Maddy Institute – December 16, 2020

16Dec

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

Stanislaus County’s COVID death rate among worst in California. How high do we rank?

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus County has the third highest coronavirus deaths per capita in California, according to a statewide tracking system. Over a nine-month period, the county through Monday has recorded 478 deaths for a rate of 88.6 deaths per 100,000 residents.

● Stanislaus Superior Court closes clerks’ offices to public to help stop COVID-19 Modesto Bee

COVID-19 is single leading cause of death in San Joaquin County, data shows

Stockton Record

Those who believe COVID-19 is no more dangerous than influenza might be interested in research conducted by data scientist Chuck Davis. Davis is chief technology officer for Bayesiant, a company that develops statistical models to track the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Central SJ Valley:

Fresno adds over 350 new cases, remains under critical threshold

Fresno Bee

Fresno County health officials on Monday reported an additional 358 new COVID-19 cases. More than 1,650 new infections have been recorded since Friday. A total of 44,114 infections have been reported in Fresno County since March, and 542 people have died.

‘Field hospital’ in works to alleviate coronavirus patient spike at Fresno-area hospitals

Fresno Bee

A medical team working under a contract with the Fresno County Department of Public Health is working with Community Regional Medical Center to establish a 50-bed alternative-care unit to help take stress off of hospitals across Fresno County as coronavirus cases continue to surge.

● Local hospitals being pushed to the limit Porterville Recorder

Q&A on what you need to know about COVID-19 vaccines

Fresno Bee

Hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 vaccine doses are on the way to California. Within days, thousands of health care workers could start receiving the vaccine for the first phase of distribution. Though far from a silver bullet to end the pandemic, the vaccine is considered one of the most critical tools we can use to battle COVID-19.

● Worried about the COVID-19 vaccine? Local experts explain why it's the 'light at the end of the tunnel' abc30

● Fresno County receives Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Hospitals plan for distribution Fresno Bee

● Valley Children’s Hospital receives COVID vaccine. Here’s when distribution will start Fresno Bee

● Fresno health officer: COVID vaccine arrival ‘bittersweet’ as deaths climb, hospitals fill Fresno Bee

● 1st shipment of COVID-19 vaccines arrive at Valley Children's Hospital abc30

● The distribution plan for the COVID-19 vaccine in Central California abc30

● County to receive 3,900 COVID vaccine doses Turlock Journal

● COVID-19 Vaccines Arrive in Madera And Fresno, Expected Soon In Other Valley Counties VPR

Fresno’s Central schools delay return to classrooms due to COVID-19. There’s a new plan

Fresno Bee

The third-largest school district in Fresno County will wait until COVID-19 cases start to significantly decline before sending students back to campuses for in-person learning. Elementary students won’t return to campuses part-time until the county reaches the red Tier 2 in the state’s color-coded “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” of coronavirus safety measures and restrictions.

The Digital Divide has plagued parts of Fresno for years. A big company is about to help out

Fresno Bee

On Tuesday, Comcast joined forces with the Fresno Housing Authority, elected officials, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County to announce a new initiative offering more internet to parts of Fresno.

March Elections Sees Biggest Pool of Candidates in Decades in City of Clovis

Clovis RoundUp

After an exhausting election season this past November many have decided to take a break from politics and relax. However, politics don’t stop and others like the five candidates in the Clovis city council race have already started their campaigns.

Southwest Airlines coming to Fresno Yosemite International. Here’s when the flights will start

Fresno Bee

Southwest Airlines is expanding its service to include Fresno Yosemite International Airport and Santa Barbara Airport, beginning in the second quarter of 2021. The airline’s Chief Commercial Officer, Andrew Watterson, said the expanded service in the state is focused on increasing the “reach of our low fares and flexible policies in places where we expect them to make a difference.”

● Southwest Airlines Will Soon Start Flying to Fresno KMJ-AF1

The time has come: Southwest Airlines is coming to Fresno Business Journal

South SJ Valley:

On 'single highest day' of reported cases, Kern County extends coronavirus surge measures

Bakersfield Californian

On the day Kern County reported its highest-ever number of new coronavirus cases, the Board of Supervisors extended several measures designed to manage a protracted surge of COVID-19 illnesses.

