Maddy Institute – December 17, 2020

17Dec

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 has recorded 483 deaths for a rate of 89.6 deaths per 100,000 residents.

See also:

Stanislaus County COVID-related deaths nearing 500 Modesto Bee
Modesto nurses charge that change in staffing ratios is ‘not safe’ for COVID patients Modesto Bee

ACE launches income-based discount timed to get workers to essential jobs in pandemic

Modesto Bee

An Altamont Corridor Express fare discount program was launched Tuesday, with a primary aim of aiding low-income populations still needing to get to essential jobs. In announcing the ACE Community Assistance Program, the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission called it in a news release “a timely initiative to address equity.”

‘Alarmingly low’ CSU enrollment discussed at Stanislaus State year-end town hall

Modesto Bee

During the online End-of-Year University Town Hall held Tuesday, Stanislaus State President Ellen Junn spoke of “alarmingly low” enrollment seen at her campus and across the California State University system and what’s being done about it.

Central SJ Valley:

Available hospital beds, staff dangerously low in Central Valley

abc30

Help has arrived as the Fresno County Department of Public Health received their first shipment of the authorized Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday morning. At least 40% of the doses have already been allocated to hospitals as they get ready to administer it to those on the front lines.

See also:

Beds filling halls. Agonizing ER waits. Burned-out staff. Inside overloaded California hospitals Los Angeles Times

Extra body bags, refrigeration trucks: Valley agencies are preparing for the rising COVID-19 death toll

abc30

The state has activated the Mass Fatality Program for the first time. With 142 Californians killed by the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, Governor Gavin Newsom is ordering 5,000 additional body bags. It's a grim reminder of the rising death toll from COVID-19.

abc30

A Tulare County Health and Human Services spokesperson says Tulare County received its first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine on Wednesday morning. Three cases of the vaccine, close to 3,000 doses, were delivered to an undisclosed Tulare County facility. For security reasons, the county is not releasing the location of the facility.

See also:

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

Council seeks to fill District 5 vacancy

Madera Tribune

The City of Madera City Council authorized initiation of an appointment process to fill the City Council District 5 seat vacated by the election of Santos Garcia to the Mayor seat at its last meeting on Dec. 2

Morrow, Sharp sworn into Hanford City Council

Hanford Sentinel

Even though it seems like the world has stood still for the past nine months, just like the changing tides, the election year has brought a new wave of Hanford City Council members and leadership to move the city forward.

EDITORIAL: Fresno Republicans should give up their baseless fight and admit Joe Biden is president

Fresno Bee

California’s Assembly consists of 60 Democrats, 19 Republicans and one independent. In the state Senate, Democrats outnumber the GOP members 30-9 (with one vacancy). Even with some unexpected GOP wins in the state’s congressional balloting last month, the Republican party in California holds little relevance in political terms.

AMG & Associates Win Bid for Clovis Landmark Square

Clovis RoundUp

City council voted Monday night to approve the bid award for the Clovis Landmark Square which is located on the intersection of Third Street and Veterans Memorial Parkway. This will award the contract to AMG & Associates (AMG) for the construction of the Clovis Landmark Square.

South SJ Valley:

COVID-19, flu and valley fever present a 'Triple Threat' in Kern County

Bakersfield Californian

Respiratory symptoms are among the most common reasons patients seek medical attention. And in the last month of 2020, the number of patients presenting with respiratory symptoms has been daunting for hospitals, physicians and other caregivers.

Bakersfield hospitals mount intense effort to care for influx of patients

Bakersfield Californian

The situation in local hospitals continues to intensify as a spike in COVID-19 admissions in recent days has pushed some facilities past their worst points this summer, hospital administrators said Wednesday.

See also:

Just under 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 reported on Wednesday Bakersfield Californian

State Senators Grove, Hurtado join call for loosening restaurant restrictions

Bakersfield Californian

Two locally elected state lawmakers have added their names to a letter by a bipartisan group of 11 California legislators urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to reclassify restaurants as essential businesses deserving special consideration during the pandemic.

