Help Desk, and more.

My staff is collecting information on resources and programs to help individuals and families manage. We will relay this information on the call and distribute it in an email and on my Senate website following the Town Hall.
The telephone Town Hall is tomorrow, Tuesday, March 31, 2020, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
To RSVP for this event, please click here.
Participating experts include (complete list will be sent tomorrow to those who RSVP):

• Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith, clinical psychologist, faculty at The Wright Institute, former Mental Health Program director at Oakland Children's Hospital  
• James Baraz, author of Awakening Joy and founding teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center
• Senator Skinner

Please submit questions in advance via email, and we will do our best to have them answered during the telephone Town Hall. Please email your questions to this link by noon, Tuesday, March 31. Whatever questions we are unable to answer in the 1-hour time period will be responded to individually by my office. |
 
Those who wish to participate will need to RSVP by 12 p.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, March 31. After we receive your RSVP, a follow-up email will be sent to you with the call-in phone number and passcode.

To RSVP for this event, please click here.

Submit questions you have for our guests by noon tomorrow by emailing to this link using the subject heading, "Town Hall Question." You may submit questions whether or not you intend to participate.

Sincerely,

Dear Tom,

First, I hope you and your families are staying safe and healthy. It’s been a trying time for all of California, and I’m deeply grateful to see the solidarity, kindness and community-care on display throughout our state.

I know it’s easy to get overwhelmed right now. So, I want to make it as easy as possible for you to cut through the noise with the top 10 things you need to know:

• Governor Newsom created an excellent “one stop shop” for COVID-19 updates here: Covid19.ca.gov. It features tons of straightforward and quick updates, as well as information about how to stay healthy and further prevent the spread of the virus.

• If you are experiencing unemployment due to COVID-19, and are eligible, you can file an Unemployment Insurance claim here.

• If you’re unable to work due to having or being exposed to COVID-19 — you’re encouraged to file a Disability Insurance (DI) claim. DI provides short-term benefit payments to eligible workers who have a full or partial loss of wages due to a non-work-related illness, injury or pregnancy: edd.ca.gov/Disability/Disability_Insurance.htm

• If you're unable to work because you are caring for an ill or quarantined family member with COVID-19 — you’re encouraged to file for Paid Family Leave (PFL). PFL provides up to 6 weeks (extends to 8 on July 1) of benefit payments to eligible workers who have full or partial loss of wage: www.californiapaidfamilyleave.com

• Due to COVID-19, Covered California has opened a special enrollment period. You can apply now for coverage if you are uninsured and eligible: https://www.coveredca.com/

• All East Bay utility companies have suspended service disconnections due to non-payment during the COVID-19 public health emergency: https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/covid19protections/

• The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to California small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of COVID-19. For more Information about SBA disaster assistance programs, and to apply directly online, go to: www.sba.gov/disaster

• The California Department of Motor Vehicles has announced a 60-day grace period for transactions that have a deadline of March 16 or later and require an office visit.

• You can still make an impact on this crisis. If you are healthy and able, please volunteer at your local food bank. You can find more information HERE. And if you’re not able to volunteer, you can make an appointment to donate blood at your local Red Cross.

• Most importantly, if you need any help, resources, or support, my team and I are here for you. I invite you to call my office at 510-286-1400.

As I said above, if you’re unsure of where to get the answers you need, I urge you all to visit Covid19.ca.gov It contains links to all the resources for those in need of state assistance -- including paid family leave, help for small businesses, access to testing and health care coverage, and more.

I’ll have much more to share in the near future.

Until then, stay safe, healthy, and informed. Together, we’ll flatten this curve.

In solidarity,

Buffy