Maddy Institute – April 16, 2020

16Apr

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

San Joaquin County updates stay-at-home order

fStockton Record

The San Joaquin County Department of Public Health has issued a stay-at-home order that repeals and replaces the previous order issued March 26.

Modesto offering loans, other help to small businesses weathering pandemic

Modesto Bee

Modesto is helping small businesses walloped by the coronavirus pandemic by providing loans, deferring payment of city taxes, fees and utilities bills for 90 days as well as providing other assistance.

Central SJ Valley:

Many in the Central Valley will have to wait for their stimulus payments. Here’s why

Fresno Bee

The cities are among the highest in the country among major metropolitan areas that received recent income tax refunds by paper check, says a new survey from MagnifyMoney, a money management website that looked at 2018 tax filing season data.

Clovis Announces Penalties for Emergency Order Violations

Clovis Roundup

The City of Clovis announced April 10 that it would penalize individuals and businesses who violate the governor’s shelter-in-place order or the city’s emergency orders. Violators will be subject to a $1,000 fine and possibly six months in prison.

Fresno area sees big jump in coronavirus cases. ‘Work to do’ on social distancing, experts say

Fresno Bee

Fresno County reported 14 additional coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing the county’s total case number to 265. Most of Fresno’s cases were acquired through community spread and travel, according to county data.

Two more people have suffered coronavirus-related deaths in Fresno County

Fresno Bee

Fresno County now has had seven coronavirus-related deaths since the first positive test for COVID-19 was reported on March 7. All of the COVID-19 related deaths have occurred since April 3.

● See how California’s battle against the coronavirus is progressing — in 8 charts Fresno Bee

Half Fresno’s coronavirus beds shipped away, but county reveals local reserve supply

Fresno Bee

The Fresno convention center lost more than half its emergency hospital beds this week as federal authorities shuffle medical supplies around the nation to combat coronavirus hotspots, county officials told The Bee.

Fresno County Partners With Fresno State To Analyze COVID-19 Tests

VPR

The Fresno County Public Health lab was damaged in a flood back in 2019, so the county was sending its potential COVID-19 specimen to Tulare County’s Public Health Lab for analysis. But a partnership with Fresno State now means Fresno County will be able to process tests locally

Tulare County officials confirm a coronavirus outbreak at another nursing facility, spike in cases

Fresno Bee

Wednesday, the county’s public health branch confirmed that 11 patients of Lindsay Gardens Nursing and Rehabilitation Facility have tested positive for COVID-19, the coronavirus.
See also:

● Coronavirus live updates: What we know in Tulare County Wednesday Visalia Times Delta

● COVID-19: A timeline of Tulare County-area events Visalia Times Delta

● Officials call for investigation of Redwood Springs nursing home as COVID-19 cases climbKMPH

Tulare official apologizes after saying Latino colleague ‘wants another bite at the tortilla’

Fresno Bee

When Tulare County Supervisor Eddie Valero asked for a quick, follow-up question of health officer Karen Elliott at Tuesday’s meeting, board chair Pete Vander Poel acknowledged him by saying, “Supervisor Valero wants another bite at the tortilla.”

VUSD struggles to provide curriculum, food as COVID-19 closure continues

Visalia Times Delta

At campuses across the district, parents and students waited in lines that wrapped around the block for curriculum, or meals, or both. When sites ran out of some grade-level packets, staff directed parents to go to the district office between 5–6 p.m. to get curriculum from there.

Devin Nunes’ opponent has raised big money this year. Nunes is millions ahead

Fresno Bee

Rep. Devin Nunes’ Democratic opponent had a great fundraising quarter for a first-time candidate trying to make an impression while many voters are thinking about the coronavirus outbreak. But Nunes’ fundraising is hard to beat.

South SJ Valley:

38 more coronavirus infections reported in Kern County; cases swell in east Bakersfield

Bakersfield Californian

Another 38 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 virus were reported Wednesday by the Kern County Public Health Service Department, bringing the county's official total to 562.

People Detained At Bakersfield Detention Center Go On Hunger Strike Over COVID-19 Concerns

VPR

Over one hundred people detained at the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield are on an indefinite hunger strike, according to Susan Beaty, a fellow with Centro Legal de la Raza in Oakland. Those detained are demanding access to masks, soap and other protective items.

Henry: Legal fight reopened over Kern River

Bakersfield Californian

North Kern Water Storage District unsuccessfully sought to have a Ventura County court slap a temporary restraining order on the City of Bakersfield to force it to hold 20,000 acre feet of water in Lake Isabella to sell to the ag water district later on.