More than 30 local restaurants sue the state over operating restrictions

Bakersfield Californian

A group of 35 Bakersfield-area restaurant owners filed suit in Kern County Superior Court Wednesday accusing Gov. Gavin Newsom and four other top state officials of exceeding their authority by restricting diners' business operations during the pandemic.

Asm Fong introduces bill that would limit Governor’s power

Bakersfield Californian

Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, introduced a bill Wednesday that would limit the governor’s ability under the California Emergency Services Act to unilaterally enact or change laws or regulations 60 days after an emergency is declared

Asm Salas, local organizations team up to hold coat drive for kids

Bakersfield Californian

Assemblymember Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield, co-hosted an annual coat drive for kids on Wednesday. The event was held at Community Action Partnership of Kern and was put on in partnership with Aera Energy and Chevron.

State:

California shatters COVID records, reporting over 41,000 cases and 300 deaths in a day

Fresno Bee

California reported extremely high coronavirus numbers Wednesday, blowing past the previous single-day record for new cases by several thousand and also reporting the highest daily death toll of the pandemic.

Fresno 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.

See also:

5,000 body bags and 60 morgue trucks sent to COVID-ravaged California The Hill

California committees eye who’s next for scarce vaccines

Fresno Bee

A pair of advisory committees is making potential life-and-death decisions starting Wednesday over who is next in line for scarce coronavirus vaccines that aren't expected to be universally available to California's nearly 40 million residents until sometime deep into next year.

See also:

Vaccinations reach nursing homes as California faces crisis Fresno Bee
California May Consider 'Historical Injustice' When Allocating COVID-19 Vaccine Capital Public Radio
'Whose lives matter most?': California's vaccine rollout faces tough questions of equity The Guardian

Lawyer for suit challenging California COVID-19 rules wants Gov. Gavin Newsom deposed

Fresno Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom, already facing a recall effort and a number of lawsuits over his stay-at-home orders, may soon face a new challenge: an effort to depose him and other top state officials over their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Los Angeles Times

After more than three decades, Scott Fuller was fed up with living in California. The taxes are just too darn high, he said. The housing prices too. And so in June, the San Francisco Bay Area real estate broker, his wife and two kids packed their bags and moved to Arizona.

Women shatter glass ceiling on redistricting commission

Capitol Weekly

Next year, when California lays down political boundaries for a new decade, it will become the first state ever to adopt lines drawn in public by a commission in which women were the majority, election experts say.

Capitol Weekly Podcast: Frank Mecca on three decades at CDWA

Capitol Weekly

Frank Mecca retires this month after serving as the Executive Director of the County Welfare Directors Association of California for nearly 30 years.

Commentary: Here are three options for Newsom in selecting a replacement for Harris’ Senate seat

CalMatters

Now that the Electoral College has confirmed that our Sen. Kamala Harris will be the next vice president of the United States, Gov. Gavin Newsom needs to announce his decision for who will fill that seat.

Federal:

2nd round of stimulus checks now expected in new COVID-19 relief deal that's nearly reached

abc30

The deal is expected to include a new round of stimulus checks at $600 per individual, but no money for state and local aid, a priority Democrats had pushed for, and no lawsuit protections, which Republicans wanted.

See also:

Congressional Leaders Near Deal On Roughly $900 Billion COVID-19 Relief Bill VPR
Stimulus checks part of looming COVID-19 relief deal as Congress finalizes negotiations Stockton Record
Congressional leaders close in on coronavirus aid deal Los Angeles Times
Fed Reinforces Plans to Provide Open-Ended Stimulus to Spur Recovery Wall Street Journal
Lawmakers Near Covid-19 Relief Deal With Second Round of Stimulus Checks Wall Street Journal
Josh Harder: People and businesses in Stanislaus, San Joaquin counties need stimulus deal now Modesto Bee
Opinion: The Fed’s Stimulus Paradox Wall Street Journal

Joe Biden and Mike Pence will receive COVID-19 vaccine soon

Los Angeles Times

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President Mike Pence are set to receive the COVID-19 vaccine soon. According to two transition officials familiar with the matter, Biden will receive the vaccine publicly as soon as next week. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss it publicly.

