POLICY & POLITICS
North SJ Valley:
State task force provides support in Merced County as COVID-19 numbers rise
abc30
Representatives from several different state agencies met with local leaders at Merced County’s Office of Emergency Services building Monday morning. The group included first responders, medical providers, and educators.
Stanislaus cases top 10,000. Latest on salons, schools
Modesto Bee
Stanislaus County surpassed 10,000 positive tests for COVID-19 and reported six more deaths Monday, for a total of 169. The latest deaths included four women and two men, all but one of them with underlying health conditions, a county spokesman said.
Annual Stanislaus count finds record number of homeless people in county and cities
Modesto Bee
Stanislaus County reported this year’s annual homeless count turned up 2,107 people, which is the most that has ever been tallied since homeless service providers started conducting these surveys in 2005.
Construction crews expand Turlock Public Library as non-profit requests donations
Modesto Bee
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, construction of the Turlock Public Library is still on track for completion in early 2021 and a non-profit organization is planning ways to enhance the facility.
Central SJ Valley:
Fresno and nearby counties see new COVID-19 cases rise; averages may be slowing
Fresno Bee
The number of confirmed coronavirus infections identified throughout the central San Joaquin Valley on Monday lurched up by more than 2,100 cases since Friday – an increase of almost 5.4% in a single weekend.
See Also:
● Fresno-area continues to see COVID-19 cases rise, but is the ‘curve’ starting to bend? Fresno Bee
● Tulare County adds 387 COVID-19 cases; Central Valley a coronavirus hotspot, White House saysVisalia Times Delta
● COVID-19 update: Active cases up, but R number down Porterville Recorder
Fresno committee members butt heads over police use of force
Fresno Bee
Fresno Police Officer Association President Todd Fraizer took issue Friday, Aug. 7, 202, when members of a police reform subcommittee suggested stronger policies to prevent use of deadly force.
See Also:
● Fresno police reform meeting turns tense, after union president and attorney clash Fresno Bee
‘People want change in our community’: BLM Hanford takes a ride for racial justice
Hanford Sentinel
Ashley Neely wants people to know that Black Lives Matter Hanford is here to stay. “I’m here, we are here, we meet every week,” Neely said. “We are not going anywhere.” Nearly 40 people turned out for Black Lives Matter Hanford’s “Ride for Racial Justice” on Friday evening. People came out with scooters, bicycles and skateboards to ride around the block to protest racial injustice.
New Porterville substation on county board agenda
Porterville Califn
A new library for Springville, a renovated fire station for Terra Bella and beginning work on a new Tulare County Sheriff’s substation in Porterville will be on the agenda at the next Tulare County Board of Supervisors meeting.
South SJ Valley:
County supervisors have held private briefings since March
Bakersfield Califn
The Kern County Board of Supervisors has held private teleconferences with other county officials at least six times since March to discuss the COVID-19 crisis, citing an executive order that suspends some open meetings laws as a result of the pandemic.
Bakersfield lenders see most local borrowers doing fine for now
Bakersfield Califn
Recent reports from local lenders paint a positive, if tentative, picture of how Kern County businesses and consumers are getting by financially through the COVID-19 crisis.
State:
COVID in prisons; reporting issues linger; Calif at 10,000 dead
Fresno Bee
The United States officially tallied more than 5 million positive cases of the coronavirus over the weekend, as Calif became one of three states to have seen more than 10,000 people die from the disease.
Newsom tries to quell furor over data errors after administration shakeup
LA Times
Responding to one of Calif’s biggest setbacks since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday said his administration has fixed a public health computer database failure that distorted test results across the state and raised doubts about actions taken to stem the spread of coronavirus.
See also:
· Newsom says a broken coronavirus database is now fixed LA Times
Calif‘s public health director abruptly resigns amid coronavirus pandemic
abc30
Calif Department of Public Health Director and State Health Officer Dr. Sonia Angell announced her resignation effective immediately, state officials confirm. In an email to her staff Sunday night, Dr. Angell did not give a reason for her resignation.
See Also:
● Gov. Newsom addresses resignation of CA public health director Sac Bee
● Update: Calif public health director leaves job 5 months into COVID-19 pandemic Sac Bee
● Calif Public Health Director Abruptly Resigns Capital Public Radio
● Calif’s public health director resigns in wake of coronavirus data errors LA Times
● Director of Calif’s Department of Public Health abruptly steps down SF Chronicle
● Newsom indicates Calif health officer’s abrupt departure related to data blunder Politico
● EDITORIAL: Another Calif heath official resigns amid COVID-19. Not a good sign for Newsom Sac Bee
Gov. Gavin Newsom to provide update on Calif’s response to COVID-19
abc30
Gov. Gavin Newsom will provide an update on Calif’s response to the coronavirus pandemic following the abrupt resignation of the state’s public health director late on Sunday night. The governor will hold a briefing at 12 p.m. on Monday.
