Second $600 Golden State Stimulus in California: eligibility and who would get it?

Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law his $100 billion California Comeback Plan, which includes another round of Golden States Stimulus checks. The proposal initiated by Newsom aims to stimulate the economy and provide support for struggling residents. The payments also come as the governor faces a recall election 17 September.

In announcing the news, Newsom said: “Harnessing the largest surplus in state history, we’re making transformative investments across the board that will help bring all our communities roaring back from the pandemic – and pay dividends for generations to come,”

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Who is eligible to receive a Golden State Stimulus Check?

The bill is the second time this year that both chambers in California have approved a round of stimulus checks. The first part of a stimulus bill passed in February sent $600 to low-income residents who earn less than $30,000 per year and other groups, such as immigrant, who were left out of federal stimulus programs.

The bill enacted in July will send a $600 check to all those in the state with an income of $75,000 a year or less. Those who received a check during the first round are ineligible to receive another $600 payment. However two groups, adults with dependents and undocumented families, will be able to claim one additional $500 check. You can check exactly how much your household will receive by using the Golden State Stimulus II Amount online tool.

The total cost of the direct payments is valued at around $8 billion and is one of the key measures Newsom proposed in his California Comeback Plan. He described it as an important move to address “the inequities laid bare by the pandemic, expanding our support for Californians facing the greatest hardships.”

Newsom aims to provide support for "low-income Californians"

On 28 June, the state legislature extended the state’s eviction moratorium to 30 September 2021. That bill also “ensures that California quickly uses the more than $5 billion in federal rental assistance to help the state’s tenants and small landlords." The Supreme Court ruling that ended the federal eviction moratorium does not affect the one in California.

This legislation makes changes to California housing law and allows for rental assistance to cover the entirety of the cost “for both rent that is past due and prospective payments for both tenants and landlords.” The funds will be targeted to areas that have seen critical losses in income, which have in turn led to unsustainable amounts of outstanding rental payments.

After the passage of the bill, Newsom reiterated the huge toll that the economic crisis caused by covid-19 has had on “many low-income Californians, tenants and small landlords alike.” During his remarks, he also thanked the legislature for their work to pass the bill which he described as the “nation’s largest and most comprehensive rental assistance package.”