May 6, 2020

06May

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

‘Open really slowly.’ Stanislaus outlines next steps for businesses closed by coronavirus

Modesto Bee

As it starts a process of reopening the local economy after the coronavirus shutdown, Stanislaus County will allow dog grooming, drive-in movies and retail stores providing curbside pickup, starting on Friday.

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Merced hotels to get coronavirus relief. Plans to help businesses remain on drawing board

Fresno Bee

Hotels and motels in the City of Merced received some good news Monday, as City Council unanimously agreed to move forward with deferring transient occupancy tax (TOT) payments until July 31.

Officials working on ‘roadmap to recovery’ for San Joaquin County

Stockton Recorder

San Joaquin County officials are working on a plan that recognizes the need to get people back to work, reopen businesses and resume normal activities, the Board of Supervisors was told during its regular meeting Tuesday that continued to focus on impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Federal judge denies Lodi church’s complaint against city, county and state

Stockton Recorder

A federal judge this week denied a Lodi church’s complaint that its religious freedoms were violated by state and local stay at home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Mariposa County leaders say preparation for other disasters has helped with COVID-19 response

abc30

Residents were quickly alerted about stay at home orders by call, text, and email using the same system that saved lives during the Detwiler fire three years ago.

While Sheltering In Place, Sen. Anna Caballero Has This Reminder: Don’t Forget About The Census

VPR

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the census is still taking place. But so far only half of the families in the San Joaquin Valley have responded. In contrast, 58 percent of California residents have responded to the census as of Monday.

Tom McClintock doesn’t think masks should be mandatory: ‘People are very courteous’

Sacramento Bee

Rep. Tom McClintock wants to make sure his mother is safe. He tells her, “If you are in a high risk group, you do need to stay at home. I told my 89-year-old mother, ‘Mom, you’re going to have to become a hermit for a few weeks.’

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Central SJ Valley

Fresno Mayor Lee Brand gives green light for these businesses to reopen

Fresno Bee

Fresno Mayor Lee Brand announced on Tuesday that the city will allow certain businesses to reopen on Monday. Fresno is one of the first major California cities to make the push since the coronavirus pandemic brought severe shelter in place rules nearly seven weeks ago.

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Coronavirus updates: Tulare County sees 100 new cases; Barbershops reopen in Parlier

Fresno Bee

The projected number of coronavirus deaths in the U.S. has almost doubled to 134,000, according to a University of Washington model. The model, which is regularly used by the White House,predicts the deaths will continue through August, with large increases in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Michigan specifically.

Clovis asks Gov. Newsom for COVID-19 relief and to allow businesses to reopen

Fresno Bee

The Clovis City Council on Monday approved two letters to California Gov. Gavin Newsom requesting funding for coronavirus relief and seeking permission to allow businesses to reopen.

See also:

Sheriff Asks Gov. to Allow Madera County to Reopen

Sierra News

At their regular board meeting this morning, Madera County supervisors authorized Madera County Sheriff Jay Varney to send a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom requesting more leeway be given to individual counties like Madera in terms of how quickly they are allowed to reopen.

Tulare County approves first hiring freeze since 2008

abc30

At Tuesday’s board of supervisors meeting, Tulare County Administrative Officer Jason Britt estimated that the county’s current budget could take a $21-$27 million hit.

Attorney stops Visalia council from reopening city

Visalia Times Delta

The Visalia City Council came astonishingly close to answering the calls of many Visalians to defy the governor’s public health directives and reopen the city’s economy on Tuesday — until the city attorney stepped in with a relatively strong rebuke.

South SJ Valley:

Supervisors plan to open businesses as quickly as possible

Bakersfield Californian

Kern County officials hope to allow as many businesses to open on Friday as possible following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent announcement that counties could begin doing so by the end of the workweek.

See also:

Bakersfield City Council to vote on supporting local effort to reopen county

Bakersfield Californian

The city of Bakersfield stands ready to support a local effort to pressure Gov. Gavin Newsom to let Kern County reopen ahead of other areas of the state.

State:

Are California pensions ‘sacrosanct?’ State Supreme Court hears challenge to Jerry Brown’s law

Fresno Bee

California public employee unions defended pension practices banned by one of former Gov. Jerry Brown’s marquee laws during arguments at the California Supreme Court on Tuesday in a case that could help determine whether local governments can adjust retirement offerings for current workers.

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Gavin Newsom wants $1 trillion COVID-19 aid package for states. How did he get that number?

Fresno Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants Washington to approve a $1 trillion package of economic assistance for states and local governments that are suddenly seeing huge deficits because of the coronavirus-induced recessions. He’s in for a big fight.

