Santa Cruz Companies Score Federal Coronavirus Contracts

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Two Santa Cruz companies are working with the federal government as it doles out contracts to vendors playing a role in the fight against the coronavirus, data obtained by ProPublica shows.

Poly, the telecommunications equipment company formerly known as Plantronics, received $900,000 from the Internal Revenue Service to provide headsets and accessories, ProPublica's database shows.

Woman-owned Santa Cruz behavioral health agency Front St. received $56,000 from the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide health care to homeless veterans who are at high-risk for developing or are vulnerable to the coronavirus, ProPublica found.

Other contractors have received money to provide medical and laboratory supplies, feed people, create drugs and make protective gear for hospital and surgical workers.

Statewide, 460 vendors received a total of $1.2 billion from the federal government, according to ProPublica. California received the fifth-most in federal contracts of all 50 states.

Virginia received the most federal dollars with 460 vendors and $2.1 billion. Then came North Carolina, with 104 vendors with $1.5 billion, and Maryland, with 277 vendors worth $1.4 billion, according to ProPublica's analysis.

Nationwide, 4,500 vendors have received $17.8 billion as the federal government works to combat the pandemic.

See more vendors here on ProPublica.