LGBTQ nonprofit funding + College students want out of their leases + Doctors are in trouble

Happy middle of the week to you! As always, we appreciate you reading.

LGBTQ NONPROFIT FUNDING

During any given budget cycle, state departments, philanthropic groups and nonprofits line up to pitch their case as to why their agency needs extra funding in the state’s fiscal blueprint.

This year is no different, only exacerbated by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has catapulted the state into a recession that could last for years.

Among those arguing for cash is a coalition of 137 LGBTQ nonprofits that wrote a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom last week raising concern that their community is disproportionately affected by both the health and economic impacts of COVID-19.

LGBTQ people are more vulnerable to the disease because they experience a higher rate of HIV infection, homelessness, cancer, tobacco use and health care discrimination, the nonprofit leaders wrote in the letter. Community members also work in industries hard hit by the stay-at-home order, including in the hospitality and gig economy.

And without a robust network of social services, one diligently built since the 1980s AIDS crisis, the leaders said, a variety of social justice work from community education to advocacy, mental health support and suicide prevention, could fall victim to the coronavirus.

“The nonprofits play a critical role in our community, and they have very little margin for error,” said state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco.

Wiener said the LGBTQ community has spent the last four decades plus coordinating resources on a grassroots level to address the needs of its members. And for the most part, it’s done so by its own means through fundraising events and a network of donors committed to this specific population.

Now, more than ever, Wiener said, the state has to help LGBTQ Californians.

“It’s a beautiful and resilient story of a community that has stood up for itself,” he said. “But our gains are now threatened by the sudden collapse of the economy by COVID-19.”

The coalition closed their letter appealing to the governor’s history of LGBTQ advocacy as mayor of San Francisco, and asked him to uphold California’s reputation as “a beacon of hope” for the community.

Rick Zbur, executive director of the state’s largest LGBTQ nonprofit Equality California, said time is of the essence, considering money is running out for certain organizations.

Equality California staff recently took a large pay cut, Zbur said, to avoid furloughs and layoffs, while others have had to “cut expenses to the bone.”

As more federal money filters in to the states from the CARES Act, Zbur said, California needs to prioritize these nonprofits.

“We have to avoid these nonprofits closing their doors,” he said.

COLLEGE STUDENTS WANT OUT OF LEASES

Gov. Newsom has received a fair bit of mail since the coronavirus emergency began. One of the latest items to cross his desk is a letter from the group Young Invincibles, a nonprofit advocating on behalf of Californians 18 to 34, urging the governor to allow college students to vacate their leases without financial penalty or negative rental history marks.

“California’s college students face unprecedented challenges as they navigate losing their jobs, adapting to the new realities of online and distance learning, and keeping their families healthy,” said Western Regional Director Kristin McGuire in a statement. “With 75 percent of student jobs nationally being canceled, delayed, or moved to remote work, many students have lost their job and are locked into leases they can’t afford.”

McGuire added that college students at are risk for damaging their credit and financial health for years to come as a result of the coronavirus emergency.

McGuire wrote in the letter that just up to 16 percent of California State University students live in student housing, with the vast majority of them living off-campus.

“By no fault of their own, many off-campus students have suddenly become unable to continue with their current lease. Because of this, many students have been forced to abandon apartments in an effort to shelter in place with parents,” McGuire wrote in the letter to Newsom. “Additionally, some parents are struggling to pay rent or mortgages for their own homes while also paying for their student’s apartment in another location.

FAMILY PRACTICE DOCTORS ARE SUFFERING

Eight out of 10 family practice clinicians in the U.S. report that their practice is under either “severe” or “close to severe” strain as a result of COVID-19, according to a survey conducted by Primary Care Collaborative.

As a result, the California Academy of Family Physicians is urging state lawmakers “to consider the impact the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, is having on primary care physicians across the state,” according to a statement from the group.

“As physicians, we want to ensure that we are able to help our patients in this time of need, and also be able to provide preventive and primary care once this pandemic passes,” said group president, Dr. Walter Mills.

According to a survey conducted by the group last month, 42 percent of California family physicians are experiencing extreme financial impact as a result of COVID-19.

There’s been a 5 percent decrease in outpatient visits, a 5.5 percent decrease in inpatient visits, a 10.9 percent decrease in emergency room visits and a 7.2 percent decrease in surgeries, according to the group.

“The threat to primary care physician practices is immediate and severe, and the impact of practice closures will be long-lasting and incredibly detrimental to the health and well-being of the communities they serve. We urge public and private payers to act immediately to shore up these practices with prospective payments,” Mills said.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The Senate was not consulted by CHP and the Senate does not issue permits for events outside the Capitol.”

Sen. Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, via Twitter. Atkins was responding to a Sacramento Bee story about Monday’s protest outside the Capitol.

Best of the Bee:

• More than a month into a state lockdown of California, education officials are moving to address the persistent “digital divide” that has stymied online learning in remote areas like Trinity County, via Michael Finch II.

• President Donald Trump has slammed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi four times since Friday, suggesting she’s taking a vacation and promoting street fairs and parties in San Francisco’s Chinatown. He’s incorrect, via David Lightman.

• The city of Sacramento Tuesday received a $89.6 million federal government stimulus check. Now, it just needs to decide how to spend it, via Theresa Clift.