Watch: Gov. Gavin Newsom holds first press conference of 2021, gives COVID-19 update

Gov. Gavin Newsom held his first press conference of 2021 on Monday and gave an update on COVID-19 in California.

Watch a recording of the livestream here:

The state’s death rate is climbing as COVID-19 rates surge following the holidays. On average, more than 280 Californians died of coronavirus each day during the 2-week period ending Saturday, according to data from the California Department of Public Health.

As of Monday, California had received 1.8 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine, falling short of the 2.1 million doses Newsom said he anticipated would arrive by the end of 2020. Just over 450,000 Californians have gotten their first shot of the vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On top of the surge in coronavirus cases, Newsom will have a busy start to the year with his 2021 budget plan due Sunday.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office, which advises the California Legislature on the budget, predicted in November that California could see $26 billion more than what lawmakers and Newsom expected when they crafted the current $202 billion state budget that cut money from education and state worker salaries.

That cash could help Newsom and lawmakers balance the 2021 budget, but the Legislative Analyst’s Office warned the temporary $26 billion windfall will evaporate quickly, and that moving forward the state will see rising deficits.

This story was originally published January 4, 2021 at 11:48 AM.