Maddy Institute – August 3, 2020

03Aug

POLICY & POLITICS

Calif’s Central Valley Now a Coronavirus Hot Spot

US News

Calif is sending strike teams and tens of millions of dollars into eight Central Valley counties struggling to contain the coronavirus.

Child at Valley Children’s has died from the coronavirus, hospital confirms

Fresno Bee

A patient at Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera has died from the coronavirus, officials confirmed Friday. In a news release, officials said the pediatric patient died earlier in the week. The release did not include an age or any other specific detail about the patient.

● Calif reports the first death of a teen from COVID-19 Modesto Bee

● Central Valley teenager first minor in state to die from COVID-19 Turlock Journal

● Young kids can carry 100x more coronavirus in their noses than adults, study finds Fresno Bee

North SJ Valley:

11 new Merced County COVID-19 deaths reported. Outbreak hits Atwater Walmart

Merced Sun-Star

Merced County on Friday reported 11 fatalities due to COVID-19 — the county’s highest numbers of deaths in a single day since the pandemic began. The latest fatalities bring the number of COVID-19 deaths in Merced County to 50, according to the Department of Public Health.

Stanislaus County touts efforts to control COVID-19 outbreak after a brutal July

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus County had a tough battle with the COVID-19 epidemic in July. But leaders insist they are not sitting on their hands as the grueling pandemic continues into August.

● State COVID-19 help coming soon, but Stanislaus Co once again waits for answers Modesto Bee

● What Modesto area companies received biggest PPP loans? Modesto Bee

Modesto among Top 10 rising housing markets nationally, new analysis finds

Modesto Bee

A low supply of homes means there are multiple offers being made on most houses. The current market requires patience, real estate agents say.

‘The fight is not over’: Activist Dahkota Brown sees progress in cultural respect for Native Americans with Washington name change

Stockton Record

Dahkota Brown was no different than any other Argonaut High School football fan that night. But as he entered the Calaveras High School football stadium, he received a message nobody else did.

Stockton Mayor Tubbs: Inland voices should inform Calif’s recovery task force

Sac Bee

As we aspire to rebuild a new Calif after COVID-19, we must avoid the same tendencies that historically have left inland Calif behind. This time all voices must be heard.

Central SJ Valley:

18 new COVID-19 deaths reported in Fresno Co update, 38 total deaths in region

Fresno Bee

Almost 20 more deaths attributed to coronavirus disease were reported Friday by the Fresno County Department of Public Health – a surge representing lives lost since the county’s last update on Tuesday.

● Fresno County cases hit 14,000; Latinos hurt by virus at greater rate Fresno Bee

● State Aid Comes To Valley, Jails & Prisons Remain Virus Hotbeds: COVID-19 Update For July 27-31 VPR

● Five more deaths in the county Porterville Recorder

Clovis city employees ordered back to offices amid COVID-19

Fresno Bee

Clovis city officials are ordering back to work employees who have had work-from-home assignments during the coronavirus pandemic.

Chowchilla Chamber of Commerce welcomes new executive director

Madera Tribune

The Chowchilla Chamber of Commerce has hired a new Executive Director, Rachel Beaird. She has taken over the position that was vacated in March when previous Executive Director, Stacy Wisener, took a job with the City of Chowchilla.

South SJ Valley:

Lemoore City Council meeting canceled

Hanford Sentinel

According to the city’s website, the Lemoore City Council has canceled its meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 4. The next regularly-scheduled meeting is set to take place at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 18 inside council chambers, 429 C St.

Current conditions: Agreement over Delta stalled

Porterville Recorder

The fight between the state and federal government over the use of the Delta River has basically stalled how long-term water deliveries from that vital source will be executed. Governor Gavin Newsom has tried to implement a plan for water agencies to enter into voluntary agreements in which they negotiate how much water they would receive. Newsom’s plan was designed to avoid the legal wrangling that’s always plagued how water from the Delta River will be delivered.

Rep. McCarthy video highlights coronavirus surge testing

Bakersfield Califn

A video released Saturday by Rep. Kevin McCarthy reminds the public that a free coronavirus surge testing site has been set up at the Kern County Fairgrounds. The congressman explains that surge testing provides temporary federal support to places that have seen recent spikes in cases.

● A Bakersfield Pulmonary Critical Care Doctor On What It’s Like To Treat COVID-19 Patients Valley Public Radio.

Primex Employees Call On State AG To Investigate Co. Practices Amid COVID Outbreak

VPR
As COVID-19 outbreaks in food production plants continue to make workers sick in the San Joaquin Valley, employees at one plant outside Bakersfield are calling on the State Attorney General to step in. Primex Farms in Wasco employs around 400 people. As of last Wednesday, 150 workers had tested positive for COVID-19 and over 70 had gone back to work, a company spokesman said.