State:

‘Beyond Crazy’: Coronavirus turns Calif’s $20 billion budget reserves into red ink

Fresno Bee

California lawmakers are cautiously optimistic they can avoid slashing tens of billions of dollars in spending from government services this year despite the economic hit of the coronavirus outbreak, but a prolonged recession could consume the state’s historic reserves and force deep cuts to programs.

California planned $187 million on face-to-face promotion of the census. Then coronavirus hit

Sacramento Bee

With California under stay-at-home orders and mass gatherings banned, some groups say those conversations have moved online. But census experts are worried it may not be enough to combat the many obstacles facing the count.

California first to provide financial aid to undocumented immigrants for coronavirus

Sacramento Bee

The program will provide individual assistance of $500 and household assistance up to $1,000. Newsom pointed out that undocumented immigrants not only are over-represented in essential work sectors including health care, agriculture and food, manufacturing and construction, they also pay into the system without receiving benefits.

● Coronavirus: Newsom, nonprofits pledge $125 million for undocumented immigrants San Francisco Chronicle

● California’s undocumented workers to get $125 million coronavirus disaster relief CalMatters

Opinion: Newsom's mask deal shows tendency for big plans, few details

AP News

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement was audacious: On a national news show, he said the state had just inked a deal to buy 200 million masks monthly, a massive haul amid the international scramble for protective gear needed in the fight against the coronavirus.

California’s Road Map For Lifting Coronavirus Stay-Home Order Suggests Long-Term Changes To Everyday Life

Capital Public Radio

Newsom did not discuss a timeline or date for when the plan might be implemented. Instead, Newsom urged people to continue to remain in their homes until the “curve” of new COVID-19 patients is “not just flattening, but declining.”

● Ramped-up coronavirus testing key to reopening California AP News

● Listen: Future Of Social Distancing, Reopening The Economy In California Capital Public Radio

● When will California emerge from the coronavirus crisis? What models can – and can't – predict The Guardian

● How alarming predictions about coronavirus losses in California gave way to guarded optimism Los Angeles Times

EDITORIAL: Church lawsuit against Gov. Newsom’s coronavirus shutdown is about politics, not prayer

Sacramento Bee

On Monday, a group of pastors in Southern California filed a lawsuit against Gov. Gavin Newsom, accusing him of violating their constitutional rights with his statewide stay-at-home order to slow the virus’ spread.

Federal:

Trump expected to ease coronavirus social distancing guidelines for some states

Los Angeles Times

President Trump is expected to loosen guidelines on social distancing in some parts of the country Thursday in a controversial effort to begin reviving the shuttered economy in states that have relatively few diagnosed with the coronavirus.

● Trump Tries to Reassure Lawmakers on Virus Testing in Bid to Reopen Bloomberg

● Echoing Trump, More GOP State Legislators Call for Easing Closures Pew Trusts

● Opinion: Presidential Power Is Limited but Vast Wall Street Journal

● Opinion: How Trump’s reopening plans could collide with reality Politico

Quietly, allies and industries warn Trump against a hasty reopening

Fresno Bee

Allies of President Donald Trump and industry experts are telling the White House it will take robust coronavirus testing that is not currently available to most Americans for the country to reopen safely.

● Teamster Union Leader Hoffa Warns Trump Not To Move Too Quickly : Coronavirus Live Updates NPR

● Bank of America CEO to Trump: Focus on virus first, not return to normalcy Politico

● Trump’s ‘Opening Our Country Council’ Runs Into Its Own Opening Problems New York Times

Congressional task force to advise White House on post-pandemic economy has wide swath of party rosters

Roll Call

A bipartisan group of lawmakers have joined a task force to provide counsel to President Donald Trump and the White House on when to loosen public health restrictions and how to get the economy moving after the COVID-19 pandemic.

WHO Sets 6 Conditions For Ending A Coronavirus Lockdown

VPR

For the billions of people now living under some form of stay-at-home or lockdown orders, experts from the World Health Organization have new guidance: We should be ready to "change our behaviors for the foreseeable future," they say, as the agency updates its advice on when to lift COVID-19 lockdown orders.

● Opinion: The WHO made mistakes, but it's China that must be held accountable The Hill

American Medical Association calls on Trump to reconsider 'dangerous' halting of WHO funding

The Hill

“During the worst public health crisis in a century, halting funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) is a dangerous step in the wrong direction that will not make defeating COVID-19 easier,” AMA President Patrice Harris said in a statement Tuesday.