Trump’s unemployment plan unworkable for Calif, Gavin Newsom says
Fresno Bee
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that it will be extremely difficult — and likely impossible — for the state to provide funding needed to give Calif’s unemployment workers the entire $400 additional benefit President Donald Trump has announced.
See Also:
● Trump’s unemployment benefit plan won’t work in Calif, Newsom says LA Times
● Why Trump’s unemployment boost may only be $300 a week for many Roll Call
● Trump’s action on unemployment benefits, explained PolitiFact
● Calif judge: Uber and Lyft must make drivers employees Politico
Calif has spent $43 million suing the Trump Admin. It’s paying off, officials say
Fresno Bee
Calif has spent $43 million suing President Donald Trump’s administration over the past four years in a legal campaign that the state’s Democratic attorney general says has saved billions of dollars in funding the state would have lost had the White House carried out its policies.
Has Calif ‘bent the curve’? Hospital numbers suggest plateau of summer coronavirus surge
Sac Bee
Calif may be bending the curve again in its coronavirus fight after a turbulent two months of rising rates, although once-burned officials remain shy about offering any boasts that the resilient virus is anywhere near tamed.
See also
· What More Can Calif Do to Stop the Coronavirus? NY Times
Calif Democrats divided over COVID-19 stimulus, millionaire tax to fund economic recovery
CalMatters
They show up at county meetings. They post calls to action on Instagram. In the age of coronavirus, they organize car caravans and Facebook town halls.
CalPERS chief’s resignation followed ethics complaint, allegations over $1 billion deal
Fresno Bee
The resignation last week of CalPERS’ chief investment officer followed an anonymous complaint to the state’s ethics watchdog agency amid allegations that he had approved a $1 billion deal with a firm in which he’s a shareholder.
Overtime at Calif’s prisons swelled to almost half a billion dollars last year
CalMatters
Prison psychiatric nurses with badges and guns — who exist only in Calif — clocked $6.7 million in overtime last year, more than a decade after a federally appointed receiver decided the dual role should be eliminated.
Opinion: We shouldn’t have to beg’: Latinos underrepresented on Calif redistricting commission
Sac Bee
Latinos are underrepresented on the commission that draws geographic boundaries for Calif political offices despite a campaign that highlighted their complete absence from the first group of people selected to serve on it.
In Calif, It Will Take More Than a Parade to Save an Imperiled Census
NY Times
For one day at least, as a 10-car parade of vehicles with honking horns, pompoms and signs reading “Get Counted” crawled through this predominantly Latino agricultural town about 70 miles east of LA on Friday, it was hard to forget that the 2020 census was going on and that it mattered.
Column: Calif should allow its voters to fill U.S. Senate vacancies — not the governor
LA Times
Democrats accuse Republicans of trying to suppress voting all across America. But in Calif, Democrats actually ban voting to fill a vacancy in one of our most important offices: U.S. senator. That’s hypocrisy, pure and simple
Federal:
Trump, Democrats Open to Restarting Coronavirus Talks Despite Stalemate
WSJ
Trump administration officials and Democratic leaders urged each other to return to the negotiating table to craft a broad coronavirus package after President Trump issued executive actions on jobless aid and other relief over the weekend.
Brownstein: Can majority rule survive America’s widening political divide?
CNN
If Joe Biden maintains his steady lead in national polls over President Donald Trumpthrough Election Day, Democrats will win the popular vote for the seventh time in the past eight presidential elections — something no party has achieved since the formation of the modern American political system in 1828.
Column: Trump’s attack on the Postal Service now endangers democracy
LA Times
Let’s say you’re in charge of a mission-critical government agency facing an expected nationwide surge in demand in three months or less while struggling with an existing national emergency.
Editorial: Eighteen (years) is enough: Limit the terms of Supreme Court justices
LA Times
The Supreme Court term that ended last month was a refreshing reproach to the perception that the justices are simply politicians in black robes. True, there were several 5-4 decisions in which Republican appointees voted one way and Democratic appointees the other.
George Conway: I (still) believe the president, and in the president
Wash Post
I believe the president Made America Great Again. I believe we need him reelected to Make America Great Again Again. I believe Joe Biden is “Sleepy” and “weak.” I believe Biden could “hurt God” and the Bible.
Coronavirus Trackers:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Calif
COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It’s caused by a virus called coronavirus.