See also:

Biden to Get Covid-19 Vaccine in Public Next Week, Pence on Friday Wall Street Journal

How Biden managed to win far more votes in 2020 than Obama did in 2008 — but far fewer counties

PolitiFact

As members of the Electoral College certified Joe Biden’s win over President Donald Trump, a popular social media post claimed that election results from 2008 show that Biden’s 2020 victory is simply not plausible.

See also:

Ask PolitiFact: How hard will it be for Joe Biden to get his Cabinet confirmed? PolitiFact

Skelton: Yes, Feinstein is the oldest U.S. senator. But she should be able to retire on her own terms

Los Angeles Times

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein says she hasn’t thought about retiring soon despite some assertions that the 87-year-old lawmaker should step aside because her cognitive abilities have allegedly declined.

Commentary: Betsy DeVos Speaks Out on Four Years of ‘Truly Disheartening’ Attacks

National Review

Next month, Betsy DeVos will close out her run as the nation’s eleventh secretary of education. DeVos’s tenure has been unprecedented in many ways, from her outsider status to her contentious confirmation to the devastating pandemic that upended American education over the last year.

Other:

Ten States Sue Google, Alleging Deal With Facebook to Rig Online Ad Market

Wall Street Journal

Ten states sued Google Wednesday, accusing the search giant of running an illegal digital-advertising monopoly and enlisting rival Facebook Inc. in an alleged deal to rig ad auctions that was code-named after “Star Wars” characters.

Commentary: Supreme Court fight over outdated robocall statute has significant consequences

AEI

It has been quite a week for Facebook’s legal team. In addition to the antitrust cases that my AEI colleague Mark Jamison discussed yesterday, the company argued in the Supreme Court over the meaning of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), an old anti-robocall statute.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, December 20, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: “California Politics: What Does 2020 Mean for 2021?" - Guest: Dan Walters, CalMatters; John Myers, Los Angeles Times. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, December 20, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: "Valley Politics: What Does 2020 Mean for 2021?"- Guests: Robert Price, Bakersfield's KGET and Bakersfield Californian; Joe Kieta, Fresno Bee; Paul Hurley, formerly with the Visalia Times Delta and now with the College of the Sequoias; Brian Clark, Modesto Bee. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Tyson Foods fires managers after investigation into bets placed on worker COVID cases

Fresno Bee

Tyson Foods fired seven employees after an investigation into betting on the number of COVID-19 cases among workers at an Iowa plant. The company announced termination of the plant management employees at the pork plant in Waterloo on Wednesday.

See also:

Tyson Fires Pork Plant Managers After Probe Into Covid-19 Bets Wall Street Journal

COVID-19 safety steps urged for Fresno farmworkers. Will it protect food supply chain?

Fresno Bee

Among the slew of recommendations announced Wednesday, the Fresno County Health Department wants employers to implement screening and testing guidelines for farmworkers, advising that at least 10% of their employees get tested every two weeks.

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.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Kern County Superior Court amends order on remote civil proceedings

Bakersfield Californian

The presiding judge of Kern County Superior Court on Wednesday amended an order on remote hearings for civil proceedings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Until further notice, the order said, all Metropolitan Limited and Unlimited Civil proceedings, with the exception of trials and mandatory settlement conferences, will be done via CourtCall or Zoom.

U.S. Executions Fall to 29-Year Low

Wall Street Journal

The number of death sentences carried out in the pandemic-stricken U.S. fell to a 29-year low in 2020, despite a rise in executions of federal inmates.

