POLICY & POLITICS
North SJ Valley:
Coronavirus testing begins at Stanislaus County site. It could serve 500 per week
Modesto Bee
The community-based testing site at the Salida library on Sisk Road is initially for individuals with a heightened risk of getting a severe case of the coronavirus respiratory illness.
Hundreds of businesses apply for coronavirus relief grants in Stanislaus County
Modesto Bee
Stanislaus County officials will use a scoring criteria to choose businesses for $10,000 relief grants to help them survive the coronavirus pandemic.
Central SJ Valley:
Fresno County should be doing 6 to 10x more COVID-19 testing, new guidelines suggest
Fresno Bee
Fresno County should be testing about 1,500 people a day for COVID-19, which is anywhere from six to 10 times more than the number of tests currently being conducted, said Dr. Rais Vohra, the county’s interim health officer.
Stinky meat plant won’t move, will close permanently. Fresno advocates declare victory
Fresno Bee
A southwest Fresno meat-rendering plant that neighbors have complained about for decades will permanently close after the deal to relocate fell apart in recent weeks, according to advocates for local residents.
Colorado next to adopt website from Fresno’s Bitwise for workers displaced by COVID-19
Fresno Bee
Less than three weeks after Fresno-based Bitwise Industries launched OnwardCA.org, a new website to help California workers find emergency assistance and jobs after coronavirus-related layoffs, other states are lining up to bring the online platform to their residents.
See also:
● Bitwise’s online job platform goes national Business Journal
● Onward! Bitwise Expands COVID Resource Website Nationwide GV Wire
Supervisors Eyeing ‘Emergency’ Policies to Deal with Pandemic
Sierra News
The COVID-19 pandemic is having a major impact on the County’s workforce, forcing many Madera County employees to work from home. As a result, the Madera County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday is expected to approve a new “Emergency Telework Policy.”
South SJ Valley:
KGET
On Kern Public Health’s new dashboard, the lines indicating case numbers make it look like we are flattening the curve. However, that is partly an illusion. There are thousands of pending tests that could come back positive in the next few days, and therefore make the curve continue to go up.
Kern County Fair is still a go — for now
Bakersfield Californian
The Kern County Fair has not been canceled, yet. At a virtual meeting of its Board of Directors on Monday, fair officials decided to delay a decision on canceling the 2020 Kern County Fair over novel coronavirus concerns.
See also:
· Large Events Likely One Of The Last Pieces To Return After Shelter-In-Place Orders EaseCapital Public Radio
CSUB Small Business Development Center: Historic stimulus bill to keep small businesses afloat
Bakersfield Californian
To accomplish the goal of helping small businesses keep their staffs employed will be the efforts of the SBA’s partners, including the Small Business Development Center at California State University, Bakersfield.
Oil prices collapse below zero, scrambling the clean energy transition
Los Angeles Times
The stunning collapse of oil prices Monday was the latest shock to an economy roiled by the coronavirus outbreak — and yet another jolt to an energy sector already grappling with a challenging transition from fossil fuels to cleaner power sources.
See also:
● Here’s What Negative Oil Prices Really Mean Forbes
● Negative oil prices: What does that mean for consumers and the economy? CBS News
● Negative Prices for Oil? Here’s What That Means Bloomberg
● Trump floats funding for oil after historic market loss The Hill
● Oil prices fall below zero and Trump sees a buying opportunity Roll Call
● Oil prices extend slide one day after U.S. crude drops below zero, sparking Wall Street sell-off Washington Post
● EDITORIAL: Care to Store Some Oil? Wall Street Journal
State:
‘What is the state hiding?’ ACLU pushes for more details on coronavirus cases, testing
Fresno Bee
California had more than 30,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Monday. But understanding precisely who has been tested and treated remains shrouded in mystery — and is key to ensuring equal access, according to groups urging California for more transparency.
See also:
● Newsom’s secretive $1-billion mask deal with Chinese automaker sparks bipartisan concerns Los Angeles Times
● Legislators to Gov. Newsom: Start sharing details of coronavirus costs San Francisco Chronicle
● At California Capitol, lawmakers want info; protesters want to end coronavirus stay-at-home CalMatters
● Doctors and Governors Vie for Masks in Cloak-and-Dagger Deals New York Times
Gov. Newsom says return to normalcy after pandemic won’t happen any time soon
CBS
Newsom told “CBS This Morning” co-host Tony Dokoupil in an exclusive interview that he feared the worst might not be over for California, if the state’s residents did not comply with social distancing and other restrictions.
