02Apr

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

Merced groups organizing to help less fortunate people during coronavirus pandemic

Merced Sun-Star

While life has slowed for many Merced residents stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic, organizations aimed at helping the less fortunate have revved up efforts, as the number of those in need rise.

San Joaquin County public health officials release limited information about coronavirus patients

Stockton Record

If you know one of the 161 people somewhere in San Joaquin County who has tested positive for COVID-19 or, tragically, one of the eight who has died from the unstoppable viral disease, then you know more information than most.

Stanislaus County gets a 'D' for social distancing

Turlock Journal

The Stanislaus County public health director released new guidelines Wednesday for the stay at home order and what businesses are and are not essential services.

Coronavirus forces changes in House campaigns of Josh Harder and Ted Howze

Modesto Bee

U.S. Rep. Josh Harder, a Democrat, and Republican challenger Ted Howze continue to campaign now that the coronavirus is upon us. But their methods, like many things about our lives, have changed. Meet-and-greets are a thing of the past. Rallies and speeches: same. Door-to-door canvassing: forget it.

Central SJ Valley:

Fresno mayor closes public parks for Easter weekend as coronavirus threat grows

Fresno Bee

Fresno Mayor Lee Brand on Wednesday announced the closure of all city parks on Easter Weekend, as the state continues to see a rise in coronavirus cases.

Impact of coronavirus: Ask Fresno-area legislators and educators your questions live Thursday

Fresno Bee

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic and what Fresno-area elected leaders and educators are doing in response is the focus of an online discussion by The Fresno Bee at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

Devin Nunes calls California coronavirus plan ‘way overkill’ the same day Trump praises it

Fresno Bee

Nunes, R-Tulare, in recent interviews on Fox News has consistently drawn attention to the potential economic consequences of the stay-at-home orders handed down by governors.

See also:

● Rep. Devin Nunes calls California closures overkill, contradicting health officials, experts Los Angeles Times

● Even as Trump changes message, Nunes blasts stay-at-home moves San Francisco Chronicle

● Devin Nunes Says Decision to Cancel School in California Was ‘Overkill’ New York Times

● Nunes: California canceling school year is ‘way overkill’ Politico

● EDITORIAL: Devin Nunes has dangerous views on coronavirus and schools. He should keep them to himself Fresno Bee

Clovis City Council Approves HOME Application, Discusses Local Economy

Clovis Roundup

The Clovis City Council authorized the submission of an amended application at a March 30 special meeting to receive funding under the federal HOME Investment Partnership Program to assist those impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

Kings County issues shelter in place order

abc30

Since a statewide stay at home order went into effect last month, some people in Kings County haven't been following the rules. Supervisor Doug Verboon says he knows of one egregious example: a neighborhood bounce house party that took place recently.

South SJ Valley:

City extends COVID-19 precautionary measures through May 1

KGET

The City of Bakersfield has announced it is extending the temporary precautionary measures it has put in place to help limit the potential spread of COVID-19 through May 1.

Gun background checks smash records amid coronavirus fears

Bakersfield Californian

Background checks required to buy firearms have spiked to record numbers in the past month, fueled by a run on guns from Americans worried about their safety during the coronavirus crisis.

Tulare County Fair hires new CEO

Porterville Recorder

The Tulare County Fair Board has announced Dena Rizzardo has been chosen as the Tulare County Fairground’s new Chief Executive Officer. Rizzardo began her relationship with the fair industry 30 years ago as a junior livestock exhibitor.

State:

California is already planning for escalating coronavirus infections in June ‘Phase 2’

Fresno Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom and his top health officials have talked for more than a week about California’s need for 50,000 more hospital beds, 10,000 more ventilators and tens of millions more masks to battle coronavirus.

