POLICY & POLITICS
North SJ Valley:
COVID Update:
● Coronavirus update, Oct. 13: Stanislaus reports zero deaths, 110 new positive tests Modesto Bee
Parents against COVID vaccine mandate urge Oakdale school board to ‘do something’
Modesto Bee
Parents packed an Oakdale school board meeting on Monday to protest Gov. Gavin Newsom’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for students, urging trustees to fight it.
Valley dairy industry hopes to make it easier for people to recycle plastic milk jugs
Modesto Bee
A campaign that launched Thursday aims to get more consumers to recycle plastic milk jugs, some of them from Modesto-area dairy plants.
Mental health grant to close equity gaps in Stanislaus communities, using schools as hubs
Modesto Bee
As the Stanislaus County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) agency experiences increased calls to its crisis line, more mental health services for underserved individuals in the region soon will be available.
Here’s how UC Merced plans to spend funds from record-breaking MacKenzie Scott gift
Merced Sun Star
Having broken fundraising records this year after receiving the largest ever philanthropic gift to UC Merced by billionaire MacKenzie Scott, university officials recently announced plans for spending the generous donation.
Grant to establish food safety concentration at Stan State
Turlock Journal
Stanislaus State has received a $275,000 three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish a new undergraduate concentration in food safety — a vital need in the Central Valley’s agricultural industries.
Voice of the students on TUSD Board
Turlock Journal
Bella Kern and Kate Ogden are the student representatives on the TUSD Board and participate in the board’s bimonthly meetings.
Council to consider brew bike ordinance
Turlock Journal
The Council will provide City staff with direction on a potential pedicab ordinance regarding a brew bike business in downtown Turlock, where patrons ride from business to business and alcohol can be consumed if permitted by local ordinance.
Central SJ Valley:
COVID Update:
● 31 county inmates test positive for COVID Porterville Recorder
● 31 Tulare County inmates test positive for COVID-19 Visalia Times-Delta
● 31 inmates test positive for COVID at central California facility. One was fully vaccinated Fresno Bee
● Get a COVID shot, meet an Olympian in Tulare Business Journal
Joint City of Clovis – Clovis Unified School District Meeting: Local or State Control?
Clovis Roundup
The Clovis City Council held its annual meeting with the Clovis Unified School District Board at Clovis City Hall in regards to everything that’s affiliated with both the city and school district. While there were many different subjects on the agenda, the vaccine mandate by the State of California was on everyone’s mind.
Where is Fresno’s Latino population growing the fastest? Explore our maps to learn more
Fresno Bee
People of Hispanic or Latino origin make up a larger overall share of Fresno County’s population than they did 10 years ago.
What does this new Sanger campus have to do with Fresno? A lot
Fresno Bee
The $54 million first phase of what is to be Sanger Unified’s second high school and middle school campuses is in the city of Fresno at Fowler and Jensen avenues. Officials lauded it Tuesday with a ribbon-cutting.
Judge grants Fresno city workers access to Tower Theatre. Here’s what they can do
Fresno Bee
A Fresno County judge has granted the city of Fresno access to the Tower Theatre to conduct an inspection, according to a tentative court ruling made public Tuesday. The owner of the theater must make it available within the next 30 days.
‘The wind toppled a lot of trees.’ Nearly 300 PG&E outages in Fresno area after storm
Fresno Bee
Nearly 5,000 PG&E customers were without power Tuesday morning in and around Fresno following a massive wind storm Monday that toppled trees, snarled traffic and created hazardous breathing conditions.
South SJ Valley:
COVID Update:
● Kern County Public Health reports 295 new coronavirus cases, four new deaths on Tuesday Bakersfield Californian
● County improving, but lagging behind State Porterville Recorder
● Rosedale Union board's battle against state mandates aired at meeting Bakersfield Californian
KHSD's cosmetology school is open for business
Bakersfield Californian
The Kern High School District's cosmetology program is accepting new clients. On Tuesday, Kern Learn English teacher Julie Burnett dropped by for an appointment to get her acrylics filled in from cosmetology students.
Kern County supervisors move forward with plan to reduce homeless encampments
Bakersfield Californian
The Kern County BOS has approved a comprehensive plan to upgrade the county’s response to homelessness. Supervisors unanimously voted to set a hearing for a new ordinance that would make it illegal for individuals to camp and store belongings in many public areas.