See also:
● Calif Department of Public Health
● Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic – WHO
● John Hopkins University & Medicine John Hopkins University
● Tracking coronavirus in Calif LA Times
● Coronavirus Tracker SF Chronicle
● Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count NY Times
● How many coronavirus cases have been reported in each U.S. state? Politico
● Coronavirus Daily NPR
● Coronavirus tracked: the latest figures as the pandemic spreads Fin Times
● Coronavirus in Calif by the numbers CalMatters
Elections 2020:
Fresno County taking steps to keep voters safe from virus ahead of presidential election
Fox26
Are you ready to vote in the 2020 presidential election? The Fresno County Clerk’s Office says it is doing everything it can to make sure you can vote safely. First, you’ll need to verify your voter registration. Make sure your mailing address is correct and that you are in fact registered.
See Also:
● Vote-by-mail Worries: A ‘leaky Pipeline’ In Many States Business Journal
● GOP Chair Who Called Mail Voting ‘Fraught With Danger’ Voted by Mail 22 Straight Times Voice of San Diego
● Commentary: Fresno County voters should know their voting will be safe and secure Fresno Bee
STAPLEY: Why mail-only ballots pose little threat of election fraud in Stanislaus Co
Modesto Bee
Of all the things to worry about these days in Stanislaus County, election fraud should not be anywhere near the top. That’s important to know as we head into the first election in history where every voter in the county will receive a ballot in the mail.
See also:
· Ballot Drop Boxes Become Latest Front In Voting Legal Fights NPR
Candidate filing remains open for many local races in Stanislaus County
Modesto Bee
Candidate filing has closed for most local races in the Nov. 3 election in Stanislaus County, but some remain open because incumbents are not running. The unsettled contests include city councils in Modesto, Turlock and a few other cities, plus some of the boards governing schools and other functions.
Fight over Prop. 15 already beginning
Porterville Recorder
The fight over what’s likely to be the most bitterly fought over — and most expensive — proposition on the November 3 general election ballot has already begun. Proposition 15 would partially repeal Proposition 13, one of the most famous ballot measures in Calif history. Proposition 13 was part of the tax revolt in 1978 to reduce property taxes that was approved by voters.
1.1 million Americans register to vote in first weeks of BLM protests, study finds
Miami Herald
Americans flocked to register to vote during the first two weeks of the Black Lives Matter protests, a new study finds. And of those newly registered voters in the first 15 days of June, there were many more Democratic than Republican voters, according to TargetSmart, a Democratic political data firm.
The best argument for & against each Biden VP pick
Wash Post
Joe Biden’s vice-presidential pick could come as soon as the middle of this week. A few weeks back, we ranked the picks that made the most sense. The former vice president, who has promised to pick a woman and who has faced plenty of pressure to select a Black woman, will have to announce his choice in the coming days, with the Democratic National Convention next week.
Tuesday voting in five states opens with no wait times, smooth ballot processing
Wash Post
Voters trickled to the polls with no wait times and election workers began processing a crush of absentee ballots with no major difficulties Tuesday morning in a slew of primaries and runoffs across five states, a sign of the extra preparations states have taken to hold elections during the coronavirus pandemic.
The pandemic has reshaped Election 2020 — and Trump’s prospects for reelection
Wash Post
No election in history has played out against the backdrop of a pandemic, a major recession and a racial reckoning. Even more than ever, it is largely about the incumbent.
Commentary: The People’s Voice: Coronavirus Edition
Fox & Hounds
Calif voters are understandably anxious about the health and economic crises facing families and workplaces. CalChamber commissioned a brief survey to better understand how voters want state leaders to address key economic issues as the clock ticks down on the 2020 Legislative session.
OPINION: The Parties May Miss Conventions
WSJ
Covid-19 forced Democrats and Republicans to rethink how they will hold their political conventions this summer. Both will be mostly virtual affairs, eliminating the handshakes and personal interactions that have shaped the parties for nearly 200 years. In this way, the pandemic is accelerating an evolution that has been in motion for decades.
Other:
Here’s Why Americans Don’t Trust the Media
The Dispatch
A new, exhaustive study by Gallup and the Knight Foundation found that Americans across the board are losing trust in the media. Some people might be shocked by this finding, but I suspect more people will be shocked to learn that the media had any trust left to lose.
OPINION: Untangling the Media Myths of Covid-19
WSJ
Has there been in recent history a more tendentious, hysterical, data-denying and frankly disreputable exercise in misdirection than the way in which much of America’s media has covered the Covid-19 epidemic?