● California May Be Flattening Its Coronavirus Curve, But Officials Say Social Distancing Still A ‘Civic Duty’ Capital Public Radio

● California’s shelter in place may be working, but coronavirus is still a threat San Francisco Chronicle

Newsom: California school year closure 'the right thing to do'

Politico

Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that closing California schools for the rest of the academic year is "the right thing to do," the strongest indication yet that districts statewide will officially keep campuses shut to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

● Thousands of California students to get free Wi-Fi and Chromebooks for distance learningEdSource

● Google to provide computers, internet to California students at home San Francisco Chronicle

● Public schools expected to remain closed for the rest of the academic year, Newsom says Los Angeles Times

● California schools closed through end of school year, Newsom says abc30

● California schools unlikely to reopen this academic year Porterville Recorder

● California schools unlikely to reopen this academic year Fresno Bee

● Mathews: Canceling School for COVID-19 Cheats California’s Kids Zocalo Public Square

● Opinion: What Will It Take For Schools To Reopen? Forbes

California Governor Urges Other States To Issue Coronavirus Stay-At-Home Orders

Huff Post

“What are you waiting for?” Gavin Newsom said, as more than a dozen states still lack stay-at-home orders amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

EDITORIAL: Gov. Gavin Newsom must uphold California’s transparency laws during coronavirus pandemic

Sacramento Bee

The coronavirus emergency has provided a great boost to the enemies of democracy. Leaders in some of the world’s weaker democracies are using the crisis as an opportunity to roll back civil rights, halt elections and expand surveillance, according to news reports.

Rural Californians to Bay Area residents: Please stay home

San Francisco Chronicle

Across seven counties between Redding and the Oregon border, which many call the Shasta-Cascade region, there have been only 10 positive tests for Covid-19 and one death. The low numbers of cases could be attributed to few tests being administered, health officials said.

Californians realize it may take three months or longer before life gets back to normal, poll shows

CAlmatters

Almost half of Californians expect it to take three or more months before life is back to normal in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and a vast majority trust Gov. Gavin Newsom to handle the crisis.

Federal:

Trump resists national shutdown, leaving it up to states

Fresno Bee

President Donald Trump is resisting calls to issue a national stay-at-home order to stem the spread of the new coronavirus despite his administration's projections that tens of thousands of Americans are likely to be killed by the disease.

See also:

● Statewide Lockdowns And The Law Hoover Institution

● Opinion: America’s Response to the Coronavirus Proves Federalism Isn’t Dead National Review

● Trump’s new coronavirus argument: 2 million people are being saved Politico

● AP-NORC poll: Broad support for state virus control efforts AP News

● EDITORIAL: To slow the coronavirus, make America shelter in place San Francisco Chronicle

Amid coronavirus crisis, Trump leans on a new media friend: OAN

Los Angeles Times

President Trump has made contentious exchanges with reporters a feature of his daily coronavirus briefings, often using personal invective to bulldoze past questions about shortfalls with masks, ventilators and testing and his own past statements.

See also:

● Opinion: Trump’s Daily Briefings Expose His Inadequacy National Review

Pelosi announces new select committee to oversee coronavirus response

Washington Post

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the creation of a new select committee Thursday to oversee the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, and its management of the new $2 trillion economic rescue package.

Infrastructure often embraced by both parties, to no avail

Fresno Bee

President Donald Trump wants to spend $2 trillion on infrastructure projects to create jobs and help the collapsing economy rebuild from the coronavirus' stunning blows. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says that seems about right.

Should the census count black and Latino inmates in rural prisons as area residents?

Los Angeles Times

The U.S. Census Bureau counts inmates as residents of the counties where they’re imprisoned — a practice that officials say is meant to provide the most accurate and fair way of capturing a moment-in-time count.

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.

● Coronavirus (COVID-19) CDC

● Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic - WHO

● John Hopkins University & Medicine John Hopkins University

● Tracking coronavirus in California Los Angeles Times

● Coronavirus Tracker San Francisco Chronicle

● Coronavirus in California: Map and Case Count New York Times

● How many coronavirus cases have been reported in each U.S. state? Politico

● Coronavirus Daily NPR

● Coronavirus tracked: the latest figures as the pandemic spreads Financial Times

● Coronavirus in California by the numbers CalMatters

● Fresno County Responds to Surge in COVID-19 Cases Clovis Roundup

Elections 2020:

Implementing Automated Voter Registration in California

Public Policy Institute of California

Under the CNMV, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) registers all customers who affirm their eligibility to vote and do not actively decline registration. This report explores the CNMV’s impact on voter registration in California.

