It’s a near certainty that California will dole out some kind of financial relief for residents dealing with soaring prices for gas, groceries and other living expenses. From Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to Democratic and Republican legislative leaders, there’s almost universal agreement that the state should use some of its estimated $45 billion surplus to send direct payments to people.
The question now is what form that relief will take, who will get it and how quickly the money can get out the door.
Assembly Republicans have even created a bare-bones website with a timer counting the seconds since Newsom’s State of the State speech on March 8, when he floated the idea of a rebate to offset rising gas prices, and asking, “How long will it take Democrats to give you your money back?”