EDITORIAL: An only-in-Calif problem: Why your newspaper delivery driver could disappear
Sac Bee
There’s only one industry that appears in this country’s Bill of Rights. It’s journalism. America’s architects viewed the press as essential to the functioning of our democracy.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Valley Farm Workers Describe Working Conditions And Fears During Pandemic
VPR
Farm workers in the San Joaquin Valley are facing higher risks of contracting COVID-19 compared to non-agricultural industries, according to a new farmworkers study. That’s on top of dealing with extreme heat and pesticide exposure.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County Stockdale Club meal service to move to Suburu Elementary
Bakersfield Califn
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County is providing a grab and go meal service for at-risk and disadvantaged children in Arvin, Bakersfield and Lamont. Starting this Thursday, the Stockdale Club’s external meal service will be moved to the Suburu Elementary campus to increase food accessibility for children in need.
Onions sold at Trader Joe’s & Ralphs in western U.S. are recalled
LA Times
A limited quantity of red and yellow onions sold at Trader Joe’s and Ralphs grocery chains in the West are being recalled in relation to an ongoing salmonella outbreak, Progressive Produce said Monday.
OPINION: Split roll initiative on November ballot threatens Agriculture
Modesto Bee
Calif property owners have benefited from Proposition 13 for so long, it’s hard to remember the time before it when property taxes shot up unpredictably year after year, forcing seniors from their homes, blowing up family budgets and crushing businesses.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
Shootings in Fresno area up 50% compared to this time last year
abc30
“Investigators are working around the clock to determine the motive of these shootings,” says Sgt. Brian Valles with the Street Violence Bureau. Fresno detectives have their hands full as they investigate seven shootings that happened within the span of 48 hours.
Inmate death at a Calif prison is being investigated as homicide, authorities say
Sac Bee
An inmate at a Calif state prison is being investigated in connection to a homicide after another prisoner died last week from injuries suffered in June, prison officials said.
Public Safety:
1st San Quentin officer dies from COVID-19 as virus claims 4th condemned Sac inmate
Fresno Bee
Calif correctional officials announced two deaths related to a massive coronavirus outbreak at San Quentin State Prison: The first prison guard to die of COVID-19 and the fourth inmate condemned from Sac County to die since early July.
See Also:
● San Quentin coronavirus disaster exposes a dangerous road to ‘herd immunity’ LA Times
● Calif executions on hold, but coronavirus killing San Quentin inmates SF Chronicle
Child abuse reports went way down when schools closed
BakersfieldNow
Teachers are mandatory reporters. A designation in Calif given to those who are required by law to report possible child abuse. According to the Kern County Department of Human Services, more than 70% of child abuse reports come from mandatory reporters.
Rate of firearms found in flight carry-ons has tripled amid pandemic
LA Times
Far fewer people are flying during the COVID-19 pandemic, but those who are seem more likely to try to bring firearms on the plane: The rate of passengers carrying guns through U.S. airport security tripled in July compared with the same month last year.
Fire:
Crews continue to battle two destructive Calif fires
Fresno Bee
Firefighters are still battling two major blazes that have burned for at least a week and destroyed homes in Southern Calif. The Stagecoach Fire in Kern County has charred more than 12 square miles (31 square kilometers) of dry brush since breaking out Aug. 3. The blaze has destroyed 37 structures, including a dozen residences.
Firefighters getting a handle on wildfire near Pine Flat Lake. What’s still closed
Fresno Bee
As of Monday morning the Trimmer Fire that sparked last week near Pine Flat Lake was at 80% containment, the U.S. Forest Service reported. There have been four injuries since the fire started on Aug. 3.
How We Analyzed Where Older Californians Are At Increased Risk For Wildfire
Capital Public Radio
The average age of those who died in the 2018 Camp Fire was 72. The average age of those who died in the fires that burned across Sonoma and Napa a year before: 73. As wildfires grow more devastating in Calif, some of the most vulnerable are older people who live independently and who live in long-term care homes.
See Also:
● Nursing Homes Weren’t Ready for A Pandemic. They’re Not Ready For Wildfire, Either Capital Public Radio
ECONOMY/JOBS
Economy:
Bakersfield lenders see most local borrowers doing fine for now
Bakersfield Califn
Recent reports from local lenders paint a positive, if tentative, picture of how Kern County businesses and consumers are getting by financially through the COVID-19 crisis.
Fresno’s Fashion Fair is getting a new restaurant in a prime spot — possibly with a patio
Fresno Bee
A Southern Calif-based restaurant known for its burgers, bacon and beer is coming to Fresno. Slaters 50/50 is opening in a prime spot at Fashion Fair, in the former Anthropologiestore at the mall’s main entrance.