See also:
● Did California’s Shelter-in-Place Order Work? Early Coronavirus-Related Public Health Benefits National Bureau of Economic Research
● Newsom resists pressure to ease California’s coronavirus stay-at-home order Los Angeles Times
● Coronavirus updates: WHO warns people must be ready for ‘new way of living’ ABC News
● Poll: Majorities in both parties say return to normal life risky The Hill
● Opinion: California needs to reassess stay-at-home orders to prevent an economic tragedyCalMatters
● Opinion: Does Gavin Newsom Have the Grit to Take On the Coronavirus? New York Times.
California protesters push to reopen; Governor urges caution
Fresno Bee
Hundreds of protesters lobbying to ease Gov. Gavin Newsom’s tight stay-at-home orders rallied around the California Capitol on Monday, even as Newsom continued to urge restraint, saying the worst thing state leaders could do is “make a decision that’s based on politics and frustration.”
See also:
● Why these people are protesting the stay-at-home orders at the California Capitol Fresno Bee
● Most Americans oppose anti-lockdown protests — even across party lines, poll finds Fresno Bee
● Protest At Capitol Targets California’s Stay-At-Home Order, Demonstrators Ignore Social-Distancing Guidelines Capital Public Radio
● Some California communities are pushing to ease stay-at-home orders. Is it too soon? Los Angeles Times
● More protest California’s stay-at-home rules Los Angeles Times
● Protesters besiege Capitol in Sacramento, want restrictions lifted San Francisco Chronicle
● ‘It’s going to backfire’: Fauci says anti-quarantine protesters could prolong shutdownWashington Examiner
● How California’s coastal-rural divide could provide lessons for the nation Politico
● Most Americans oppose anti-lockdown protests — even across party lines, poll finds The State
● Opinion: The Lockdown Rebellion Wall Street Journal
Opinion: Tom Steyer nearly ran against Gavin Newsom in 2018. Together, can they save California?
Sacramento Bee
Most interesting is Newsom’s choice of Tom Steyer to lead the 80-person group. Steyer and Newsom circled each other warily for years as the billionaire philanthropist pondered a 2018 run for governor. He decided against it, then ran a quixotic 2020 presidential campaign.
These California Democrats won’t let Rusty Hicks bury sexual misconduct investigation
Sacramento Bee
If California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks thought he could get away with burying the party’s official investigation into alleged sexual misconduct by his predecessor, Eric Bauman, he is in for a rude awakening.
Federal:
Trump says he will suspend immigration to US over virus concerns
Fresno Bee
President Donald Trump said he’ll sign an executive order temporarily suspending immigration into the United States as the country tries to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
See also:
● Trump says he’ll ‘suspend immigration,’ offers no details Fresno Bee
● Trump says he’ll ‘temporarily suspend immigration’ amid COVID-19 abc30
● Trump says he’ll ‘suspend immigration’ amid pandemic, offers no details Los Angeles Times
● Trump says he’ll ‘suspend immigration’ into the U.S. Politico
● Trump to Temporarily Halt Immigration Into the U.S. Amid Coronavirus Crisis Wall Street Journal
● Trump administration working out details of suspending immigration during coronavirus crisis, plans to close off the US to a new extreme Washington Post
● Trump’s Immigration Ban Expected to Make Exceptions for Healthcare and Farm Workers: Report NewsWeek
● Opinion: Immigration Will Be Another Casualty of the Coronavirus Bloomberg
Trump criticism aside, Governors call for more federal help
Fresno Bee
A chorus of governors from both parties pushed back hard after President Donald Trump accused Democrats of playing “a very dangerous political game” by insisting there is a shortage of tests for coronavirus. The governors countered that the White House must do more to help states do the testing that’s needed before they can ease up on stay-at-home orders.
See also:
● Trump says governors play ‘political game’ with COVID-19 tests abc30
● White House Defends Testing Capacity As Governors Ask For More VPR
● President Trump Doubles Down On Coronavirus Testing Capabilities Capital Public Radio
● A Key G.O.P. Strategy: Blame China. But Trump Goes Off Message. New York Times
● Audio shows Trump misrepresented MD Gov’s comments on COVID-19 testing ABC
● Timeline: What Trump Has Said And Done About The Coronavirus NPR
● Fact check: Trump falsely describes his travel history during briefing with more inaccuraciesCNN
● Fact check: Trump’s bizarre effort to tag Obama’s swine flu response as ‘a disaster’Washington Post
● Most Americans rate Trump’s coronavirus response negatively and expect crowds to be unsafe until summer, Post-U of MD poll finds Washington Post
● Opinion: The problem isn’t a lack of information. It’s Trump. Washington Post
● Opinion: ‘Another nail in an almost closed coffin’: Trump faces his next coronavirus testPolitico
● Opinion: The ugly side of politics emerges Axios
Los Angeles Times
Congressional leaders and the White House were close to a deal Monday over an emergency coronavirus package to replenish a small-business assistance program that ran out of funds last week, even as critics said misuse of the popular loan program by large companies had squeezed out smaller businesses.