Pro-Trump super PAC targets Biden in first round of swing state ads

Los Angeles Times

Even with the country largely at a standstill amid the worsening coronavirus pandemic, election year politics are intensifying as the general election matchup has come into clearer focus.

How ‘Never Bernie’ Voters Threw In With Biden and Changed the Primary

New York Times

After Bernie Sanders won New Hampshire and Nevada, his campaign hit a roadblock: a wide range of Democrats who would do anything to stop him. Joe Biden became their vehicle.

See also:

· Commentary: Biden’s Weak Election Strategy Wall Street Journal

Coronavirus turned the 2020 presidential race upside down, but not in Wisconsin

Los Angeles Times

How do you run an election in the middle of a global pandemic? Some states have postponed voting or shifted to mail-only balloting. Some states have taken both approaches. Wisconsin, the next state to head to the polls, has done neither. Tuesday’s primary will go on as planned, despite efforts to delay it.

Skelton: Newsom and Cuomo have been top leaders in the coronavirus crisis. Don’t count on them to challenge Biden

Los Angeles Times

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been drawing lots of speculation about maybe becoming an upgraded Democratic presidential nominee, pushing aside bland Joe Biden. But there hasn’t been a peep about California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Why’s that?

Walters: Three big Democratic clashes in California

CalMatters

The coronavirus pandemic obviously overshadows this year’s political contests, but we presumably will still have an election seven months hence, so we cannot completely ignore its potential outcomes.

Other:

How Epidemics Shaped Modern Life

Zocalo Public Square

Past Public Health Crises Inspired Innovations in Infrastructure, Education, Fundraising and Civic Debate—and Cleaned up Rotting Animal Carcasses From the Streets

Applications Are Now Open for United Way Coronavirus Relief Fund

United Way Fresno and Madera Counties

If you know any resident of Fresno County or Madera County who has been negatively impacted by COVID-19 and who could use a little financial boost right now, please direct them to this application page.

Opinion: World Health Organization puts politics above health . . . again

AEI

WHO is a UN member-state driven organization, with a weird funding structure that means donor nations can drive its policy (and unfortunately its ethics) more than makes sense. But much as I was wrong about COVID-19, I was probably too generous to WHO, too.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Farmworkers face coronavirus risk: ‘You can’t pick strawberries over Zoom’

Los Angeles Times

Shelter-in-place orders in California exempt farm workers as essential employees. But many are undocumented, lack health insurance and don’t qualify for unemployment insurance or federal COVID-19 relief, placing the state’s estimated workforce of 420,000 in a vulnerable position.

● America’s Farmworkers—Now ‘Essential,’ but Denied the Just-Enacted Benefits Prospect

● How Can We Make Farm Work Healthier? (Streaming Online) Zócalo Public Square

California company to donate 6 million of eggs to ease coronavirus burden

Fresno Bee

NuCal Foods, an egg distributor based in Ripon, California, is donating 6 million of them to nonprofits strained by the coronavirus emergency.

How Restaurants Are Managing During The Coronavirus Outbreak

Capital Public Radio

Reaction to Tuesday’s White House press briefing on the coronavirus pandemic, and how California restaurants are managing.

California drops restrictions on free alcoholic beverage delivery

San Jose Mercury

Bars and restaurants are closed for dine-in service around the state of California, but customers are now allowed to have alcoholic beverages dropped off at their doorsteps. A notice of regulatory relief for Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) licensed businesses issued Wednesday has suspended restrictions on free delivery of alcoholic beverages.