Wonderful Co. unveils $1 million pandemic relief fund

Bakersfield Califn

One of the Central Valley’s largest agricultural companies has responded to the many needs that have arisen during the pandemic by again focusing its considerable largesse on the communities where its employees live and work. The Wonderful Co. was planning today to unveil a $1 million relief fund it hopes will prompt nonprofits to propose various initiatives to help local farmworkers, health-care providers and others who continue to labor through the COVID-19 crisis.

State:

Calif infections slowing down, but deaths continue to mount

Sac Bee

Coronavirus cases in Calif are still rising, but the rate at which infections are spreading is dropping despite a sharp rise in deaths across the state. Sac County has experienced this rising death rate firsthand. This week, 34 deaths have been reported by health officials for a total of 142 fatalities since the coronavirus pandemic began.

● Calif is first state to pass 500,000 infections WSJ

Widespread Worry, Racial/Ethnic Disparities as COVID-19 Surges

PPIC

As the number of coronavirus cases in Calif continues to rise, health and financial concerns are especially high among Latino residents.

● Congress’ Failure to Extend UI is an Economic Attack on Workers & Families, Particularly Black & Brown Californians… Here’s How We Know Calif Budget Center

Calif Has Lost a Greater Share Of Revenue Than Most States Due To COVID-19

VPR

Calif’s progressive tax structure means state revenue does well in good economic times but suffers more than most other states when there’s a downturn. In January, Calif was projecting a $5.6 billion surplus, but the pandemic quickly transformed that into a $54 billion deficit.

· Looking For Solutions To Income Inequality During COVID-19 Capital Public Radio

OPINION: More inland Calif voices should inform Gov. Newsom’s statewide recovery task force

Fresno Bee

As we aspire to rebuild a new Calif after COVID-19, we must avoid the same tendencies that historically have left inland Calif behind. This time all voices must be heard. The governor’s statewide Task Force for Business and Jobs Recovery is a good start, but only a few of its 100-plus members live inland.

What’s in a name? Everything, unhappy Calif initiative backers say as they sue state

Public CEO

Campaigns in four initiative measures in Calif’s November elected have sued the state attorney general over ballot titles.

Federal:

Stimulus bill: Negotiators report progress in COVID-19 aid talks

abc30

Lawmakers participating in rare weekend talks on a huge coronavirus relief measure reported progress on Saturday, as political pressure mounts to restore a newly expired $600-per-week supplemental unemployment benefit and send funding to help schools reopen.

● Why Replacing the $600 Employment Benefit Could Take Months NY Times

● ‘Still A Long Ways To Go’ For A New Coronavirus Relief Package VPR

● Democratic, Admin Negotiators at Loggerheads Over $600 Jobless Benefit WSJ

Rebuilt better: A framework to support an equitable recovery

Brookings

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic’s massive job losses and amid a fraught “reopening” characterized by a rapid increase in cases, many public and private sector leaders around the country are nonetheless fully engaged in recovery planning. Their original mandate may have been to restore lost jobs and businesses. But the murder of George Floyd and subsequent public outcry for racial justice have ratcheted up pressure for recovery to address the deep racial inequalities that preceded and were laid bare by the pandemic.

Trump Admin examining options for unilateral action if no coronavirus deal is reached with Congress

Wash Post

The Trump Admin is looking at options for unilateral actions it can take to try to address some of the economic fallout caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic if no relief deal is reached with Congress, according to two people with knowledge of the deliberations.

An infrastructure stimulus plan for the COVID-19 recession

Brookings

Infrastructure can act as an economic barrier for many people and places, but it can also function as an economic foundation for America’s COVID-19 recovery. Adie Tomer, Joseph Kane, and Lara Fishbane explain how federal policymakers can use lessons learned from past recessions to design an infrastructure stimulus plan to respond to the economic downturn.

Fact Check: Trump Admin hasn’t fulfilled every state request for coronavirus supplies

Politifact

In an episode of his TV show, Fox News host Sean Hannity praised President Donald Trump’s coronavirus response, claiming — without evidence — that “this Admin has fulfilled every request from every state governor.”

● Some Americans Wait, Without Pay, for Covid-19 Test Results WSJ

● July marked the worst month on record for new infections Wash Post

AP FACT CHECK: Trump hype on drug costs, hydroxychloroquine

MSN

President Donald Trump is making grandiose claims about slashing drug prices and the efficacy of a treatment for COVID-19 that don’t hold up to reality.

Trump keeps promising an overhaul of Obamacare that never arrives

Wash Post

It was a bold claim when President Trump said that he was about to produce an overhaul of the nation’s health-care system, at last doing away with the Affordable Care Act, which he has long promised to abolish.

Fact Check: Trump’s Promise to End Birthright Citizenship

PolitiFact

President Donald Trump’s promise to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to parents here illegally became a constitutional debate among scholars and pundits, but has not materialized into action.