Amazon reportedly looking to takeover Sears, JCPenney stores as mall fulfillment centers
abc30
Amazon is reportedly in talks to transform shuttered Sears and JCPenney stores into fulfillment centers. The online delivery giant is working with Simon Property Group, the largest shopping mall operator in the United States, to transform current or former JCPenney and Sears department stores into new fulfillment centers for the company.
Stocks Rise On Wall Street; S&P 500 Within 1% Of Record
Business Journal
Stocks closed mostly higher on Wall Street after shrugging off a bumpy start Monday, nudging the S&P 500 within striking distance of its all-time high set in February. The S&P 500 added 0.3% and is within 1% of its last record high. The gains come on the first trading day since President Donald Trump announced several stopgap moves to aid the economy, following the collapse of talks on Capitol Hill for a bigger rescue package.
Businesses Want a Shield Against COVID-19 Lawsuits. But What About Customer Safety?
PEW
Wyoming state Sen. Liisa Anselmi-Dalton worried that a customer could get the coronavirus in her Old Chicago Pizza and Tap Room franchise in Rock Springs, attached to her Holiday Inn, and sue her.
Trump’s COVID orders too little, too late to help U.S. economy, experts say
Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump’s weekend attempt to sidestep stalled congressional negotiations over the next coronavirus aid package will do little to boost the economy, experts said.
Commentary: How is COVID-19 affecting US trade?
Brookings
In this episode of Dollar & Sense, we flip the format and ask host David Dollar what new data can tell us about how the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated recession are affecting U.S. trade. Dollar shares insights on which industries have been hit hardest, how the recession will alter the U.S. trade deficit and the phase one trade deal with China, and the likelihood American companies begin reshoring their manufacturing and value chains.
Jobs:
Trump’s unemployment plan unworkable for Calif, Gavin Newsom says
Fresno Bee
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that it will be extremely difficult — and likely impossible — for the state to provide funding needed to give Calif’s unemployment workers the entire $400 additional benefit President Donald Trump has announced.
See Also:
● Trump’s unemployment benefit plan won’t work in Calif, Newsom says LA Times
● Why Trump’s unemployment boost may only be $300 a week for many Roll Call
● Trump’s action on unemployment benefits, explained PolitiFact
● Calif judge: Uber and Lyft must make drivers employees Politico
Survey: Going back to work after a positive COVID-19 test
Fresno Bee
The coronavirus pandemic has generated a lot of fear and confusion, and clashing orders from authorities can make it harder to navigate. At The Fresno Bee, we are looking to understand where the confusion comes from to help clear it up.
Judge says Calif Uber, Lyft drivers should be employees
SF Chronicle
A SF Superior Court judge issued a preliminary injunction Monday to make Calif Uber and Lyft drivers into employees, using scathing language about the ride-hailing companies’ “prolonged and brazen refusal to comply with Calif law,” namely AB5, the new gig-work law that makes it harder for companies to claim that workers are independent contractors.
See Also:
● Calif Judge Orders Uber And Lyft To Consider All Drivers Employees VPR
● OPINION: I Am the C.E.O. of Uber. Gig Workers Deserve Better. NY Times
EDUCATION
K-12:
Despite calls from teachers to delay start date, Fresno superintendent says ‘we’re ready’
Fresno Bee
One week before the first day of school, Fresno Unified School District’s superintendent said “we’re ready” for the coronavirus pandemic era despite calls from teachers to delay the start date.
Calif Suspends Youth Sports, CUSD Not Affected
Clovis RoundUp
The Calif Department of Public Health released new guidelines for youth sports in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Youth sports and physical education are only allowed when physical distancing of at least six feet can be maintained; and a stable cohort, such as a class, if it limits the risk of transmitting COVID-19.
Senior sunrises, tech glitches mark first day of distance learning for Modesto students
Modesto Bee
Before they returned home to log in for the distance learning intended to keep themselves, their families and school employees healthy and safe during the COVID-19 outbreak, hundreds of Modesto students gathered outdoors Monday morning for the tradition known as senior sunrise.
Schools mull outdoor classes amid virus, ventilation worries
Fresno Bee
It has been seven years since the central air conditioning system worked at the NY City middle school where Lisa Fitzgerald O’Connor teaches. As a new school year approaches amid the coronavirus pandemic, she and her colleagues are threatening not to return unless it’s repaired.
See Also:
● Analysis: Ventilation should be part of the conversation on school reopening. Why isn’t it? PBS
Commentary: Schools cannot reopen on their own; a national crisis requires a national response
CalMatters
What’s most striking about the national response to the COVID-19 crisis is that there isn’t one. On issue after issue, states and local authorities have been left to fend for themselves.
