(Washington, DC) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement in opposition to the Democrats’ partisan COVID relief bill.
 
Rep. LaMalfa said, “Over $1 trillion in COVID relief remains unspent, but Democrat leaders are shamelessly pretending we must approve this partisan slush fund or risk the collapse of our entire pandemic recovery. With only nine percent of its funding going to COVID health spending and less than half authorized to be spent this year, this bill is in no way timely or even necessary. The numerous beneficiaries of this so-called COVID relief include union pensions, Planned Parenthood, the National Endowment for the Arts, and even a bridge in Senator Schumer’s state of New York and a tunnel in Speaker Pelosi’s backyard.
 
“I am also troubled that this bill does nothing to address the issue of unemployment insurance penalties and identity theft that will be affecting millions of Americans, both of which result in surprise tax bills that our constituents had not counted on at all. My amendments to help people with these worsening problems were rejected outright by Democrat leadership.”
 
Rep. LaMalfa has been a leader in Congress calling for a bipartisan solution for several surprise consequences and complications affecting millions of Americans receiving unemployment benefits in the past year. Nearly 44 million Americans filed for unemployment last year, with many unaware that UI benefits were considered taxable income. Making the problem worse, state agencies, including the California Employment Development Department, were inconsistent in withholding projected federal income taxes on both the state benefit and federal supplemental paid through COVID relief legislation, causing unforeseen taxes being due at filing for millions of Californians due to state incompetence. Additionally, millions of Americans have had their identity stolen and used to illegally collect unemployment benefits over the past year. Yet, they only find out they are victims when a 1099-G tax form arrives in the mail claiming they owe hundreds or thousands of dollars in taxes on unemployment benefits they did not apply for, or receive.
 
LaMalfa authored three amendments to alleviate these issues. His first amendment would exclude unemployment compensation from gross taxable income for 2020, effectively reducing taxes for those receiving UI. His second amendment would defer penalties and interest on unpaid tax liabilities on unemployment compensation for 2020, helping millions set to be penalized because of state agencies. Finally, he offered anamendment to codify, authorize, and direct the Department of Justice to continue operating the National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force to combat international identity theft and unemployment fraud. Unfortunately Democrat leadership did not allow the amendments to be considered.
 
LaMalfa cosponsored four additional amendments to the bill, all of which Democrats blocked:

• Rep. Stefanik’s amendment to prohibit institutions of higher education from receiving funds from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund if they have a partnership in effect with any entity owned or controlled by the government of the People’s Republic of China or organized under the laws of the People’s Republic of China.
• Rep. McMorris’s amendment to prevent taxpayer dollars from being used to subsidize health plans that cover elective abortions, and prohibit the use of taxpayer dollars authorized for public health grants and the delivery of health services that are not directly related to preventing and treating COVID-19, to be used for elective abortions.
• Rep. Glenn Thompson’s amendment to make critical investments in programs which serve rural families, businesses, and communities by providing assistance for biofuels producers, producers suffering disaster losses, rural hospitals and educational facilities, rural broadband services, and rural utility providers and businesses.
• Rep. Hagedorn’s amendment to prevent any funds from being obligated until 90% of current COVID-19 relief funds allocated by Congress have been expended on a program-by-program basis. This does not apply to any funds appropriated for COVID vaccine deployment, testing, or PPE.

LaMalfa supported all five bipartisan COVID relief bills passing the House last year.
 
Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.
 
###

SACRAMENTO – California State Senate Republicans support legislative efforts that would make state and federal COVID-19 relief dollars free from tax liability for businesses and allow them to fully deduct expenses paid for with forgiven loans. Senate Bill 265 introduced by Senator Andreas Borgeas (R-Fresno) would apply to both future pandemic-related relief funds as well as retroactively to recipients who have already received funds.
 
With tax season approaching, there is concern among many businesses that the state of California is attempting to tax federal assistance and generate extra revenue. This, California Republicans argue, is fundamentally unfair and urge Governor Newsom to include these provisions in the next early action budget bill likely to be considered next week.
 
“Businesses and entities that received federal assistance during the pandemic desperately needed that assistance and should not be penalized by the state of California,” said Senate Republican Leader Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita).“The state should not balance its budget on the backs of the businesses that qualified for financial assistance. Our businesses fared worse compared to those in other states because of the high cost of operating businesses here coupled with the confusing shutdown and re-opening guidelines ordered by the Governor. Every effort should be taken to assist – not further hurt - those who applied for and received pandemic relief funds.”
 
“Businesses might be surprised to learn that pandemic relief funds they received may be considered taxable events,” said Senator Borgeas, the author of the bill. “Struggling businesses should not have to turn down relief simply because they cannot afford to be taxed on it by California.”
 