Census Bureau Will End Counting Early, Risking Inaccurate Data

NPR

The Census Bureau is cutting short critical door-knocking efforts for the 2020 census amid growing concerns among Democrats in Congress that the White House is pressuring the bureau to wrap up counting soon for political gain, NPR has learned.

Congress needs to allocate funding for broadband access

Brookings

As many schools prepare to try and make distance learning work for the foreseeable future, vulnerable families need emergency broadband relief, with increased investments in home broadband, schools, and libraries. Nicol Turner Lee argues that Congress needs to direct funding for broadband access so that minority, rural, and poor students don’t lose out on educational and social mobility outcomes.

Coronavirus Trackers:

Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Calif

Covid19.ca.gov

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

See also:

● Calif Department of Public Health

● Coronavirus (COVID-19) CDC

● Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic – WHO

● John Hopkins University & Medicine John Hopkins University

● Tracking coronavirus in Calif LA Times

● Coronavirus Tracker San Francisco Chronicle

● Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count NY 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 Fin Times

● Coronavirus in Calif by the numbers CalMatters

Pandemic’s weight falls on Hispanics and Native Americans, Post analysis shows, as U.S. coronavirus deaths surpass 150,000

Wash Post

In recent weeks, Hispanics and Native Americans have made up an increasing proportion of covid-19 deaths. The disease now accounts for nearly 20 percent of all deaths among those groups, higher than any other race or ethnicity in recent weeks, according to a Post analysis. And experts issue dire forecasts of the months ahead.

Opinion: Coronavirus Liability: Shield Legislation Needed to Protect Businesses

National Review

Republicans have been hoping that Mitch McConnell can deliver a coronavirus liability fix in Wash. Question: Why haven’t Republicans already delivered coronavirus liability fixes in Tallahassee, Phoenix, and Boise?

Opinion: It’s Time for Conservatives to Take the New Coronavirus Outbreak Seriously

National Review

After today, this annus horribilis has just five more months.

Elections 2020:

Biden will likely pick Kamala Harris for VP. Here’s why Karen Bass is a better choice

Sac Bee

Politics typically rewards calculating and ruthless ambition. That’s why it’s unusual to see Rep. Karen Bass on the shortlist of Joe Biden’s potential picks for vice president. Bass appears to be an anti-politician. She is undoubtedly a powerful leader and skilled legislator. But in a world of sharp elbows and mean tweets, she’s the opposite.

● Kamala Harris settled with a top aide who lost her job, and both sides agreed to keep quiet Sac Bee

● Countering that offensive, Harris surrogates organized a call POLITICO

● The Karen Bass LA Knows POLITICO

● Biden Considers Karen Bass, Lawmaker Known as Team Player, in Running-Mate Search WSJ

● Rep. Karen Bass fought for Blacks and Latinos in South LA. Now, she’s on Biden’s VP shortlistWash Post

● Opinion: Will Joe Biden pick CA’s Karen Bass for VP in 2020 election? Sac Bee

GOP: Renomination of Trump to be held in private

LA Times

The vote to renominate President Donald Trump is set to be conducted in private later this month, without members of the press present, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Convention said, citing the coronavirus.

● Maureen Dowd: Double, Double, Trump’s Toil, Our Trouble NY Times

What’s On The Ballot? Here’s A Look At Calif’s 2020 Propositions

Capital Public Radio

While much of the attention on the November election is focused on the race for President, Califns are going to have a lot of other decisions to make. One (or 12) of the biggest: the statewide ballot measures.

All Hands on Deck’ as Calif Election Officials Struggle to Find Pandemic-Safe Polling Places

KQED

Some counties are using the crisis to pilot novel ideas, while others are struggling to replace long-time polling places where a gathering of people could pose a significant health risk.

How the Media Could Get the Election Story Wrong

NY Times

Picture this Thanksgiving: turkey, football (maybe), tenser-than-usual interactions with relatives. And perhaps a new tradition: finding out who actually won the presidential election.

Vote By Mail: More Than Half Of Young Voters Lack Resources Or Information

NPR

As the coronavirus pandemic has upended normal balloting, more than half of voters under the age of 35 say they don’t have the resources or knowledge they need to vote by mail in November, according to a new poll.

Republicans and Democrats battle over who has better voter data effort

Roll Call

Behind each presidential candidate’s advertising, social media messaging and turn-out-the-vote effort is a data operation that meticulously tracks not only past patterns of voters, but a vast array of demographic, consumer and behavioral data about them.

Other:

Calif could lose community newspapers without legislative action

Sac Bee

You’d be hard pressed to find an industry that hasn’t been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. But when it comes to news publishing, the virus has accelerated some difficult trends, especially for small community publishers.

