(San Francisco, CA) On March 19th 2020, California had its first shelter in place order. This was the beginning of a year of unprecedented challenges and tragedies for the American people. Tom Steyer said this on the past year:
“Reflecting on this past year you can’t be anything but heartbroken. Over 500,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. The pandemic has created ripples, waves, and tsunamis of tragedy across communities: people losing their jobs, losing their homes, losing valuable time in school, and the worst loss, losing loved ones. Reflecting on this next year, I feel like I can’t be anything but hopeful. We finally have federal leadership that’s prioritized prevention and vaccinations. We have Democrats in every chamber fighting for relief for the American people. But, there’s still so much to do: close the digital divide, stop evictions with rent relief, support small businesses, get vaccines in arms, tackle food insecurity, and in every effort prioritize racial justice and equity. This last year is behind us, but we can’t forget it. We must use the pain to fuel our urgency for action going forward.”