Arvin finally achieves federal standard for arsenic in drinking water
Bakersfield Californian
Federal and state officials announced Tuesday that Arvin has finally met the federal Safe Drinking Water Act's arsenic health standard after a frustrating, 13-year process that resulted in five new groundwater wells serving about 20,000 people.
State:
COVID Update:
● These charts show the incredibly stark difference in COVID-19 death rates between vaccinated and unvaccinated in California San Francisco Chronicle
● Tracking coronavirus hospitalizations in California by county CalMatters
● Vaccination progress data California For All
● See how many people in California are vaccinated, and find a COVID vaccine appointment Fresno Bee
● Improving COVID Vaccine Equity in California Public Policy Institute of California
● Newsom focuses on vaccine equity CalMatters
● Calif will require student vaccinations upon FDA approval California For All
● Univ of Calif issues mandatory flu vaccine order for students and staff Sacramento Bee
● 'COVID is never going to go away,' California scientist says, even as case numbers improve San Francisco Chronicle
New Law Bans Harassment at Vaccination Sites, but Free Speech Concerns Persist
California Healthline
It’s now illegal in California to harass people on their way into a vaccination clinic, under a law signed Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Bill aims to reduce Black maternal deaths, which are prevalent in the Central Valley
Fresno Bee
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Monday aimed at reducing maternal mortality rates following decades of disproportionate deaths among Black and Indigenous women.
Newsom’s vetoes: Why did the Governor block California bills?
CalMatters
Gov. Newsom had his reasons for blocking California bills passed by the Legislature: cost, duplication and some politics. Overall, he signed 770 bills into law and vetoed 66, or about 8%.
See also:
● Gavin Newsom vetoes bill that sought to promote more diverse California state workers Sacramento Bee
● Why would Newsom veto a popular bill to help farm workers organize? His business interests Sacramento Bee
● Newsom vetoes bill that would have allowed cannabis advertising on freeway billboards Los Angeles Times
● California moves toward ban on gas lawn mowers and leaf blowers Los Angeles Times
● New California laws: Here are recent notable bills signed by Gov. Newsom KCRA
Gov Signs AB 438, Announcing Sweeping Changes to The Classified Layoff Process
aalrr
On Oct. 7, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 438, into law. Effective January 1, 2022, AB 438 will largely change how both school districts and community college districts will conduct classified layoffs and extend greater protections to classified employees.
Newsom signs new laws to ease California's strict criminal sentencing system
San Francisco Chronicle
California’s criminal sentencing laws have been among the most severe in the nation for decades. Defendants’ past convictions, gang membership or probation status could add many years to their sentence.
Calif lawmakers are done for the year - but explosive fights are on the horizon
San Francisco Chronicle
Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislators finished this year’s round of lawmaking at the state Capitol over the weekend, ending a session that brought little of the policy-making drama of past years.
See also:
● Walters: Newsom, Legislature push the state leftward CalMatters
California still won't make coronavirus workplace outbreaks public
San Francisco Chronicle
Supporters of a push to require companies to report workplace coronavirus outbreaks publicly say they plan to keep fighting despite recent setbacks that they say allow big businesses to keep outbreaks secret.
California recall election results 2021: Live updates statewide and by county
CalMatters
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is keeping his job, but the final California recall election vote tally is still days away. This interactive lets you track the results statewide and county by county.
California 100 Announces the Selection of an Intergenerational Commission of Experts to Guide Its Work
California 100 Commission
The California 100 executive team announced today the selection of a commission which will draw on an extraordinary group of leaders who reflect diversity by region and industry, and the perspectives of communities who have been historically marginalized or excluded.