See also:

● Over 2,000 cases of COVID-19 reported on Tuesday Bakersfield Californian

● Hospitals prep for imminent vaccine rollout Bakersfield Californian

● Local employers navigate vaccine skepticism Bakersfield Californian

More Kern County Superior Court hearings to be held remotely

Bakersfield Californian

More matters in Kern County Superior Court's Metropolitan Departments will be handled remotely beginning Wednesday and until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lois Henry: Quest for water in the Kern River continues

Bakersfield Californian

The steady drumbeat of support to get more water flowing in the Kern River through Bakersfield continued Tuesday at the State Water Resources Control Board.

Kevin McCarthy still silent on Joe Biden’s election after Electoral College vote

Fresno Bee

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has not acknowledged that Joe Biden is the president elect a day after the Electoral College made Biden’s victory official. The Electoral College met Monday to ratify Biden’s victory, casting the official votes that mean Biden will be president next year.

Immigrant rights activists gather at Kevin McCarthy's office, call for prompt action under Biden administration

Bakersfield Californian

About 100 immigrant rights activists chanted in front of Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s Bakersfield office Tuesday afternoon in a loud but orderly demand for a path to citizenship for undocumented workers and an end to Trump administration policies that have separated families seeking refuge at the border

New board members sworn in at local school boards

Bakersfield Californian

December marks a changing of the guard for local school boards. Tuesday was a particularly momentous day after an election season that attracted more candidates and more attention.

State:

California orders more body bags – and begins a campaign on vaccine safety

Fresno Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a public vaccine campaign to reach Californians in 13 different languages Tuesday but warned that the state is still facing an uptick in COVID-19 cases and deaths.

● California Is Coming Apart Over COVID New York Magazine

Some California hospitals are running out of ICU nurses. What else can Gavin Newsom do?

Sacramento Bee

Every bed in the intensive care unit where Amy Arlund works is full. On her overnight nursing shift, she says she has to care for two dying patients at once with almost no help. The surge in COVID-19 cases has maxed out capacity throughout the hospital, forcing medical staff to treat some patients in a tent out in the cold.

California church creates ‘freedom fund’ for businesses open during COVID shutdown

Sacramento Bee

A large Northern California church has established what it is calling a “freedom fund,” designed to dedicate thousands of dollars to local businesses as most of the state has landed back in an economic shutdown.

Gov. Newsom extends tax deadlines for California small businesses

abc30

California small businesses will have more time to file their tax returns in 2021. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Monday giving small businesses until the end of July to file their first-quarter tax returns.

Coronavirus wipes away recent wage gains for many California workers, report finds

CalMatters

New research finds the pandemic has likely stripped away most of the wage gains made after the Great Recession by California’s lowest earners. State Democrats and Republicans are proposing various solutions, but experts warn jobs alone will not bridge growing inequality.

● Income Inequality and Economic Opportunity in California PPIC

California workers appear likely to lose two weeks of paid sick leave as COVID-19 surges

Fresno Bee

Even as California sets new records for COVID-19 cases, millions of workers in the state stand to lose two weeks of paid sick leave and additional weeks of paid family leave by the end of the year. Congress has yet to extend those leave programs past Dec. 31, and lawmakers remain deadlocked over any compromise.

With vaccine, California enters new phase in the coronavirus pandemic

Los Angeles Times

With cameras clicking and Gov. Gavin Newsom standing beside her wearing a surgical mask, intensive care nurse Helen Cordova rolled up the sleeve of her blue scrubs Monday afternoon and became one of the first Californians to get a coronavirus vaccine.

California expects 1 million more COVID-19 vaccine doses this month Los Angeles Times
Covid-19 Vaccine Trial Volunteers Note Occasional Harsh Side Effects Wall Street Journal
Op-Ed: Among those slated to get vaccinated now, we’ll have to prioritize. Who should be last in line? Los Angeles Times

Not all California state offices have anti-nepotism policies. That could change soon

Sacramento Bee

The State Personnel Board is preparing to require all state offices to adopt anti-nepotism policies following high-profile shakeups at California state government departments in recent years.

Judge fines Uber $59 million, threatens license in California over assault data

Los Angeles Times

California regulators issued a $59-million fine to Uber and threatened to suspend the company’s operating license in a Monday ruling. At issue: the company’s ongoing refusal to hand over detailed sexual assault data.

Walters: Three mayors and three defeats

CalMatters

Last month’s election was unkind to mayors of three closely spaced cities in Northern California. Stockton’s Michael Tubbs and West Sacramento’s Christopher Cabaldon lost to challengers who came out of nowhere, while Sacramento voters soundly rejected Mayor Darrell Steinberg’s bid to strengthen the power of his office.