Public Safety:

Yes, Government Shutdowns Help Slow COVID-19 When Combined With Additional Measures, Experts Say

Capital Public Radio

In early December, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a regional stay-at-home order to curb the state’s record spread of COVID-19, which has skyrocketed 117% to 1.6 million cases over the past two weeks.

Fire:

PG&E holding virtual town hall tonight on wildfire prevention, shutoffs

Bakersfield Californian

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. will hold a virtual town hall from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday to provide an overview of its work to prevent wildfires and its Public Safety Power Shutoff events this year.

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

From restaurants to retailers, virus transformed economies

Fresno Bee

It would be just a temporary precaution. When the viral pandemic erupted in March, employees of the small insurance firm Thimble fled their Manhattan offices. CEO Jay Bregman planned to call them back when New York was safe again.

Fresno Bee

Since the last round of coronavirus restrictions went into place for Fresno-area restaurants in early December, James Caples has been fielding the same calls and Facebook messages almost daily.

The Cost Of Covid-19 Scares Some Consumers More Than The Disease

Forbes

As the U.S. approaches 17 million Covid-19 cases and surpassed 300,000 deaths, one thing scares many Americans more than the prospect of getting sick with the virus: paying for medical care if they do.

S&P 500 nears record after stimulus progress, Fed moves

Los Angeles Times

The Standard & Poor’s 500 ticked up to the edge of its record Wednesday after the Federal Reserve pledged to keep buying bonds until the economy makes substantial progress from its virus-racked state.

Californians’ Outlook Is Bleak as Low-Income Families Struggle

PPIC

In the midst of a global pandemic and recession, Californians have a dim economic outlook. Two in three Californians are expecting bad economic times over the next 12 months, and six in ten expect long periods of widespread unemployment or depression over the next five years.

Jobs:

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.

Wall Street Journal

Amazon.com Inc. has asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to give priority to its workers as vaccinations for Covid-19 begin to roll out.

Jobs That Didn’t Exist Before COVID

yahoo!finance

If anything positive has come out of the pandemic, it’s the creation of new jobs that didn’t exist before 2020. Granted, some of the jobs increase one’s risk of being exposed to the virus; however, these are jobs that are vital in the fight against COVID-19.

EDUCATION

K-12:

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.

More than schoolwork: Why distance learning is so challenging for Fresno County students

Fresno Bee

Audrey Pacheco has been joining her fifth-grade class virtually since August. Since then, she said, her wrist has started to hurt. “Reading and working on the computer is hard sometimes,” the 11-year-old Thomas Elementary student said. “I would rather read in a book than read on the computer. I’m getting a little more used to it.”

Updated state youth sports guidelines: No games will be played for a long time

Modesto Bee

High school sports in California will not start before Jan. 25, according to the updated youth sports guidelines posted to the state’s Department of Public Health website on Monday night.

Long sought after ’cradle to career’ education data system for California comes with hefty price tag

EdSource

One of the few notable areas where Gov. Gavin Newsom departed from his predecessor Gov. Jerry Brown on entering office was his support for establishing a longitudinal data system linking information from preschool into the workplace.

Higher Ed:

Fresno City College puts a halt to fall and winter sports for remainder of the school year

Fresno Bee

Fresno City College has decided that 11 sports that normally plays in the fall and winter seasons — including football, soccer and basketball — will not be played in the spring because of COVID-19. The decision was made “out of an abundance of caution and care for our community,” president Carole Goldsmith said in a news release sent Wednesday.

See also:

Fresno City College cancels fall, winter sports competitions abc30

‘Alarmingly low’ CSU enrollment discussed at Stanislaus State year-end town hall

Modesto Bee

How counseling aims to help CSU freshmen graduate in four years

EdSource

Right out of high school and not sure where the advising office is, let alone how to register for classes, freshmen need special care at California’s big public universities.

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.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

Can Joe Biden rebuild the ravaged US Environmental Protection Agency?

Nature

For many scientists at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the past four years working in President Donald Trump’s government have felt like an eternity. Largely sidelined, they could only watch as his administration dismantled science advisory panels , disregarded scientific evidence and weakened pollution regulations.