Federal:
COVID Update:
● Texas order shows GOP vaccine mandate opposition growing Mercury News
● Biden’s billion-dollar testing plan could struggle with a winter reality Politico
● Next on FDA’s agenda: Booster shots of Moderna, J&J vaccines Fresno Bee
● COVID-19 booster shots overtake first doses in the U.S. Axios
● Biden’s Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate Moves Closer to Approval Wall Street Journal
● Coronavirus Tracker: Charting the spread of Covid-19 Wall Street Journal
● Opinion: Vaccine mandates and Jacobson v. Mass.: A closer look AEI
● Opinion: Vaccine Mandate Madness Wall Street Journal
● How quickly will we reach post-COVID life? Americans’ optimism is waning, poll finds Modesto Bee
Democrats weigh how to shrink their social spending plan and still make big change
VPR
As moderate Democrats pressure their party to scale back their partisan $3.5T social spending package, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday that the way forward could involve shortening the shelf life of several major programs in the plan to bring down the overall price tag.
See also:
● As Democrats look to cut their spending bill, here's a reminder of where they started NPR
● Democrats are having a unity problem. That's familiar territory for them NPR
● Dem tension keeps spiking ahead of make-or-break 3 weeks Politico
● Dems sweat size of Biden agenda with crucial midterms looming Politico
● First look: Progressives plan rally to keep paid family leave in plan Axios
● Pelosi: Budget decisions needed ‘in the next few days’ to hit deadline Roll Call
● Democrats Debate Eligibility for Reconciliation Bill’s New Social Programs Wall Street Journal
● Opinion: Six reasons why an expanded Child Tax Credit or child allowance should be part of the US safety net Brookings
● Opinion: As Democrats dither, Biden bleeds out Washington Post
House approves debt limit hike, sends bill to Biden
Mercury News
Members of the House on Tuesday pushed through a short-term increase to the nation’s debt limit, ensuring the federal government can continue fully paying its bills into December and temporarily averting an unprecedented default that would have decimated the economy.
See also:
● The House passes a short-term fix to the looming debt ceiling crisis VPR
● House agrees to lift debt ceiling as Democrats spar over shape of broader spending bill Washington Post
● Congress punts debt limit crisis into December Politico
● House Approves Extension of Debt Ceiling Into December Wall Street Journal
● Debt limit patch cleared for Biden, setting up year-end battle Roll Call
● Congress raises nation’s debt limit, but thorny December deadlines loom Los Angeles Times
Biden Administration to Ease Covid-19 Travel Restrictions at Canada and Mexico Land-Border Crossings
Wall Street Journal
The Biden administration intends to ease Covid-19 travel restrictions on land-border crossings from Canada and Mexico and will require foreign nationals taking those routes into the U.S. for nonessential reasons to show proof of vaccination beginning in November.
See also:
● The U.S. will soon allow nonessential travelers from Canada and Mexico again VPR
● U.S. to lift land border restrictions on Canada and Mexico for vaccinated visitors Sacramento Bee
● Biden lifting land border travel restrictions for fully vaccinated Axios
● U.S. to reopen land borders in November for fully vaccinated Los Angeles Times
Opinion: The Sweep: The ‘who’ and ‘why’ of Biden’s malaise
The Dispatch
The world of political jibber-jabber is frothy with talk about the dire poll numbers for President Biden.Biden’s numbers are stinkeroo for sure. The current FiveThirtyEight average puts Biden 4.6 points underwater: 49.2 percent disapprove, 44.6 approve.
See also:
● Opinion: Time for Biden to get out of the Build Back Better bubble Roll Call
FDA authorizes first e-cigarette, cites benefit for smokers
Modesto Bee
For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized an electronic cigarette, saying the vaping device from R.J. Reynolds can help smokers cut back on conventional cigarettes.
See also:
● FDA authorizes first e-cigarette; says it helps with quitting Mercury News
● In a first, FDA authorizes an e-cigarette, citing benefit for smokers Los Angeles Times
Divided Supreme Court considers who can defend abortion restrictions
Politico
A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday weighed which state officials can defend abortion bans in court — a procedural question with implications that extend beyond reproductive health in states where the governor and attorney general hail from opposing parties.
See also:
● Justice Department again presses to halt Texas abortion law Los Angeles Times
● Opinion: The Case for Overturning Roe National Affairs
Opinion: A third party to impose some pain on the Trumpified GOP
Los Angeles Times
So why not create pressure outside of the party? Specifically, a third party with a simple, Reaganite conservative platform combined with a serious plank to defend the soundness of elections? For simplicity’s sake, think of it as a GOP minus the Trump personality cult.