● Trump’s World Health Organization funding cutoff: It’s complicated The Hill

● Trump WHO cuts meet with furious blowback The Hill

● EDITORIAL: A Reckoning for the WHO Wall Street Journal

Trump’s Name Will Appear on Stimulus Paper Checks

Wall Street Journal

President Trump’s name will appear in the memo line of stimulus checks being sent to U.S. households over the next few months, according to an Internal Revenue Service official.

● Column: Nixon wanted to take credit for government checks too, but a top official stopped him Los Angeles Times

Trump threatens to force Congress to adjourn so he can make recess appointments during coronavirus crisis

The Hill

President Donald Trump on Wednesday invoked the possibility of taking the extraordinary act of forcing an adjournment of Congress in order to make recess appointments.

● Trump threatens to adjourn Congress so he can approve more nominees Los Angeles Times

● Trump Threatens to Adjourn Congress Over Nominees Wall Street Journal

● Opinion: Trump says he can adjourn Congress. He’s misreading the Constitution. Washington Post

Gerson: Trump’s threat against Fauci proves there’s no limit to his irresponsibility and shamelessness

Washington Post

The fact of Trump’s deadly negligence is now demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt. Detailed investigative articles have established that there were six weeks of denial and dithering between a credible warning about the virus and decisive action by the president.

● New study says Trump has ‘dangerously undermined truth’ with attacks on news mediaWashington Post

President Trump accuses New York City of inflating its coronavirus death toll

CBS News

President Trump alleged Wednesday that New York City is artificially inflating its coronavirus death toll, after a revised count added more than 3,700 fatalities to the city's tally.

Coronavirus Trackers:

Coronavirus (COVID-19) in California

Covid19.ca.gov

COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It's caused by a virus called coronavirus.

● Coronavirus (COVID-19) CDC

● Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic - WHO

● John Hopkins University & Medicine John Hopkins University

● Tracking coronavirus in California Los Angeles Times

● Coronavirus Tracker San Francisco Chronicle

● Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count New York Times

● How many coronavirus cases have been reported in each U.S. state? Politico

● Coronavirus Daily NPR

● Coronavirus tracked: the latest figures as the pandemic spreads Financial Times

● Coronavirus in California by the numbers CalMatters

Elections 2020:

Democrats take another step toward unity as Elizabeth Warren endorses Joe Biden

Los Angeles Times

Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday endorsed Joe Biden for president, the third major endorsement in an orchestrated effort to bring the Democratic Party together for the general election drive to beat President Trump.

See also:

● Elizabeth Warren Backs Joe Biden for President Wall Street Journal

● The Note: Biden still watching his left, party unity aside ABC

● Opinion: Joe Biden isn’t the Democratic Party’s future. He needs a vice president who is.Washington Post

● Opinion: We’ve never backed a Democrat for president. But Trump must be defeated. Washington Post

● Opinion: This is Joe Biden’s biggest moment. Why does he feel so small? Washington Post

Opinion: At the heart of mail-in ballot challenges: voter suppression

CalMatters

The battle to expand vote-by-mail erupted last Tuesday in Wisconsin’s primary when state Republican lawmakers denied Gov. Tony Evers’ call to mail a ballot to every registered voter in hopes of reducing the threat of COVID-19. The reason cited: voter fraud.

● Skelton: Another ‘new normal’ in California after coronavirus? All vote-by-mail elections Los Angeles Times

Politics in the pandemic: Two California elections in May provide a preview

CalMatters

In the suburbs north of Los Angeles and in a sprawling Riverside County legislative district, political campaigns are figuring out how to engage voters without knocking on doors, how to raise money without gathering for cocktail parties and chili cook-offs, and how to make sure people vote in elections that will largely be held by mail.

Campaign battleground lines are being drawn, and they don’t include California

San Francisco Chronicle

A top Democratic fundraising group closely allied to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has reserved space for $51 million in TV ads this fall, with not a nickel of it earmarked for California.

EDITORIAL: California Democratic Party kills transparency by hiding sexual misconduct report

Sacramento Bee

California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks announced on Wednesday that the party will keep secret the details of an investigation into sexual misconduct and discrimination allegations against former party chair Eric Bauman.

Other:

Deep newspaper job cuts prompt rare plea for federal funding to news media

Washington Post

Since shutdowns to combat the virus began, things have gotten much worse, as advertisers halted spending and publishers slashed more journalists’ jobs and hours despite the public’s need for information on the pandemic.