Federal:

Stimulus update: Talks escalate on new COVID-19 relief, top lawmakers to meet

abc30

Rank-and-file Democrats appear increasingly resigned to having to drop, for now, the party's demand for fiscal relief for states and local governments whose budgets have been thrown out of balance by the pandemic.

● Congressional leaders add stimulus checks to $900 billion relief package as they near deal Washington Post

● Congressional Leaders Discuss Adding a Second Round of Stimulus Checks Wall Street Journal

● Congressional Leaders Say They Are Closer to Deal on Covid-19, Year-End Spending Bill Wall Street Journal

Republicans’ proposed COVID liability shield could undo California worker protections, advocates warn

Los Angeles Times

Frontline California workers could lose protections if Republican efforts to limit corporate liability is included in a new stimulus package, advocates warn. Republicans have pushed legislation for months to keep businesses from being sued if customers or employees contract the virus.

Fauci says Biden and Harris should get COVID vaccine ‘as soon as we possibly can’

Fresno Bee

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, recommends President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris take the coronavirus vaccine as soon as possible.

GOP Senate Leaders Warn Against Long Shot Election Challenge

Wall Street Journal

Senate Republican leaders united Tuesday in calling Democrat Joe Biden the winner of the presidential race, while warning colleagues not to join a long shot bid to challenge the results when Congress certifies electoral votes in January.

● ‘This is the reality’: Newsmax and One America grapple uneasily with Biden’s electoral college victory Washington Post

● From Congress To Local Health Boards, Public Officials Suffer Threats And Harassment NPR

● Opinion: These California Republicans sold their souls to Trump and betrayed American democracy Fresno Bee

● Opinion: Four decades and counting — the GOP’s shift to the right is bigger than the Democrats’ shift left Roll Call

Biden will arrive in office amid a pandemic. It will be his biggest challenge — but also an opportunity.

Washington Post

As President-elect Joe Biden and his team devise a governing strategy to defeat the coronavirus pandemic — the incoming administration’s most urgent priority — they have become centrally focused on instilling broad, bipartisan faith in vaccines.

● When the coronavirus pandemic fades, Biden will confront a resurgent drug epidemic Washington Post

For inauguration, Biden to take oath outside Capitol amid COVID-19 restrictions

abc30

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris aim to take their oaths of office outside the U.S. Capitol building as inauguration planners seek to craft an event that captures the traditional grandeur of the historic ceremony while complying with COVID-19 protocols.

● Californian was frontrunner for Biden’s environmental chief. Why that may be in jeopardy Sacramento Bee

● Biden to name former rival Buttigieg to lead Transportation Dept., former Mich. governor Granholm to Energy Dept. Washington Post

● Biden picks former EPA chief Gina McCarthy as White House climate czar Washington Post

● Biden said to tap Granholm for Energy, McCarthy in climate role Roll Call

● Biden Selects Pete Buttigieg as Transportation Secretary Wall Street Journal

● Biden to Pick Jennifer Granholm, Gina McCarthy for Energy, Climate Roles Wall Street Journal

● Biden’s Cabinet and White House Picks: Who They Are and What We Know Wall Street Journal

● EDITORIAL: Biden’s attorney general shouldn’t be a Democratic version of Bill Barr Los Angeles Times

Californian was frontrunner for Biden’s environmental chief. Why that may be in jeopardy

Fresno Bee

Mary Nichols has been making environmental policy for decades, and is responsible for running a groundbreaking California program designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. That program could be her undoing.

Census Estimates U.S. Population As High As 336 Million Ahead Of Actual Count

VPR

It's still not clear when the U.S. Census Bureau will release the first results from the 2020 census. But when it does, the bureau estimates the count may show that the U.S. population has grown by as much as 8.7% since the 2010 census, which produced a count of 308.7 million people.

● Census Estimates U.S. Population Grew 8% in Last Decade, Slowest Since the 1930s Wall Street Journal

Scope of Russian Hack Becomes Clear: Multiple U.S. Agencies Were Hit

New York Times

The Pentagon, intelligence agencies, nuclear labs and Fortune 500 companies use software that was found to have been compromised by Russian hackers. The sweep of stolen data is still being assessed.