Other:
You’ve decided to quit Facebook. Here’s how to migrate your online life elsewhere.
Washington Post
Every time there’s a Facebook scandal, you may have thought about quitting the social network, and this time for real. But you run into the same problem every time: Where exactly should you go?
2020 Census may have undercounted Black Americans, new analyses say
Washington Post
Two new analyses suggest the 2020 Census may have undercounted Black people at a significantly higher rate than usual, raising concerns about whether minority communities could lose out on fair representation and funding over the next 10 years.
Opinion: Diversity is not new to America
AEI
The Left is working against a rich American tradition of tolerating and appreciating diversity, a tradition that goes back to our beginnings as a nation and that has been strengthened again and again over the years.
MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING
Sunday, October 10, at 10 a.m on ABC30 – Maddy Report: "The Road Ahead for Zero-Emision Vehicles in CA" - Guest: F. Noel Perry, Founder of Next 10. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
Sunday, October 10, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: "Climate Change and Electric Vehicles:
Public Action and Private Markets"- Guests: F. Noel Perry, Founder of Next 10 & State Senator Fran Pavley. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Your Coffee Is Getting More Expensive Due to Bad Weather in Brazil
Wall Street Journal
In July and August, a bad frost hit the country's coffee-producing region and analysts say Brazil’s bean shortage is already rattling the global coffee market.
Valley dairy industry hopes to make it easier for people to recycle plastic milk jugs
Modesto Bee
A campaign that launched Thursday aims to get more consumers to recycle plastic milk jugs, some of them from Modesto-area dairy plants.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
Public Safety:
Private Prisons Still Make Money From Federal Inmates Despite Biden’s Executive Order
Wall Street Journal
Prison operators are striking deals with municipalities to replace expiring federal contracts, cushioning the financial blow from the Biden administration’s efforts to disentangle the U.S. government from privately run detention facilities.
Hundreds of Police Officers Have Died From Covid. Vaccines Remain a Hard Sell.
New York Times
Far more law enforcement officers in the U.S. have died from Covid-19 than from any other work-related cause in 2020 and 2021. Even so, police unions are fighting vaccine mandates.
Fire:
PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) crews are patrolling lines de-energized during Monday's Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS), after company meteorologists began issuing the weather "all-clear" for portions of areas affected by safety shutoffs.
See also:
● With Dry Offshore Winds Again in Forecast, PG&E Might Need to Proactively Turn Off Power for Safety to About 29,000 Customers Starting Early Thursday PG&E
● Power shutoffs likely amid high fire risk CalMatters
● PG&E warns of another power shut-off affecting up to 29,000 customers; Santa Ana winds continue to pick up Los Angeles Times
Efforts continue to assess damage caused by Windy Fire
Porterville Recorder
The assessment continues on the many treasures of the Sequoia National Forest and Giant Sequoia National Monument that have been lost or damaged by the Windy Fire.
San Francisco Chronicle
Sixteen major wildfires have burned in Butte County over the last two decades, including the 2018 Camp and 2020 North Complex fires, major blazes that together consumed more than 470,000 acres.
California announces changes to ease the thorny problem of fire insurance for vintners, farmers
San Francisco Chronicle
As this year’s wildfire season approached, many vintners and farmers in California found themselves unable to secure wildfire insurance for their properties, as private insurers raised their premiums by as much as 300%, or in some cases canceled their policies altogether.
Southern California fire shuts highway, forces evacuations
AP News
Evacuation orders were expanded Tuesday for a growing wildfire driven by intense winds that has shut down a key Southern California highway for more than a day.
See also:
● Alisal Fire in California Swells to More Than 13,000 Acres New York Times
Opinion: Utilize knowledge of Indigenous people to prevent wildfires
CalMatters
Indigenous teams should be employed to increase a version of prescribed burns with a whole ecosystem approach.
ECONOMY/JOBS
Economy:
Opinion: How California Lost a Million Jobs and Gained $342 Billion
Bloomberg
From the end of 2019 to the middle of 2021 — the duration (so far) of the pandemic, more or less — the U.S. economy grew at an annualized pace of 0.6%. That masks some pretty big regional divergences, though.
