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Gov. Gavin Newsom in Fresno in 2021. File photo
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The state Legislature has approved $600 payments in COVID-19 economic relief for about 5.7 million low-income Californians.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he will sign the legislation into law.
People with low to moderate incomes will be eligible to get the money. That includes people who claim the California earned income tax credit on their tax returns. In general, those people make $30,000 or less per year.
Immigrants who pay taxes using an individual taxpayer identification number and make $75,000 a year or less after deductions would also get the money.
People who receive assistance from state programs benefiting low-income families and people who are blind and disabled are also eligible.
Some people fit both of those categories. In those cases, they will get $1,200, not $600. The Democratic-controlled state Legislature did this because most people who file their taxes this way are immigrants who were not eligible for federal stimulus checks Congress approved last year.
The deal also set aside $2 billion for small business and nonprofit grants and fee waivers, as well as another $2 billion for tax relief for small businesses.
It also creates a $24 million fund to help workers at farms and food processing plants with temporary hotel stays if they have been exposed to the coronavirus and have no other place to isolate themselves.