See also:
● GOP senator: ‘Millions of dollars are being wasted’ in coronavirus small business fund The Hill
● Small Businesses Await Funds as Congress Talks Near an Agreement Bloomberg
● White House, GOP face heat after hotel and restaurant chains helped run small business program dry Washington Post
● Opinion: How to flatten the jobless curve by revisiting unemployment benefits The Hill
● Opinion: Stop Trashing the Programs That Help Small Business Bloomberg
● Coronavirus aid deal to pass Senate Tuesday, Schumer says Roll Call
Oversight of $2-trillion coronavirus relief act hasn’t gotten off the ground
Los Angeles Times
Oversight systems are still largely dormant for the $2 trillion in coronavirus economic relief passed by Congresslast month, leaving gaping holes in accountability just as the Treasury Department prepares to give hundreds of billions of dollars in aid to corporations.
Business Insider
The Trump administration is gearing up for a major push to slash business regulations, seizing on the coronavirus pandemic to achieve its deregulatory goals and attempt to jumpstart the coronavirus-stricken economy.
House to vote on remote proxy voting as soon as Thursday
Roll Call
Lawmakers are expected to have to return to Washington this week to vote on an update to coronavirus pandemic aid for small businesses, and House leaders plan to use the session to also approve an emergency proxy-voting procedure in response to the health crisis.
See also:
● Coronavirus aid deal down to the ‘fine print,’ Pelosi says Roll Call
● The politics of Congress’s COVID-19 response Brookings
Gov’t Documents Reveal Scenarios Agencies Using For Coronavirus Planning
NPR
Federal health officials estimated in early April that more than 300,000 Americans could die from COVID-19 if all social distancing measures are abandoned, and later estimates pushed the possible death toll even higher.
Nurses union to protest at White House Tuesday
The Hill
A national nurses union announced Monday that members of its organization would protest at the White House on Tuesday to demand funding for mass production of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the next coronavirus stimulus package.
Coronavirus Trackers:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) in California
COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It’s caused by a virus called coronavirus.
See also:
● California Department of Public Health
● 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:
Pandemic squeezes finances of Democratic grassroots donors
Fresno Bee
The coronavirus shutdown has forced Democratic donors to forgo the opulent fundraisers that allow them to rub shoulders with powerful elected leaders and candidates.
From a return to normal to sweeping change: Biden shifts message as general election begins
Fresno Bee
Explicit comparisons to the New Deal. Top surrogates talking about “real structural change.” And a pledge to not “just go back to the way things were.” What’s gotten into Joe Biden’s campaign?
See also:
● Joe Biden’s running mate search moves into high gear amid conflicting demands Los Angeles Times
● Latino groups endorse Biden early in show of unity The Hill
● Biden’s VP prospects break along Dem fault lines Politico
Will mail in ballots benefit one party?
Public Policy Institute of California
If coronavirus is still active during this November’s presidential election, the risk remains of spreading the virus among voters and poll workers. The best solution is to limit in-person options and rapidly expand the number of voters who submit ballots through the mail.
See also:
● Poll Finds 67% of Voters Support Mail-In Ballots for November Elections Wall Street Journal
Joe Biden Faces Cash Disadvantage vs. Trump’s $244 Million War Chest
Wall Street Journal
The former vice president raised $46.7 million over the full month, newly filed Federal Election Commission reports show. It was the best fundraising month of Mr. Biden’s campaign, but he still faces a cash disadvantage compared with President Trump’s financial juggernaut.
Other:
The Inside Story Of How the Bay Area Got Ahead Of The COVID-19 Crisis
Kaiser Health News
The Bay Area issued the nation’s first stay-at-home order, likely saving thousands of lives and charting the course for much of the country. Three days later, Gov. Gavin Newsom followed with his own order for California. New York came next, as have dozens of states since.
Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee governors announce plans to ease coronavirus restrictions
Washington Post
In Georgia, despite not hitting its reopening benchmarks, Gov. Brian Kemp said gyms and salons will be allowed to reopen Friday. Restaurants and theaters may reopen next Monday, Kemp said.
See also:
● Echoing Trump, More GOP State Legislators Call for Easing Closures Pew Research
Mid-April in America is an unforgiving time, and now this
Fresno Bee
For a generation, mid-April has delivered some of American life’s most cataclysmic moments — a week when young men have shot up schools, terrorists have blown up fellow humans, members of a religious sect have burned to death in their compound and environmental calamity has sullied the ocean.
Chemerinsky: Yes, government can restrict your liberty to protect public health
Los Angeles Times
The court explicitly rejected the claim that “liberty” under the Constitution includes the right of individuals to make decisions about their own health in instances where those decisions could endanger others.