Cannabis shop sees uptick in sales, deliveries

Turlock Journal

Under California’s shelter-in-place orders, those in their cars are likely travelling to essential businesses like grocery stores, banks, gas stations — and cannabis dispensaries.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

San Joaquin County Jail not planning to release any inmates early

Stockton Recorder

California is releasing 3,500 inmates early in an effort to reduce crowding as coronavirus infections begin spreading through the state prison system, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

Public Safety:

Gun background checks smash records amid coronavirus fears

Bakersfield Californian

Background checks required to buy firearms have spiked to record numbers in the past month, fueled by a run on guns from Americans worried about their safety during the coronavirus crisis.

Sheriff Dirkse: We must comply with stay-at-home order to get through this

Modesto Bee

President Trump extended the national shutdown on non-essential work and social distancing guidelines until April 30. Federal authorities are warning that the nation’s death toll from the Coronavirus could surpass 100,000. Truly, this is a war. And the best way to fight it, is to stay at home.

Questions for Visalia police while stay at home order are in place? Look here for answers

Visalia Times Delta

In an effort to help residents understand best practices for staying home and protecting themselves, Visalia Police Department launched a social media campaign to help answer commonly asked questions.

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

Rating Visalia-Porterville’s risk to economy due to the virus

Porterville Recorder

Considering California is expected to be one of the hardest hit states economically when it comes to Moody’s Analytics ratings, the Visalia-Porterville area isn’t expected to have it as bad as other metropolitan areas in the state.

Coronavirus recession now expected to be deeper and longer

Los Angeles Times

As projections of the coronavirus death toll soar, forecasts for the ensuing economic carnage have also quickly turned much darker — both for the depth and duration of the damage.

Tourism losses could cost California $54 billion in 2020

San Francisco Chronicle

California will lose $10.9 billion in travel revenue and 554,000 jobs in April alone, according to new projections from Visit California, the state’s tourism bureau.

Costco and Home Depot limiting shoppers inside stores under new coronavirus policies

Fresno Bee

Two of the nation’s largest warehouse retail companies are taking steps to promote social distancing in their stores to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The Paycheck Protection Program: An introduction

AEI

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), established as part of the CARES Act, offers “forgivable loans” (essentially, government grants) to small businesses with the goal of helping these businesses avoid closure and avoid laying off their workers.

Jobs:

California Employment Report for February 2020

Center for Jobs and the Economy

The potential effects on the state economy continue to expand as the emergency social distancing measures have now been extended through at least the end of April for the US and in California under Executive Order N-33-20 “until further notice.”

There is help for Californians facing unemployment. Here’s where to find it

Fresno Bee

With hundreds of thousands of Californians filing for unemployment, it can be a scary time to try and navigate the bureaucracy surrounding the state’s unemployment system. However, there is help to be had.

● California unemployment claims top 878,000 as coronavirus pushes US jobless to new highSacramento Bee

‘Everybody Is Strapped.’ California Gig Workers Await Details On Federal Coronavirus Relief

Capital Public Radio

Under the federal relief bill, the self-employed, independent contractors and gig workers could be eligible for $600 per week plus half of the state’s average unemployment insurance. But state officials aren't sure how to implement the benefits.

‘Essential’ Or Not, These Workers Report For Duty

California Health Line

Under California’s statewide stay-at-home order that is intended to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus — as well as similar orders issued by cities and counties — many businesses must shut down completely. More than 30 governors have issued similar orders for their states.

Companies Hit Hard by Coronavirus Look to Cut 401(k) Contributions

Wall Street Journal

Some businesses suspend their contributions to employees’ 401(k) plans rather than reduce health benefits in pandemic.

Dept Of Labor Releases New Regulations Interpreting Paid Leave Under The Families First Coronavirus Response Act

Sutton Hague Law Corporation

The Secretary of Labor promulgated two dozen new regulations to aid in the implementation of the leave provisions in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) signed by the president on March 18th.

EDITORIAL: To protect public safety during coronavirus, let government employees work from home

Sacramento Bee

Government bureaucracies are not known for their ability to quickly or nimbly navigate change. That’s still no excuse for lumbering response times and fuzzy decision-making in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Online education during coronavirus? Teachers and parents say it’s a mess in California

Fresno Bee

It has been three weeks since schools across the nation shut down and for students, teachers and parents interviewed by The Bee, online education isn’t working. In fact, they say, it’s a mess.