● DHS, State and NIH join list of federal agencies — now five — hacked in major Russian cyberespionage campaign Washington Post

● The U.S. government spent billions on a system for detecting hacks. The Russians outsmarted it. Washington Post

● Suspected Russian Cyberattack Began With Ubiquitous Software Company Wall Street Journal

● What We Know About Russia's Latest Alleged Hack Of The U.S. Government NPR

Other:

Lie of the Year: Coronavirus downplay and denial

PolitiFact

Lies infected America in 2020. The very worst were not just damaging, but deadly. President Donald J. Trump fueled confusion and conspiracies from the earliest days of the coronavirus pandemic.

Opinion: The Desperate Last Days of Local News

New Republic

From billionaire dilettantes to pension funds, profit-seeking just isn’t compatible with the media’s core democratic functions.

Commentary: The antitrust cases against Facebook are weak on evidence and logic

AEI

There is a lot of force behind the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) and state attorneys’ general (AGs) antitrust cases against Facebook. The number of elected officials who have already passed judgment is impressive. Like-minded activists, interest groups, and academics have been building toward these cases for years with books, papers, programs, and op-eds.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Farmworkers Need Stockpile of N-95s For Wildfire Season, California Lawmakers Say

Capital Public Radio

When smoke filled the Central Valley sky in late summer and early fall this year, farmworkers were still harvesting in the fields. California requires agricultural employers to supply masks to outdoor workers when the air quality is poor enough. But this year, that was a tough rule to follow.

Farmworkers need high-priority for COVID vaccine, advocates say

abc30

Vaccinations are underway for health care workers, and so are lobbying efforts to give a higher priority to workers in certain jobs. One such group is California's 800,000 farmworkers.

A catastrophic year casts a pall of uncertainty across California’s agricultural valleys

The Guardian

Nowhere are the effects of the multiple crises that hit California this year more visible than in the state’s agricultural valleys. The region faced a list of challenges almost too long to comprehend: record-breaking heat, smog and smoke from historic wildfires resulting in air quality too poor to be outside in.

A Pistachio Tycoon Picks a Fight With the U.S. Navy

Bloomberg Green

John Conaway has lived in and around the town of Ridgecrest since before it was much of a town. In 1967, when he moved his young family to the remote Southern California community, Ridgecrest had been incorporated for only a few years. “It was all dirt roads,” he says. “No stop signs, no nothing.”

Food Services

Fresno EOC

Fresno EOC Food Services Program provides healthy and nutritious meals to pre-school and school-age children, youth and young adults, seniors, and organizations requiring catering services. We have an excellent team that includes a registered dietician and a chef.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

More Kern County Superior Court hearings to be held remotely

Bakersfield Californian

More matters in Kern County Superior Court's Metropolitan Departments will be handled remotely beginning Wednesday and until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amazon, TikTok, Facebook, Others Ordered To Explain What They Do With User Data

VPR

The Federal Trade Commission is demanding that nine social media and tech companies share details on how they harness users' data and what they do with the information.

Public Safety:

Some experts say prisoners should be next in line to get COVID vaccines. Here’s why

Fresno Bee

Deciding who sits on top of the vaccine priority totem pole is complicated. Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have assigned health care workers and nursing home residents the highest priority for getting vaccinated because they are the most exposed and most vulnerable, respectively.

States Can Shorten Probation and Protect Public Safety

PEW

More than 3.5 million, or 1 in 72, adults were on probation in the United States at the end of 2018—the most recent year for which U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) data is available—more than triple the number in 1980. Nationwide, on any given day, more people are on probation than in prisons and jails and on parole combined.

Fire:

Farmworkers Need Stockpile of N-95s For Wildfire Season, California Lawmakers Say

Capital Public Radio

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

Income Inequality and Economic Opportunity in California

PPIC

The COVID-19 pandemic upended California’s economy. The shutdown of most in-person economic activity in spring 2020 led to a dramatic spike in unemployment—especially in hard-hit industries like leisure, hospitality, and personal services.

Gov. Newsom extends tax deadlines for California small businesses

abc30

Small Banks Helped Businesses Win More PPP Loans

PEW

As visitors disappeared from Hawaii’s beaches in late March and job losses reached historic highs, local employers worried they wouldn’t get their share of federal Paycheck Protection Program loans.