L.A. Port to Operate Around the Clock to Ease Cargo Logjams, White House Says
Wall Street Journal
The White House on Wednesday is expected to announce a pledge from one of the country’s busiest ports to operate around the clock, a move aimed at easing cargo bottlenecks that have led to goods shortages and higher consumer costs
See also:
● Biden will announce expanded operations at Port of Los Angeles as supply chain crunch continues Los Angeles Times
● The White House announces steps to try to ease backlogs at U.S. ports VPR
● IMF Cuts Global Growth Forecast Amid Supply-Chain Disruptions, Pandemic Pressures Wall Street Journal
USPS, FedEx, UPS Release Ship-By Dates for Holidays
Wall Street Journal
The U.S. Postal Service is recommending domestic mail for destinations in the contiguous U.S. be sent by Dec. 15 for those using its ground service. The recommended date is Dec. 17 for first-class mail, Dec. 18 for priority mail, and Dec. 23 for priority mail express.
Americans are shopping less often and limiting impulse buys as COVID breeds a more cautious consumer
Visalia-Times Delta
During the health crisis, Americans have been shopping less often but spending more on each trip or online purchase, according to monthly surveys by NPD Group, a consulting firm on consumer behavior and retail.
Inflation Remained High in September
Wall Street Journal
U.S. inflation accelerated slightly in September, as pandemic-related shortages of labor and materials continued to push up prices.
See also:
● Stocks edge lower ahead of company earnings, inflation data Business Journal
● Prices were up 5.4 percent in September over last year, as delta variant holds back economic recovery Washington Post
● Opinion: America’s inflation problem won’t be solved by ignoring it AEI
U.S. Stocks Close Lower for Third-Straight Day
Wall Street Journal
Stock indexes have been dragged lower in choppy trading in recent weeks. Investors are contending with an energy crunch that threatens to add to inflationary pressures just as signs emerge that global economic growth is slowing.
Fed’s Clarida Affirms Fed Plans to End Bond Purchases by Mid-2022
Wall Street Journal
A senior Federal Reserve official said that he expected elevated price pressures would eventually fade despite a stronger-than-anticipated interval of high inflation this year.
See also:
● Opinion: The return of the bond market vigilantes The Hill
Jobs:
San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Alliance
Are you looking to hire? Or do you have clients ready to work? Contact us to sign up for our Job Seeker session at the Valley Made Summit on October 21!
Kaiser Permanente faces strike votes in California, Oregon
Business Journal
More than 24,000 nurses and other health care workers at Kaiser Permanente in California and Oregon have overwhelmingly authorized a strike, threatening to walk out over pay and working conditions strained by the coronavirus pandemic.
California low-wage workers no longer have COVID paid sick leave. What happens next?
Fresno Bee
A California law that provided employees with extended paid time off during the pandemic has expired. That could leave the Central Valley’s low-income workers in a vulnerable position in the months ahead, worker advocates said.
Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
The number of job openings declined to 10.4 million on the last business day of August following a series high in July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Hires decreased to 6.3 million while total separations were little changed at 6.0 million.
See also:
· Americans quit their jobs at a record pace in August Fresno Bee
· Companies scraping for staff ahead of the holidays Fresno Bee
How hot is it inside Southern California’s warehouses? Ask the workers at Rite Aid
Los Angeles Times
When Rite Aid Corp. decided to build a giant warehouse to serve its Southern California stores in 1999, it chose an isolated stretch of the Mojave Desert where the air vibrates with heat in the summer.
EDUCATION
K-12:
Opinion: Should teachers or parents have more influence over education decisions?
AEI
A new survey sheds some light on what parents and partisans think. In the August national poll, 89 percent of parents said teachers should have a great deal or a fair amount to say about what subjects are taught in public schools and how they are covered
Higher Ed:
Here’s how UC Merced plans to spend funds from record-breaking MacKenzie Scott gift
Merced Sun Star
Having broken fundraising records this year after receiving the largest ever philanthropic gift to UC Merced by billionaire MacKenzie Scott, university officials recently announced plans for spending the generous donation.
UC workforce churn: Why a quarter of lecturers don’t return each year
CalMatters
About a quarter of the more than 6,000 lecturers at the University of California don’t return annually. Relatively low pay and little job stability are some of the reasons why, a CalMatters analysis shows. If lecturers strike, more than a third of classes will be canceled.