California has yet to fully conform to the federal tax laws, which exempt COVID-19 relief funds as taxable events. This could leave many struggling businesses with major tax liabilities. It is vital to the recovery of our business community that California pass legislation that will provide businesses with the relief they deserve.
###
Senator Wilk represents the 21st Senate District, which includes the Antelope, Santa Clarita and Victor valleys. Learn more about Scott by visiting his website and be sure to connect with him on social media.

Senator Borgeas represents the 8th Senate District, which encompasses all or portions of Amador, Calaveras, Fresno, Inyo, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Sacramento, Stanislaus, Tulare, and Tuolumne Counties. For additional information about Senator Borgeas, please visit his website at www.senate.ca.gov/borgeas or sign up for his monthly newsletter here.

For press inquiries or q

New testing sites and instructions below.
For more information, please visit www.sierracounty.ca.gov or email covid19@sierracounty.ca.gov
 
 
Free Walk-thru Testing Wednesdays - 10am - 12:30pm with Downieville Ambulance Urgent Care using the COLOR Testing Solution at the Downieville Community Hall. 
Click HERE to register. 

• A mid-nasal swab will be collected at appointment.
• You will be notified of your test results 2 to 5 days after collection by phone, email or text 
• No age limit. If under 18 years old, parent or guardian need to be present.
• Pre-registration preferred, not required. 
• Walk-in same day registration on-site available.

FREE walk-thru testing with OptumServe/LHI, under contract with the California Department of Public Health, now available:

• Greenville every other Saturday at the Greenville Town Hall 120 Bidwell St. (behind the Fire Station), Greenville 95947. See the flyers here.
• Sierraville every Thursday at the Old Sierraville School Community Center: 305 Lincoln Street (Hwy 89), Sierraville CA 96126.  
• Portola every other Saturday at the Portola Veterans Hall; 449 W. Sierra Ave, Portola CA 96122.  See the flyers here.
  • A mid-nasal swab will be collected at appointment.
  • You will be notified of your test results 2 to 5 days after collection by phone, email or text.
  • No age limit. If under 18 years old, parent or guardian need to be present.
  • Pre-registration preferred, not required.
  • Residents without internet access: (888) 634-1123

(Washington, DC) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after the Small Business Administration (SBA) released updated Paycheck Protection Act (PPP) information including a new 14 day application window geared towards sole proprietors and businesses under 20 employees. This 14 day window opens today.
 
Rep. LaMalfa said, “The PPP program has successfully helped keep thousands of California small businesses open, workers paid, and families afloat during the pandemic, and it is a textbook example of what can be achieved through a bipartisan approach to COVID aid. Fortunately for small businesses still needing relief, PPP loans are still available and are even forgivable under most circumstances. I encourage eligible small businesses needing assistance to take advantage of this program.”
 
Businesses interested in applying for PPP loans or learning more about eligibility can find more information from the SBA here or contact LaMalfa’s office. New formulas for calculating loan amounts for sole proprietors will be based off of gross revenue and will help with higher loan amounts being available. In California, 202,264 individual PPP loans for $18,192,309,838 have been approved through February 21, 2021.
 
Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.
 

Expert explains how to protect yourself from tax scams

According to the data, over 91% of the 165 million tax returns in the U.S. were filed electronically last year. Due to the current coronavirus outbreak, it is expected that an even greater percentage of tax documents will be submitted online this year.

Unfortunately, with the lockdown forcing people to work remotely, cybercriminals have become more active than ever this tax season. People doing business online, especially accounting firms, are now prime targets for hackers looking to exploit any vulnerability.

Oliver Noble, a cybersecurity specialist at NordLocker, says that whether you do taxes on your own or employ an accountant, protecting your personal documents should be a priority. “Many people have lost hundreds or even thousands of dollars and had their personal data stolen through tax scams. It is vitally important to take security into consideration when going about this annual taxpayer duty,” he explains.

Oliver Noble offers three basic tips on how to avoid tax filing risks online.

1. Don’t fall for a phishing scam

Phishing is an attempt to steal confidential data from internet users through impersonation. This criminal technique is most often used in emails and text messages. According to the FTC, the imposter scam is the number one type of fraud in the US, costing Americans hundreds of millions of dollars. To avoid having your money or identity stolen through phishing, remember this:

• Never click on links you receive in emails, text messages, or social media posts claiming to be from the IRS (Internal Revenue Service). The IRS does not ask for personal or financial information from taxpayers through these channels.
• Never send your personal information to any “official” or “representative” by email or a text message.
• When in doubt, before doing anything, contact your bank to check the legitimacy of the required actions. Don’t forget that banks, like the IRS, never ask for your personal information by phone or email.