How Coronavirus Is Eroding Privacy

Wall Street Journal

Governments are imposing new digital surveillance tools to track and monitor individuals. Many citizens have welcomed tracking technology intended to bolster defenses against the novel coronavirus. Yet some privacy advocates are wary, concerned that governments might not be inclined to unwind such practices after the health emergency has passed.

● Opinion: Fighting the COVID-19 pandemic with Big Tech, apps, and money AEI

There are so many coronavirus myths that even Snopes can’t keep up

Washington Post

The company has done something that seems counterintuitive: It has scaled back operations by publishing fewer stories. Snopes is encouraging employees, whose lives have been turned upside down by the pandemic, to take time off if needed.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

This Clovis farmers market is reopening during the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s why

Fresno Bee

Farmers markets are on the list of essential businesses that may remain open in Clovis, which is in accordance with California state guidelines.

Strawberry season is starting. Here’s where to buy them in the Fresno area

Fresno Bee

The city of Fresno’s most recent emergency order directs people leave their homes only for essential trips, and specifically cites getting fresh fruit and vegetables as allowable.

Some CalFresh households will get emergency COVID-19 allotments. Here's who qualifies...

Visalia Times Delta

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, certain CalFresh households will receive an emergency allotment of CalFresh benefits on their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency announced.

Agriculture Secretary Says ‘Plenty of Food’ Despite Disruptions

Bloomberg

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue assured Americans the country has “plenty of food” after coronavirus closings at major meat-processing plants focused fresh attention to strains in the supply chain.

Grocery delivery was supposed to be the ultimate pandemic lifeline. But it’s falling short.

Washington Post

The system is cracking under the weight of surging demand. Delivery workers say they are under growing pressure, too, with many going on strike in recent weeks to protest the lack of protective gear and demand higher pay.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Auto theft suspect processed at Fresno jail has coronavirus. Now he’s at large

Fresno Bee

A man who was arrested Friday on auto theft charges has tested positive for coronavirus, but may not know that he is carrying the disease, Fresno County sheriff’s officials say. At least four law-enforcement personnel are in quarantine because of the case.

Crackdown intensifies on those violating coronavirus stay-at-home rules

Los Angeles Times

Authorities across California are intensifying their crackdowns on scofflaws who are not following state and local stay-at-home orders aimed at reducing the spread of the coronavirus.

Public Safety:

Disposable menus and temperature checks. A new normal is coming when COVID-19 restrictions lift

Fresno Bee

We still don’t know when California officials will lift stay-at-home orders. But when they do, it’s clear life will look very different than it did before the coronavirus as the state gradually eases measures designed to slow the virus’ spread.

Across California, festivals and fairs fall victim to the coronavirus

Los Angeles Times

San Mateo isn’t alone. Across California, county fairs — equal parts carnivals, community celebrations and commemorations of a rich agricultural legacy — are being canceled, postponed or downsized amid the pandemic.

Justice Department Investigators Inspect Federal Prisons for Coronavirus Containment Procedures

Wall Street Journal

The Justice Department’s watchdog has begun remote inspections of federal prisons to determine whether they are following public-health guidelines to stem the spread of the new coronavirus behind bars.

Fire:

Three-alarm fire reported at Fresno's Amazon warehouse

Fresno Bee

Flames broke out Tuesday afternoon at Fresno's Amazon warehouse, sending a thick column of black smoke into the sky that could be seen from several miles away. There was no immediate word on the fire's cause. No injuries were reported.

Pandemic And Wildfire: California Is Preparing For A Crisis Within A Crisis

Capital Public Radio

California is bracing for what could be a crisis within a crisis — that’s if a wildfire, flood or other emergency takes place during the coronavirus pandemic.

Smoke from recent California wildfires increased risk of cardiac arrest 70%, study shows

San Francisco Chronicle

The smoke-filled skies that choked Northern California in recent wildfire seasons may be best remembered for sore throats, burning eyes and wheezing. New research, however, suggests that many people experienced a far more drastic side effect: heart failure.

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

Modesto offering loans, other help to small businesses weathering pandemic

Modesto Bee

White House says new small business loan program is out of money, leaving many firms grasping for lifelines

Washington Post

Overwhelmed by demand from the moment it launched April 3, the program has now essentially run dry as small businesses around the nation beg for relief. The program is aimed at helping businesses with under 500 workers and keeping people employed by extending loans that are forgivable if businesses keep workers on payroll.