Fresno schools close for the rest of the school year. Clovis hopes to reopen in May

Fresno Bee

As coronavirus cases in the central San Joaquin Valley approached 200, Fresno Unified officials closed their campuses - where some 74,000 students attend class - for the rest of the school year to help stem the tide of COVID-19 in the Valley.

● Fresno Unified School District to close for remainder of 2019-2020 school year abc30

● So much for early May restart. Coronavirus shuts Stanislaus schools through spring Modesto Bee

● SUSD trustees grant emergency authority to Superintendent Deasy, clarify stance on school closures Stockton Recorder

● School’s out…for spring and summer Visalia Times Delta

Fresno Bee hosts online forum with local legislators, educators on impact of coronavirus

Fresno Bee

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic and what Fresno-area elected leaders and educators are doing in response is the focus of an online discussion to be presented by The Fresno Bee at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

BCSD reducing number of school sites distributing meals

Bakersfield Californian

The Bakersfield City School District will reduce the number of school sites offering meals to students beginning April 6 to "help relieve stress on our nutrition teams," the district announced on its Facebook page Wednesday.

KCSOS, local school districts collaborate to roll out ‘online schools’ through Canvas

Bakersfield Californian

As students and educators navigate distance learning amid school closures, the Kern County Superintendent of Schools announced Wednesday it has entered into a partnership with online learning platform Canvas, making it available to any Kern County school district for free through June 30.

State schools chief announces guidelines for graduating seniors

San Francisco Chronicle

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond announced new guidelines Wednesday for high school seniors who now have to finish the school year at home, while anxiously checking their mailboxes for college acceptance letters.

● COVID-19 Altering Students’ Lives: ‘We’re All in Same Boat’ Sierra News

Special education inconsistent in California school districts during closures

EdSource

A week after state and federal authorities directed school districts to continue offering special education during school closures, the level and quality of those services remains a patchwork in California.

Higher Ed:

University of California cuts SAT/ACT requirements for 2021 college applicants

Fresno Bee

The University of California eased admission requirements for incoming freshman and transfer students affected by the coronavirus pandemic by removing SAT requirements and accepting pass/no pass grading.

● UC to ease admission requirements: No SAT, no letter grades due to coronavirus Los Angeles Times

● UC and Cal State relax admissions criteria due to coronavirus: What you need to know Los Angeles Times

● UC schools to temporarily suspend SAT, minimum grade requirements San Francisco Chronicle

How CARES Act will impact student loan borrowers

Sacramento Bee

The Coronavirus Aid and Economic Security Act, or the CARES Act, pauses payments at no interest for most federal student loan borrowers through Sept. 30, media outlets report.

Corona on Campus

CALmatters

The latest news on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting California colleges and universities, from CalMatters' College Journalism Network

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Can’t pay your Modesto utility bill on time? Here’s what you can do to avoid fees

Modesto Bee

Not paying a city of Modesto utility bill can still trigger late fees during the coronavirus pandemic, a spokesman said Wednesday.

Commentary: California’s next renewable energy goal: A million solar batteries

CALmatters

In 2006, California’s pledge to build 1 million solar energy systems on homes, schools, farms and businesses was visionary and audacious, but achievable.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Another coronavirus death reported, as cases climb to 183 in Fresno and nearby counties

Fresno Bee

The central San Joaquin Valley death toll from coronavirus climbed to three with Tulare County reporting a fatality Wednesday, while the number of patients affected by the virus in the region shot up by more than 30 since Tuesday.

