Latest News
Unemployment Benefits Waiting Period Waived for Camp, Hill, Woolsey Fires
Individuals affected by the Camp, Hill and Woolsey fires who file unemployment insurance claims between November 8, 2018 and May 8, 2019 will not have the one week waiting period, so they can get benefits right away. The Unemployment Insurance program provides partial wage replacement benefits to workers who lose their jobs, or have their hours reduced, through no fault of their own.
For more information on the Unemployment Insurance program and eligibility requirements for collecting benefits, click HERE
Federal Emergency Declaration for November 2018 California Wildfires
On November 9th, President Donald J. Trump declared that an emergency exists in the State of California and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State, tribal, and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from wildfires beginning on November 8, 2018, and continuing.
The President’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the counties of Butte, Los Angeles, and Ventura.
Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, limited to direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding.
Federal Disaster Declaration Requested for November 2018 California wildfires
On November 8th, acting Governor Gavin Newsom sent a letter to the President and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requesting a Presidential Emergency Declaration for Direct Federal Assistance to support the communities impacted by wildfires burning across the state, including the Camp Fire in Butte County, the Hill and Woolsey fires in Ventura County, the Nurse Fire in Solano County and fires in several other counties, including Lassen and Mendocino.
“These statewide weather conditions are predicted to remain in California for several days,” said Acting Governor Newsom in the letter. “As such, these fires will continue to grow and pose further threat to the health and safety of residents throughout California.”
Earlier in the day, Acting Governor Newsom issued an emergency proclamation for Butte County due to the effects of the Camp Fire. The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services has also activated the State Operations Center in Mather, California to its highest level and is coordinating with other local, state and federal emergency response officials to address emergency management needs.
Acting Governor Newsom’s request for a Presidential Emergency Declaration can be found here.
How to get emergency updates?
The Nixle system is an effective way to get real-time alerts about the emergency in your area. To get the updates, text your zip code to 888777 (messaging rates apply).
Only authenticated agencies and community organizations can securely publish information. There are four types of messages:
- Alerts (many would refer to this as an emergency type alert),
- Advisories (less urgent need-to-know information),
- Community Information (day-to-day neighborhood to community-level information), and
- Traffic (very localized traffic information).
For more information about Nixle, please see their FAQ page.
EDD extension for employers impacted by Holy Fire
Employers in Orange and Riverside Counties directly affected by the Holy Fire which began on August 6, 2018, may request up to a 60-day extension of time from the EDD to file their state payroll reports and/or deposit payroll taxes without penalty or interest.
This extension may be granted under Section 1111.5 of the California Unemployment Insurance Code (CUIC). A written request for extension must be received within 60 days from the original delinquent date of the payment or return.
To see all current EDD relief available, click HERE
Presidential Disaster Declaration made for Shasta and Lake Counties
Note: On 8/17/18 an amendment was made to the Presidential Disaster Declaration and it now includes Lake County
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Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced that the White House has approved California’s request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration submitted to the President to help with the impacts of the wildfire in Shasta County.
“This is part of a trend – a new normal – that we’ve got to deal with. We’re dealing with it humanly, financially and governmentally,” said Governor Brown earlier today during a media briefing at the Carr Fire Incident Command Post in Anderson, California. “These kinds of horrible situations bring people together, regardless of the lesser kind of ideologies and partisan considerations.”
A Presidential Major Disaster Declaration helps people in the impacted counties through eligibility for programs and support, including housing assistance, food aid, unemployment assistance, counseling and medical services and legal services. The declaration also includes public assistance to help state, tribal and local governments with ongoing emergency response and recovery costs, including repairs and replacement of disaster-damaged facilities and infrastructure such as roads, bridges and utilities. The declaration also includes hazard mitigation, which helps state and local governments reduce the risks and impacts of future disasters.
Governor Brown officially requested the Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for Lake, Mendocino, Napa and Shasta counties. FEMA is reviewing the requests for Lake, Mendocino and Napa counties on an expedited basis as preliminary damage assessments continue.