Biden to Pick Brenda Mallory to Run White House Environment Office

New York Times

President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has chosen Brenda Mallory, an environmental lawyer who spent more than 15 years working in the federal government under both Republican and Democratic presidents, to lead the Council on Environmental Quality, according to two people close to the Biden transition team.

Energy:

Conservation groups sue again to stop local oil company's Carrizo Plain project

Bakersfield Californian

A pair of locally active conservation groups is trying again after suing unsuccessfully 2½ years ago to stop a Bakersfield oil producer's proposal to drill a well and install a pipeline in the Carrizo Plain National Monument.

Big oil’s diverging bets on the future of energy

The Economist

Exxonmobil, once the world’s most valuable publicly traded oil company, is not easily swayed. As green investors urged it to develop cleaner energy, it planned instead to pump 25% more oil and gas by 2025. As rivals wrote down billions of dollars in assets, it said its own reserves were unaffected.

Commentary: Don’t fall for fossil fuel propaganda

CalMatters

The consequences of climate change do not impact all Californians equally, and here in the San Joaquin Valley, community members and agricultural workers are on the frontlines of the air pollution, water scarcity and increased heat that are inextricably tied to climate change.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

California shatters COVID records, reporting over 41,000 cases and 300 deaths in a day

Fresno Bee

See also:

Fresno County shatters records with huge spike of infections Fresno Bee
Fresno County nears 45,000 cases as first vaccines are distributed Fresno Bee
California breaks records with more than 53,000 new COVID-19 cases, 293 deaths on Tuesday abc30
Just under 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 reported on Wednesday Bakersfield Californian
Stanislaus County COVID-related deaths nearing 500 Modesto Bee

COVID-19, flu and valley fever present a 'Triple Threat' in Kern County

Bakersfield Californian

Trump official pushed for herd immunity, calling for low-risk Americans to be infected, emails show

The Hill

A Trump administration official pushed for a herd immunity strategy to respond to coronavirus, writing that it is good for lower-risk people to be infected with the virus, according to emails obtained by Congress.

See also:

‘We want them infected’: Trump appointee demanded ‘herd immunity’ strategy, emails reveal Politico

Human Services:

Tulare County receives first doses of COVID-19 vaccine

abc30

Bakersfield Californian

See also:

Facing ‘a grim set of weeks,’ California opens COVID field hospitals across the state Los Angeles Times

California committees eye who’s next for scarce vaccines

Fresno Bee

See also:

Vaccinations reach nursing homes as California faces crisis Fresno Bee
California May Consider 'Historical Injustice' When Allocating COVID-19 Vaccine Capital Public Radio
'Whose lives matter most?': California's vaccine rollout faces tough questions of equity The Guardian

California's Child Care Providers Largely on Their Own to Struggle Through Pandemic

KQED
The COVID-19 pandemic has been tough for California’s child care providers. Some saw their enrollment numbers plummet — along with their revenue — as families decided to keep children home. Others decided they couldn't risk exposing themselves or their families to the virus and decided to shut down.

Trump cuts $200M in health care funds to California over abortions

The Hill

President Trump’s administration announced on Wednesday an upcoming cut of $200 million in federal Medicaid funding to California over the state’s requirement for abortions to be covered under health care plans.

Moderna’s Covid-19 Vaccine Likely to Get Backing From FDA Panel, Chairman Says

Wall Street Journal

A Food and Drug Administration vaccine official said the agency is studying two cases of serious allergic reactions in people who got a Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE in Alaska, stressing that vaccination sites will be able to handle such reactions.

Covid-19 Expected to Reshape Health-Care Sector, HHS Says

Wall Street Journal

The coronavirus pandemic will reshape health-care spending, even though its full impact on the sector isn’t yet known, the Department of Health and Human Services said in a report that found health-care spending increased at a relatively slow pace in 2019 due to greater hospital care and drug expenditures.