U.S. Shoppers Pull Back Spending at Start of Holiday Season

Wall Street Journal

The holiday shopping season got off to a muted start as U.S. consumers reined in November spending. U.S. retail sales, a measure of purchases at stores, restaurants and online, dropped a seasonally adjusted 1.1% in November from the prior month.

December Fed Meeting to Focus on Asset Purchases

Wall Street Journal

Federal Reserve officials resume deliberations Wednesday about how to communicate their plans to support the economy with large-scale bond buying. The central bank in September updated its guidance about how long its officials expect to hold interest rates near zero.

Jobs:

Coronavirus wipes away recent wage gains for many California workers, report finds

CalMatters

● Income Inequality and Economic Opportunity in California PPIC

Uber, DoorDash Raising Prices in California to Fund Driver Perks

Bloomberg

Uber Technologies Inc. raised prices for customers in California on Monday, and DoorDash Inc. will soon follow, adding fees to fund new driver perks granted by the state’s voters in last month’s election.

California’s New COVID-19 Executive Order: How It Changes the Cal/OSHA Emergency Standard

Ogletree Deakins

Less than one month after the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board voted and approved an emergency COVID-19 regulation, Governor Newsom made changes to the regulation adding clarity.

America’s biggest companies are flourishing during the pandemic and putting thousands of people out of work

Washington Post

As the coronavirus pandemic devastated small businesses and plunged millions of Americans into poverty this summer and fall, executives at some of the country’s largest corporations sounded surprisingly upbeat.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Fresno’s Central schools delay return to classrooms due to COVID-19. There’s a new plan

Fresno Bee

The Digital Divide has plagued parts of Fresno for years. A big company is about to help out

Fresno Bee

Parents protest distance learning, district says decision protects students, staff

Hanford Sentinel

When Heather Parreira received a notice informing her that Hanford Elementary School District students would be going back to distance learning, she felt overwhelmingly dismayed. “It broke my heart,” Parreira said. “My son had only been back to school for a week and I really saw a difference in him.”

COVID closes three TUSD campuses

Turlock Journal

Three Turlock Unified School District elementary campuses have returned to distance learning this month following COVID-19 outbreaks among staff.

California Releases Updated Guidelines for Return of Youth Sports

Clovis RoundUp

The release arrived quietly Monday evening, but its impact on youth sports is huge: the California Department of Public Health unveiled new guidelines for the return of youth sports, an important step towards high school teams taking the field, court, track or pool again this school year.

Teacher Shortage Compounds Covid Crisis in Schools

Wall Street Journal

As if the pandemic weren’t disruptive enough, many American schools are facing a growing shortage of teachers. School districts are recruiting parents as substitute teachers, online class sizes are soaring to 50 children or more and bus drivers are baby-sitting classrooms.

If Teachers Get the Vaccine Quickly, Can Students Get Back to School?

New York Times

Teachers’ unions largely support plans to put educators near the front of the line, but given availability and logistics, that might not be enough to open more schools in the spring.

Higher Ed:

Big changes coming for Fresno-area community colleges as chancellor announces retirement

Fresno Bee

Paul Parnell, chancellor for the State Center Community College District, announced his retirement Tuesday, saying he intends to leave his post in July 2021. Parnell has led Fresno City College and Clovis, Madera, and Reedley community colleges since 2016, when he took over for then-interim Chancellor Bill Stewart.

CSU to return in-person next fall amid drop in applications

Turlock Journal

The California State University system, including Stanislaus State in Turlock, is planning for an anticipated return to in-person classes beginning next fall.

UC to Launch Its First Bachelor's Program in Prison

KQED

UC Irvine and the state prison system have reached a deal to create the first University of California bachelor’s degree program behind bars.

Ten Observations on COVID-19 and Higher Ed

PPIC

College policies on COVID-19 -- whether students should study on campus or in distance modes, when they should go home for vacation, and how they are regulated while present on campus -- have a potentially immense impact on host communities.

Opinion: Is Remote Learning an ‘Easy A’?

Wall Street Journal

While the pandemic certainly forced higher education to evolve, those changes haven’t degraded standards—the degradation was already happening, even before Allan Bloom published “Closing of the American Mind” in 1987. Any further dumbing down that’s occurred as a result of Zoom classes was a continuation of that trend—not what started it.

Supreme Court will hear NCAA dispute over compensation for student-athletes

Washington Post

The Supreme Court on Wednesday announced it would get involved in the long-running dispute about how college athletes may be compensated.