PPE secured for businesses as CA preps for partial reopening

abc30

Gov. Gavin Newsom presented his daily briefing from a small business in Sacramento on Tuesday, where he said the state is working to provide more PPE for companies that are able to reopen at the end of the week.

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Hours after wiring $$, deal ended

CalMatters

Remember Gov. Gavin Newsom’s secretive, nearly $1 billion deal with Chinese company BYD for a monthly purchase of 200 million medical-grade face masks?

See also:

California sees first drop in weekly coronavirus deaths. Is it a turning point?

Los Angeles Times

California recorded its first week-over-week decline in reported coronavirus deaths, a promising if preliminary sign of progress as Gov. Gavin Newsom prepared to reopen some businesses this week.

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Rural California counties persist in defying virus order

Fresno Bee

Two rural counties that defied California’s stay-at-home order and reopened businesses aren’t backing down even though Gov. Gavin Newsom calls their decision “a big mistake” that could slow the state’s recovery from the coronavirus.

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Coronavirus sparks new fight over California’s internet privacy law

San Francisco Chronicle

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s office is gearing up to enforce the state’s landmark internet privacy law, despite pleas from business groups that say they aren’t ready because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Photos taken at Kobe Bryant crash site should be against the law, California lawmaker says

Los Angeles Times

Assembly Bill 2655 would outlaw acts that violate the privacy of deceased victims and apply to all first responders acting under color of authority.

California stem cell advocates submit signatures for $5.5B bond measure

San Francisco Chronicle

Supporters of a proposed $5.5 billion bond measure that would keep California’s stem cell research institute in business say they have submitted enough signatures to qualify it for the November ballot.

The liberal-moderate rift among Democrats has blown open in California

Politico

Business groups seize on the Golden State’s nonpartisan voting rules to embrace moderate Democrats, opening divisions in the state’s dominant party.

Boozy California lottery parties risked embarrassing state agencies, investigation says

Fresno Bee

California State Lottery managers who visited a raucous piano bar on work trips ran afoul of a state law meant to protect public agencies’ reputations, state Department of Justice attorneys said in a recently completed report.

Walters: GOP lawmaker fights for accountability

CalMatters

About three-fourths of the Legislature’s 120 seats are occupied by Democrats, which renders the Capitol’s relatively tiny band of Republicans pretty much irrelevant.

Commentary: A hasty hearing on a constitutional amendment that would overturn Prop. 209

CalMatters

A controversial bill intended to re-introduce government preferences, Assembly Constitutional Amendment 5, is scheduled for a committee hearing Tuesday in the California Legislature, giving the public a deliberately short 24-hour notice. 

Federal:

Us Infection Rate Rising Outside New York As States Open Up

Business Journal

Take the New York metropolitan area’s progress against the coronavirus out of the equation and the numbers show the rest of the U.S. is moving in the wrong direction, with the known infection rate rising even as states move to lift their lockdowns, an Associated Press analysis found Tuesday.

White House Coronavirus Task Force To Wind Down

VPR

The White House’s coronavirus task force will wind down its work around Memorial Day, Vice President Mike Pence told reporters on Tuesday.

See also:

Fauci To Appear Before Senate Panel, But Not ‘Trump Haters’ In The House, Trump Says

VPR

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will join Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield and other administration representatives in testifying before a Senate committee on May 12.

Trump tours, touts mask factory — but no mask for him

Fresno Bee

Making himself Exhibit A for reopening the country, President Donald Trump visited an Arizona face mask factory, using the trip to demonstrate his determination to see an easing of stay-at-home orders even as the coronavirus remains a dire threat. Trump did not wear a mask despite guidelines saying they should be worn inside the factory at all times.

Trump officials ignored coronavirus warnings, ousted scientist says in complaint

Los Angeles Times

Top Trump administration health officials repeatedly ignored warnings in January and February about the need for masks and other protective equipment to prepare for a coronavirus outbreak, according to a detailed whistleblower complaint from a senior scientist ousted from his post last month.

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U.S. Treasury To Borrow $3 Trillion In 3 Months To Pay For Pandemic

VPR

The U.S. Treasury Department plans to borrow nearly $3 trillion between April and June to bankroll the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. It’s an unprecedented level of deficit financing to match the historic economic hit caused by the virus. In a single quarter, the government will borrow more than twice as much as it did all of last year

Pelosi signals support for massive new payroll subsidies as small-business loan fund nears expiration

MarketWatch

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi held a virtual roundtable with small-business owners and advocacy organizations Tuesday afternoon as the federal government’s program for supporting businesses with fewer than 500 employees was well on its way to exhausting the roughly $670 billion Congress has allocated to it so far.