See also:
· Editorial: The wrong way to reopen schools LA Times
· The No-Win School Reopening: One Superintendent’s Dilemma WSJ
· Mathews: Californians, Let’s Talk About Ditching School This Fall Zocalo
Some Calif districts, teachers struggle to agree on distance learning
EdSource
Add fraying nerves of school district and teachers union negotiators and parents worried about distance learning to the collateral damage of the pandemic. Never, say those involved, have talks over teacher working conditions been this challenging.
Pandemic parenting: Tips for surviving another round of homeschooling (with wine)
Sac Bee
Oh, parent friends. School at home. Distance learning. Here we go again. We all have our fingers crossed that the fall goes better than the spring did, but it’s happening again. We are all figuring out new ways of doing everything.
Strong Start to Finish: How Course Pathway Maps Increase Student Success
EdNote
As developmental education reforms gain momentum across the country, course pathway maps help policymakers improve the student experience by identifying roadblocks to math and English course completion and, ultimately, a college degree. Course pathway maps create a visual guide, connecting the dots between every class in a sequence ending with the first college-level math or English course applicable to a degree.
Higher Ed:
No football in the fall for Fresno State after Mountain West postpones its season
Fresno Bee
The Mountain West Conference on Monday postponed its football and other fall sports seasons and championship events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a move that hit hard at Fresno State where student-athletes have been awaiting clearance to return to campus and their teams.
See Also:
● Mountain West to postpone fall sports season ESPN
Student portals for State Center Community College District down on first day of fall semester
abc30
The State Center Community College District portal that streamlines students to website tools needed for virtual instruction is reportedly down as students begin distance learning for the fall semester on Monday. The MyPortal gives students access to Canvas, a website that holds learning materials for different classes, transcripts and registration information, and student emails.
BC holding virtual express enrollment Wednesday
Bakersfield Califn
Bakersfield College is holding an extended one-day virtual express enrollment event for new and returning students from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Counselors and support staff will be available to assist students with their registration process, placement, enrollment and financial aid.
KCCD announces next Cerro Coso Community College president
Bakersfield Califn
Sean C. Hancock has been named the next president of Cerro Coso Community College, according to a news release. Kern Community College District Chancellor Thomas Burke will officially recommend Hancock to the KCCD Governing Board at its meeting on Aug. 13. He will begin his term at the end of September.
Pandemic puts pressure on universities; students dropping out
Valley Voice
“I don’t believe I’m paying for a UC education…The tutoring center we pay for? Closed. The gym? Closed. The library? Closed.” Mauricio Valdez, a 2019 graduate of College of the Sequoias, described his current situation while attending UC Riverside (UCR).
Apprenticeships:
‘The sky’s the limit’ when KHSD’s Career Technical Education Center opens in a few weeks
Bakersfield Califn
After almost two and a half years, the Kern High School District’s Career Technical Education Center, located adjacent to Independence High School, is nearing completion.
ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY
Environment:
Why Sprawl Could Be The Next Big Climate Change Battle
Capital Public Radio
President Trump is attacking Democrats on a new front: suburbia. “They want to eliminate single-family zoning, bringing who knows into your suburbs,” Trump said on a July campaign call.
See also:
· Global warming collapses Canada’s last intact ice shelf LA Times
Commentary: Green Policies Won’t Keep Calif Truckin’
Fox & Hounds
No state advertises its green credentials more than Calif. That these policies often hurt the economy, driving up housing costs and narrowing opportunities for working-class people while not even doing much for the environment, has not discouraged the state’s environmental overlords.
E.P.A. to Lift Obama-Era Controls on Methane, a Potent Greenhouse Gas
NY Times
The Trump administration is expected in the coming days to lift Obama-era controls on the release of methane, a powerful climate-warming gas that is emitted from leaks and flares in oil and gas wells. The new rule on methane pollution, issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, has been expected for months, and will be made public before Friday, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke anonymously to avoid publicly pre-empting the official announcement.
Energy:
Ceres-based petroleum distributor gets new owner after 88 years in founder’s family
Modesto Bee
A Sac-based company has acquired E. R. Vine & Sons, a petroleum distributor founded in Ceres in 1932. New owner Hunt & Sons is retaining the 90 or so employees and the Vine brand, outgoing President Jeff LeBeouf said Thursday at the Railroad Avenue headquarters.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
Fresno and nearby counties see new COVID-19 cases rise; averages may be slowing
Fresno Bee
The number of confirmed coronavirus infections identified throughout the central San Joaquin Valley on Monday lurched up by more than 2,100 cases since Friday – an increase of almost 5.4% in a single weekend.