● Republicans go on attack as loans for small businesses start to run out The Hill

● Small-Business Aid Program Set to Run Out of Money Wall Street Journal

● Where the Stimulus Loans for Small Businesses Are Going Wall Street Journal

● Small-Business Aid Package Excludes Many Franchises in Coronavirus Crisis Wall Street Journal

● Why Congress Can’t Move Quickly to Approve More Small-Business Loans Wall Street Journal

● Opinion: Democrats Want to Gum Up Payroll Protection Wall Street Journal

● Opinion: Bring Back Laissez-Faire Capitalism Wall Street Journal

● Opinion: The government shouldn't try to save all businesses during this crisis CNN

Expanding Grantmaking in Priority Communities

James Irving Foundation

Today I’m grateful to announce that we’re announcing a new initiative that dramatically expands and deepens our investments in four California communities – Fresno, Salinas, Riverside, and San Bernardino – and expects to add Stockton in a future phase of grantmaking in 2021. The goal: to create local economies that work for all residents.

Report: Central Valley Community Bank braces for loan losses

Business Journal

Central Valley Community Bancorp released its first quarter earnings report Wednesday, offering one of the first glimpses of how local banks will be touched by the COVID-19 crisis.

California gig workers, independent contractors to get unemployment help with new website

Fresno Bee

California’s battered self-employed workforce is being promised a new state one-stop website to make it easier to seek and receive unemployment benefits.

Broad coalition calls for inclusive regional economic planning in state’s recovery

CAFWD

The coalition of 28 organizations delivered a letter to California Assemblymember Rudy Salas (32nd District) in support of AB 3205, which establishes the Regions Rise Grant Program in the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz).

Commerce locks up and retail sales plunge unprecedented 8.7%

Politico

U.S. retail sales plummeted 8.7 percent in March, an unprecedented decline, as the viral outbreak forced an almost complete lockdown of commerce nationwide.

● Best Buy furloughs about 51,000 employees as coronavirus lockdowns slow business Fresno Bee

● Opinion: Economics vs. Epidemiology: Quantifying the Trade-Off Wall Street Journal

Stocks sink on grim data about coronavirus’ economic effects

Los Angeles Times

Selling swept Wall Street on Wednesday after a dismal lineup of reports made clear how severe the coronavirus crunch has been for the economy.

Senators scrutinize FTC powers to curb COVID-19 price gouging

Roll Call

A bipartisan pair of senators is pressing the Federal Trade Commission to clarify its authority to combat price gouging amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why we need reparations for Black Americans

Brookings

Making the American Dream an equitable reality demands the same U.S. government that denied wealth to Blacks restore that deferred wealth through reparations to their descendants in the form of individual cash payments in the amount that will close the Black-white racial wealth divide.

Jobs:

U.S. now has 22 million unemployed, wiping out a decade of job gains

Washington Post

More than 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment aid since President Trump declared a national emergency four weeks ago, a staggering loss of jobs that has wiped out a decade of employment gains and pushed families to line up at food banks as they await government help.

See also:

● Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Department of Labor

● U.S. Jobless Claims Top 20 Million Since Start of Shutdowns Wall Street Journal

DMV Fresno office worker has coronavirus. Some employees told to stay home

Fresno Bee

An employee at the Fresno DMV office on Olive Avenue tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a memo sent to office workers.

More than 1,300 California state workers switching jobs to process unemployment claims

Fresno Bee

Newsom said about 740 workers within the Employment Development Department have switched over to processing the claims, and that another 600 workers are being trained to pitch in.

Uber, Lyft hit with claims of more than $630 million in back wages

Los Angeles Times

More than 2,000 California ride-hailing drivers have filed wage claims against Uber and Lyft since February, alleging the companies have illegally treated them as independent contractors and owe them more than $630 million in lost wages, expenses and damages.

EDITORIAL: The Lucky Stay-at-Home 37%

Wall Street Journal

Those who have stressed the need to get our economy up and running again are sometimes criticized for favoring profits over people. But the paper underscores that those lower down on the socio-economic scale are most in need of a re-opening for their livelihoods.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Nutrition services workers have 'stepped up' to provide thousands of meals to students

Bakersfield Californian

Early Tuesday morning a crew of 17 nutrition services workers at Bakersfield High School, some of the few employees still on campus, were sorting through hundreds of cereal boxes, milk and juice bottles and hamburger buns and patties.