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Americans widely oppose reopening most businesses, despite easing of restrictions in some states, Post-U. Md. poll finds

Washington Post

Americans clearly oppose the reopening of restaurants, retail stores and other businesses, even as governors begin to lift restrictions that have kept the economy locked down in an effort to combat the coronavirus pandemic, according to a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll.

Opinion: Why does returning to normal after coronavirus lockdown have to be a fight?

Fresno Bee

In 2020 America, we should probably have expected that the eagerly-awaited prospect of a return to economic activity after the nationwide coronavirus lockdown would be greeted not with cheers but with widespread strife.

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Justice Ginsburg hospitalized with infection, Supreme Court says

Fresno Bee

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was hospitalized Tuesday with a gallbladder infection, the U.S. Supreme Court said in a statement.

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Coronavirus Trackers:

Coronavirus (COVID-19) in California

Covid19.ca.gov

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

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Elections 2020:

New study shows why Democrats should be cautious of Biden’s national polling lead

Fresno Bee

A new study released Wednesday quantifies exactly how many votes the former Democratic presidential nominee “wasted” — and warns Democrats that they might be doomed to a similar fate in the 2020 general election if they don’t focus on the most important states.

Biden’s Vice Presidential Choice May Be Swayed By History, Including His Own

Capital Public Radio

Joe Biden pledged to pick a woman as his running mate. Beyond gender, there are many calculations involved in the Democratic candidate’s decision, including his perspective as a former vice president.

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OPINION: Joe Biden and the #MeToo Double Standard

Wall Street Journal

Obviously and justifiably, the Tara Reade saga was played up by Republicans for the hypocrisy it has laid bare. Democrats don’t want the “believe women” standard applied to their presumed presidential candidate, Joe Biden, even though they merrily applied it in 2018 to President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh.

Trump Campaign Reworks Its Pitch To Black Voters After Pandemic Slams Economy

Capital Public Radio

President Trump’s campaign was trying to woo African American voters by promoting the earlier low black unemployment rate. But now the economy is in a tailspin.

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Commentary: Here’s a voting system that would have counted all of California’s Super Tuesday votes

CalMatters

If California voters had been allowed to rank multiple candidates on their ballot in order of their preference, as one state does, the real winner of the Super Tuesday primary held nearly two months would have been announced much sooner. And the preference of a majority of voters might surprise you.

Other:

Asked to choose between Trump and Fox News, Republicans are more likely to trust Trump

Washington Post

To a large extent, the position Fox News occupies in the American political discussion is similar to the one held by establishment Republicans in deep-red states. You can embrace President Trump and Trumpism, earning the benefits of attention and support from his base.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, May 10, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: Unintended Consequences:  Do Open Meeting Laws Undermine Good Decision Making? – Guest: Carole D’Elia, Former Executive Director of Little Hoover Commission. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, May 10, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report – Valley Views Edition: Sunshine (Laws) in the Valley: A Good Thing? – Guests: Nate Monroe (UC Merced Professor), Paul Hurley (Former Editor, Visalia Times Delta), and Hilda Cantu Montoy (Fresno-area Attorney and former City Attorney for the City of Fresno). Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, May 10, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: El Censo y la Redistribución de Distritos Electorales  – Guests: Joe Hayes, Investigator del Instituto de Politicas Publicas de California, Secretario de Estado Alex Padilla y Margarita Fernandez Jefe de Relaciones Publicas de la oficina de la Auditora de California. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

More Ruiz Foods employees test positive for COVID-19, bringing total to 107

abc30

Thirty more employees at Ruiz Foods have tested positive for coronavirus, according to Tulare County Health and Human Services, bringing the total number of cases at the company’s facilities to 107.

Friday Night Farmers Market set to Reopen

Clovis RoundUp

Old Town Clovis’ Friday Night Farmers Market is set to restart business this weekend, but in limited fashion. The seasonal portion of the farmers market will reopen to the public starting Friday, May 8 at 5:30 p.m. and will close at 8 after being shut down in March due to COVID-19 pandemic, although farmers markets are designated as essential businesses by the state.

Growers face ‘unprecedented losses’ amid pandemic

Visalia Times Delta

According to a January study published in the Journal of Nutrition, restaurant meals accounted for 21% of adults’ total caloric intake in the U.S. Without that demand, diets have shifted, and it turns out, we tend to eat fewer vegetables – but more fruits – when we eat at home.