● Tulare County has second coronavirus-related death. It’s the third for the Valley Fresno Bee

● Madera County Reporting 23 Active COVID-19 Cases Sierra News

● Tulare County records 2nd death, cases rise to 59 Visalia Times Delta

● Second COVID-19 death confirmed in Tulare County Porterville Recorder

● Kings County health officials confirm fifth resident case of COVID-19 Hanford Sentinel

● Kern's COVID-19 cases rise to 129 Bakersfield Californian

● Hope endured even as situation worsened for Kern's first COVID-19 fatality Bakersfield Californian

● California death toll passes 200 as L.A. threatens to cut utilities for nonessential businessesLos Angeles Times

● Coronavirus death toll tops 5,000 in US as officials warn it’s going to get worse Fresno Bee

● Coronavirus scythes across U.S. as cases top 200,000 Los Angeles Times

● California could see 5,000 coronavirus deaths a week if social distancing eases too soon Los Angeles Times

Coronavirus outbreak at Visalia nursing home – two health care workers among the ill

Fresno Bee

A Visalia nursing home on Wednesday announced that eight people at its center – six patients and two healthcare professionals – have tested positive for COVID-19.

● COVID-19 outbreak at Visalia nursing home infects 8, including 6 seniors Visalia Times Delta

● Eight People Test Positive For COVID-19 At Visalia Nursing Home VPR

● As coronavirus tears through nursing homes, families face an impossible choice Los Angeles Times

How many coronavirus cases are asymptomatic? CDC and other data range as high as 50%

Fresno Bee

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says up to 1 in 4 people infected with coronavirus will show no symptoms. Data from Iceland, however, show that number could be double.

● Coronavirus is now the third leading cause of death in the US, doctor says Fresno Bee

'A pain and squeezing feeling': Local woman speaks about experience with moderate case of COVID-19

Bakersfield Californian

Health experts have said the majority of people who contract COVID-19 will not experience serious problems with the illness. About 80 percent of people will have mild to moderate symptoms, Kern County Public Health Services Director Matt Constantine said on Tuesday.

What if I get sick? Coronavirus adds new anxieties for pregnant women

Los Angeles Times

Pregnancy, though joyous, is filled with so much unspoken anxiety in the best of times. Am I eating the right food? Am I drinking too much caffeine? Will my baby be healthy? Will I be a good mother? Coronavirus adds another question into the mix: What happens if I get sick?

Exercise is anything but routine for many these days

Bakersfield Californian

Experts say the key to regular exercise is making it part of your daily routine. But anything routine these days has been tossed out the window for many.

Coronavirus advice from UC Merced experts to those who smoke, vape: Stop now. It’ll help

Modesto Bee

It’s a message that people who smoke and vape have heard a million times: Please quit. But during this coronavirus pandemic, it’s being delivered with added urgency.

Flu numbers show power of social distancing even as COVID claims five more lives

San Diego Union-Tribune

Weekly flu report results released Wednesday morning show a precipitous drop in the number of flu cases reported to the county health department last week, and similar sudden effects were felt last week at Rady Children’s Hospital for all respiratory viruses, not just the flu.

Column: The suspect science behind Trump’s chloroquine claims

Los Angeles Times

There are scientific grounds for examining chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as possible treatments for COVID-19; dozens of clinical trials have been announced. Infectious disease experts consider the drugs to be promising, but there’s a lot more they’d like to know before certifying them for clinical use.

Human Services:

Should you wear a mask at the grocery store? Coronavirus advice keeps changing

Los Angeles Times

Federal officials maintain that healthy people do not need to wear masks in most circumstances, but there does seem to be a growing belief that more people should be covering their faces more often.

● New California coronavirus guidance: Masks might help, but no substitute for staying homeFresno Bee

● California declares face masks optional, but says they could provide protection against coronavirus San Francisco Chronicle

● Are homemade face masks effective against COVID-19? PolitiFact

● EDITORIAL: To wear a mask or not to wear a mask. It’s no longer a question Los Angeles Times

Coronavirus cases approach 10,000 as California braces for worsening conditions

Los Angeles

Coronavirus cases across California barreled toward 10,000 Wednesday — with the death toll topping 200 — as officials desperately tried to keep unprecedented social distancing orders enforced while also trying to get more supplies to hospitals as patient numbers surged.

