POLICY & POLITICS
Will the pandemic make or break Calif’s Central Valley?
CalMatters
Gov. Gavin Newsom described the Valley as his “biggest area of concern” recently and dispatched three of his coronavirus “strike teams” to the region to help local officials halt the spread.
North SJ Valley:
Stanislaus deaths at 200. Distance learning camp in Turlock
Modesto Bee
Stanislaus County announced Monday that 200 residents have died from COVID-19. And it offered a comparison to other causes of death. The county Health Services Agency added two people to the 198 already lost to the pandemic. Details were not available on the latest deaths.
Registrar: Voting by mail is safe and secure
Turlock Journal
For the first time ever, all registered voters in Stanislaus County will receive their ballot in the mail for the upcoming election on Nov. 3 — and many are wondering if their vote is safe.
Central SJ Valley:
Valley nears 50,000 cases; Clovis schools start distance learning
Fresno Bee
The central San Joaquin Valley has now reported more than 49,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus since the first local cases were identified in early March. The six-country region has averaged more than 900 new cases each day over the past two weeks and has seen an increase of more than 10,000 cases since Aug. 1.
Cong Cox & Cong Costa announce support of USPS during Fresno press conference
Fresno Bee
Democratic Congressmen TJ Cox and Jim Costa announce their support for legislation that would keep operations of the United States Postal Service from being limited during the coronavirus pandemic and upcoming presidential election.
Is Fresno Co running out of COVID-19 money? At least one supervisor says he’s worried
Fresno Bee
Amid concerns of dwindling coronavirus-relief funds, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors approved to fund two programs that would provide direct housing and business assistance for county residents.
South SJ Valley:
COVID-19 update: Action plan should be coming soon for Valley
Porterville Recorder
The state should be coming up with an action plan for the Central Valley in the near future when it comes to the effort to battle COVID-19 in the region. That was what was presented by Tulare County Health and Human Services Director Tim Lutz during his weekly report on the status of COVID-19 at the Tulare County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday.
More than half the detainees at Mesa Verde ICE facility test positive for coronavirus, lawyers say
Bakersfield Califn
A coronavirus outbreak has spread rapidly through the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield, with more than half of the detainees testing positive for COVID-19 in recent weeks. Lawyers representing those detained in a class-action lawsuit say as of Saturday, 54 of the 104 detained people at Mesa Verde had received positive results.
See also:
● Half of All Detainees at Bakersfield ICE Facility Have Tested Positive For COVID-19 KQED
State:
Cases, hospitalizations, deaths decline
CALmatters
Pressure is building on Gov. Gavin Newsom to figure out a reopening plan after San Diego, Calif’s second-largest county, fell off the state’s coronavirus watch list Tuesday and hospitalizations, case rates and deaths continue to decline statewide.
See also:
● Calif hospitalizations fall below 5,000 for first time since June Merc
● Top Calif health official on coronavirus pandemic: ‘The state picture is stabilizing SF Chronicle
● Slowing COVID-19 outbreak has Calif weighing what next reopening will look like LA Times
Calif power grid operator cancels rolling blackouts
Fresno Bee
Widespread blackouts to reduce pressure on the electric grid were averted Monday night after regulators warned earlier in the day that they would not have enough power to meet demand in the midst of a heat wave.
See Also:
● Calif avoided blackouts Monday but faces record-high demand today. What you need to knowFresno Bee
● Calif avoids a third day of blackouts as electricity demand subsides despite heat Fresno Bee
● 2 million Califns warned they could lose power as Trump rips Democrats for blackouts Fresno Bee
● PG&E interactive map tells if you’ll lose power during CA rotating outages abc30
● Stage 2 emergency declaration lifted for Calif, no rolling blackouts on Monday abc30
● Rolling blackouts possible in Porterville Porterville Recorder
● State urges conservation to avoid power outages Bakersfield Califn
● PG&E announces power outages likely on Tuesday evening Bakersfield Califn
● Newsom Orders Investigation Into Abrupt Blackouts As Energy Officials Warn More Are PossibleCapital Public Radio
● New rolling blackouts ‘imminent’ as Calif heat wave intensifies LA Times
● Trump falsely accuses Calif Democrats of implementing rolling blackouts SF Chronicle
● Trump seeks to pin Calif blackouts on Democrats POLITICO
Walters: Blackouts reveal our power shortage
CALmatters
Calif has a shortage of electrical energy that’s resulting in blackouts during a severe heat wave. Warnings about the shortage were ignored.