Tax Relief from the CDTFA for victims of the 2018 wildfires
Emergency tax or fee relief is available from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) for business owners and fee payers directly affected by disasters declared as state of emergencies. Relief may include the extension of tax return due dates, relief of penalty and interest, or replacement copies of records lost due to disasters.
- July 2018: Lake, Mariposa, Mendocino, Napa, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Shasta, San Bernardino, and Siskiyou
- June 2018: Lake County (wildfire)
An extension of up to three months to file and pay taxes or fees is available for certain CDTFA administered programs. The CDTFA manages Sales Tax, Use Tax and many other specialty taxes for California. For more information go to: http://www.cdtfa.ca.gov/services/state-of-emergency-tax-relief.htm
Presidential Disaster Declaration made for California Wildfires from 7/23/18 onward
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced on July 28 2018 that federal emergency aid has been made available to the state of California to supplement state, tribal and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions in the area affected by a wildfire beginning on July 23, 2018, and continuing.
The President’s action authorizes FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in Shasta County.
Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding.
William Roche has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal response operations in the affected area
I am a victim of one of the 2018 wildfires, do I get more time to file and pay my State Payroll taxes?
Employers in the Counties listed below may request an extension for filing and paying their Q2 payroll taxes.
Santa Barbara County (July 2018) – Employers in Santa Barbara County directly affected by the Holiday fire which began on July 06, 2018 may request up to a 60-day extension of time from the EDD to file their state payroll reports and/or deposit payroll taxes without penalty or interest. This extension may be granted under Section 1111.5 of the California Unemployment Insurance Code (CUIC). A written request for extension must be received within 60 days from the original delinquent date of the payment or return.
San Diego County (July 2018) – Employers in San Diego County directly affected by the West fire which began on July 06, 2018 may request up to a 60-day extension of time from the EDD to file their state payroll reports and/or deposit payroll taxes without penalty or interest. This extension may be granted under Section 1111.5 of the California Unemployment Insurance Code (CUIC). A written request for extension must be received within 60 days from the original delinquent date of the payment or return.
Siskiyou County (July 2018) – Employers in Siskiyou County directly affected by the Klamathon fire which began on July 05, 2018 may request up to a 60-day extension of time from the EDD to file their state payroll reports and/or deposit payroll taxes without penalty or interest. This extension may be granted under Section 1111.5 of the California Unemployment Insurance Code (CUIC). A written request for extension must be received within 60 days from the original delinquent date of the payment or return.
Lake County (June 2018) – Employers in Lake County directly affected by the Pawnee fire which began on June 23, 2018 may request up to a 60-day extension of time from the EDD to file their state payroll reports and/or deposit payroll taxes without penalty or interest. This extension may be granted under Section 1111.5 of the California Unemployment Insurance Code (CUIC). A written request for extension must be received within 60 days from the original delinquent date of the payment or return.
My Sonoma County house burned down. What happens to my property taxes after I rebuild my home?
People are starting to rebuild in Sonoma County following the October 2017 wildfires and are wondering how the rebuild will impact their property taxes.
If I rebuild and the construction cost is higher than I originally paid for the house, will by assessment go up?
- Property owners will retain their Proposition 13 protections as long as the structure is rebuilt in a like or similar manner to bring it up to current building codes, regardless of the actual cost of construction
What if I rebuild, but there are some variances or differences (i.e. different floor plan; add a full bath; it now meets current building codes; etc.)? Will my assessment go up or stay the same?
- Any new square footage or extras such as additional baths, granny unites, etc., will be added at its full market value. The original property will not be reassessed unless there is a new construction event or a change of ownership on the property.
What if I build a new granny unit to live in before I rebuild the main house?
- The granny unit will be assessed at its fair market value when complete and have a new base year value established for that structure since it was never assessed. When the main house is rebuilt, the two values will be combined. The two structures will have two separate Proposition 13 base years specific to each living unit.
For more information about Rebuilding in Sonoma County contact the Sonoma County Assessor’s Office