With safety measures in place, local restaurants begin opening doors to dine-in customers

Bakersfield Californian

The decision to open back up to diners, just days after the Kern County Public Health Services Department announced that a local health order issued April 2 was rescinded, had several layers to it.

Rotting food. Hungry masses. Chaotic supply chains. Coronavirus upends the U.S. food system

Los Angeles Times

In less time than it takes a farmer to plant and harvest a head of lettuce, the nation’s entire food industry has been flipped on its head by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here’s our conversation, lightly edited and condensed with David Mas Masumoto

New York Times

All in all, good, in that we’re not in the middle of the harvest. But it’s that cloud of uncertainty. Farmers are used to that, because of nature, but this is totally different. We’re reading the tea leaves about how consumer tastes are changing.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Fresno man with liver disease wants out of jail due to COVID-19 risk. Judge weighs charges

Fresno Bee

A Fresno man who potentially faces life in prison for kidnapping, carjacking and robbery wants to be let out of jail to wait for his trial, saying he is worried about catching COVID-19.

How Debt Collectors Are Transforming the Business of State Courts

PEW

The business of state civil courts has changed over the past three decades. In 1990, a typical civil court docket featured cases with two opposing sides, each with an attorney, most frequently regarding commercial matters and disputes over contracts, injuries, and other harms.

Public Safety:

Bill providing protections for pregnant correction officers passes committee

Bakersfield Californian

A bill authored by Assemblyman Rudy Salas that will provide reasonable working accommodations for all pregnant correctional officers passed the Assembly Committee on Public Employment and Retirement Tuesday.

Betsy DeVos announces new rules on campus sexual assault, offering more rights to the accused

Washington Post

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Wednesday released a sweeping new directive governing how schools must handle allegations of sexual assault and harassment, giving new rights to the accused and giving colleges a clear but controversial road map to navigating these highly charged investigations.

Justice Department investigates Blue Flame Medical after claims it failed to provide masks to Maryland, California

Washington Post

The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation in to Blue Flame Medical, a firm created by two well-connected Republican operatives who started selling covid-19 supplies this spring as the virus spread across the country.

Fire:

Wildland Fire Camps Need Dramatic Change Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Capital Public Radio

As the wildfire season is beginning, some wild land firefighters are worried their safety could be at risk since the government has been slow to adopt new COVID-19 protocols.

Coronavirus crisis demands new strategies on wildfire prevention

San Francisco Chronicle

Fire season is not going to take a year off because of the COVID-19 crisis. Uncontrolled wildfire poses a major threat throughout the West because high fuel loads have accumulated for over a century in wildland/urban interface areas where naturally occurring fire has been suppressed.

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

The Tower District is losing a bar/entertainment venue as COVID-19 squeezes Fresno business

Fresno Bee

Though some retailers are expected to begin reopening in California as early as Friday with curbside pickup, restaurants, bars and breweries are still waiting on guidance about when they can begin reopening. The city’s shelter-in-place order has been extended until May 31.

With safety measures in place, local restaurants begin opening doors to dine-in customers

Bakersfield Californian

Walking into Mossman’s Coffee Shop in Westchester has been strange the last few weeks for owner Rick Mossman. With tables and chairs empty, things haven’t felt right. But some things were back to normal Monday and Tuesday.

SBDC plans webinar on financial relief for businesses, HR issues during pandemic

Bakersfield Californian

Local businesses are invited to participate in a free webinar Wednesday about the availability of government financial relief and help with human resource matters during the pandemic. The hour-long, online event is the eighth in a series being presented by the Small Business Development Center at Cal State Bakersfield.

California Trade Report for March 2020

California Center for Jobs & the Economy

The March data continues to reflect the downturn in the economy stemming from the global supply disruptions that began with the closures in China.  As shown in the table below, goods trade with China, Hong Kong, and Macau through the state’s ports was down 34% from the year earlier, with the deepest slump in imports.

Opinion: Lawmakers must protect California’s small businesses against friviolous PAGA lawsuits

Fresno Bee

The coronavirus has closed most small businesses’ doors, while some restaurants have been lucky and been able to remain open for takeout. Having little to no customers poses a major threat to stores’ ability to remain in business. However, a second threat exists to small businesses – a lesser known, yet equally destructive threat known as the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA).

See also:

Editorial: Rush to reopen California’s economy is a mistake

Mercury News

This is no time to go back to business as usual. The intense longing for a return to normalcy in California and other states is understandable. But the rush to reopen businesses is premature and ignores the warnings of health experts and the basic science of the novel coronavirus.