Fox: Business Doesn’t Want to Just Turn Off the Lights to deal with Energy Shortage
Fox & Hounds
Gov. Gavin Newsom says the rolling blackouts that hit Calif are “simply unacceptable.” Granted. So, what are we going to do about it?
US Postal Service suspending cuts — but will it help Californians?
Fresno Bee
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said Tuesday he plans to suspend cost-cutting changes to the U.S. Postal Service, but Califns experiencing mail delays and Democrats in Congress say they remain worried about the system’s preparedness for Nov’s election.
See also:
● Calif to join legal challenge against Trump Admin over USPS reductions LA Times
Calif delegates (mostly) back Biden + CPUC boss dodges firing + Consumer Watchdog writes Newsom
Sacramento Bee
Bernie Sanders’ Calif delegates to the Democratic National Convention say they’re disappointed he won’t be the candidate accepting the party’s presidential nomination this week, but they’re mostly ready to back Joe Biden this fall.
Editorial: An only-in-Calif problem: Why your newspaper delivery driver could disappear
Fresno 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.
Federal:
Any USPS cuts will wait until after the election, postmaster general says
abc30
Under fire from Congressional Democrats, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced today he will suspend several cost-cutting initiatives in an effort “to avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail… until after the election is concluded.”
See Also:
● Calif to join legal challenge against Trump Admin over USPS reductions LA Times
● Postmaster General announces he is ‘suspending’ policies blamed for mail delays Wash Post
● Postal Service bill unveiled in House Roll Call
Commentary: ‘He’s Destroyed Conservatism’: The Republican Case Against Trump’s GOP
POLITICO
Stuart Stevens spent four decades helping Republicans—a lot of Republicans—win. He’s one of the most successful political operatives of his generation, crafting ads and devising strategies for President George W. Bush, Republican presidential nominees Mitt Romney and Bob Dole, and dozens of GOP governors, senators and congressmen. He didn’t win every race, but he thinks he had the best won-lost record in Republican campaign world.
Cities sue Census Bureau over ending 2020 head count early
Bakersfield Califn
More than a half-dozen cities, counties and civil right groups sued the Trump Admin on Tuesday, saying there was no justification for its decision to cut the 2020 census short by a month, and it will lead to the undercounting of minority communities and an inaccurate head count of every U.S. resident.
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 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 Fin Times
● Coronavirus in Calif by the numbers CalMatters
Elections 2020:
What Latinos, immigrants & first-time voters need to know about Calif’s Nov election
Fresno Bee
Calif Latinos’ influence at the voting booth often trails their share of the state’s population. They make up the state’s largest ethnic group, but they tend to vote in lower numberk,,,Zs thhan other communities. Language barriers and a lack of political engagement sometimes suppress Latino turnout, candidates and researchers say.
Registrar: Voting by mail is safe and secure
Turlock Journal
For the first time ever, all registered voters in Stanislaus County will receive their ballot in the mail for the upcoming election on Nov. 3 — and many are wondering if their vote is safe.
At Dem convention, Calif Bernie delegates given virtually no chance to cause a ruckus
CALmatters
Delegates can’t unfurl a banner, stage a walkout or heckle a speaker from the isolation of their living room couch.
See also:
● Local DNC delegates see hope for Nov Bakersfield Califn
● Bernie Sanders won big in Calif. Here’s why his Golden State delegates are settling for BidenSacramento Bee
Trump and Biden on guns: Far apart on policy and perspective
LA Times
The candidates change; the divide on guns remains the same. The surprise will be if the contest between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican President Trump unearths much beyond what voters have come to expect from the two major parties on gun policy in recent elections.
