Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said he was “ecstatic” about the COVID-19 federal relief bill that could send about $1.35 billion directly to his city, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles downtown skyline at sunset. Patrick T. Fallon. Getty.
“More families and frontline workers will soon get relief checks,” Garcetti said in his weekly COVID-19 briefing Wednesday. “More resources will be dedicated to studying and stopping the changing virus. It means that our local vaccine efforts will get a boost. Small businesses and renters and landlords will get a lifeline and our economy’s engine will begin to hum again.”
President Joe Biden is expected to sign the American Rescue Plan on Friday, which will give about $350 billion to cities, counties and states affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced Wednesday. In his weekly briefing, Garcetti called the bill the “most progressive” and “boldest” piece of legislation since The Great Depression. (RELATED: US Coronavirus Spending Is About To Soar Past What America Spent To Defeat The Nazis In World War II)
“The American Rescue Plan is a watershed moment in the life of our nation and our response to COVID-19 – with historic investments in vaccine distribution, relief for working families, jobs for frontline workers, and support for children, students, parents, small businesses, and tenants,” Garcetti wrote in a press release.
“This action helps us save lives and livelihoods,” he continued. “When this bill becomes law, our cities and our country will be healthier now, stronger down the road, and better prepared for a full and lasting recovery.”