● 2 charts lay bare how the US coronavirus outbreak is growing far faster than anywhere else in the world, as it does less to stop it Business Insider

● Number of California coronavirus ICU patients quadruples from six days ago San Francisco Chronicle

● Newsom: COVID-19 patients in ICUs have quadrupled, hospitalizations have tripled in last six days San Jose Mercury

● Social distancing works. The earlier the better, California and Washington data show. Washington Post

● Coronavirus: First look at California’s hospitalization data San Jose Mercury

● Public Health officials release age range of COVID-19 cases Kern Sol News

Kaweah Delta set to expand drive-up testing

Business Journal

Starting Wednesday, a small city block in Visalia will close to allow Kaweah Delta Healthcare to expand and improve its appointment only, drive-up COVID-19 testing.

COVID-19 crisis could bring ‘surge’ of patients

Visalia Times Delta

Tulare County's first coronavirus case originated in Porterville nearly a month ago. Now, the remote city at the edge of the Sierra Nevada foothills could serve as the staging area for a field hospital to treat COVID-19 patients from across California.

See also:

● Coronavirus surgery delays leave thousands in pain Visalia Times Delta

● Opinion: How Will Coronavirus Change the Health-Care Industry? National Review

Nursing students can help during coronavirus crisis, Newsom says. How will it work?

Fresno Bee

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has cleared the way for thousands of nursing students to join the fight against the coronavirus. However, many students say the move still leaves too many questions unanswered.

● Nursing Students At Bakersfield College Will Help Lighten The Load For Kern Hospitals VPR

California orders skilled nursing facilities to accept coronavirus patients

Los Angeles Times

As fears escalate about the toll the coronavirus will take on the sick and elderly in nursing homes — who are among the most vulnerable to the deadly virus — California regulators have told skilled nursing facility operators that they must accept patients even if they have the disease.

Nurses wearing trash bags at hospital facing protective equipment shortage

San Francisco Chronicle

Health care workers are growing desperate for protective medical equipment to treat a growing number of COVID-19 patients.

● Protective gear in national stockpile is nearly depleted, DHS officials say Washington Post

As California seeks ventilators, coronavirus reveals hazards of Jerry Brown’s austerity

Sacramento Bee

Brown’s obliviousness to pandemic threats is evidenced by his 2011 decision to scrap state-owned resources Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had established for a situation like the one facing us today.

Trump rejects Obamacare special enrollment period amid pandemic

Politico

The Trump administration has decided against reopening Obamacare enrollment to uninsured Americans during the coronavirus pandemic, defying calls from health insurers and Democrats to create a special sign-up window amid the health crisis.

Medicaid enrollment will likely increase because of COVID-19, experts say

Roll Call

The high number of Americans facing tough financial situations — which will likely create a surge of people enrolling in Medicaid due to rising unemployment — is leading some experts and advocates to say funding that Congress gave the states last week may not be enough.

IMMIGRATION

California Supreme Court won’t hear immigration case

Fresno Bee

The California Supreme Court on Wednesday has refused to hear a challenge to a state law that limits police collaboration with federal immigration agents.

Woman At Risk of Contracting COVID-19 Released From Bakersfield Detention Center

VPR

As state and local officials continue to stress the importance of social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak, lawyers across California are joining forces to get their at-risk clients out of ICE detention centers, including the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Facility in Bakersfield.

California’s top court: All cities have to follow state’s sanctuary law

San Francisco Chronicle

The state Supreme Court denied review Wednesday of a lower-court ruling requiring all California cities to follow the state's sanctuary law, which prohibits most types of law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration agents.

H-1B: Employers sought 275,000 foreign workers, government says

San Jose Mercury

Employers sought to hire 275,000 foreign workers under a new application system for the controversial H-1B visa, the federal government announced Wednesday.

For the greater good: Coronavirus border closure keeps immigrants from seeing families

CALmatters

The U.S.-Mexico border is closed to nonessential travel to help stem the spread of the coronavirus. But the closure is cutting off many Mexicans and Mexican-Americans from relatives and home.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Fresno mayor closes public parks for Easter weekend as coronavirus threat grows

Fresno Bee

Fresno Mayor Lee Brand on Wednesday announced the closure of all city parks on Easter Weekend, as the state continues to see a rise in coronavirus cases.