More California colleges remove SAT, ACT requirements during application process
Los Angeles Times
Nearly 130 colleges and universities in California do not require students applying for the fall 2022 semester to release their ACT or SAT scores, according to updated data from the National Center for Fair & Open Testing.
University of California issues mandatory flu vaccine order for students and staff Sacramento Bee
The University of California has issued an executive order requiring all students, staff and faulty to receive their flu vaccinations on or before Nov. 19. The 10-campus university is allowing people to opt out of the vaccine by Nov. 19 as well.
How the pandemic affected enrollment at the UC, CSU and Calif’s community colleges differently
San Francisco Chronicle
California is home to three public higher education systems: the University of California (UC), California State University (CSU) and the California Community Colleges (CCC). Together, they educate about 80% of the nearly three million college students in the state.
Long wait for students to enroll in some community college nursing programs
EdSource
Despite the high demand for more nurses, students at some California community colleges are finding it difficult to get accepted into nursing programs.
ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY
Environment:
California oil spill legal fight likely to last years
Business Journal
It took little more than 48 hours from the moment a major oil spill was discovered off Southern California until the first lawsuit was filed against the Houston company. Finding the cause, who is to blame and if they will be held accountable will take much longer.
See also:
● When Will We Have the Last Oil Spill New Yorker
● Investigators examine role of unprecedented port gridlock in O.C. oil spill Los Angeles Times
● The O.C. oil spill could have been a much bigger disaster. Here is what went right Los Angeles Times
● Opinion: California needs to shut down all oil drilling operations Mercury News
Mercury News
In the first nine months of 2021, the US has already faced 18 disasters that have cost more than a billion dollars each, according to a report from NOAA. This is the seventh consecutive year the US has had more than 10 disasters totaling more than a billion dollars.
Energy:
This change in net metering could doom California’s solar boom
Modesto Bee
California has pledged to go 100% renewable power by 2045. As a California resident and a lifetime believer in the future of solar energy who founded Solar Energy Partners in Turlock four years ago, this has been a driving force behind my mission in residential solar across the state.
Plug-in cars are the future. The grid isn’t ready.
Washington Post
By 2035, the chief automakers will have turned away from the internal combustion engine. It’ll be up to the grid to fuel all those new cars, trucks and buses.
Wall Street Journal
It’s not just the historic amount of money that is troublesome. The pending reconciliation bill would pour gargantuan subsidies into renewable energy projects that even some of the most ardent climate activists in the world are beginning to abandon.
Oil Prices Have Topped $80. But Don’t Expect a Spending Bonanza from Shale Drillers
Wall Street Journal
American frackers are expected to lift U.S. oil-field spending 15% to 20% next year, but their investments are still well below pre-pandemic levels.
See also:
· Opinion: Wait, We Still Want Fossil Fuels? Wall Street Journal
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
$1.2M grant to address behavioral health among Latino, Hmong population
Business Journal
The grant will go toward the Latino and Hmong Behavioral Health Project to help train Fresno State social work students to deliver culturally responsive behavioral health services to the Latino/Hispanic and Hmong populations in the Central Valley region.
Fact Check: COVID immunity through infection or vaccination: Are they equal?
PolitiFact
Evidence is growing that contracting SARS-CoV-2, is generally as effective as vaccination at stimulating your immune system to prevent the disease. Yet federal officials have been reluctant to recognize any equivalency, citing the wide variation in covid patients’ immune response to infection.
See also:
● Next on FDA’s agenda: Booster shots of the Moderna and J&J vaccines Los Angeles Times
● FDA Staff Don’t Take Position on Moderna Covid-19 Booster Wall Street Journal
Get vaccinated or get lost: Are employer mandates working?
San Francisco Chronicle
In their push to get more Americans vaccinated, officials have tried it all: free beer, weed, boba, lottery prizes, door-to-door pleas, town halls with doctors. What may finally compel many to get a COVID shot could be the threat of losing their jobs.
Breakthrough infections might not be a big transmission risk. Here's the evidence
VPR
Conventional wisdom says that if you're vaccinated and you get a breakthrough infection with coronavirus, you can transmit that infection to someone else and make them sick.