See also:
● Pandemic power plays: Civil liberties in the time of COVID-19 ABA Journal
● France Says Apple’s Bluetooth Policy Is Blocking Virus Tracker Bloomberg
● From smallpox to HIV, here’s how contact tracing helps control outbreaks like COVID-19Fresno Bee
● Can the U.S. Really Track the Coronavirus? Slate
● Opinion: It’s foolish to worry about privacy when data can help fight coronavirus CNN
● Opinion: Harnessing smartphones in the coronavirus crusade AEI
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Stinky meat plant won’t move, will close permanently. Fresno advocates declare victory
Fresno Bee
A southwest Fresno meat-rendering plant that neighbors have complained about for decades will permanently close after the deal to relocate fell apart in recent weeks, according to advocates for local residents.
Trump’s $19 billion farm relief plan includes payments for farmers
Visalia Times Delta
President Donald Trump announced a new $19 billion relief package on Friday to assist American farmers who have been financially hurt by the coronavirus outbreak.
How the COVID-19 pandemic is sending American agriculture into chaos
PBS NewsHour
COVID-19 is disrupting agriculture on many levels. The Trump administration recently announced it will spend $19 billion to help farmers. But they aren’t the only group in need of support — undocumented immigrants are roughly half of American farmworkers, and they have been excluded from the federal aid.
See also:
● Sacramento Valley farms struggling as coronavirus closes restaurants, chokes supply chainSacramento Bee
Farm workers to be exempt from Trump’s immigration ban
Politico
President Donald Trump’s plan to suspend immigration into the U.S. will not apply to foreign farm workers, according to three industry sources familiar with the decision.
4/20 uncertainty: Marijuana industry tested in virus crisis
Bakersfield Californian
The unofficial holiday celebrating all things cannabis arrived Monday as the nation’s emerging legal marijuana market braces for an economic blow from the coronavirus crisis, with many consumers reducing spending or going underground for deals.
See also:
● Happy online 4/20? Under coronavirus shutdown, California weed festivities go virtualModesto Bee
● California cannabis, deemed essential in coronavirus crisis, is ‘on the brink of collapsing’Sacramento Bee
● Boom times for cannabis businesses as Californians, in a pandemic fog, isolate indoors Los Angeles Times
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
Fresno Bee
The Supreme Court declared Monday that the Constitution requires that juries come to a unanimous verdict to convict Americans of serious crimes, overturning a state law in Louisiana that critics say has been used to find black defendants guilty even when one or two black jurors disagree.
See also:
● The Supreme Court Holds That Jury Verdicts in State Criminal Cases Must Be UnanimousNational Review
● Unanimous Verdicts Required for Serious Crimes, Supreme Court Rules Wall Street Journal
EDITORIAL: A $0 bail for Californians accused of nonviolent crimes? That’s exactly the right amount
Los Angeles Times
California’s judicial leaders acted wisely when they reset bail amounts temporarily to $0 for people accused of misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies.
Public Safety:
California has a coronavirus stay-at-home order. So why did CHP permit a large protest?
Fresno Bee
Gov. Gavin Newsom has issued an order banning large gatherings because of the coronavirus crisis, and Sacramento-area law enforcement officials warned last week that they will start citing people who violate the ban.
See also:
● Why weren’t protesters cited despite stay-home orders? Officials point to a ‘delicate balance’ San Diego Union-Tribune
● As Protests Spread, States Tread Carefully to Avoid Inflaming Extremists Pew Trusts
● Facebook removes posts on some anti-lockdown protests for ‘harmful misinformation’Fresno Bee
● Facebook to remove some posts promoting protests against stay-at-home orders Your Central Valley
● Facebook Puts Limits on Protest Organizers Wall Street Journal
Fire:
PG&E’s bankruptcy plan strides toward approval in California
Fresno Bee
California regulators are being advised to approve Pacific Gas & Electric’s plan to emerge from bankruptcy with new controls designed to prevent a recurrence of the utility’s past bad behavior that has resulted in deadly wildfires, infuriating blackouts and high electricity rates.
See also:
● California regulators move closer to approving PG&E’s exit from bankruptcy San Francisco Chronicle
● 80,000 California wildfire victims weigh their futures, and PG&E’s San Francisco Chronicle
Kern County Fire Dept.: March fires likely result of more people at home during pandemic
Bakersfield Californian
The Kern County Fire Department attributed an uptick in local fires last month to the state’s stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
ECONOMY/JOBS
Economy:
Amazon workers protest coronavirus working conditions
Fresno Bee
Hundreds of Amazon workers are planning to call out sick starting Tuesday to protest the company’s treatment of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, media outlets reported.