Big Tech and antitrust: Pay attention to the math behind the curtain

Brookings

This week’s congressional hearing with the CEOs of Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Apple was meant to explore antitrust issues, specifically the effects of the companies’ market power. Former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler writes that what the hearing left mostly unaddressed was the source of that considerable market power—the collection and use of private data.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Fresno farming giant Jack Woolf, leader in transforming San Joaquin Valley, dies at 102

Fresno Bee

John Leroy Woolf Jr., a pioneering farmer who helped re-imagine the dry and dusty west side of Calif’s San Joaquin Valley into an agricultural oasis, died Tuesday. He was 102. Woolf, who went by “Jack,” died of natural causes at his Fresno home surrounded by his family including Bernice, his wife of 71 years.

Program buys back produce from local farmers hit by COVID-19 pandemic

abc30

A Central Valley resource center for Asian businesses hosted a produce buy-back event in Fresno on Wednesday. The program purchases fruits and vegetables from local growers and farmers who have not been able to sell because of market disruption amid the coronavirus pandemic.

FDA: Red onions linked to salmonella outbreak that sickened nearly 400 in 31 states

abc30

Red onions from a Calif supplier may have caused a nationwide salmonella outbreak that sickened nearly 400 people in 31 states, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Admin report issued Friday.

Wanting to help ‘givers,’ Vineland School District provides school supplies, food to families

Bakersfield Califn

The Weedpatch community is one that Vineland School District Superintendent Cindy Castro is very familiar with as she basically grew up in the area since her father owned his business there. Over the years, she’s come to know that the people who live there — many Hispanic families and migrant workers earning below the poverty level — are always in need, but very rarely ask for help. Instead, they’d rather help others.

Fresno Program Aids Small Farmers While Feeding Communities

VPR
Outside the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in downtown Fresno, volunteers unload boxes of ribbed sinqua from a farmer’s pickup truck. “All right they’re all good to go,” a young man says. “All of it?” another volunteer asks as he and others line up to carry the boxes of vegetables inside.

American Farms Could Use More Bees, Scientists Say

Forbes

Crop yields on United States farms could be more bountiful if there were more bees, according to a new study.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Calif prison population drops below 100,000 for first time in 30 years

Sac Bee

Calif’s prison population dropped below 100,000 inmates for the first time in 30 years, the Calif Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Thursday. By the end of July, the in-prison population was 99,929.

Investigation into marijuana grows leads to arrests

Visalia Times Delta

A monthlong, multi-law enforcement investigation into illegal indoor marijuana grows and electrical bypasses led to two arrests.

See also:

● Law enforcement uncovers illegal marijuana grows Visalia Times Delta

Public Safety:

No face masks allowed in Tulare County jails. That’s one complaint in inmates’ lawsuit

Fresno Bee

Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux is being sued by a group of jail inmates for allegedly failing to provide basic safeguards, including face masks, to protect against COVID-19. The class-action complaint, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Fresno by the ACLU Foundation of Northern Calif and the law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, seeks to force the sheriff to take immediate action to help prevent the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus in the jail.

● Counties fear released inmates will spread virus CALmatters

Campaign to cut police funding catches public’s attention

Turlock Journal

The term “Defund the Police” has quickly become a rallying cry for race-related protests taking place throughout the nation, and now the movement calling for the reallocation of police funds into other public services has made its way into Turlock’s City Hall.

Fire:

Fresno Fire Dept sees record-breaking month in July

abc30

July has been the busiest month for the Fresno Fire Department this year. The number of fire calls they received was just shy of 650. They also saw a major increase in brush fires responding to 250 of them. Engineer Shane Brown says many of them were ignited by those who are homeless.

This strong wildfire message shows how dangerous fire season has become

Sac Bee

In 2018, the most destructive wildfire season in Calif history struck with more than 8,000 fires throughout the state. Placer County Sheriff’s Office knows the devastation fires cause and shows just how dangerous fire season has become.

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

Visalia, Hanford restaurants open with outdoor dining

abc30

Parking spots have turned into dining rooms in downtown Visalia in hopes that it’ll help bring some much-needed business to restaurants. Concrete rails along Main Street allow restaurants to set up tables while keeping the street open.

● Governor announces more indoor business closures for many Calif counties Modesto Bee

● With loan money gone, restaurants at mercy of coronvirus Bakersfield Califn

Modesto-area companies got millions in taxpayer coronavirus aid. Who got the most?

Modesto Bee

As hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars meant to help small businesses stem losses from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic stream into the Central Valley, dozens of well-known agricultural companies, manufacturers and medical providers are among those receiving the most money locally.

Calif’s once roaring economy faces tough slog amid impacts of COVID-19 pandemic

Fresno Bee

It now seems like ancient history, but only a few months ago, Calif’s economy was roaring. “By any standard measure, by nearly every recognizable metric, the state of Calif is not just thriving but, in many instances, leading the country, inventing the future and inspiring the nation,” Gov. Gavin Newsom boasted in February’s state of the state address.