2. Use a VPN when connecting to your online accounts

As a rule of thumb, never file taxes, submit any personal information online, or log in to your bank accounts over public Wi-Fi. If there’s no other choice, you should use a reliable VPN service to protect your connection. VPNs (virtual private networks) replace your IP address with a virtual one that fraudsters cannot trace back to you and your data.

But the risks aren’t limited to just public networks. Even your home Wi-Fi may be breached by skilled hackers, so you should always use a VPN to keep your information private. At the moment, employees all over the world are using secure VPN connections to safely access their company accounts during the lockdown.

3. Protect your tax forms and bills

If you're sending your files to someone, make sure to encrypt them first. Tax documents can give away a lot of personally identifiable information, which is why they should never be stored unprotected on your computer or in the cloud. Start to employ user-friendly file encryption tools, such as NordLocker, to effectively protect all your valuable information from prying eyes.

The IRS requires taxpayers to store all documents used for tax credits or deductions for three years. Luckily, they accept digital copies, so you don't have to worry about blurry receipts or digging through piles of paper — simply keep your tax return documents, including photocopies of receipts, in a private encrypted folder either on your computer or in the cloud.

“Cyberattacks may be on the rise, but they don't have to necessarily happen to you. As a taxpayer, you can easily protect your sensitive data with the tools designed for that purpose. Adopting these practices for your online tax returns will also help you watch out for other online threats,” says Oliver Noble.

ABOUT NORDLOCKER

NordLocker is the world’s first end-to-end file encryption tool with a private cloud. It was created by the cybersecurity experts behind NordVPN – one of the most advanced VPN service providers in the world. NordLocker is available for Windows and macOS, it supports all file types, offers a fast and intuitive interface, and guarantees secure sync between devices. With NordLocker, files are protected from hacking, surveillance, and data collection. For more information: nordlocker.com.

IMAGE

​

The Sierra Small Business Development Center (Sierra SBDC) is located in Truckee, CA.  As a small business Advisor for the Sierra SBDC, I service Plumas, Lassen, and Modoc Counties.  The SBDCs provide FREE one-on-one counseling, business plan development, and FREE workshops and webinars every month.  For FREE counseling, please go to www.sierrasbdc.com; open the Home Page, click on the ‘Apply Now’ on the upper right, and then complete the information boxes about your business for a client profile.  All information is kept confidential.  You will then be routed to me and we can start working together for your business.
 
For the FREE workshops and seminars, go to www.sierrasbdc.com; click on Calendar at the top, then scroll down to the session of your choice.  You must register to get entry.  Following is the schedule for March 2021:
 
March 1:  Your Customer Experience in the New Dine-In Reality.
            How to merge COVID-19 gov’t guidelines with best hospitality practices.
March 4:  Social Media Tips & Tricks for Food Businesses.
            Everyday Social Media: How to keep the posts coming and the customers engaged.
March 9:  Owning and Investing in Real Estate for Small Business Entrepreneurs.
            Information to secure your long-term future by owning property, company plants, and equipment.
March 10:  Webinar:  Digital Marketing Hour:  Instagram Stories.
            How can my company develop meaningful marketing strategies with limited resources?
March 10 & 17:  Disaster Relief Loan Updates and Caseforce.
            Answers how small businesses can prepare and apply for an SBA Economic Injury Loan and PPP Forgiveness.  Also:  Provide information on any new loan options.
March 10, 17, 24, 31:  Restaurant Financial Bootcamp – Four Part Series.
            Intensive four-part bootcamp series on restaurant financials.
March 24:  Webinar – Digital Marketing Hour:  Digital Marketing Tactics as You Continue to Pivot and Recover.
            Embracing digital technology as an effective way to communicate with customers, promote your business and services, and sell products online.
 
Feel free to contact me for information on our FREE services at clint.koble@gmail.com or (775) 843-4081.  The Sierra SBDC also has experts in International Trade, the Food Industry, Marketing, Financing and more.
 
Clint Koble, Advisor

​

Comment Period Runs Until May 3Susanville, CA Feb. 22— Each year, the Lassen National Forest has an opportunity to submit grant applications to the California State Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division (OHMVR) for consideration for funding in support of the Forest’s on-going Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) program. As part of the state’s 2021 grant cycle, the forest is submitting a proposal for a law enforcement project which includes OHV area patrols and enforcement.
 
As part of the application process, stakeholders are encouraged to make comments on submitted applications. The comments will be used to shape the final grant application package which are due to the OHMVR Division by June 7.
Preliminary applications for the 2021 projects will be made available for review and comment on the OHMVR Division's website beginning March 2.
 