See also:
● Hundreds of Amazon Workers to Strike Today Ozy
● This Charmin Factory Keeps Humming Even As Much Of America Is Hunkered Down Capital Public Radio
● These are the jobs most at risk from coronavirus transmission The Hill
● Businesses Strive to Reopen From Coronavirus Shutdown Wall Street Journal
● When Companies Need to Report They Have Infected Workers: Q&A Bloomberg
● Commentary: The sweatshops are still open. Now they make masks Los Angeles Times
Local Asian businesses hit hard by COVID-19 pandemic
abc30
Many local Asian small business owners and farmers say they’ve been left out when it comes to pandemic relief. By the time many found out about government loans, the money was already gone.
Chaos and competition for vital coronavirus test could slow reopening of the economy
Los Angeles Times
As debate intensifies about how and when the country can resume regular life, immunity testing widely seen as essential for that reopening is mired in the same competition and chaos that marred earlier diagnostic tests.
See also:
● Pandemic spells grave times for funeral industry Business Journal
● California Entrepreneurs Buck Trend, Keep Forming Businesses Bloomberg
● Cities with strong social distancing see stronger economic recoveries MIT Sloan
● Where Low-Income Jobs Are Being Lost to COVID-19 Urban Institute
● Opinion: The damage from an economic quarantine until autumn would be historically horrific AEI
‘The Big Guys Get Bailed Out’: Restaurants Vie for Relief Funds
New York Times
Shake Shack was among the larger companies criticized for seeking small-business emergency loans from the federal government.
See also:
● Publicly traded firms get $300M in small-business loans AP News
● Small businesses sue Wells, JPMorgan, other banks over PPP loans Politico
● Here’s why some states get more help than others from the Paycheck Protection ProgramFresno Bee
‘We Needed to Go’: Rich Americans Activate Pandemic Escape Plans
Bloomberg
As coronavirus infections tore across the U.S. in early March, a Silicon Valley executive called the survival shelter manufacturer Rising S Co. He wanted to know how to open the secret door to his multimillion-dollar bunker 11 feet underground in New Zealand.
See also:
● Opinion: The Middle Class Is Changing, Not Dying Mercatus Center
Opinion: Why COVID-19 Will Not Stop Globalization
Lawfare
Viruses, though, are a part of the natural world. Pandemics existed long before the current era of globalization and likely will endure long afterward.
See also:
● Opinion: This crisis has taught us the true cost of doing business with China Washington Post
Jobs:
Workers’ comp insurer to quadruple payments to businesses, employees hit by coronavirus
Sacramento Bee
Leaders of one of California’s largest workers’ compensation insurers, the State Compensation Insurance Fund, announced Monday that it will pay COVID-19 medical costs and income losses for employees at essential businesses that it covers, whether they contracted the illness at work or not.
See also:
● EDITORIAL: How to keep workers healthy on the job AEI
Bakersfield artists and creatives encouraged to apply for grants
Bakersfield Now
The Hub of Bakersfield is doing their part to support creatives and artists in Bakersfield. They’re presenting the “Cash for the Arts” program, a grant that will provide 10 $500 grants to local artists for projects that will benefits Bakersfield residents coping with social distancing.
See also:
● AB 5 forced arts groups to evolve. For some, COVID-19 made the change ‘catastrophic’ Los Angeles Times
Your Unemployment Call Could be Answered by the National Guard
Pew Research
There’s plenty of blame to go around as an unprecedented tide of claims in the past month hit outdated systems from coast to coast and states try everything from pleading for volunteer computer programmers to calling out the National Guard to answer phones.
See also:
● California unemployment call center still struggling to process claims Los Angeles Times
EDUCATION
K-12:
Petitions ask Gov. Newsom to block 5G expansion in California schools, cities. Here’s why
Sacramento Bee
Petitions asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to block the roll out of 5G in California neighborhoods have popped up on social media in recent weeks, raising concern that the super-fast fifth generation of mobile broadband will cause adverse health effects like cancer and DNA damage.
See also:
● Conspiracy theorists burn 5G towers claiming link to virus PBS
● Opinion: Misinformation goes viral Medium
Old frustrations linger for some parents as Fresno schools pass out student computers
Fresno Bee
As Fresno Unified officials scramble to pass out thousands of computers to students, many parents have expressed frustration with a process they say is fraught with confusion and delays.
See also:
● California To Provide 70,000 Laptops For Disadvantaged Students To Continue Distance Learning Capital Public Radio
● One in 5 California students lack computers and Wi-Fi. Can the digital divide be closed? Los Angeles Times
● Over a million California students still lack access to remote learning CalMatters
● Pandemic Builds Momentum for Broadband Infrastructure Upgrade Wall Street Journal
Free child care at Modesto school comes to rescue of front-line health, safety workers
Modesto Bee
Modesto City Schools is offering free child care to health care workers, public safety first responders and its own nutrition services employees who have kept up take-home lunches and breakfasts during this period of home study
Districts determine grading, graduation requirements for seniors
abc30
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, schools are going the extra mile to make sure their seniors graduate on time.