U.S. Small Business Bailout Money Flowed to Chinese-Owned Companies

NY Times

Millions of dollars of Paycheck Protection Program loans went to China-backed businesses in critical sectors, a study found.

Top Federal Reserve official says US needs another lockdown to save economy

TheHill

The government should again impose strict coronavirus-related lockdowns for a month or longer across the U.S. in order to boost the economy, a top Federal Reserve official said Sunday.

Jobs:

EDD In The Hot Seat As 1 Million Californians Remain Stuck In Unemployment Insurance Purgatory

Capital Public Radio

State lawmakers once again hauled in leaders from the Calif Employment Development Department to answer questions about the state’s handling of unemployment claims during the pandemic.

Remote work, child care, mask enforcement: COVID-19 is re-writing employment law

San Diego Union-Tribune

Hundreds of pandemic-related labor lawsuits have been filed, and that’s just the beginning of what’s to come, legal experts say.

‘New Normal’ Emerges for Companies Navigating Covid-19 Pandemic

WSJ

Corporate leaders, with a better understanding of the current stay-at-home lifestyle, are resetting their businesses; ‘our visibility is improving’.

Calif Dept of Public Health Issues COVID-19 Employer Playbook for a Safe Reopening

Litter

On July 24, 2020, the Calif Department of Public Health issued its most recent guidance for employers. According to the Department, the COVID-19 Employer Playbook for a Safe Reopening provides businesses with “the tools to open safely and mitigate risks associated with COVID-19.

EDUCATION

K-12:

This week in the Ed Lab: Are Fresno teachers ready for fall distance learning?

Fresno Bee

Parents are starting to have an idea of what schools will look like this fall. On Tuesday, Central Unified schools rolled out their plans for the fall semester. Parents in Central have two options. The default program will be Central Unified Distance Learning. Parents can also opt to enroll their child in the Central Unified Home School program.

● Schools in Fresno release fall education plan amid COVID-19 Fresno Bee

● Fearing back-to-school COVID-19 exposure, some teachers opt for safety, sparking worries of staffing shortages abc30

● Stanislaus County schools want teachers back on campus. What are the offers, exceptions?Modesto Bee

● Online learning plans up in air CALmatters

Burton more prepared for virtual learning

Porterville Recorder

The Burton School District will be much more prepared to provide virtual learning when the 2020-2021 school year begins. That was the message from Burton superintendent Sergio Mendoza in a letter he wrote to parents in the district. Burton’s school year begins on August 11.

Merced Union High School District board votes to delay start of upcoming school year

Merced Sun-Star

The Merced Union High School District’s board of trustees voted Wednesday to delay the start of the 2020-21 school year by a week until Aug. 19. The decision was made to provide the district additional time to program and distribute mobile internet devices to all students.

KHSD board to discuss South High School mascot, ethnic studies at Monday meeting

Bakersfield Califn

The Kern High School District board of trustees will hear reports and comments on a number of topics during its Monday night meeting, including South High School’s mascot, an ethnic studies requirement and distance learning attendance.

As school begins amid virus, parents see few good options

Bakersfield Califn

John Barrett plans to keep his daughter home from elementary school this year in suburban Atlanta, but he wishes she were going. Molly Ball is sending her teenage sons to school in the same district on Monday, but not without feelings of regret.

‘Herstory’ is out as Calif revamps K-12 ethnic studies course guide

LA Times

State officials unveiled their latest try at an ethnic studies curriculum for K-12 students Friday, and it’s clear their hope is that this time fewer people will be offended.

A School Reopens, and the Coronavirus Creeps In

NY Times

As more schools abandon plans for in-person classes, one that opened in Indiana this week had to quarantine students within hours.

Learning losses due to COVID-19 could add up to $10 trillion

Brookings

“The students currently in school stand to lose $10 trillion in labor earnings over their work life. To get a sense of the magnitude, this sum is one-tenth of global GDP, or half of the annual economic output of the United States, or twice the global annual public expenditure on primary and secondary education,” write Joao Pedro Azevedo, Amer Hasan, Koen Geven, Diana Goldemberg, and Syedah Aroob Iqbal.

Teachers unions are overplaying their hands

AEI / The Dispatch

Unions should be part of the process to reopen schools. But some appear to be resisting flexible solutions.

Calif child care providers losing money, risking health during pandemic

EdSource

With less income and more expenses, many providers are missing rent and mortgage payments and racking up credit card debt, even as they worry they will be infected with the coronavirus, according to a new survey from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at UC Berkeley.

Higher Ed:

Fresno State opens admissions for community college transfers for Spring 2021

abc30

Fresno State has opened up its admissions for upper-division transfer students from community colleges for the Spring 2021 semester. This admission period started Saturday morning and will end at the end of the month on August 31st.

UC Merced grad student, alumnus play role in Mars mission

Merced Sun-Star

NASA’s fifth exploratory rover is heading for Mars to try and answer key questions about its potential for life.