Kamala Harris prepares for biggest moment of her career
SF Chronicle
Harris’ vice presidential nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention will let her introduce herself to Americans who may only now be tuning in to the election, make the case for why presidential nominee Joe Biden should occupy the White House, and energize Democratic voters depressed by four years of President Trump.
WSJ
Conventions give candidates a chance to rally the base, but also to make their case to a shrinking pool of persuadable voters.
Other:
“Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg says if a Trump post violates standards, ‘it comes down
CNBC
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg on Tuesday said the company is prepared to remove any posts by President Donald Trump that violate the company’s standards.
How misinformation, federalism and selfishness hampered America’s virus response
PEW
A fifth of the world’s COVID-19 deaths are in the United States.
LA Times
A woman named Shelly Tolhurst offered a sadly prophetic observation at a Sept. 7, 1920, event in LA celebrating the passage of a constitutional amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote. “For a thousand years we have had a certain viewpoint,” Tolhurst said.
See also:
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Calif farming country buckles under COVID-19. Will pandemic make or break the Valley?
Fresno Bee
She was afraid of catching the coronavirus – so fearful, in fact, that she switched jobs to pack tomatoes for an employer who seemed to be taking the right precautions. But Maria Claudia Garcia got sick anyway.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
Document leak reveals scope, audacity of Russian banking billionaire’s alleged IRS ripoff
Modesto Bee
A recent arrest in London and a new leak of documents from a bank in the Cayman Islands provide a road map showing how a Russian oligarch allegedly defrauded the United States out of hundreds of millions in taxes, undertook luxury, prestige projects and played a financial shell game using offshore companies to buy and sell private jets.
Calif Supreme Court holds penalties against nursing homes to $500
SF Chronicle
In a victory for nursing homes, the Calif Supreme Court says patients harmed by a facility’s failure to comply with multiple state safety standards can collect only a single $500 penalty, in addition to damages a jury may award for the home’s negligence.
COVID lockdown: Domestic violence injuries much more severe
LA Times
The toll of COVID-19 does not always show up on a radiologist’s screen as blighted lungs. These doctors who peer beneath a patient’s skin with the help of CT or MRI scans are increasingly seeing evidence of physical abuse by those patients’ domestic partners as a consequence of the months of stay-at-home orders, job loss and escalating family stress that the pandemic has wrought.
Public Safety:
Lawmakers size up police reform
CALmatters
State lawmakers will decide the fate of 15 reform bills during a pandemic-shortened session marked by civil unrest and an economic crisis. Not all of them will make it.
See also:
● Most Calif voters support police reform, poll shows LA Times
● Police reform advocates scrutinize police unions LA Times
● Calif police reform push could shift the national conversation POLITICO
Faulty thermometers, untrained screeners may have let COVID-19 into prisons, watchdog says
LA Times
Vague testing guidelines, faulty thermometers and inadequate staff training are suspected of contributing to the COVID-19 outbreak in Calif prisons that has killed at least 54 inmates and sickened more than 9,500 others, the state’s Office of Inspector General reported Monday.
5 Facts: How We Know Calif’s Criminal Justice Reform Efforts Are Working
CA Budget and Policy Center
Over many years, Calif lawmakers and voters adopted a series of harsh, one-size-fits-all sentencing laws against individuals that prioritized punishment over rehabilitation for people, led to severe overcrowding in state prisons, and disproportionately impacted Black and Latinx Califns — consequences that many families still feel today
Fire:
Newsom declares statewide emergency as fires burn across Calif
LA Times
Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a statewide emergency in order to help Calif respond to the fires burning across the state amid an extreme heat wave. More than 30 wildfires are burning across Calif, including nearly a dozen that started in the last two days, according to officials with the Calif Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and a Times analysis.
See also:
● Where they’re burning, who’s being evacuated Fresno Bee
● More than 30 fires burning in Calif amid heat wave LA Times
● Calif Fire Map LA Times
Extreme Heat And Fire Tornadoes Slow Firefighting Efforts In Calif
VPR
Firefighters are battling more than a dozen wildfires across Calif as a scorching heat wave continues to bear down on the state. And in the midst of record-breaking temperatures, rare lightning storms have also sparked a handful of new fires that continue to rage on.