See Also:
● Fresno-area continues to see COVID-19 cases rise, but is the ‘curve’ starting to bend? Fresno Bee
● Tulare County adds 387 COVID-19 cases; Central Valley a coronavirus hotspot, White House saysVisalia Times Delta
● COVID-19 update: Active cases up, but R number down Porterville Recorder
● Six more people die from coronavirus in Stanislaus County. Cases top 10,000 mark Modesto Bee
Skilled Nursing Facilities Continue To See Spikes In Covid-19 Cases, According To The State
Kern Sol News
Nearly all of Kern’s skilled nursing facilities have reported COVID-19 cases among residents and health care workers, according to the Calif Department of Public Health.
‘
Bakersfield man returns home months after medically induced coma due to COVID-19
KGET
He was hospitalized for months with COVID-19, but Monday night a local father was back home and celebrating his recovery. A drive-by welcome home parade was held for Justin Reynolds outside his house. It was organized by Frontier High School’s football team, of which his son is a member.
Coronavirus surging among children, teenagers in Calif
LA Times
Coronavirus cases among children and teenagers are surging in Calif, up 150% last month, a rate that outpaces COVID-19 cases overall and establishes minors as a small but growing share of the state’s COVID-19 cases.
See Also:
● At Least 97,000 Children Tested Positive For Coronavirus In Last 2 Weeks Of July NPR
● Can kids be COVID-19 ‘long haulers?’ Some fear yes as nearly 100,000 test positive Miami Herald
Does your coronavirus mask work? New study separates the worthy from the worthless
SF Chronicle
That bandanna might make you look like a cool outlaw from an old Western movie, but it’s largely ineffective in protecting you from the coronavirus, according to a new study.
See Also:
● Certain masks may be worse than no mask at all, preliminary Duke study finds abc30
● Wearing a neck gaiter may be worse than no mask at all, researchers find Wash Post
Wash Post
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed Tuesday that Russian scientists achieved a breakthrough in the global vaccine race, announcing that the country has become the first to approve an experimental covid-19 vaccine and that his own daughter has already taken a dose.
With no end to the pandemic in sight, coronavirus fatigue grips America
Wash Post
Gabe Rice began sheltering in his suburban Phoenix home with his wife and three youngest children in March. They worked remotely, learned remotely and put social events on hold to hunker down alongside much of the country.
Brookings
Vulnerability to COVID-19 is much greater for Black Americans (see our earlier paper “Race gaps in COVID-19 deaths are even bigger than they appear”). This is because of a wide range of factors, including geography, occupation, housing conditions, and access to health care. In “Why are Blacks dying at higher rates from COVID-19?” our colleague Rashawn Ray describes these structural inequalities leading to disparate outcomes.
Human Services:
State task force provides support in Merced County as COVID-19 numbers rise
abc30
Representatives from several different state agencies met with local leaders at Merced County’s Office of Emergency Services building Monday morning. The group included first responders, medical providers, and educators.
Adventist Health Opens Rapid Care In Tulare
Business Journal
Access to quick medical care has increased in Tulare with the grand opening of Adventist Health Rapid Care — a service of Adventist Health Physicians Network — on Monday. In addition to in-person care, Rapid Care Tulare also offers virtual visits, which allow patients to consult with a provider from the comfort of their home using a phone, tablet or computer.
Kaiser Permanente donates $63 million to expand tracing of coronavirus cases in Calif
Sac Bee
Kaiser Permanente will pour $63 million into building teams of hundreds of home-grown contract tracers to slow the spread of the coronavirus, which has killed more than 10,000 Califns and pummeled communities of color here and across the U.S.
Disaster Planning In Nursing Homes: The Questions To Ask Your Loved One’s Facility
Capital Public Radio
The coronavirus pandemic is a sudden, new threat to assisted living and skilled nursing homes — and those facilities already are under increasing threat from wildfire in Calif.
Exclusive: Federal officials launch vaccine pilot program
Roll Call
After months of remaining vague about its plans to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine, the Trump administration is quietly piloting distribution working groups, CQ Roll Call has learned. The plan, which is not yet public, was confirmed by four state health departments.
Coronavirus Testing Still Not Making the Grade
WSJ
When the history of the coronavirus crisis is written, the absence of a national testing strategy to better slow the virus’s spread while speeding the reopening of the economy and schools may go down as the biggest government failure.
Hospitals’ Covid-19 Policies Face Religious-Rights Checks by Trump Administration
WSJ
The Trump administration has stepped up interventions in complaints by patients and health workers who say they’ve been victims of discrimination under policies that hospitals and other health organizations have adopted to combat the new coronavirus.
Trump: order on pre-existing conditions a ‘double safety net’ despite Obamacare law
Reuters
President Donald Trump said on Monday an executive order requiring health insurance companies to cover patients with pre-existing conditions would emphasize Republican support for the practice even though it is already part of existing law.