See also:

● Food giveaway scheduled for Thursday at Williams Elementary Bakersfield Californian

VUSD struggles to provide curriculum, food as COVID-19 closure continues

Visalia Times Delta

‘We need to be students of our children.’ Tips on distance learning from home-schoolers

Modesto Bee

Parents thrust into home-schooling because of the coronavirus pandemic should remember that they’ve always been their kids’ teachers and are equipped to guide them through this new environment of distance learning.

Elementary Schools Exemplify Character and Civic Education

Kremen School News

The conference, hosted by Fresno State’s Bonner Center for Character Education and Citizenship, was sadly canceled this year due to the current environment. This was to be the Bonner Center’s 36th conference, the longest continuously run conference of its kind in the United States.

New Rules Make Child Care More Accessible For Essential Employees, But Some Parents Still Take Kids To Work

Capital Public Radio

A new set of California state guidelines for accessibility to day cares means some people who are relying on friends and neighbors to watch their children might have a different option. But will they use it? And what are the COVID-19 rules for child care centers?

See also:

● Emergency Child Care for Essential Workers Public Policy Institute of California

American schools may look radically different as they reopen

Fresno Bee

The biggest challenge for schools is how to continue physical distancing among children and adults to ensure that “kids aren’t going to school, getting infected and then infecting grandma and grandpa,” Newsom said.

Higher Ed:

Why your high school kid may be taking the SAT test at your kitchen table

Los Angeles Times

High school students will be able to take an at-home online SAT if the coronavirus outbreak keeps schools closed into the fall, a radical shift that is raising concerns about equity and the security of the standardized college admissions test.

Ed Lab Live: Student Parents in Higher Education, their challenges and questions

Fresno Bee

Fresno State students with children make up nearly a quarter of the college’s student body. At a time when students and parents are working harder than ever, adjusting to the new abnormal of online education for themselves or their children, student parents endure both pressures at the same time.

Got time on your hands with coronavirus? Modesto tech firm offers free coding class

Modesto Bee

The next Code Academy will start July 6 and last seven months. Students will learn independently for about 20 hours per week and interact in a weekly online meeting. Another version, for people working full-time, requires 10 hours per week over 14 months.

Fresno County Partners With Fresno State To Analyze COVID-19 Tests

VPR

Why is Fresno City College opting out of new online lab program?

Fresno Bee

As online education takes shape in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, virtual laboratory experiments are coming online at nearly every community college in California, except Fresno’s largest junior college.

No Place to Hide: Colleges Track Students, Everywhere

Wall Street Journal

What may be intended as protection can take away some of the freedom college students traditionally have enjoyed as they take on new responsibilities and test boundaries. Privacy advocates also worry about colleges having too much power.

EDITORIAL: Coronavirus outbreak gives colleges a chance to revive a system already breaking

Los Angeles Times

There are too many misplaced priorities. U.S. colleges spend particularly large amounts on non-teaching staff such as fundraising experts, marketers and administrators; they also pursue costly star faculty and smaller class sizes, which haven’t been shown to result in a superior education but do result in higher college rankings.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

California moves forward with fishing ban in some rural areas to stem coronavirus spread

Fresno Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration was granted authority Wednesday to temporarily close the state’s fishing season in some rural counties following a disastrous telemeeting last week that erupted into chaos and slurs.

Holy Mackerel! Rare Green Sturgeon Found on San Joaquin River.

GV Wire

The discovery caused some excitement as this endangered fish had not been seen that far up the San Joaquin in many years, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service staff.

Energy:

More than 100,000 clean-energy workers lost their jobs in March

Los Angeles Times

A report out Wednesday from Environmental Entrepreneurs, a clean energy advocacy group, finds that more than 106,000 clean energy workers filed for unemployment benefits in March — a number that has almost certainly grown over the last few weeks.

Oil Demand Projected to Fall by Record Amount

Wall Street Journal

Global oil demand is expected to fall by a record 9.3 million barrels a day this year as government-implemented lockdowns keep the economy at a near standstill, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday.