ECONOMY/JOBS
Economy:
Salons protest in Clovis in support of re-opening their businesses from pandemic closures
Fresno Bee
Salon workers and supporters rallied and marched for re-opening of their businesses and economic support from the coronavirus pandemic on Monday afternoon, Aug. 17, 2020 in Old Town Clovis.
See Also:
● Local hair stylists call for Calif salons to reopen during Clovis protest abc30
U.S. stocks set new record high, erasing pandemic-induced losses
LA Times
Wall Street has clawed back the last of the frenzied losses unleashed by the pandemic: The Standard & Poor’s 500 index closed Tuesday at a new high. The day’s move was a relatively mild one, nudging the index up 7.79 points, or 0.2%, to 3,389.78. That eclipses the S&P 500′s previous record closing high of 3,386.15, which was set Feb. 19, before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down businesses around the world and knocked economies into their worst recessions in decades.
See also:
● The Big Comeback: S&P 500 Closes At Record High 6 Months After Coronavirus Plunge VPR
● S&P 500 hits record high, capping shortest bear market in history Wash Post
Free CSUB webinar will address timing of PPP loan forgiveness
CSUB News
A free webinar starting at noon Wednesday will address business topics including how soon organizations that received federal money through the Paycheck Protection Program might want to file for loan forgiveness.
If prosperity and freedom aren’t enough for you, there’s also the ‘moral’ case for market capitalism
AEI
The left is offering an aggressive critique of capitalism that proponents of free enterprise should aggressively respond to.
Fresno Bee
What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up? Fester? Stink? Sag, or just explode, as Langston Hughes suggests in “Harlem”? Ask James Hannah, 60, who has tried to secure a business loan for an auto repair shop since he graduated from Fresno City College’s auto mechanic program in 1986.
Jobs:
Calif Legislature Advances Numerous Labor and Employment Bills
Ogletree Deakins On Point
Despite all that is going on in the world, the Calif legislature has been busy this year. Below is a summary of the major employment law bills that are working their way through the state Assembly and Senate.
Workplace Safety in Calif: Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Inspections (Podcast)
Ogletree Deakins On Point
In this episode of our Workplace Safety in Calif series, Kevin Bland and Karen Tynan discuss the process of Cal/OSHA workplace inspections in response to COVID-19 complaints, including on-site inspections, employee interviews, and providing documentation to inspectors.
High temperatures slow work, trigger special precautions for outdoor laborers
Bakersfield Califn
High temperatures are making tough jobs harder for people working outdoors in Kern County, and recently high humidity and poor air quality aren’t helping. Probably the biggest impact the ongoing heat wave has had locally is shortened work hours for some crews. The workday starts and ends earlier, which can lower productivity and reduce paycheck totals.
Expired Jobless Benefits Cost Economy Billions, But Some States Reject Trump’s Aid
VPR
President Trump’s plan to boost unemployment benefits temporarily by $300 a week is getting a fairly cool reception around the country. Since Trump made the offer earlier this month, fewer than half the states have taken him up on it. Trump proposed using redirected Federal Emergency Management Agency money to replace half the $600 in weekly unemployment benefits that expired last month. The lack of buy-in from the states leaves a big dent in the spending power of tens of millions of jobless workers.
Editorial: The Obama-Biden Economy Redux
WSJ
The policy mix that led to slow growth and rising inequality is back.
EDUCATION
K-12:
Clovis school continues bell-ringing tradition on first day of school
Fresno Bee
Jefferson Elementary School honored campus catering staff during their annual bell-ringing tradition to signify the start of the school year in Clovis Unified on Monday despite distance learning throughout the district.
See also:
· Clovis Unified parents discuss distance learning abc30
‘COVID-19 is out of control.’ A scramble to make online learning work in Fresno, Clovis
Fresno Bee
Students around Fresno County gathered virtually for the first day of classes Monday. In Clovis, students and teachers wore masks and stayed 6 feet apart during a small ceremony on the Jefferson Elementary school lawn to celebrate the first day of school. The annual opening bell ceremony was streamed online.