Commentary: College acceleration for all? Mapping racial gaps in Advanced Placement and dual enrollment participation

AEI

Racial gaps are larger on average for Advanced Placement (AP) than for dual enrollment (DE) programs. The average district white-black gap in AP participation is more than twice as large as the white-black gap in DE participation.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

Californian was frontrunner for Biden’s environmental chief. Why that may be in jeopardy

Fresno Bee

Monarch butterflies denied federal protection as California population plunges

Fresno Bee

As monarch butterfly populations across California plummet, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday that the insect species will have to wait for federal protection under the Endangered Species Act.

To Cut Emissions to Zero, U.S. Needs to Make Big Changes in Next 10 Years

New York Times

New research details major infrastructure work — including immense construction projects — that would need to start right away to achieve Biden’s goal of zero emissions by 2050.

Commentary: The Trump administration’s major environmental degradations

Brookings

Over the last four years, the Trump administration has taken on a massive deregulatory effort. With the issuance of Executive Order 13771, the administration’s two-for-one rule, federal agencies were directed to eliminate two regulations for each new rule issued. Much of this effort has focused on scaling back previous Obama-era regulations and weakening agencies’ statutory authority.

Energy:

Biden to name Granholm as energy secretary

Washington Post

President-elect Joe Biden is nominating Jennifer Granholm, the former governor of Michigan who has been a strong voice for zero-emissions vehicles, as secretary of energy, two people familiar with the process said Tuesday.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Fresno adds over 350 new cases, remains under critical threshold

Fresno Bee

● Situation dire as infected patients overwhelm Tulare County hospitals Visalia Times Delta

● Local hospitals being pushed to the limit Porterville Recorder

● Over 2,000 cases of COVID-19 reported on Tuesday Bakersfield Californian

● Modesto tops 10,000 cases. ICU index still near zero Modesto Bee

COVID-19 is single leading cause of death in San Joaquin County, data shows

Stockton Record

Fauci Predicts U.S. Could See Signs Of Herd Immunity By Late March Or Early April

VPR

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's senior official for infectious diseases, predicts the United States could begin to achieve early stages of herd immunity against the deadly coronavirus by late spring or summer. And if that happens, Fauci anticipates, "we could really turn this thing around" toward the end of 2021.

Column: Why the ‘beginning of the end’ of COVID-19 is further away than some think

Los Angeles Times

For all of the front-line healthcare workers who eagerly rolled up their sleeves for the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, there’s something a little disingenuous — or maybe Pollyannaish — about the chorus of insistence that we’re at “the beginning of the end” of the pandemic.

Human Services:

More vaccine doses head to California as ICU capacity dwindles

Fresno Bee

Even with hundreds of thousands of doses of a 95% effective vaccine expected to be distributed and administered, the next several weeks figure to be the worst of California’s coronavirus crisis.

● Valley Children’s Hospital receives COVID vaccine. Here’s when distribution will start Fresno Bee

● Fresno health officer: COVID vaccine arrival ‘bittersweet’ as deaths climb, hospitals fill Fresno Bee

● 1st shipment of COVID-19 vaccines arrive at Valley Children's Hospital abc30

● The distribution plan for the COVID-19 vaccine in Central California abc30

● County to receive 3,900 COVID vaccine doses Turlock Journal

● Hospitals prep for imminent vaccine rollout Bakersfield Californian

● COVID-19 Vaccines Arrive in Madera And Fresno, Expected Soon In Other Valley Counties VPR

● California expects 1 million more COVID-19 vaccine doses this month Los Angeles Times

● Covid-19 Vaccine Trial Volunteers Note Occasional Harsh Side Effects Wall Street Journal

● Op-Ed: Among those slated to get vaccinated now, we’ll have to prioritize. Who should be last in line? Los Angeles Times

‘Field hospital’ in works to alleviate coronavirus patient spike at Fresno-area hospitals

Fresno Bee

Kern County Latino COVID-19 Task Force rolls out free hotline

Bakersfield Californian

The Kern County Latino COVID-19 Task Force is unveiling its new mental health and wellness hotline this week. According to a news release from the task force, the hotline will connect people who have coronavirus concerns with mental health experts, health counselors and others who can provide feedback and information as COVID-19 cases are expected to pick up again during the holiday season.