Stocks post gains even after late-day stumble

Los Angeles Times

Stocks on Wall Street closed broadly higher Tuesday as more countries relaxed restrictions on businesses, raising hopes for a recovery from the historic plunge that is sweeping the global economy.

Where Have the Paycheck Protection Loans Gone So Far?

Liberty Street Economics

Lawmakers passed a new bill replenishing the fund with another $310 billion and the Small Business Administration (SBA) started approving loans again on April 27. With a new round of PPP lending underway, it is natural to examine the allocation of credit in the first round and ask: Have PPP loans gone to the areas of the country and sectors of the economy hardest hit by COVID-19?

See also

The Fed once warned about fuzzy accounting. Now it’s propping up firms that use it

Los Angeles Times

For years, the Federal Reserve warned that too many companies were engaging in fuzzy accounting that bumped up their earnings — making it easier for them to obtain loans. The practice — known as adjusted Ebitda — was driving up corporate debt to excessive and worrisome levels, regulators chastised.

A massive drop in car sales sparks new push in Congress to aid the auto industry

Washington Post

A precipitous decline in car sales amid the deadly coronavirus outbreak has caught the attention of Capitol Hill, where some lawmakers are now urging Congress to authorize new aid for the auto industry.

Jobs:

Local SEIU chapter voices concerns over worker safety during reopening

Bakersfield Californian

The local chapter of the Service Employees International Union is requesting a voice on a new committee put together to guide the county’s efforts at reopening the local economy.

See also:

20.2 Million Private-Sector Jobs Are Gone

VPR

The private sector slashed a record 20.2 million jobs between March and April — a somber preview of Friday’s monthly jobs report. That’s up from the 149,000 private jobs cut a month earlier.

See also:

California Sued Uber And Lyft. Will It Help Drivers?

Capital Public Radio

The state accuses the ride-hailing apps of flouting a labor law by classifying drivers as independent contractors instead of employees.

See also:

DOL Says States Can Put Grants Toward Virus-Tracking Jobs

Law360

The U.S. Department of Labor on Tuesday said states can spend federal funds on programs that give laid-off workers jobs tracking coronavirus exposures, a day after the top Democrat on the Senate work committee urged the administration to redeploy the unemployed as a “public health workforce.”

Employees at big retailers have contracted COVID-19, and some have died

PolitiFact

For so many of us during the COVID-19 pandemic, shopping has become the only activity outside of the house. Even still, it’s not very pleasant, and can be, at times, nervewracking.  Questioning why some small businesses around the country must close during the coronavirus pandemic, a recent Facebook post claims that several big companies have yet to see a single of their millions of employees catch COVID-19.

9 states seek $36B in federal advances for unemployment claims

Politico

Nine states have told the Department of Labor they plan to ask for $36 billion in federal advances to cover the astronomical cost of unemployment payouts amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to new information provided to POLITICO Tuesday night by federal officials.

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EDUCATION

K-12:

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Education

PPIC

Key findings from the current survey: Many California parents see school closures for COVID-19 as somewhat of a problem and are concerned with providing productive learning at home. An overwhelming majority of parents approve of school districts’ handling of closures and Governor Newsom’s handling of K–12 education. As optimism wanes about the economy, views on school bonds are mixed.

No coronavirus vaccine. Summer vacation canceled. Do California parents want school in July?

Fresno Bee

After weeks of having kids isolated at home, many parents may be counting the days until California schools reopen. But Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statement last week that schools could be back in session as early as July is worrying some parents. That early start would deprive young students of much-needed summer vacations.

Reedley High School finding new way to honor class of 2020

abc30

High School seniors have been looking forward to hearing their name called on graduation night, but because of the global pandemic, that experience seemed like it may not happen for Reedley High’s class of 2020.

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New Principal Named at Rivergold Elementary School

Sierra News

Yosemite Unified School District has hired Virginia (Gini) Pierce-Cummings to be the new principal of Rivergold Elementary School.

Chatom overcomes internet hurdles to ensure student success

Turlock Journal

There are countless difficulties schools throughout the state have had to overcome as a result of distance learning methods brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, but for those in rural areas like Chatom Union School District, those challenges are amplified.

High schools prepare for virtual graduation

Turlock Journal

Graduating in the midst of a pandemic will look a little different for students.

BCSD to hold virtual graduations for 8th graders

Bakersfield Californian

The Bakersfield City School District announced Tuesday it will hold a virtual graduation for eighth graders at the end of the month, according to a Facebook post. “Due to COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines BCSD felt this is the safest way to celebrate our graduating 8th grade students,” said Public Information Officer Tabatha Mills.