EDITORIAL: A Fresno Co school defied orders and opened classrooms. Here’s why that’s wrong
Fresno Bee
The latest COVID-19 fight in Fresno County pits a private school against public health officials.In one corner is Immanuel Schools, a Reedley-based, kindergarten-through-12th-grade program that educates just over 600 students.
How Modesto schools tackled crashes, glitches and ‘quirky’ discovery that began year
Modesto Bee
With its biggest tech fires put out by the third day of school last week, Modesto City Schools leaders said Monday that teachers now can really get down to the business of education. Superintendent Sara Noguchi and members of her team spoke Monday morning about the academic year’s distance-learning start.
How does Turlock’s distance learning camp work? Here’s an inside look
Modesto Bee
As a hospital nurse and a firefighter, Kristina Moore and her husband cannot stay at home to guide their 7-year-old daughter through a virtual school day. So, while Dennis Earl Elementary and the rest of Turlock Unified School District remain closed, Moore’s daughter attends a distance learning camp where city staff supervise 50 students in kindergarten through sixth grade through a schedule of remote class time, activities and food breaks.
Parents, nonprofits and vulnerable to get money from supervisors to combat COVID-19
Bakersfield Califn
The Kern County Board of Supervisors used Tuesday’s board meeting to take on a number of unaddressed needs related to the coronavirus pandemic. First and foremost, supervisors approved a plan to accommodate employees with children who now must distance learn for the beginning of the school year. The plan, which will cost an estimated $350,000, gives eligible employees the ability to work from home and provides a stipend for those employees who are not able to do so.
Higher Ed:
Colleges grapple with coronavirus as students return
Fresno Bee
Notre Dame University became the latest college to move classes online due to the coronavirus, after nearly 150 students tested positive. “It is very serious, and we must take serious actions,” university president the Rev. John Jenkins said in an address to students and staff Tuesday.
CSU students now required to take ethnic studies course to graduate
abc30
Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill requiring students in the Calif State University system, including Fresno State, to take an ethnic studies course to graduate. The bill was signed into law on Monday.
OPINION: Coronavirus makes Calif’s ‘student borrower bill of rights’ essential
Modesto Bee
In the midst of a deep recession, with many out of work and many losing unemployment benefits, it is crucial that the Calif State Legislature enact Assembly Bill 376 to protect the millions in Calif who owe student loans.
ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY
Environment:
Fresno-area heat wave: When can we expect things to cool off?
Fresno Bee
An excessive heat warning from the National Weather Service remains in effect in Fresno, Merced and other Valley counties through at least Thursday, with high temperatures expected to remain above 100 degrees through Sunday.
See Also:
● More records shattered in Modesto as heat wave expected to continue through next week Modesto Bee
● From ‘firenadoes’ to record heat, Calif extreme weather a glimpse of future LA Times
Renewable energy corporations fight endangered species status for Joshua trees
LA Times
Renewable energy corporations have launched an eleventh-hour campaign to derail a petition seeking endangered species protection for Joshua trees, saying it could hinder development of the solar and wind power projects Calif needs to wean itself off fossil fuels.
Consumer group fears Calif’s recycling network is in danger of collapse
LA Daily News
Calif’s already hobbled recycling network will likely collapse unless supermarkets and other beverage retailers are forced to redeem empty bottles and cans, a consumer group says.
Commentary: Trump’s push to expand Arctic drilling is dangerous and foolhardy
Sacramento Bee
Finishing a task that a Republican-controlled Congress gave it three years ago, the Trump Admin has finalized plans for new oil and gas leases in one of the most pristine stretches of the world: the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Energy:
Calif power grid operator cancels rolling blackouts
Fresno Bee
Widespread blackouts to reduce pressure on the electric grid were averted Monday night after regulators warned earlier in the day that they would not have enough power to meet demand in the midst of a heat wave.
