California State Treasurer Fiona Ma Provides Valuable New Information on Tax Relief and Food Access
Sacramento – California State Treasurer Fiona Ma today announced she has added new resource lists on tax relief and food access to the State Treasurer’s website, which already includes a list of resources for small businesses. View the tax relief list here, the food list here, and the small business list here.
The tax list provides the latest news on changes in regulations and deadlines and phone numbers and links to relevant agencies. The food access list also contains phone numbers and links to organizations that have information regarding food banks, where to pick up school meals, grocery store hours, and nonprofit and government programs. The small business list has information about new government and private sector programs and loans for small businesses.
“These new lists are part of my continuing efforts to keep Californians informed about changing rules and deadlines and give them access to resources that will help them navigate these troubled times more effectively,” said Treasurer Ma.
This list will be updated periodically. If you have a resource to share, please contact Gloria Li gli@treasurer.ca.gov.
California Treasurer Fiona Ma: State Treasury Operations are Essential and Continuing
SACRAMENTO – California State Treasurer Fiona Ma California is reminding the public that the operations of the State Treasurer’s Office are an essential function of state government and are continuing Monday through Friday during the current COVID-19 public health emergency.
“The Treasurer’s Office will continue to work closely with the State Controller’s Office to make sure all critical payments to local governments, including local sales tax receipts and realignment revenues will continue as usual during this very challenging time,” Treasurer Ma said.
“Together, all state agencies are working to ensure that even though disruptions are occurring to everyday life during this period, the state’s financial systems continue operating uninterrupted.”
Consistent with federal and state health and safety concerns, employees of the State Treasurer’s Office are cooperatively reporting to work or performing their jobs from home during the crisis.
The Treasurer oversees three divisions that play critical roles in state and local government:
— The Investment Division (1955) invests taxpayer money and manages state cash flow while strengthening the financial security of local government entities.
— The Public Finance Division manages the state’s debt programs to minimize the state’s borrowing costs.
— The Centralized Treasury and Securities Management Division (1949) manages the liquidity needs of all state agencies and departments, ensuring that all idle funds are invested daily across all banking aspects of the Centralized Treasury System.
Fiona Ma is California’s 34th State Treasurer. She serves as a voting member of 10 boards and commissions and chairs 16 Boards, Commissions and Authorities (BCAs) – many of them launched by former Treasurer Jesse Unruh who understood the importance and relationship between funding and financing of projects in the state. The BCAs have different roles, but one thing they share in common is service to Californians. They offer low-cost financing to important public projects, including low-income housing, hospitals, schools, roads, levees, public health facilities and infrastructure projects that better the lives of all Californians.
She was elected on November 6, 2018 with more votes (7,825,587) than any other candidate for Treasurer in California history. She is the first woman of color and the first woman Certified Public Accountant (CPA) elected to the position. The State Treasurer’s Office was created by the California Constitution in 1849. California is the world’s fifth-largest economy and Treasurer Ma is the state’s primary banker. Her office processes more than $2 trillion in payments within a typical year. She provides transparency and oversight for the government’s investment portfolio and accounts, as well as for the state’s surplus funds. Treasurer Ma also oversees an investment portfolio of more than $90 billion, approximately $20 billion of which are local government funds. She is responsible for $82 billion in outstanding general obligation and lease revenue bonds of the state.
Treasurer Ma is a member of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG.AFTRA) since 2007 and a former California Film Commissioner.
For more news about the State Treasurer’s Office, please follow Treasurer Ma on Twitter at @CalTreasurer, and on Facebook at California State Treasurer’s Office.