See also:
● High school seniors: Has coronavirus changed your college plans? Fresno Bee
● High school seniors react to COVID-19 school closures Visalia Times Delta
● College seniors face job worries, family stress amid virus Hanford Sentinel
SUSD board calls special meeting for ‘personnel matter’
Stockton Record
The Stockton Unified School District Board of Education has called a special meeting for Tuesday to discuss a personnel matter.
During Coronavirus, Unions Resist New Demands on Teachers
New York Times
Educators say they want to teach from home during the pandemic, but are fighting to limit work hours and counter demands that they consider unreasonable.
Opinion: School districts are up and running just 3 weeks since statewide closures
AEI
In the immediate aftermath of statewide closures, schools had to quickly transition to remote learning, some for the first time. As almost all schools entered into their third weeks since these announcements, our study shows that most districts are well underway in adjusting to the new normal.
See also:
● Opinion: Coronavirus Is a Chance for Schools to Rethink Systems and Spending Education Week
Higher Ed:
Univ of California faculty leaders want admissions tests restored after health crisis
EdSource
While the Univ of Calif has temporarily suspended the requirement that freshman applicants for fall 2021 entrance take the SAT or ACT exams, the university’s faculty leadership wants to bring back those tests for at least five years after the health emergency ends.
See also
● EDITORIAL: AP testing continues amid coronavirus crisis AEI
Babies forage for sounds that contribute to language acquisition, UC Merced shows
Merced Sun-Star
The researchers observed how babies develop language by vocally “foraging”— looking for sounds that elicit reactions from adult caregivers. This interdisciplinary work involving physicists, cognitive scientists and behavioral psychologists is a completely novel way of studying infant communication.
Fresno State extends admission acceptance deadline
Fresno State
In recognition of the unique challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, Fresno State has extended the deadline for fall 2020 first-time-freshmen to accept their admissions and register for Dog Days (New Student Orientation) from May 1 to June 1, 2020.
BC Virtual Recruitment Day open to public
Bakersfield Californian
On Wednesday, Bakersfield College will be holding a virtual recruitment day via Zoom from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. open to job-seeking students, their families and members of the public.
ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY
Environment:
California’s widely polluted air may increase coronavirus death toll
San Francisco Chronicle
California’s distinction as one of the nation’s most polluted states takes new significance this year as the coronavirus is proving deadlier for people living with dirty air.
See also:
● Opinion: Car Pollution Makes Us More Vulnerable to COVID-19 StreetsBlog USA
Innovative wood products hold potential for healthier forests and statewide carbon benefits
California Economic Summit
Those benefits include creating healthier forests through sustainable forest management and restoration, reducing wildfire risks from overgrown forests, promoting carbon storage in long-lived wood products, and strengthening local capacity and regional collaborations that can lead to greater economic resilience.
Move Over, San Andreas: There’s an Ominous New Fault in Town
Wired
For more than a century, the San Andreas Fault has been considered the undisputed heavyweight champion of large-scale deformation in the West. It is here that the North American and Pacific Plates meet, jostling for position with often violent results.
Energy:
Oil prices collapse below zero, scrambling the clean energy transition
Los Angeles Times
The stunning collapse of oil prices Monday was the latest shock to an economy roiled by the coronavirus outbreak — and yet another jolt to an energy sector already grappling with a challenging transition from fossil fuels to cleaner power sources.
See also:
● Here’s What Negative Oil Prices Really Mean Forbes
● Negative oil prices: What does that mean for consumers and the economy? CBS News
● Negative Prices for Oil? Here’s What That Means Bloomberg
● Trump floats funding for oil after historic market loss The Hill
● Oil prices fall below zero and Trump sees a buying opportunity Roll Call
● Oil prices extend slide one day after U.S. crude drops below zero, sparking Wall Street sell-off Washington Post
● EDITORIAL: Care to Store Some Oil? Wall Street Journal
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
New Tulare County coronavirus death confirmed. Cases continue to grow in Fresno region
Fresno Bee
There are close to 900 positive cases of coronavirus in the central San Joaquin region, which includes Fresno, Merced, Madera, Kings and Tulare counties. Tulare County accounts for more than half of the region’s 31 deaths. Tulare County has had 55 coronavirus recoveries.