See Also:
● Calif avoided blackouts Monday but faces record-high demand today. What you need to knowFresno Bee
● Calif avoids a third day of blackouts as electricity demand subsides despite heat Fresno Bee
● 2 million Califns warned they could lose power as Trump rips Democrats for blackouts Fresno Bee
● PG&E interactive map tells if you’ll lose power during CA rotating outages abc30
● Stage 2 emergency declaration lifted for Calif, no rolling blackouts on Monday abc30
● Rolling blackouts possible in Porterville Porterville Recorder
● State urges conservation to avoid power outages Bakersfield Califn
● PG&E announces power outages likely on Tuesday evening Bakersfield Califn
● Newsom Orders Investigation Into Abrupt Blackouts As Energy Officials Warn More Are PossibleCapital Public Radio
● New rolling blackouts ‘imminent’ as Calif heat wave intensifies LA Times
● Trump falsely accuses Calif Democrats of implementing rolling blackouts SF Chronicle
● Trump seeks to pin Calif blackouts on Democrats POLITICO
Walters: Blackouts reveal our power shortage
CALmatters
Calif has a shortage of electrical energy that’s resulting in blackouts during a severe heat wave. Warnings about the shortage were ignored.
Fox: Business Doesn’t Want to Just Turn Off the Lights to deal with Energy Shortage
Fox & Hounds
Gov. Gavin Newsom says the rolling blackouts that hit Calif are “simply unacceptable.” Granted. So, what are we going to do about it?
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
Calif health officials fret about mix of COVID, flu
Fresno Bee
Health officials in Calif are concerned about the confluence of the coronavirus and flu in the upcoming months, noting a substantial decline in child vaccination rates since the pandemic.
West Nile virus activity rampant in Calif. Heat wave speeds up mosquito breeding
Fresno Bee
The leader of the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control District warned local residents that West Nile virus is intensifying after receiving word earlier in the day that 20 mosquito samples tested positive for the illness.
Don’t touch dead bats. Amid triple-digit heat, a Fresno health warning for bats, rabies
Fresno Bee
Here’s your annual warning to watch out for dead bats. Amid reminding parents to get their kids vaccinated and dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, Fresno County Department of Public Health on Tuesday issued the warning to residents that they may being finding dead bats in public spaces and around their homes as the hot weather affects local colonies.
Stanislaus County passes milestone in COVID-19 cases tied to skilled nursing facilities
Modesto Bee
Stanislaus County as of Monday ranks ninth in the state for reported COVID-19 cases among skilled nursing facility residents. Local facilities have reported 517 cases to the Calif Department of Public Health, according to a state coronavirus dashboard, in addition to 343 of their health care workers testing positive.
Kern Public Health reports 180 new coronavirus cases, 12 new deaths
Bakersfield Califn
The Kern County Public Health Services Department announced Tuesday 180 new people had contracted COVID-19, a daily number that was lower than several recent days. The department said 12 people had died from the virus, one of the higher amounts Public Health has announced in a single day.
See Also:
● Five COVID-19 deaths, 264 new cases recorded in Merced County since Friday Merced Sun-Star
How Bars Are Fueling COVID-19 Outbreaks
VPR
From the early days of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak, states have wrestled with the best course of action for the nation’s imperiled bars and nightclubs. Many of these businesses find their economic prospects tied to a virus that preys on their industry’s lifeblood — social gatherings in tight quarters.
Report: Nursing home cases up nearly 80% in Covid-19 rebound
Business Journal
Covid-19 cases in U.S. nursing homes jumped nearly 80% earlier this summer, driven by rampant spread across the South and much of the West, according to an industry report released Monday
Isolation, disruption and confusion: Coping with dementia during a pandemic
Business Journal
The coronavirus has upended the lives of dementia patients and their caregivers. Adult day care programs, memory cafes and support groups have shut down or moved online, providing less help for caregivers and less social and mental stimulation for patients. Fear of spreading the virus limits in-person visits from friends and family.