Barack and Michelle Obama will give commencement speeches as part of virtual graduation ceremonies

Los Angeles Times

Former President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will deliver commencement speeches as part of virtual graduation ceremonies for the class of 2020.

How coronavirus has changed grading policies

CalMatters

Officials in the Lammersville Joint Unified School District had to make a decision about grading policies. They’d read the state’s guidance imploring that students’ grades shouldn’t fall below the marks they had before California’s mass school closures in mid-March.

Higher Ed:

6 Ways College Might Look Different In The Fall

VPR

What will happen on college campuses in the fall? It’s a big question for families, students and the schools themselves. A lot of what happens depends on factors outside the control of individual schools: Will there be more testing? Contact tracing? Enough physical space for distancing? Will the coronavirus have a second wave? Will any given state allow campuses to reopen?

Fresno State students will get coronavirus relief money. Here’s how it works

Fresno Bee

Fresno State students will begin to see federal emergency money hit their bank accounts as early as Monday. The grants are based on financial need. Only students who have filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid — known as FAFSA — are eligible.

UC could reopen just one-third of its dorm rooms this fall

Los Angeles Times

The University of California could reopen just one-third to one-half of dorm rooms this fall in order to maintain safe distances among students amid the coronavirus outbreak, a top UC official said Monday, raising questions about what would happen to others without campus housing.

UC Berkeley chancellor expects hybrid plan, no tuition break for fall

San Francisco Chronicle

UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ expects the school to adopt a “hybrid plan” for the fall semester, with some classes in person and others online.

UC San Diego to mass test students for the novel coronavirus

San Diego Union-Tribune

UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep Khosla said Tuesday the university is going to begin mass testing students for the novel coronavirus as a major step toward resuming on-campus courses in the fall.

COVID-19 Alters College Admissions

PPIC

Admissions may look different for students entering college in fall 2021. Social distancing to protect communities during the COVID-19 outbreak will impact where students attend classes and where they will live—and recent policy updates around standardized testing and GPA requirements will impact how colleges determine eligibility and placement in courses. But even as admissions become more flexible, some students still struggle to get on the path to college.

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Commentary: Workforce education and training, during and after the coronavirus

AEI

Up until now, the Strada Education Network weekly survey has focused on the anxiety and financial hardship Americans are experiencing because of the coronavirus. The results have been unsurprising yet sobering. The most recent survey results appear to show a slight easing of fears: 47 percent of respondents feel the coronavirus will have a negative effect on their finances, down seven percentage points from the first survey in late March.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

‘Murder hornets’ have invaded the U.S. Here’s what you should know.

The Hill

As if the U.S. didn’t have enough to deal with, reports of a new insect, colloquially named the “murder hornet,” have been buzzing while the country grapples with the coronavirus pandemic.

EDITORIAL: Coronavirus is teaching us lessons on how to coexist with nature

Los Angeles Times

Shut inside their homes day after day by the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been reveling in photos of wildlife roaming in the spaces they left behind. But the images don’t necessarily reveal what you think.

Energy:

Updated: Supervisors plan to open businesses as quickly as possible

Los Angeles Times

The economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic is slamming cities and towns across the state. But for Taft, a city of roughly 9,300 people in far western Kern County, there have been a few extra punches to the gut.

Renewable energy topped coal in US for 40 days straight

The Hill

Wind, solar and hydroelectricity have produced more electricity than coal since March 25, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration analyzed by the Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis (IEEFA).

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

COVID-19 pandemic tops 2,000 cases in Fresno region, as new infections spike

Fresno Bee

Health officials in Fresno, Tulare and Kings counties combined reported almost 170 new confirmed cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, marking the largest number of new cases in any single day since the COVID-19 pandemic reached the central San Joaquin Valley about two months ago.

See also:

FDA Cracks Down On Antibody Tests For Coronavirus

VPR

The Food and Drug Administration is stiffening its rules to counteract what some have called a Wild West of antibody testing for the coronavirus. These tests are designed to identify people who have been previously exposed to the virus. The FDA said more than 250 developers have been bringing products to the market in the past few weeks.

Will states reopening now see coronavirus cases spike? ‘It takes time,’ experts say

Sacramento Bee

Despite reports of spikes in coronavirus cases as some states start to reopen, the actual effect of loosening stay-home orders will take weeks to show up, CNN reports.

See also:

Coronavirus could worsen death toll of summer heat waves, health officials warn

Los Angeles Times

Long and intense heat waves are nothing new in Southern California and the Southwest, but amid COVID-19, public health experts are warning they could become deadlier for people self-isolating in homes they can’t keep cool.