See also:
● Kern’s curve expected to flatten in next couple of weeks, health officials say Kern Sol News
● Coronavirus update: Curve stays flat; one more death in county, bringing total to 18Porterville Recorder
● Coronavirus may have infected hundreds of thousands in L.A. County Los Angeles Times
● COVID Update: Four Additional Cases Reported Clovis Roundup
● California ‘not seeing that downward trend,’ state death toll hits 1,200 San Jose Mercury
Don’t stay away from the ER if you need medical attention, Fresno doctor says
abc30
Concerns over the spread of COVID-19 have changed how many are going about everyday business, but some emergency room personnel are worried some people may be pushing back needed medical attention.
See also:
● Health Coverage for Unemployed Harder to Come By in Some States Pew Research
● Opinion: Race Disparities Built In To COVID-19 Treatment Guidance For Hospitals NPR
Coronavirus update: Stanislaus begins drive-through tests; hotel signs on
Modesto Bee
Stanislaus County remained at four deaths Monday evening. It reported that 232 people have now tested positive for the virus and 3,314 have tested negative. Fifty-two people have been hospitalized, and 118 have recovered.
Lindsay Gardens outbreak worsens. Family worries father won’t get life-saving therapy
Visalia Times Delta
A novel coronavirus outbreak in a rural Tulare County nursing home continues to worsen, leaving some families to wonder if their loved ones are getting the therapies they need to survive.
See also:
● Kern’s senior facilities report no major outbreaks so far, but tough restrictions have been put in place Bakersfield Californian
● California acknowledges more than 850 coronavirus cases in assisted-living facilities Los Angeles Times
Reports suggest many have had coronavirus with no symptoms
Bakersfield Californian
A flood of new research suggests that far more people have had the coronavirus without any symptoms, fueling hope that it will turn out to be much less lethal than originally feared.
See also:
● Predicting A Pandemic’s Path: What Models Can And Can’t Do Capital Public Radio
● FDA Now Says Smokers May Have Higher Risk of Catching Covid-19 Bloomberg
FDA gives its first emergency approval to a do-it-yourself home coronavirus test
Miami Herald
People who want to test themselves at home for the novel coronavirus infection have a way to do so after the FDA gave emergency approval of LabCorp’s COVID-19 RT-PCR Test.
See also:
● The ‘Wild West’ for Antibody Tests Los Angeles Times
● Opinion: A coronavirus vaccine could cost you a small fortune Los Angeles Times
More deaths, no benefit from malaria drug in VA virus study
AP News
A malaria drug widely touted by President Donald Trump, hydroxychloroquine, for treating the new coronavirus showed no benefit in a large analysis of its use. There were more deaths among those given hydroxychloroquine versus standard care, researchers reported.
Human Services:
Kaweah Delta staff forced to wear same mask for weeks, says nursing assistant
abc30
A nursing assistant at Kaweah Delta Hospital in Visalia claims they aren’t being given the proper protective gear. They say care providers no longer have access to face masks and have been forced to use the same one for weeks.
See also:
● Kaweah Delta staff forced to wear same mask for weeks, says nursing assistant abc30
County, Hospitals Expand Coronavirus Testing As Demand Falls Short Of Expectations
KPBS
A second laboratory at UC San Diego Health launched specifically to handle COVID-19 tests has so far gone unused because the number of requested tests have been below what was expected.
Not enough patients: Health clinics struggle to stay open
CalMatters
Patient visits are down by half at California’s community health centers, which serve roughly 1 in every 3 MediCal recipients and many migrant workers and homeless residents.
See also:
● EDITORIAL: Sending Hospitals Into Bankruptcy Wall Street Journal
Hospital Hackers Seize Upon Coronavirus Pandemic
Pew Research
Since the coronavirus pandemic began, cybersecurity experts say they have seen an uptick in attempted ransomware and other hacking attempts on hospitals, health care systems, clinical labs and research centers.
IMMIGRATION
US-Canada border closed to nonessential travel another month
Fresno Bee
The border between the U.S. and Canada will remain restricted to essential travel only for another 30 days, the Trump administration announced Monday.
These U.S. citizens won’t get stimulus checks — because their spouses are immigrants
Los Angeles Times
More than 1 million U.S. citizens, in states as far afield as California and Pennsylvania, have been blocked from receiving stimulus checks because they are married to immigrants who don’t have Social Security numbers.
SF public defender, ACLU sue ICE to demand release of hundreds of detainees
San Francisco Chronicle
A coalition of attorneys filed a class action lawsuit Monday calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release roughly 600 immigrants from two California detention facilities amid coronavirus concerns.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
Stinky meat plant won’t move, will close permanently. Fresno advocates declare victory
Fresno Bee
A southwest Fresno meat-rendering plant that neighbors have complained about for decades will permanently close after the deal to relocate fell apart in recent weeks, according to advocates for local residents.