COVID Safety Precautions Could Shape The Prevalence Of Other Illness, Health Experts Say
Capital Public Radio
Dr. Suman Radhakrishna usually sees about 10 cases of whooping cough a year from her downtown LA practice. This year, she’s seen none. “Most of the respiratory illnesses are down,” said Radhakrishna, a board member with the Infectious Disease Association of Calif.
WHO warns young people are emerging as main spreaders of the coronavirus
Washington Post
The World Health Organization warned Tuesday that young people are becoming the primary drivers of the spread of the novel coronavirus in many countries — a worrisome trend experts fear may grow in the United States as many colleges and schools begin to reopen.
Human Services:
Free federally-backed ‘less invasive’ COVID-19 testing available today
KGET
The county says a free, “less invasive” COVID-19 testing site will be open today. The Kern County Farm Bureau will host the federally-provided mobile testing site from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Aug. 19. The farm bureau is located at 801 S. Mount Vernon Ave.
Why States Are Limiting COVID-19 Testing
PEW
Nationwide, states are starting to question whether to test people who don’t show symptoms and aren’t part of a vulnerable population.
See also:
● What Derailed America’s Covid Testing: Three Lost Weeks WSJ
‘C’mon, ladies!’ Siebel Newsom’s mask PSA gets blowback from overburdened moms
POLITICO
A new state public health mask PSAstarring Siebel Newsom and directed at Calif moms is drawing sharp criticism from women who say it is perpetuating gender stereotypes — such as the idea that mothers have “superpowers” and are responsible for regulating the behavior of those around them.
The home front: Virus stalks nurses after they leave work
AP
For the nurses of “4 North,” like their colleagues before them from New York and across the globe, home is fraught with uncertainty. Are they bringing the virus there? Are they exposing their partners and children? Should they isolate or quarantine themselves? Should they quit their jobs to keep their families safe?
IMMIGRATION
More than half the detainees at Mesa Verde ICE facility test positive for coronavirus, lawyers say
Bakersfield Califn
A coronavirus outbreak has spread rapidly through the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield, with more than half of the detainees testing positive for COVID-19 in recent weeks. Lawyers representing those detained in a class-action lawsuit say as of Saturday, 54 of the 104 detained people at Mesa Verde had received positive results.
See also:
● Half of All Detainees at Bakersfield ICE Facility Have Tested Positive For COVID-19 KQED
Calif Picks Up Fight Over DACA Restrictions Again
VPR
After several legal victories, Calif’s Attorney General Xavier Becerra says he will take the Trump Admin back to court over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. In a court filing Tuesday, Becerra said his office expects to challenge the latest set of rules that the state argues have scaled back DACA against the orders of the U.S. Supreme Court and a federal lower court in Maryland.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
What goes into Fresno’s new park? City wants your opinion
The city has created a survey, so residents can have a say about what goes into the park – a skate park, playground or soccer field.
Valley Voices: Fresno is next to spectacular Sierra wilderness, but few people of color can enjoy it
Fresno Bee
As environmental advocates, we are awed by the wonders of the Central Valley and southern Sierra Nevada mountains. We have worked in recent years to bring local residents, many from immigrant communities, out into nature to experience our public lands, sometimes for the first time.
Housing:
Rental assistance and tiny homes: Sacramento outlines $62 million homeless spending plan
Sacramento Bee
Sacramento officials on Monday said they intend to create a nearly $5 million rental assistance program to help people who are falling behind on bills and on the cusp of becoming homeless.
‘There Is No Redo On This’: Eviction Crisis Looms As Lawmakers’ Timeline Dwindles
Capital Public Radio
Californians who have fallen behind on housing payments due to the coronavirus are set to lose protections and could face evictions beginning Sept. 1 — unless state lawmakers step in.
Trump Claims Calif Lawmaker Pushed To ‘Abolish Single-Family Zoning.’ Is He Right?
Capital Public Radio
President Donald Trump and U.S. Housing Secretary Ben Carson claimed yesterday that a Calif state lawmaker is trying to “abolish single-family zoning” in the state. “For the past three years, the state senator who represents Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s SF, has led a push to abolish single-family zoning in Calif,” Trump and Carson wrote about state Sen. Scott Wiener (D – SF) in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal titled “We’ll Protect America’s Suburbs.”
