SACRAMENTO, Calif. — SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California will spend another $315 million on protective masks through a contract with a Chinese manufacturer. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the deal with BYD on Wednesday as he touted California's efforts to procure masks for health care and other essential workers. Newsom signed a $1 billion contract with BYD in April and the first masks began arriving last month after delays. Newsom said California will soon launch a competitive bidding process to try to get more masks at lower prices. But he also acknowledged the masks aren't always getting to workers that need them and pledged a more aggressive state response.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
FILE - In this April 10, 2020, file photo, a ground crew at Los Angeles International Airport unload pallets of medical personal protective equipment from a China Southern Cargo plane upon its arrival in Los Angeles. California will spend $315 million more to buy hundreds of millions of protective masks as the coronavirus continues to ravage the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday, July 22, 2020. A new contract with Chinese manufacturer BYD will provide the state 120 million more tight-fighting N95 respirator masks and 300 million looser-fitting surgical masks. California first signed a $1 billion deal with the company in April and began receiving earlier shipments of masks in June after delays. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)
Posted
and last updated
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Sign up for our Morning E-mail Newsletter to receive the latest headlines in your inbox.
,
Weather
Friday
10/24/2025
Sunny
78° / 54°
2%
Saturday
10/25/2025
Partly Cloudy
77° / 55°
3%
Sunday
10/26/2025
Partly Cloudy
74° / 54°
6%
Monday
10/27/2025
Partly Cloudy
72° / 51°
4%
Tuesday
10/28/2025
Sunny
78° / 53°
4%
Wednesday
10/29/2025
Sunny
81° / 55°
1%
Thursday
10/30/2025
Partly Cloudy
81° / 55°
1%
Friday
10/31/2025
Sunny
79° / 55°
1%