Lemoore closes park playground equipment, restrooms

Hanford Sentinel

The city of Lemoore announced Wednesday the immediate closure of all city playground equipment and restrooms to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Making a century-old building new again

The Business Journal

A Los Angeles architect was hired to plan out a top-to-bottom renovation of the six-story office building at the northeast corner of Tulare Street and Van Ness Avenue.

Housing:

The Rent Is Due. But Some Tenants Who Lost Their Jobs Say They’re Not Paying.

Capital Public Radio

Across the country, residential tenants are considering a “rent strike” as the monthly payment comes due in this coronavirus era.

‘You can’t move and you can’t stay’: Top Democrats say COVID renter protections won’t work

Sacramento Bee

Two top Democrats in the California Legislature say Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order temporarily protecting tenants who can’t afford rent because of COVID-19 doesn’t stop landlords from initiating eviction proceedings and could allow a wave of evictions once the order ends on May 31.

PUBLIC FINANCES

IRS releases details on how to get your coronavirus stimulus money

Fresno Bee

Checks from the coronavirus stimulus package could start going out in the next three weeks, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Services said.

IRS changes course: Some seniors won't have to file tax return to get $1,200 payment

San Francisco Chronicle

The Treasury Department announced late Wednesday that Social Security beneficiaries who are not usually required to file tax returns will not have to file an abbreviated tax return to receive an “economic impact payment.”

● U.S. Social Security recipients to automatically get coronavirus money Reuters

Coronavirus fallout: Tourism losses could cost California $54 billion in 2020

San Francisco Chronicle

California will lose $10.9 billion in travel revenue and 554,000 jobs in April alone, according to new projections from Visit California, the state’s tourism bureau.

Pelosi suggests lifting deduction cap on state and local taxes

San Francisco Chronicle

The next legislation to respond to the coronavirus pandemic could include a restoration of the full state and local tax deduction that many Californians lost two years ago.

A coronavirus property tax delay? Californians shouldn’t count on it

CalMatters

Although property taxes are collected by counties in California, property tax deadlines are set by state law. The only way to alter them is either by legislative act — impossible now that state lawmakers are sheltering-in-place along with most everyone else — or by executive order.

The High Cost of Low Interest Rates

Wall Street Journal

Irresponsible policy from the Federal Reserve made the coronavirus crisis worse than it had to be.

TRANSPORTATION

California DMV offices are closed due to coronavirus. Here’s what you can do online

Sacramento Bee

The DMV announced it will open on Thursday, April 2 what it calls a new online “Virtual Field Office,” a website atvirtual.dmv.ca.gov where drivers can “process vehicle title transfers and complex vehicle registrations that would otherwise have to be accomplished in an office.”

Trump Could Recommend Airlines Ground More Flights

Capital Public Radio

The White House coronavirus task force returns to brief reporters Wednesday, a day after offering a "sobering" preview of the weeks and months ahead.

Travelers need not worry about Real ID and authorization to visit Europe — for now

Los Angeles Times

Travelers have myriad other things to worry about, thanks to coronavirus, but federally compliant driver’s licenses and new paperwork that would have been required to enter more than two dozen European countries are not among them for now. Both have been postponed.

WATER

There was no March Miracle: California’s dry winter continues, Sierra snow survey shows

Fresno Bee

So much for the March Miracle. Despite a few March storms, the Sierra Nevada snowpack remains well below average, California officials reported Wednesday, suggesting that water supplies will be tight this summer and fall.

● As April Begins, California's Snowpack is About Half of Normal KWED

“Xtra”

Children’s Museum engaging visitors from afar

Stockton Recorder

How about taking the kids on a walk for a safe scavenger hunt or starting an art project? With a lot more time spent at home these days, parents might be having difficulty finding new things to do with their kids.

Closed State Theatre offers virtual cinema to help raise funds; gallery shows classes

Modesto Bee

The State Theatre is offering virtual cinema, with some funds raised from the films going back to the Modesto venue. At the also-closed Mistlin Gallery, they’re offering daily drawing lessons via email.