New draft ethnic studies curriculum for Calif students issued after a year of study

EdSource

Revision drops controversial sections but keeps focus on four ethnic, racial groups.

● Editorial: Lawmakers, don’t meddle in Cal State’s ethnic studies curriculum LA Times

Covid Tests and Quarantines: Colleges Brace for an Uncertain Fall

NY Times

Colleges are racing to reconfigure dorms, expand testing programs and establish detailed social distancing rules. And then, what to do about sex?

Why the move to online instruction won’t reduce college costs

Brookings

As COVID-19 swept across the country in March, colleges shuttered and millions of students and instructors were propelled into a world of distance education. Institutional leaders are now grappling with how to provide a quality education over the academic year ahead while also guarding the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff. Online instruction is a core component of many colleges’ strategies, with a growing number abandoning in-person plans for the fall. Questions about the feasibility, quality, equity, and costs of online instruction sit front and center. Our recent analysis suggests that the difficulty of shifting instruction online is likely to vary across fields of study, and that movement to online education is unlikely to reduce instructional costs.

How Do States Fund Postsecondary Education?

EdNote

Education Commission of the States recently released a 50-State Comparison detailing how state policies address postsecondary education funding.

Colleges Try to Reunite Students With the Stuff They Left Behind

EdSource

For months, nearly 3,000 miles has separated Benjamin Beckman, a Yale University music major in Calif, from his French horn back in Connecticut. The instrument was left behind in the hasty shutdown of colleges across the U.S. this spring as coronavirus hit—along with piles of laundry, snacks and personal belongings gathering dust for months in shuttered dorms at campuses across the country.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

US officials seek limits on “habitat” for imperiled species

Modesto Bee

The Trump Admin is moving to restrict what land and water areas can be declared as “habitat” for imperiled plants and animals — potentially excluding locations that species could use in the future as climate change upends ecosystems.

Everyone Loves the Chat Box: How Climate Science Moved Online

VPR

In mid-April, hundreds of scientists from around the world were supposed to fly to Ecuador for a five-day meeting about the latest research on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But the pandemic forced the IPCC to hold April’s in-person meeting online. Smaller scientific gatherings scheduled for the spring and summer also met remotely.

Tired of Wells That Threaten Residents’ Health, a Small Calif Town Takes on the Oil Industry

Inside Climate News

Arvin’s residents, like people in many other parts of Calif, are especially concerned by the oil and gas wells sprinkled throughout their community…a small group of mostly low-income, Latino residents is going against the grain, taking on the big oil companies in a David-versus-Goliath fight to protect the environment and their health.

Energy:

Two lawsuits filed against GreenPower chairman

Porterville Recorder

Two lawsuits have been filed against GreenPower Motor Company Chairman Fraser Atkinson. GreenPower is a company whose manufacturing plant is located at 90 W. Poplar in Porterville. The plant in Porterville manufactures electric buses. GreenPower also has corporate offices in British Columbia, Canada and Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

Refiners Retrench as Demand for Gasoline, Jet Fuel Shrivels

WSJ

U.S. fuel makers ran below capacity in the second quarter in a preview of the challenges they are likely to face as the world transitions away from fossil fuels.

Marathon Petroleum to Sell Gas-Station Chain to 7-Eleven Owners for $21 Billion

WSJ

Activists including Elliott Management had pressured Marathon to spin off its convenience stores.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

18 new COVID-19 deaths reported in Fresno Co update, 38 total deaths in region

Fresno Bee

● COVID-19 claims 18 more Fresno County, CA lives Fresno Bee

● Five more deaths in the county Porterville Recorder

● Public Health: 663 new coronavirus cases reported Sunday Bakersfield Califn

● Stanislaus County reports 6 deaths as cases surge past 9,000 Modesto Bee

Child at Valley Children’s in Madera has died from the coronavirus, hospital confirms

Fresno Bee

● Calif reports the first death of a teen from COVID-19 Modesto Bee

● Central Valley teenager first minor in state to die from COVID-19 Turlock Journal

● Young kids can carry 100 times more coronavirus in their noses than adults, study finds Fresno Bee

Stanislaus County touts efforts to control COVID-19 outbreak after a brutal July

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus County had a tough battle with the COVID-19 epidemic in July. But leaders insist they are not sitting on their hands as the grueling pandemic continues into August.

COVID-19 continues to disproportionately impact local Latino community

Bakersfield Califn

Whether it’s socioeconomic status, underlying health issues or a tradition of multigenerational housing, COVID-19 continues to disproportionately impact the local Latino community. As of Friday, about 71% of all COVID-19 cases in Kern County in which the race or ethnicity is known are from the Latino community, according to data from the Kern County Public Health Services Department.