See also:

How herd immunity will help us fight COVID-19

Los Angeles Times

Herd immunity occurs when a large percentage of a population is immune to an infectious disease. There are two ways to achieve it: by exposing a large percentage of the population to a virus, or by producing a vaccine.

New, dominant strain of coronavirus reported — may be able to reinfect people

San Francisco Chronicle

A new, dominant strain of coronavirus that makes people more vulnerable to being reinfected by the disease has been discovered by scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

See also:

Americans are told to wash hands to fight coronavirus. But some don’t trust the tap.

Washington Post

For the Chavez family and many others in California’s fertile San Joaquin Valley, bottled water is the toilet paper of their coronavirus pandemic — an everyday necessity that vanished from supermarket shelves.

Trump Says Task Force Will Wind Down

New York Times

Despite growing evidence that the pandemic is still raging, President Trump and other administration officials said on Tuesday that they had made so much progress in bringing it under control that they planned to wind down the coronavirus task force in the coming weeks and focus the White House on restarting the economy.

Is a Mental-Health Crisis Looming?

National Review

In mid-April, as the coronavirus gripped New York City, Brian Lehrer of WNYC hosted a call-in segment for listeners who had struggled with addiction. Simone, from Brooklyn, who attended Narcotics Anonymous, told Lehrer that she was initially “skeptical” of Zoom meetings but that they were working well for her.

Human Services:

‘You could literally kill someone’: Masks become a new COVID-19 battleground

Los Angeles Times

In the bustling college town of Stillwater, Okla., residents are allowed to visit restaurants and retailers — freedoms that most of the country does not currently enjoy in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Antibody tests aren’t always reliable or available. But businesses are racing to use them

Los Angeles Times

A full-service hotel is a complex business even without a pandemic upending society. Guests eat, sleep and recreate in close contact with hundreds or more people, including workers who feed them, clean their rooms and run what amounts to a small city.

Contact-tracing apps are not a solution to the COVID-19 crisis

TechStream

The unprecedented threat from the novel coronavirus has confined many Americans to their homes, distancing them from one another at great cost to local economies and personal well-being. Meanwhile the pressure grows on American institutions to do something—anything—about the pandemic.

Anti-vaccination leaders seize on coronavirus to push resistance to inoculation

Washington Post

As scientists around the world race to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus, the pandemic is also stoking a surge of activity among activists who argue that such a vaccine must be resisted.

California doctors still stressed even as worries about hospital capacity subside, poll shows

Fresno Bee

Critical care doctors expressed significantly greater confidence in the availability of testing and personal protective equipment in a recent poll about the challenges of treating patients with COVID-19, yet their personal stress levels remain elevated.

California paid nearly $340 per COVID-19 test in Verily sites’ first month, contract shows

Fresno Bee

California paid nearly $340 per COVID-19 test for the first month of its partnership with Verily Life Sciences, according to the state’s contract with the company.

Local Hospital Oks Relief Fund For Furloughed Employees

Business Journal

Kaweah Delta Medical Center in Visalia has launched a relief fund to help its employees who have seen reduced hours or have been furloughed due to the decrease in patients in need of care.

Local hospitals resume nonurgent medical care

Bakersfield Californian

Hospitals around Kern County reopened this week for certain nonurgent elective procedures, loosening restrictions imposed in mid-March as part of California’s stay-home order.

From One To 13 – How Mariposa County Tracked The Contacts Of Its First Coronavirus Patient

VPR

Mariposa County confirmed its first coronavirus case last Tuesday. Within two days, the total number jumped to 13. Despite the rapid increase, county officials said they’re containing the spread using contact tracing.

Researchers Hope New CRISPR Technique Could Speed Up Coronavirus Testing

VPR

Most public health experts agree that widespread testing will be needed to bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control. But for now, most coronavirus tests require specialized laboratories and high-tech equipment to process them.

Commentary: Providing legal immunity for health care providers could be dangerous

CalMatters

Under cover of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom is poised to sign off on a request to slash health care provider accountability for negligent, reckless and abusive conduct toward patients, which could harm elders, people with disabilities and people in marginalized communities. The governor needs to change his mind.

Supreme Court set to hear Obamacare case argued by phone

Fresno Bee

The Supreme Court’s third day of hearing arguments by telephone is its first chance at a high-profile case, this one involving the Affordable Care Act.

Religious Objectors V. Birth Control Back At Supreme Court

Capital Public Radio

Does signing a form expressing a religious objection to providing birth control to employees burden the religious freedom of employers as much as paying for the birth control?