EPA expected to issue rule critics say undermines power plant pollution regulation

The Hill

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected on Thursday to finalize a decision that critics say could jeopardize regulations designed to limit pollution from power plants.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Tulare County officials confirm a coronavirus outbreak at another nursing facility, spike in cases

Fresno Bee

Wednesday, the county’s public health branch confirmed that 11 patients of Lindsay Gardens Nursing and Rehabilitation Facility have tested positive for COVID-19, the coronavirus.
See also:

● Coronavirus live updates: What we know in Tulare County Wednesday Visalia Times Delta

● COVID-19: A timeline of Tulare County-area events Visalia Times Delta

● Officials call for investigation of Redwood Springs nursing home as COVID-19 cases climbKMPH

Two more people have suffered coronavirus-related deaths in Fresno County

Fresno Bee

Fresno County now has had seven coronavirus-related deaths since the first positive test for COVID-19 was reported on March 7. All of the COVID-19 related deaths have occurred since April 3.

● See how California’s battle against the coronavirus is progressing — in 8 charts Fresno Bee

Which deaths count toward the covid-19 death toll? It depends on the state.

Washington Post

The U.S. government’s covid-19 death toll is widely believed to be an undercount because, at a time when access to testing has been severely limited, federal officials described their count as including only people who tested positive for the virus.

Medical providers differ on whether to delay all elective procedures

Fresno Bee

Local health-care providers are turning away business for safety reasons during the COVID-19 crisis — but not all are ruling out non-emergency procedures as they balance health risks and surge preparations against patients' medical needs and financial considerations.

Coronavirus destroys lungs. But doctors are finding its damage in kidneys, hearts and elsewhere.

Washington Post

Almost half the people hospitalized because of covid-19 have blood or protein in their urine, indicating early damage to their kidneys, said Alan Kliger, a nephrologist at the Yale School of Medicine who co-chairs a task force assisting dialysis patients who have covid-19.

● Valley residents who suffer from allergies and asthma should take extra precautions Your Central Valley

● The coronavirus is particularly unkind to those who are obese Los Angeles Times

Antibody Tests For Coronavirus Can Miss The Mark

NPR

First of all, it's not clear whether someone who has antibodies to the coronavirus in their blood is actually immune. Your body produces these antibodies within about a week of infection.

● Coronavirus Symptoms and How to Protect Yourself: What We Know Wall Street Journal

● Antibody tests: The promise and pitfalls of using them to reopen the US PolitiFact

● Opinion: We Have a Coronavirus Test—Let Us Use It Wall Street Journal

Three potential coronavirus vaccines moving ahead in tests

Los Angeles Times

Three potential coronavirus vaccines are making fast progress in early-stage testing in volunteers in China and the U.S., but it’s still a long road to prove if they’ll really work against COVID-19.

● These Are the Drugs and Vaccines That Might End the Coronavirus Pandemic Bloomberg

Human Services:

Half Fresno’s coronavirus beds shipped away, but county reveals local reserve supply

Fresno Bee

Fresno nurses fear infection, say Kaiser Permanente lacks equipment amid COVID-19 pandemic

Fresno Bee

Nurses at Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center said they are being forced to deal with the new coronavirus pandemic without the proper equipment or procedures to protect themselves and vulnerable patients.

‘We Are Not Prepared For Surges’: Rural California Hospitals On High Alert For Coronavirus Outbreaks

Capital Public Radio

If a surge of COVID-19 patients fall seriously ill at around the same time, some of Northern California’s rural counties will be hit with an unprecedented health crisis that their hospital systems are not equipped to handle.

China’s Export Restrictions Strand Medical Goods U.S. Needs to Fight Coronavirus, State Department Says

Wall Street Journal

New Chinese export restrictions have left American companies’ U.S.-bound face masks, test kits and other medical equipment urgently needed to fight the coronavirus stranded, according to businesses and U.S. diplomatic memos.

How To Get The Most Out Of Your Virtual Medical Appointment

VPR

Address routine issues before the visit, if you can. Medication refills, notes from a doctor that are required by your employer or insurer, or other paperwork may not even require a telemedicine visit.

IMMIGRATION

People Detained At Bakersfield Detention Center Go On Hunger Strike Over COVID-19 Concerns

VPR

Temporary agricultural workers can start work sooner, stay in U.S. longer, DHS announces

Visalia Times Delta

The Department of Homeland Security announced temporary rule changes to H-2A worker regulations which will allow companies to employ temporary foreign farmworkers quicker and longer than previously possible.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Get your quarters ready: ALDI coming to Visalia amid flurry of new development

Visalia Times Delta

Trader Joe's may not be in the cards for Visalia anytime soon but the city will be home to an ALDI Food Market, planning commissioners unanimously decided Monday.