Who should get a COVID-19 vaccine first? ‘Controversial’ choices ahead, experts say

Sac Bee

Experts are trying to determine who should be first to receive a coronavirus vaccine once one becomes available. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease specialist, said a vaccine could be ready by the end of the year and distributed to Americans in 2021, NPR reported.

Birx Warns U.S. Coronavirus Epidemic Is In ‘New Phase’ As Cases & Deaths Climb

VPR

White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said on Sunday that the U.S. is in a “new phase” of the pandemic, urging people to follow public health guidance as cases continue to climb in many parts of the United States. The U.S. has surpassed more than 4.6 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 154,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Five takeaways from Fauci’s testimony

TheHill

When Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases doctor, testified before Congress a month ago, the U.S. had just set a record with 48,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day.

We Need to Talk About Ventilation

The Atlantic

How is it that six months into a respiratory pandemic, we are still doing so little to mitigate airborne transmission?

Fact Check: 2005 chloroquine study had nothing to do with COVID-19 and the drug wasn’t given to humans

PolitiFact

The anti-malarial drug first showed up as a possible COVID-19 treatment around May 2020, when President Donald Trump said he had been taking its chemical cousin, hydroxychloroquine, to prevent getting infected with the virus.

Human Services:

Several counties on Calif’s COVID-19 watch list struggle to perform contact tracing

Fresno Bee

Twenty-eight of the 38 Calif counties with surging cases of COVID-19 report that they are attempting to investigate everyone infected and trace everyone they expose. But at least seven counties aren’t, and another one is asking all people sick with the virus to notify their contacts themselves.

Central Valley companies producing PPE for health industry, other businesses

abc30

The machines are whirring inside Total Concept as they churn out clear dividers for businesses in addition to machining parts. “The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) help was wonderful, but it ran out. Then I was looking out what am I going to do? I’m going to have to let people go again and thanks for getting into this area, putting together shields, we have not had to let anybody go,” said Liz Mcilvaine, owner of Total Concept.

Calif Doesn’t Need To Force More People Into Mental Health Treatment, But Services Are Lacking, State Audit Finds

Capital Public Radio

Many severely mentally ill Califns are cycling in-and-out of forced psychiatric holds due to a lack of treatment options when they’re released, according to a report this week from the state auditor.

Hospitals Juggle Resources, Continue Surgeries As Calif’s COVID-19 Cases Rise

Capital Public Radio

Hospitals throughout Calif were stockpiling gowns and masks, pulling hospital beds out of storage and cross-training nurses this spring in case droves of COVID-19 patients appeared at their doors.

A Bakersfield Pulmonary Critical Care Doctor On What It’s Like To Treat COVID-19 Patients

Valley Public Radio

Over the past few months, we’ve talked to a number of doctors and nurses about their experiences during the pandemic. Today we’ll hear from Dr. Amy Mehta. She’s a pulmonary critical care physician at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital. FM89’s News Director Alice Daniel spoke with her earlier this week.

AP FACT CHECK: Trump hype on drug costs, hydroxychloroquine

MSN

President Donald Trump is making grandiose claims about slashing drug prices and the efficacy of a treatment for COVID-19 that don’t hold up to reality.

Trump keeps promising an overhaul of Obamacare that never arrives

Wash Post

IMMIGRATION

Supreme Court allows construction of border wall with Mexico to continue

abc30

The Supreme Court declined by a 5-4 vote Friday to halt the Trump Admin’s construction of portions of the border wall with Mexico following a recent lower court ruling that the Admin improperly diverted money to the project.

USCIS announces massive increases in U.S. immigration fees

Fresno Bee

The Trump Admin announced on Friday an exorbitant increase in fees for some of the most common immigration procedures, including an 81% increase in the cost of U.S. citizenship for naturalization. It will also now charge asylum-seekers, which is an unprecedented move.

Fact Check: Trump’s Promise to End Birthright Citizenship

PolitiFact

DHS Reassigns Official Following Intelligence Reports On Journalists, Protesters

VPR

The Department of Homeland Security has reassigned its top intelligence official, according to media outlets, following news that his office compiled intelligence reports on journalists and protesters in Portland, Ore. Brian Murphy, who had been the acting undersecretary for the department’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis, was removed from that position, according to The Wash Post, which was first to report the news.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Two bears killed by drivers in Yosemite. Park officials urge visitors to slow down

Fresno Bee

National Park Service officials are urging drivers to slow down after two bears were killed by vehicles in Yosemite National Park within the last three weeks. Four bears total were struck by drivers in the park during that span of time. Two were confirmed dead while the others were believed to be seriously injured.

● 4 bears struck by cars in Yosemite; park rangers urge drivers to slow down San Francisco Chronicle

Housing:

Eviction ban to end in Calif. And a crisis looms if lawmakers don’t act

Fresno Bee

The first of the August arrives with a renewed sense of worry for renters in the capital region and Calif affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Until now, tenants have been protected by a series of overlapping rules on the county, state and federal levels which have put evictions on hold during the coronavirus pandemic.