Deal would transfer Granite Park to new foundation, increase city subsidy
GV Wire
Granite Park, the city-owned central Fresno sports facility operated by the Central Valley Community Sports Foundation, is expected to transfer to a new nonprofit foundation.
Housing:
Coronavirus Eviction Rules Don’t Always Help People in Motels
Pew Research
Most renters are protected from eviction by coronavirus emergency orders. But the new rules don’t always apply to people who are paying for motel rooms, a major loophole that could affect thousands of families.
Modesto hotel to house at-risk homeless during coronavirus pandemic
Modesto Bee
Stanislaus County has reached an agreement with a Modesto hotel owner to provide housing for the at-risk homeless population during the coronavirus pandemic.
Coronavirus beginning to effect housing market
Porterville Recorder
Not surprising the coronavirus pandemic has begun to take its toll on the housing market. The numbers are still skewed somewhat because the effects of the coronavirus didn’t really begin to take effect until mid-March.
See also:
● Home sales down 8.5 % in March, before worst effects of pandemic The Hill
PUBLIC FINANCES
This Stimulus Check Calculator Tells You How Much Money You Get
Forbes
The IRS already has sent millions of stimulus checks. How much will your stimulus check be? That’s a popular question searched on Google and asked on social media.
See also:
● States Burn Through Cash for Unemployment Payments Wall Street Journal
● Opinion: Funding direct payments to Americans through Social Security deferral AEI
U.S. Debt to Surge Past Wartime Record, Deficit to Quadruple
Bloomberg Report
The U.S. budget deficit may quadruple this year to almost $4 trillion. Projections from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) say that by 2023 U.S. debt held by the public will surpass records set in the post-World War II years.
Opinion: How much revenue would a wealth tax raise?
AEI
There has been significant debate over how much revenue the proposals would ultimately raise, with various researchers finding a range of possible revenue effects. The large range of estimates reflects wide variation in several assumptions.
Opinion: Negative Payroll Tax Can Subsidize Wages
National Review
Why not deliver a faster and less administratively challenging stimulus through the payroll system that will incentivize employers to keep their workers on payroll and encourage workers not to leave?
Pensions, furloughs and telework: What does a recession hold for California state workers?
Sacramento Bee
Many aspects of state work eventually will return to normal. Some changes could become permanent. Here are five questions we’ll track in the months to come.
TRANSPORTATION
Coronavirus keeps gasoline demand, and prices, low for drivers in Fresno and the Valley
Fresno Bee
Demand for gasoline in California and the U.S. remains in the doldrums as many drivers comply with stay-at-home guidelines to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. That means gas prices are continuing to fall nationwide, including in Fresno and the San Joaquin Valley.
15 deaths in the airline industry in 9 days linked to coronavirus. Why are planes still flying?
Los Angeles Times
Somehow, word got around among retired New York City firefighters about a perfect second-career job: a local company, with lots of travel perks. One by one, they became flight attendants at JetBlue. Ralph Gismondi was among the first of an estimated 30 or so former firefighters who joined the airline.
Opinion: The CARES Act isn’t enough to save public transportation
Transportation for America
COVID-19 is costing transit agencies billions in lost revenue and increased costs to protect personnel. And unfortunately, the $25 billion in emergency funding Congress gave transit in the CARES Act isn’t enough—especially if stay-at-home orders continue indefinitely.
WATER
‘Megadrought’ in the West could become worst drought in history, scientists say
Sacramento Bee
The western United States and northern parts of Mexico could experience a record-breaking megadrought, according to the Earth Institute at Columbia University.
“Xtra”
Jokes on Zoom and virtual bouncers. Fresno stand-up takes his comedy club online
Fresno Bee
When the coronavirus outbreak hit, Danny Minch thought he would take a vacation from comedy, given local and state stay-at-home mandates and the fact that stand up comedy kind of relies on an audience of people “going out.”
Bistro opens in Downtown Fresno during challenging time for local businesses
abc30
At a time when many restaurants are struggling because they can only offer take-out orders, a downtown eatery has just opened. The staff at Tulare Street Bistro couldn’t have asked for a more difficult business environment to open a new restaurant.
Modesto, Stanislaus County clear animal shelter thanks to coronavirus foster response
Modesto Bee
They were already man’s best friend, but now during the coronavirus shutdowns, the Central Valley has officially repaid the compliment to our furry friends.
Good deeds surge in local business community
Bakersfield Californian
Figuring it would be a while before Bakersfield sees fresh flowers again, the company she owns and created, Flourishing Art, reached out on social media to local hospices, nursing homes and people caring for people who are home-bound or have Alzheimer’s disease.
Clovis Rotary, Salvation Army Seek Volunteers
Clovis Roundup
The Rotary Club of Clovis and The Salvation Army Clovis Corps are looking for volunteers to help feed those who are struggling through the COVID-19 crisis.