Housing:

Coronavirus: $3.5M going to help Merced County’s homeless. Confirmed cases reach 78

Fresno Bee

Officials reported during Tuesday’s Merced County Board of Supervisors meeting that the county is devoting $3.5 million to help care for — and shelter — the homeless population due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Community Medical Centers screens homeless for virus

Stockton Record

Community Medical Centers has begun daily coronavirus screening of homeless residents staying at the Gospel Center Rescue Mission and the Stockton Shelter for the Homeless.

PUBLIC FINANCES

‘Beyond Crazy’: Coronavirus turns California’s $20 billion budget reserves into red ink

Fresno Bee

Want Relief Money Sooner? Give The IRS Your Bank Account Number

NPR

Taxpayers who included bank account information on their 2018 or 2019 tax return do not need to take any action. Nor do Social Security or SSDI recipients who typically receive their payments through direct deposit.

● US relief checks begin arriving as economic damage piles up Fresno Bee

● Some Americans can get stimulus payments faster with newly launched IRS site Los Angeles Times

● Americans Can Track Stimulus Payments on New IRS Site Wall Street Journal

● Answering your questions on the federal stimulus payments to address the coronavirus emergency Modesto Bee

● Fact Check: No, you don’t have to pay back your stimulus check PolitiFact

● Glitches prevent $1,200 stimulus checks from reaching millions of Americans Washington Post

It’s not just stimulus checks. How Californians could claim thousands more in tax credits

Sacramento Bee

Millions of Californians also are eligible for even more money through federal and state Earned Income Tax Credits that could put thousands of dollars in their pockets.

N.Y. Got $12,000 Per Virus Case, by One Count. Nebraska Got $379,000.

New York Times

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York lawmakers are taking issue with how much federal funding their state is receiving compared with those with fewer cases.

See also:

● Opinion: A Fed Bailout Is Wrong for States and Cities Wall Street Journal

Coronavirus stimulus law has a tax loophole just for millionaires, report says

Fresno Bee

The new coronavirus stimulus passed by Congress includes a temporary tax loophole for people who make at least $1 million a year, according to an analysis from the Joint Committee on Taxation.

TRANSPORTATION

Some Tulare County pumps have cheapest gas in CA; prices continue to fall due to COVID-19

Visalia Times Delta

It now costs less than $2 a gallon to fill up your tank at some Central Valley gas stations, as coronavirus-related business and travel shutdowns continue to send prices plummeting around the world.

Auto repair industry staggers amid plummeting traffic during COVID-19 pandemic

San Francisco Chronicle

The auto repair industry is staggering as the Bay Area’s typically gnarled commuter traffic eases, vehicle wear and tear lessens significantly, and accidents are lower than they’ve been in decades.

Major airlines reach deal for $25 billion in federal aid

Los Angeles Times

U.S. airlines reached preliminary agreements with the Treasury Department to access billions of dollars in aid as the government tries to shore up one of the industries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

● I’m a flight attendant. My co-workers are starting to test positive for coronavirus Los Angeles Times

Commentary: Don’t Let U.S. Driving Levels Rebound After COVID-19

Streetsblog USA

As the COVID-19 outbreak ebbs overseas, cars are returning to the road en masse — and if America wants to avoid a similar surge in violent and toxic motor-vehicle travel, we should start preparing now, advocates say.

WATER

Henry: Legal fight reopened over Kern River

Bakersfield Californian

Opinion: California water policies inhibit food production by Valley farmers

CalMatters

Over the past 30 years, federal and state policies have taken away millions of acre-feet of water used by Valley farmers to produce food and fiber, and have reallocated this water to environmental purposes aimed at producing a rebound of endangered fish species.

“Xtra”

For restaurants, it’s not business as usual

Stockton Record

A number of businesses across Central California have shuttered or changed how they do business because of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19.

● Here’s what Fresno businesses are doing during coronavirus, from restaurants to storesFresno Bee

Fresno Humane offering free pet food for locals in need

abc30

The shelter is offering free pet food that anyone can pick up after making an appointment. Due to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, people are only being allowed to pick up food at their assigned time.

How Can We Make Farm Work Healthier? (Streaming Online)

Zócalo Public Square

On Tuesday, April 14th, organic farmer and artist Nikiko Masumoto, Huron Mayor Rey León, health researcher Chia Thao, and Tania Pacheco-Werner, co-assistant director of the Central Valley Health Policy Institute, visit Zócalo to consider how to make farm work healthier.

Bakersfield Marathon postponed until next year

Bakersfield Californian

The fifth annual Dignity Health Bakersfield Marathon has been postponed to November 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Active Bakersfield Alliance announced Wednesday.