IMMIGRATION

Biden order to halt border wall project would save U.S. $2.6 billion, Pentagon estimates show

Washington Post

The U.S. government would save about $2.6 billion if President-elect Joe Biden halts construction on the border wall project on his first day in office, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates reviewed by The Washington Post.

69% of undocumented immigrant workers have jobs "essential" to fighting Covid, says study

NBCNews

More than two-thirds of undocumented immigrant workers have frontline jobs considered "essential" to the U.S. fight against Covid-19, according to a new study released Wednesday by pro-immigration reform group FWD.US.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

AMG & Associates Win Bid for Clovis Landmark Square

Clovis RoundUp

Zoning and housing costs: The debate continues

48hill

While all of this may seem, well, academic, it matters a lot: The debate in the world of urban planning scholars fairly quickly becomes part of the debate in public-policy circles, and public officials are moving to restrict the ability of local government to regulate land use in the name of encouraging more housing.

Housing:

No longer a boom state: New data shows residents fleeing California in near record numbers

Fresno Bee

California’s historically strong population growth has ground to a near halt, new data show, as far more people moved to other states than moved here from elsewhere in the United States. The birth rate also continued to drop and older Baby Boomers passed away, some from COVID-19.

Building Opportunity for All

Senate Housing Package

California is facing a severe housing crisis, and Californians need real housing solutions. The state will need an estimated 1.8 million new homes by 2025 in order to meet demand, yet on average, only 80,000 new homes are built per year, according to the Department of Housing and Community Development.

California Is Banning Short-Term Rentals. Why Can’t Travelers Get Refunds?

New York Times

California’s new travel restrictions, put in place to help prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed by the pandemic, have thrown vacation planning into reverse as travelers start canceling their lodging reservations.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Unions, cities square off over raises, layoffs

CalMatters

Even as California cities face yawning budget deficits, many are still on the hook for raises promised to public employee unions — leaving local governments with little choice but to lay off employees or slash services.

Year-end tax moves aren’t just for the wealthy. These strategies can help lower your bill

CNBC
The end of the year is fast approaching, yet there is still time to take charge of your taxes. While that might seem like something only the wealthy would do, there are also ways for the average American to save money — even if you are part of the 90% who take the standard deduction (which is $12,400 for single filers in 2020).

Parsing the Fed: How the December Statement Changed From November

Wall Street Journal

The Federal Reserve releases a statement at the conclusion of each of its policy-setting meetings, outlining the central bank’s economic outlook and the actions it plans to take. Fed watchers closely parse changes between statements to see how the Fed’s views are evolving.

Commentary: Congress shouldn’t give a $120 billion windfall to the top 1 percent as part of its COVID relief bill

Brookings

Congress is on the verge of giving a $120 billion windfall to the top 1 percent in its pending COVID relief bill. It shouldn’t do that. Tucked into the bill is a provision to allow businesses to deduct expenses that were paid for by the government’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

See also:

Opinion: Here’s proof that tax cuts for the rich don’t boost the economy Market Watch

TRANSPORTATION

Southwest Airlines in Fresno is a big deal. Here’s why – and what we know and don’t know

Fresno Bee

Southwest Airlines, the low-cost airline that’s been a long-coveted prize for Fresno air travelers, “intends to” come to Fresno Yosemite International Airport sometime next spring. But the airline’s announcement Wednesday, while welcomed by city and airport leaders, leaves many key questions unanswered.

Modesto Bee

Tens of millions of Americans won’t travel as COVID ruins holiday plans, AAA says

Fresno Bee

For weeks, experts have been warning against holiday travel during the pandemic, but is anyone listening? It seems they are, according to figures from AAA.

A bumpy ride for California’s Amtrak as pandemic surges

CalMatters

Gabriella Choe has been a regular Amtrak passenger for the past four years, traveling from Oakland to Sacramento to see her parents. Before the pandemic, she rode the train nearly every other weekend.