Modesto among Top 10 rising housing markets nationally, new analysis finds

Modesto Bee

A low supply of homes means there are multiple offers being made on most houses. The current market requires patience, real estate agents say.

Squatters sit out evictions moratorium

Bakersfield Califn

Less than a week passed between Don Bonnet’s sudden loss of a tenant at his Oildale rental and his discovery, upon returning from medical treatment on the coast, that people he’d never met had filled the vacancy.

Rent is coming due in Calif: ‘Two weeks to avoid complete catastrophe’

San Francisco Chronicle

The Calif Legislature has less than a month left in its pandemic-shortened session to deal with one of the state’s worst economic crises in decades, and there’s no greater emergency than what to do about the rent.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Clovis orders most city employees to return to offices amid coronavirus pandemic

Fresno Bee

Clovis city officials are ordering back to work employees who have had work-from-home assignments during the coronavirus pandemic. According to an email sent by City Manager Luke Serpa and confirmed by city officials, city department heads have been instructed to tell employees to return to city offices effective Aug. 1.

What Modesto area companies received biggest PPP loans?

Modesto Bee

Bus drivers, custodians & other classified school staff will still work this academic year

abc30

As schools plan to reopen virtually, non-teaching staff members wonder what the future holds for their positions. Carmen Alessandro has worked for the State Center Community College District for over 30 years. She currently serves as a district enrollment coordinator and is considered classified staff.

State workers got a smaller pay cut than planned this week due to payroll mistake

Sac Bee

Calif state workers saw pay cuts in their checks this week, but the reduction wasn’t quite as big as it was supposed to be. That’s because the Calif State Controller’s Office, working on a tight turnaround, made a mistake in calculating workers’ retirement contributions, the office told employees Thursday.

Court Bans ‘Abusive’ Spiking, But Sticks With Pension Protections

Capital Public Radio

For 65 years, the Calif Supreme Court has taken a rigid line on pensions for public employees: Any retirement benefits promised to a worker at the outset of a job can only be reduced if they are replaced with something of equal value. That iron-clad precedent has been dubbed “the Calif Rule.”

Calif Has Lost a Greater Share Of Revenue Than Most States Due To COVID-19

VPR

· Looking For Solutions To Income Inequality During COVID-19 Capital Public Radio

TRANSPORTATION

Caltrans using old bottles to resurface Northern Calif highway in eco-friendly trial

Sac Bee

Calif is resurfacing a section of a Northern Calif highway with an unusual but promising eco-friendly product — recycled plastic bottles. It’s an experiment in sustainable highway construction, Caltrans officials say.

An electric SUV, inspired by Calif’s environment. Is it more than a dream?

LA Times

In 2005, Henrik Fisker rested alone on a Malibu beach, contemplating the sunset. Inspired by the sun, the sky, the ocean waves, he opened his sketchpad. The Denmark native, long in love with Southern Calif, drew a circle and divided it horizontally. The top, orange, the bottom, blue. Two vertical lines would stand for the designer’s pen and the engineer’s ruler.

Opinion: The 5th Stimulus – $300 Billion In Infrastructure Is The Missing Link

Forbes

As the battle over the fifth phase of Coronavirus legislation rages on Capitol Hill, I can’t help but wonder why an infrastructure stimulus has been swept off the table.

WATER

Work on enlarging Tule River Spillway to begin

Porterville Recorder

Much needed work at Schafer Dam at Success Lake is finally set to begin. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sac District will begin construction to realign Avenue 146 and widen the existing Tule River Spillway at Success Lake in Porterville on Sunday.

Coronavirus forces ban on out-of-county visitors to Woodward & Modesto reservoirs

Modesto Bee

Only residents of Stanislaus County will be allowed at Woodward and Modesto reservoirs because of COVID-19. The restriction applies to day use and will extend to camping after Aug. 6.

To save salmon, Gov. Newsom asks Warren Buffett to back Klamath River dam removal

LA Times

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appealed directly to investor Warren Buffett to support demolishing four hydroelectric dams on a river along the Oregon-Calif border to save salmon populations that have dwindled to almost nothing.

Editorial: Gavin Newsom’s plan for Calif water is a good one. Stay the course

LA Times

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new blueprint for Calif water policy offers a stay-the-course agenda for projects and policies intended to help cope with a warming climate and more volatile weather patterns that already are affecting the state’s irrigation, environmental and drinking water supplies.

“Xtra”

Central Sierra Christian summer camps fight to stay alive during coronavirus pandemic

Fresno Bee

San Joaquin Valley Christian summer camps are struggling as the coronavirus pandemic continues to punch holes in the economy. The financial strain of COVID-19 has touched Christian camps like Calvin Crest above Oakhurst and Hume Lake Christian Camp near Grant Grove.