Rent and mortgage relief bill clears Senate committee in marathon hearing
POLITICO
We could still see a grand bargain in the coming weeks, blessed by Newsom and legislative leaders, that combines provisions of AB 1436 with the Senate’s main rent relief vehicle, Senate Bill 1410, which would allow tenants to defer rent and give landlords tax credits to offset the loss of revenue.
Editorial: The Housing Lobby Strikes Again
WSJ
The White House and Congress undermine Fannie Mae’s regulator.
PUBLIC FINANCES
Some parents will get a $500 stimulus check this fall, IRS says. Here’s what to know
Modesto Bee
Some parents who missed out on the additional $500 payment for their dependent children under the CARES Act will have more time to register, the Internal Revenue Service said. Parents receiving federal benefits, such as Social Security or Supplemental Security Income, will be able to use the agency’s Non-Filers tool until Sept. 30 to get their money this fall, the IRS said.
IRS to send out interest on late tax refunds this week
SF Chronicle
The Internal Revenue Service said Tuesday it will send interest payments this week to about 13.9 million taxpayers who filed their 2019 federal income tax returns on time and were due a refund.
Business leaders say they are unlikely to implement Trump’s payroll tax order
Wash Post
Auto part suppliers, clothing sellers, retailers, restaurants and a torrent of top businesses signaled Tuesday they are unlikely to implement President Trump’s order deferring payment of workers’ payroll taxes, threatening an early blow to a policy the White House has touted as a major form of economic stimulus.
LA Times
The collapse of the housing bubble in 2007 showed how little attention federal regulators had been paying to predatory, misleading and fraudulent practices by lenders. That’s why, as part of the Dodd-Frank financial industry reform law in 2010, Congress created an independent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with the power to adopt and enforce rules for lenders, debt collectors and other providers of consumer services.
TRANSPORTATION
Why trash started piling up on Calif highways – and what Caltrans is doing about it
Fresno Bee
Trash on Highway 99, is seen Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020, in Sacramento. There are efforts underway by Caltrans, Adopt-a-Highway volunteers and Sacramento County to catch up on litter accumulated during the pandemic.
See Also:
● Our roads are trashed. We now have to deal with pandemic debris piling up on our highwaysFresno Bee
High speed rail advocates portraying Bakersfield as key stop in project’s development
KGET
Calif High Speed Rail continues to run into challenges, including a work stoppage in Madera county at an overcrossing that is causing some consternation. But elsewhere in the valley the work continues — including here in Kern County — and it’s becoming increasingly clear that the Bakersfield terminal will play a key role in the overall project.
Uber and Lyft Consider Franchise-Like Model in Calif
NYT
The change would resemble an independently operated franchise, allowing Uber and Lyft to keep an arms-length association with drivers so that the companies would not need to employ them and pay their benefits.
WATER
Cloudy water may mean Fairmead’s water well is drying up
Fresno Bee
Listen as Maria Enriquez and Norma and Jose Juan Bustillos talk about how their tap water has gone from muddy to cloudy, which may mean Fairmead’s water wells are drying out. Interviewed Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020 in Fairmead, CA.
See Also:
● This Madera County community is running out of water — and the only well might fail Fresno Bee
ETGSA proposes groundwater extraction fee
Porterville Recorder
The Eastern Tule Groundwater Sustainability Agency has proposed a groundwater extraction fee to be charged to property owners within its district. The ETGSA board approved providing its water rate study for public review at its meeting on August 6. The proposed fee is included in that water rate study. A public hearing videoconference on the proposed fee will be held at 2 p.m. October 1.
“Xtra”
Treadmills are an option at this year’s virtual Huntington’s Disease Sacramento walkathon
Sacramento Bee
Participants can get their steps in at home, around the neighborhood or even on a treadmill during a Sept. 19 “virtual” fundraising walk hosted by the Huntington’s Disease Society of America’s (HDSA) Northern Calif Chapter.