With ICUs hitting capacity, hospitals turn to desperate measures

Los Angeles Times

With intensive care units in Southern California and the Central Valley lurching perilously close to full capacity Tuesday, officials are turning to increasingly desperate measures to prevent the state’s coronavirus surge from killing more patients.

California health officials scramble to staff medical facilities amid COVID-19 surge

Los Angeles Times

California is scrambling to find enough nurses, doctors and other medical staff for the increasing demands of the unrelenting pandemic, with the state having so far acquired just one in 10 temporary contracted positions needed to treat surging caseloads.

FDA releases positive review of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine

abc30

Hundreds more U.S. hospitals geared up to vaccinate their workers Tuesday as federal regulators issued a positive review of a second COVID-19 vaccine needed to boost the nation's largest vaccination campaign.

FDA authorizes first rapid, over-the-counter home coronavirus test

Wall Street Journal

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized the first rapid coronavirus test that can be taken at home without prescription and that yields immediate results.

IMMIGRATION

Immigrant rights activists gather at Kevin McCarthy's office, call for prompt action under Biden administration

Bakersfield Californian

What Trump's new 'death to asylum' rule actually says

The Hill

The Trump administration has published a final rule on new procedures for processing asylum applications that will be effective on Jan. 11, 2021. The administration says that its objective is to “more effectively separate baseless claims from meritorious ones,” which “will better ensure groundless claims do not delay or divert resources from deserving claims.”

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Sustainable Development and Land Use Update - December 2020

JDSupra

With California's eviction moratorium set to expire in less than 60 days and 2 million people at risk of losing their rental homes, a group of lawmakers wants to forestall evictions for another year.

Housing:

Valley Voices: It’s a not-so-wonderful life for low-income Fresnans priced out of decent housing

Fresno Bee

Every December millions of us watch as a crowd rushes into George Bailey’s living room to stuff cash into a basket until it overflows, saving this unlikely movie hero from ruin and — unlikelier still — a home loan association from insolvency.

How to Negotiate a Rent Reduction During the Pandemic

KQED

Rent was already too damn high, and then the pandemic hit. Between layoffs, furloughs and a shrinking economy, scores of tenants in California have come to dread the first day of every month.

Commentary: Just before COVID-19, American migration hit a 73-year low

Brookings

In the year before COVID-19 swept the country, a smaller share of Americans changed residence than in any year since 1947, when the Census Bureau first started collecting annual migration statistics.

PUBLIC FINANCES

IRS backlog leaves a million unprocessed tax returns, many still waiting on refunds

WFLA

Andrea Cimeno thought she would get her tax refund quickly after filing electronically in April. Now, just before Christmas, the IRS website shows her return is still being processed. “I call everyday and can’t get anyone to give me any answers,” Cimeno said.

TRANSPORTATION

Southwest Airlines coming to Fresno Yosemite International. Here’s when the flights will start

Fresno Bee

● Southwest Airlines Will Soon Start Flying to Fresno KMJ-AF1

● The time has come: Southwest Airlines is coming to Fresno Business Journal

Biden picks Pete Buttigieg as Transportation chief, sources say

Los Angeles Times

President-elect Joe Biden is expected to pick former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg to head the Transportation Department, according to three people familiar with the plans.

● Pete Buttigieg chosen as Biden's Transportation secretary Politico

Two New Transportation Leaders in California Legislature

StreetsBlog CAL

Assembly Speaker Rendon surprises observers by replacing Jim Frazier with Laura Friedman; Senate President Atkins appoints Lena Gonzalez to chair left empty by departure of Jim Beall.

WATER

Lois Henry: Quest for water in the Kern River continues

Bakersfield Californian

The steady drumbeat of support to get more water flowing in the Kern River through Bakersfield continued Tuesday at the State Water Resources Control Board.

Droughts Aren’t Just About Water Anymore

Public Policy Institute of California

In recent years, researchers have been learning more about how an increasingly “thirsty atmosphere” in California and the West is influencing drought.

Investors Can Now Bet On The Future Of Water Prices In California

NPR

This week in California, water became a commodity. That means it can be traded now just like oil or gold. It's a testament to how important water is in a state that's suffering from droughts and wildfires. Here's NPR's Jim Zarroli.

“Xtra”

Want Your Gifts Delivered by Christmas (Without Paying Extra)? Now’s the Time

Wall Street Journal

Rather than risk having their systems clogged with packages, both FedEx and UPS are holding a harder line by enforcing a preset limit on the daily number of packages they will pick up.