Political Polarization Has Hit Medicine, Too
The Bulwark
As our national struggle to cope with the coronavirus fractured along partisan lines, we may have hoped that at least medicine remained above the fray, offering unfailingly consistent advice that, while not perfect, was at least driven by the best understanding of the science, and not tainted in some way by partisan affections.
IMMIGRATION
Texas Tribune
The administration has used infection risk to justify expelling thousands of children without legal protections. But it’s only expelling kids who’ve tested negative.
White House looks at plan to keep out citizens and legal residents over virus
Wash Post
White House officials have been circulating a proposal that would give U.S. border authorities the extraordinary ability to block U.S. citizens and permanent residents from entering the country from Mexico if they are suspected of being infected with the novel coronavirus, according to two administration officials and a person familiar with the plans.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
LOIS HENRY: Kern River bike path extension to start this month
Bakersfield Califn
Residents will soon be able to scoot, cycle, jog or hike on the bike path all the way from the middle of Bakersfield to Buena Vista Lake. Construction on a 7-mile-long extension of the Kern River bike path from its current terminus at Enos Lane to Buena Vista Lake south of Highway 119 will begin in the next few weeks, according to Kern County Public Works Manager Michael Dillenbeck.
Housing:
Report predicts 20,000 local households could face eviction during COVID-19 crisis
Bakersfield Califn
A new report advocating rent cancellation and other government-led housing measures in the Central Valley warns that economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic could result in evictions for 20,000 households across Kern County.
Tejon Ranch reports limited need for rent deferments at two of its shopping centers
Bakersfield Califn
It’s times like these that the wisdom of having a drive-thru window becomes clear. The latest evidence comes from Lebec-based Tejon Ranch Co., which last week reported that just eight tenants at two of its properties — those at the foot of The Grapevine and its commerce center a few miles to the north — asked for and received rent deferments as of June 30.
As COVID-19 Tanks the Economy, Eviction Moratoriums Expire
PEW
It’s the beginning of the month, rent is due, the $600 in federal unemployment relief has lapsed and Congress seems far from agreeing on another coronavirus aid package. Meanwhile, the federal moratorium on evictions has ended, and similar mandates in many cities and states have expired or soon will.
Donald Trump’s executive order on evictions, explained
PolitiFact
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Aug. 8 that addressed eviction policy. But it didn’t extend an expired federal eviction moratorium, and even if it had extended the moratorium, not every renter would be covered.
See Also:
● White House pushes back after Newsom dismisses Trump’s eviction action as a ‘study’ Sac Bee
Commentary: An answer for an expected tsunami of evictions during COVID-19
CalMatters
All around the country, hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of Americans could be evicted from their homes as a result of lost jobs and income during the COVID-19 pandemic. A federal moratorium on evicting tenants from federally-aided housing expired Aug. 1, and policymakers nationwide are scrambling to patch together emergency rental subsidies and assistance.
PUBLIC FINANCES
Employers Cast Wary Eye on Trump Payroll-Tax Deferral
WSJ
Employers considering President Trump’s plan to allow deferred payment of payroll taxes face a series of costs, uncertainties and headaches. The president wants employers to stop collecting the 6.2% levy that is the employee share of Social Security taxes for many workers, starting Sept. 1 and going through the end of the year.
See Also:
● Dems say Trump’s payroll tax break weakens Social Security abc3340
● Self-employed won’t get to defer taxes under Trump’s payroll break Roll Call
Commentary: “Come back, Taxpayers!”
Fox & Hounds
I couldn’t help but think of the well-known ending to the classic movie western, Shane, when I heard NY Governor Andrew Cuomo plead for rich NYers to return to the Big Apple.
TRANSPORTATION
Report: Series of errors botched Calif bridge project
Fresno Bee
A series of errors by contractors and consultants caused support cables to fail on a massive bridge in central Calif that’s key to the state’s bullet train project, according to a newspaper report on Monday.
See Also:
● ‘Horrible sequence of mistakes’: How bullet train contractors botched a bridge project Bakersfield Califn
WATER
Groundwater Sustainability Moves from Planning to Implementation
PPIC
The recent completion of groundwater sustainability plans for Calif’s most over-pumped basins was a major step toward bringing basins into long-term balance, as mandated by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
“Xtra”
Metallica’s first show in 2020 will be a drive-in concert. You can see it in Fresno area
Fresno Bee
While entertainment venues around Fresno and — and across the U.S. — continue to push for help from the federal government in order to survive the coronavirus pandemic, national touring acts are finding other avenues to connect with fans.