Additionally, interested parties can find more information about the Lassen’s OHV program on our website.  
In addition to the OHMVR Division’s website, public comments regarding the proposed project may be submitted in writing to Adam Hill, Patrol Captain, at 2550 Riverside Drive, Susanville, CA 96130, or electronically to adam.hill@usda.gov by May 3. 
 

Sierra County Probation Delivered Daily Meals to Vulnerable Members of the CommunitySierra County Probation took it upon themselves to go above and beyond to help their community during the heart of the stressful COVID-19 pandemic.
Chief Probation Officer Chuck Henson and Deputy Probation Officer Sofia Gonzalez spearheaded the delivery of hot meals to senior citizens in the community due to restricted access that many local senior centers were experiencing.  In addition, they hand delivered daily hot meals to many of the disabled members in their community.
On average, they delivered about 30-35 hot meals daily for six weeks, some of those days the temperature being as low as 20-25 degrees.
The department also participated in weekly food bank and commodities deliveries in conjunction with local volunteers and outside groups in the community for many weeks.
Sierra County Probation truly embodied the mission of probation during the wake of the pandemic by continuing to find ways to support their vulnerable populations despite overwhelming circumstances.
“Probation is always prepared to meet the needs of our community and those of the adults and youth we serve. The safety and the well-being of clients, staff, and our communities is our top priority,” said Chief Probation Officers of California (CPOC) President Chief Steve Sentman. “Sierra County Probation saw a significant need during a difficult time and found a safe and innovative way to answer that call and serve members of their community – well done!”
Probation Departments all over the state of California are delivering evidence-based programs and supervision as well as rehabilitative services, which result in lower recidivism and a pathway to success for clients and healthier communities.
 
Spotlight PDF - Sierra County Probation Delivers Hot Meals

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW YORK, February 22, 2021 -- Report for America today announced that it will release its 2020 Local Newsroom Sustainability Report during the Knight Media Forum, hosted virtually by the Knight Foundation, March 2-4.
The upcoming report includes the striking news that Report for America newsroom partners raised 61% more funding per reporter in 2020 than in 2019, jumping from a $14,593 average to $23,500 per reporter.
Overall, the report will demonstrate the valuable role philanthropy can play in addressing the crisis in local journalism—at a time when shrinking advertising revenue and the COVID-19 pandemic have shuttered many newsrooms.
"Local communities want local news and are willing to work at making it happen," said Todd Franko, Report for America's director of local sustainability and development. "That's what 2020 told us—and that it happened in an unprecedented year in American history needs to be part of the recognition.”
Among the report’s highlights:

• Report for America helped local newsrooms raise $4.6 million in 2020 (well past its projected $2.5 million goal)—essentially injecting nearly $10 million into journalism with Report for America’s national match.
• Fundraising by for-profit newsrooms grew from $12,972 per newsroom in 2019 to $26,811 per newsroom in 2020, while fundraising for nonprofits rose from $28,433 per newsroom in 2019 to $41,254 in 2020.
• The growth is fueled largely by individual giving: donors giving under $5,000 contributed 6,774 gifts, averaging $68, to our partner newsrooms, compared to 984 gifts averaging $54 in 2019

"How this success happened is what ignites our path forward,” Franko said. “In our partner communities, there is a base audience of donors who want local news. They are making local philanthropy a vital third revenue stream to sustain local media.”
Beyond releasing the report during the Knight Media Forum, Report for America will participate in two panel events, both taking place Wednesday, March 3, at 1 p.m. ET: 

• New Solutions to Rebuild Local Journalism: Strategies for communities to support local journalism, featuring Steven Waldman, Report for America’s president and co-founder.
• Local Funder-Grantee success story: Report for America: A case study on the national service organization placing journalists in local newsrooms across the country, featuring Report for America corps members Zoë Jackson, Minnesota Star Tribune; newsroom partner, Greg Farmer, The Kansas City Star; and funder, Marian Kaanon, Stanislaus Community Foundation.

The Knight Media Forum is the premier gathering of leaders in philanthropy, journalism and technology working to strengthen local news, communities and democracy. The 2021 forum is online and open to all. Register here.
To learn more about Report for America’s efforts to place journalists into local newsrooms across the nation while empowering newsrooms to develop sustainable funding, visit www.reportforamerica.org.
About Report for America
Report for America is a national service program that places talented emerging journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered topics and communities. Launched in 2017 and donor-financed, Report for America is creating a new, sustainable system that provides Americans with the information they need to improve their communities, hold powerful institutions accountable, and rebuild trust in the media. Report for America is an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, an award-winning nonprofit media organization with an established track record of training and supporting teams of emerging journalists around the world and in the US. Report for America is a MacArthur Foundation 100&Change finalist, a global competition for a single $100 million grant.
 
# # #

​