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CSDA sent a letter on January 20 to Governor Gavin Newsom supporting special district utility providers’ access to housing utility and energy cost funding through the new federal Emergency Rental Assistance program, which includes assistance for tenants’ utility bills. CSDA is urging the State of California to ensure special districts are included in its pending guidelines and encouraging special districts providing electricity, water, wastewater, or solid waste service to communicate directly with the counties and cities within their boundaries.

Click here to access a template letter to send your local county and cities. Communicating districts’ interest is important, as counties and cities will each be implementing their own respective local relief programs.

Access to this new line of federal funding will be indirect. Utility-providing districts will need to encourage customers who are renting, or their landlords, to apply for assistance through their local city or county. Doing so will aid in offsetting utility arrears. Cities and counties are not required to pay arrears in-full.

The State of California will receive $2.6 billion, of which the state will reserve $1.44 billion to use for its own program and/or disbursement to municipalities with populations fewer than 200,000. California cities and counties with populations greater than 200,000 will directly receive an estimated $1.16 billion.

CSDA’s letter to the Newsom Administration underscores the mounting needs special districts face, and the inequity in COVID-19 relief investments in smaller communities, and asks that the state communicate this need within guidelines being developed for administration of funds to cities and counties with fewer than 200,000 residents. The letter also requests rental assistance and utility assistance for households be kept in two separate sub-funds.

Tenants and landlords may access relief for a 12-month period. Outstanding utility bills are eligible retroactively to March 13, 2020.

While gathering information to demonstrate districts’ needs, all are urged to complete this COVID-19 impacts survey to update six-month-old figures CSDA is using to advocate for further access tor relief resources. The deadline to complete the survey is Friday, February 5.

Click here to read CSDA’s full letter to Governor Newsom. For more information on the Emergency Rental Assistance Program’s federal guidelines, contact Cole Karr, CSDA Federal Advocacy Coordinator, at colek@csda.net. For more information on state advocacy for this program, contact Alyssa Silhi, CSDA Legislative Representative, at alyssas@csda.net.