COVID-19 is linked to new diabetes cases—but long-term problems could be more severe
National Geographic
In addition to driving new cases of diabetes, the virus may be directly damaging the pancreas in ways that could lead to chronic inflammation and even cancer.
COVID lungs: Transplants are last resort for many California patients
CalMatters
Ten percent of people who have undergone transplants this year in California had their lungs wrecked by COVID-19. Doctors worry there are more transplants to come, and that non-COVID patients will be waiting longer for new lungs.
Pregnant women were kept out of clinical trials. That left them vulnerable to COVID-19
Los Angeles Times
Experts say vaccination could have prevented most serious illnesses and deaths in the current surge. But that message was slow to get out to pregnant women due to a long-standing tradition of excluding them from clinical trials of experimental medicines.
Here are the key reasons to get a flu shot — now
NPR
Experts worry that we could be heading into a big flu season, especially if enough Americans do not get their annual flu shot, which is now widely available.
See also:
● Is it the ‘worst cold ever,’ the flu or covid? What to know before winter Washington Post
Advice shifting on aspirin use for preventing heart attacks
Business Journal
Older adults without heart disease shouldn’t take daily low-dose aspirin to prevent a first heart attack or stroke, an influential health guidelines group said in preliminary updated advice released Tuesday.
FDA issues new sodium guidelines, renewing pressure for food makers to use less salt
abc30
The US Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday it will be lowering its targets for sodium content in processed, packaged, and prepared foods, but not to levels recommended for cutting the risk of heart attack and stroke.
See also:
● Pizza pockets and late-night fries: How the government is urging food companies and restaurants to reduce our salt consumption Washington Post
Health Industry Wields Power in Calif’s High-Stakes Battle to Lower Health Care Costs
California Healthline
Newsom put California’s health care industry on notice when he was a candidate for governor, vowing to go after the insurance companies, doctors and hospitals that leave many Californians struggling with enormous medical bills and rising insurance premiums.
Human Services:
Hackers strike computers at a Fresno health network. Whose information was stolen?
Fresno Bee
United Health Centers, which operates nearly two dozen health clinics in Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties, was reportedly targeted in a recent ransomware attack by computer hackers, exposing private patient information to the online world.
Newsom admin ripped for nursing home policies
CalMatters
California’s reputation as a national leader in the COVID response was turned on its head Tuesday, when state lawmakers launched a blistering attack on the Newsom administration’s handling of nursing homes amid the pandemic.
Rural Clinics and Hospitals Bear the Brunt of COVID Misinformation
Capital & Main
California’s rural healthcare services face a viral outbreak fueled by falsehoods.
CapRadio
A budget revision released in May by Gov. Gavin Newsom could put more than $4 billion toward home visiting programs, school counselors, childhood trauma screenings and better Medi-Cal coverage for psychiatric care.
See also:
· Addressing Emotional Wellness During the COVID-19 Pandemic: the Role of Promotores in Delivering Integrated Mental Health Care and Social Services CDC
National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families
In mid-to-late Spring 2021, as many schools reopened, roughly 1 in 5 (19%) households with children reported that their children were unable to attend child care for reasons related to COVID-19.
Health Coverage by Race and Ethnicity, 2010-2019
Kaiser Family Foundation
People of color have faced longstanding disparities in health coverage that contribute to disparities in health. This brief examines trends in health coverage by race/ethnicity between 2010 through 2019 and discusses the implications for health disparities.
Opinion: Social justice crusaders are putting kids in foster care system at risk
AEI
In her new book, “No Way to Treat a Child: How the Foster Care System, Family Courts and Racial Activists Are Wrecking Young Lives”, out Tuesday, Naomi Schaefer Riley looks at how bureaucracy and social-justice crusading endangers those within the child-welfare system.
IMMIGRATION
Are immigrants getting left out of California’s rent relief?
CalMatters
Non-English speaking immigrants face some of the biggest hurdles to receiving California rent relief. Advocates say informal leases, lack of technology access and language barriers are getting in the way.
Homeland Security secretary orders ICE to stop mass raids on immigrants' workplaces
VPR
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will no longer conduct mass raids on workplaces where undocumented immigrants are employed, according to a new order by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
See also:
● ICE, Customs and Border Protection, other federal agents to end practice of worksite raids abc30
Biden Admin Plan Would Protect Immigrants From Deportation if They Report Employer Abuses
Wall Street Journal
The Biden administration is considering options to offer deportation protections to immigrants working in the country without authorization if they report an abusive employer.