See also:

IMMIGRATION

For California Undocumented Immigrants, Coronavirus Relief Is Unavailable Even For Essential Workers

Capital Public Radio

There are around 3 million undocumented immigrants in California, with the majority employed in industries heavily impacted by the coronavirus. But many don’t qualify for unemployment or for federal stimulus money because of their status.

Judge who ordered ICE to immediately release California immigrants overruled; detainees will stay put

Los Angeles Times

A panel of three 9th Circuit Court of Appeals judges on Tuesday overruled a lower court’s order to significantly reduce the number of detainees held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Facility northeast of Los Angeles.

Trump order to paint border wall black could drive up cost $500 million or more

Washington Post

President Trump is once more pushing to have his border wall painted black, a design change that is projected to add at least $500 million in costs, according to government contracting estimates obtained by The Washington Post.

Commentary: To reject immigrants would be a choice for rapid American decline

AEI

One should hope that President Trump’s temporary immigration suspension will be just that, temporary. Even if so, it reinforces the harmful and wrong nationalist populist notion that immigrants are economic liabilities, no matter how they get here.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Officials irritated with homeless camps seen along Highway 41

abc30

It’s hard to miss the homeless encampments along Highway 41 near Divisadero. “It is completely unhealthy, unsanitary, it is a terrible look for the entire city,” says Fresno Councilman Garry Bredefeld.

Mountain Area Home Sales Remained Strong Through April

Sierra News

Mountain area home sales remained relatively robust during the first four months of 2020, according to Ed Bailey, of Ed Bailey Realty in Oakhurst.

Work has started on affordable housing project in Stockton

Stockton Recorder

Work has started on renovating an existing vacant commercial building into affordable housing in downtown Stockton.

PUBLIC FINANCES

The IRS Sent Coronavirus Relief Payments To Dead People

Capital Public Radio

The IRS has delivered more than $207 billion in Coronavirus relief payments to individual taxpayers, but some of the recipients of the relief checks are the bank accounts of people who have died.

Round 2 of pension reform kicks off before California Supreme Court

CalMatters

Today’s socially distanced oral argument was just the latest installment in a nearly decade’s long legal drama that pits unionized public-sector workers against cash-strapped state and local governments and pension debt hawks.

How to fix the retirement system

Washington Post

The shortcomings of America’s retirement system have long been evident. Over the years, individual retirement savings accounts can be battered by high fees, gaps in participation, bad investment choices and early withdrawals to cover medical, tuition or other expenses for workers and their families.

Trump’s tax cut dreams hit Republican resistance

Politico

As Washington begins zeroing in on its next major coronavirus bill, congressional Republicans are on a different trajectory than the president and are themselves divided on the payroll tax cut, or whether to do anything at all.

TRANSPORTATION

24th Street improvement contractors to place concrete Wednesday; lane closures announced

Bakersfield Californian

The contractor for the 24th Street Improvement Project will be placing stamped concrete for the new median between Beech and Bay streets on Wednesday, according to the Thomas Roads Improvement Program.

GET employee tests positive for coronavirus

Bakersfield Californian

Golden Empire Transit District said Tuesday an employee at its facility in Bakersfield tested positive for COVID-19. However, the employee has been away from the office on a non-COVID-19 related matter since mid-April, the agency said in a news release.

California DMV could reopen offices this month — but you’re going to need a mask

Sacramento Bee

The California Department of Motor Vehicles will begin reopening its offices to the public as early as this month, according to Director Steve Gordon.

See also:

Report: State could lose $1.3B in gas tax revenue during shutdown

San Francisco Chronicle

California may lose $1.3 billion in gas tax revenue during the shelter-in-place period, a side effect of the decline in driving, according to a scientist at UC Davis.

Public transit systems face plunging revenue amid the coronavirus pandemic

Fortune

Before the pandemic, Boston commuters bonded over a slew of ills that plagued the nation’s oldest subway system, from delays and breakdowns to the occasional derailment. Now public transit systems nationwide are grappling with a new reality — drastically plummeting ridership and revenue caused by a stealthy virus that’s also sickening and killing transit workers.

Commentary: Your Air Travel Experience Will Never Be the Same

Bloomberg

Years of airline cost cuts and rigorous counterterrorism checks have made flying a frustrating experience for passengers. Even those fortunate enough to turn left when boarding often complain about the indignities and delays of modern airports. Hygiene measures, health checks and social distancing will only make the experience feel more dispiriting, whether you’re in economy or business.

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