Middle-Class Migrants Fly to Mexico and Then Cross U.S. Border Illegally
Wall Street Journal
More migrants illegally entering the U.S. to apply for asylum are members of South America’s middle class who fly to the border by plane, according to authorities and aid workers.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
Kern County supervisors move forward with plan to reduce homeless encampments
Bakersfield Californian
The Kern County BOS has approved a comprehensive plan to upgrade the county’s response to homelessness. Supervisors unanimously voted to set a hearing for a new ordinance that would make it illegal for individuals to camp and store belongings in many public areas.
Housing:
Are immigrants getting left out of California’s rent relief?
CalMatters
Non-English speaking immigrants face some of the biggest hurdles to receiving California rent relief. Advocates say informal leases, lack of technology access and language barriers are getting in the way.
Cities See Trash Cleanup Programs as a Way to Combat Homelessness
PEW
In California, the Department of Transportation will spend $150 million over three years to expand a program that provides money to nonprofit and governmental job placement agencies so they can hire people who are homeless or who were incarcerated to clean trash and graffiti from highways, roads and other public spaces, with an opportunity to move into full-time jobs.
PUBLIC FINANCES
Biden’s spending plan has big income tax changes. Here are the Californians who would benefit
Sacramento Bee
Middle class Californians with children 17 and under will see some income tax breaks from Democrats’ latest spending plan. Those without children probably won’t. And the wealthy, children or not, will pay a lot more.
See also:
● Opinion: Six reasons why an expanded Child Tax Credit or child allowance should be part of the US safety net Brookings
Social Security Benefits to Increase 5.9% for 2022
Wall Street Journal
Seniors and other Americans receiving Social Security benefits in 2022 will see the largest increase in their payments in four decades, reflecting surging inflation during the pandemic.
See also:
● Social Security benefits to rise 5.9 percent for roughly 70 million people in 2022 Washington Post
U.S. sees biggest revenue surge in 44 years despite pandemic
Politico
Despite a pandemic, a recession and a slew of tax cuts, federal tax receipts are booming. Revenues jumped 18 percent in the fiscal year that just ended, analysts say — the biggest one-year increase since 1977.
See also:
● Opinion: Has the Paycheck Protection Program succeeded? AEI
TRANSPORTATION
Walters: California bullet train funds stalemated
CalMatters
Costs are rising for California’s much-troubled bullet train project and Gov. Gavin Newsom is having trouble getting more construction money from the Legislature.
See also:
· California bullet train’s latest woe: Will it be high speed? AP News
Southwest limits canceled flights after 3 tumultuous days
Business Journal
Southwest Airlines flights appeared to be running closer to normal on Tuesday after the airline canceled nearly 2,400 flights over the previous three days. By midday Tuesday, Southwest had canceled fewer than 100 flights, or 2% of its schedule.
See also:
● The Southwest Airlines mess and rumors of a vaccine walkout Washington Post
Short-term highway bill extension brings anxiety to contractors
Roll Call
Contractors already stymied by the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues now also face a Congress-created crisis as they deal with a short-term extension of the law authorizing highway and transit spending at the time of the year they traditionally begin planning for next year’s long-term projects.
WATER
CalMatters
A CalMatters series investigates what’s improved and what’s worsened since the last drought — and vividly portrays the impacts on California’s places and people.
See also:
● California experiences its driest summer since 1895 The Hill
● Lake Tahoe has fallen to an alarmingly low level. Here's what the impact could be San Francisco Chronicle
“Xtra”
Poll: What stores or restaurants do you want to see come to the Fresno area? Let us know
Fresno Bee
The Fresno Bee wants to know from you, what businesses do you want to see open in the Fresno and Clovis area. Let the Fresno Bee know before 5 p.m. Friday.
Fall Wine Walk At Old Town Clovis
Old Town Clovis
The Fall Wine Walk at Old Town Clovis is back! Tickets are on sale NOW for $45 at oldtownclovis.org and will be sold for $50 at the door the day of the event!
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