Maddy Institute – January 8, 2021

08Jan

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● Stanislaus announces eight more deaths, 511 more cases Modesto Bee

‘It just saddens me.’ Merced County officials respond to mob’s storming of U.S. Capitol

Merced Sun-Star

In the wake of unprecedented scenes in Washington D.C. where hundreds of President Donald Trump’s supporters mobbed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, many Merced County elected officials denounced the chaos.

Big changes in Turlock government after City Council holds closed-door meetings

Modesto Bee

The Turlock City Council on Thursday put its city manager on investigatory leave and accepted the resignation of its city attorney. City Attorney Doug White’s resignation will be effective Feb. 28, but the council gave no further details on the leave for City Manager Toby Wells.

Central SJ Valley:

Fresno cases grow, Newsom weighs relief that would help undocumented

Fresno Bee

The California Department of Public Health added another 1,100 positive COVID-19 cases to Fresno County’s tally on Wednesday, bringing the total to 70,971 cases since the pandemic first hit. Of those, at least 711 have died as of last week, according to health officials. County health officials have not updated the number of deaths since New Year’s Day.

Fresno radio host (Ray Appleton) tells audience to ‘hang’ members of the media, then says it was a joke

Fresno Bee

A popular Fresno radio host on Thursday morning told listeners that certain members of the media should be hanged — then later issued a clarification about his comment.

They protested masks at Fresno Trader Joe’s. Then they were in D.C. during Trump insurrection

Fresno Bee

Men who live in and around Fresno who previously protested local mask rules and business shutdowns were in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday while a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Fresno mayor, City Council drop fight against Measure P, in victory for parks advocates

Fresno Bee

The majority of the Fresno City Council on Thursday voted to drop the city’s protestations of Measure P, a tax for parks that has been working its way through the courts.

Fresno City Council Elects New Executive Leadership

Business Journal

District 7 Councilmember Nelson Esparza was elected vice president of the Fresno City Council Thursday at its first meeting of 2021. This is the third year of Esparza’s first term and he will be serving as vice president under new council President Luis Chavez of District 5.

Fresno Church Buying Tower Theatre Faces Rigorous Rezoning Process

VPR
The sale of Fresno’s historic Tower Theatre is raising concerns among businesses and residents. The buyer, Adventure Church, currently holds Sunday services at the theatre. But according to Fresno City Councilmember Esmeralda Soria, that’s a violation of current zoning laws.

South SJ Valley:

The race to end the pandemic: Kern County’s vaccination timeline explained

KGET
The COVID-19 pandemic drags into its 300th day in Kern County as public health officials report 840 new cases and 2 new deaths. That means over 74,000 have caught the virus since March, which is one out of every 12 people. Over 39,000 are isolating at home while they recover from the virus, and the latest state data says 433 are hospitalized.

Discussion by Delano City Council to compel residents to comply with COVID rules postponed Thursday

Bakersfield Californian

The Delano City Council met for nearly 90 minutes in a special meeting Thursday night to discuss three items, including an attempt to put some legal teeth into the enforcement of rules intended to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Kern County Republicans defend responses to events in D.C.

Bakersfield Californian

Christian Romo wasn't planning to be glued to his television Wednesday as a typically procedural process to certify the results of the Electoral College vote took place in the nation's Capitol. He comes from an immigrant family who saw American democracy and the peaceful transition of power as a beacon of hope.

Local prayer rally calls on religious to "push back"

Bakersfield Californian

While chaos and riots overtook the nation's Capitol building, a small, quiet and very religious prayer rally was held at noon Wednesday in front of the Liberty Bell on Truxtun Avenue.

Sister Judy, who embodied 'everything that is good about Mercy Hospitals,' retires at age 80

Bakersfield Californian

You know you're valued and loved as an employee when Mercy Hospital President and CEO Bruce Peters says on the occasion of your retirement: "I almost don't know what we're going to do without her."

State:

California sees two-day record of coronavirus deaths

Fresno Bee

California health authorities reported Thursday a record two-day total of 1,042 coronavirus deaths as many hospitals strain under unprecedented caseloads. The state Department of Public Health’s website listed 583 new deaths, a day after 459 deaths. The previous two-day record total was 1,013 deaths at the end of December.

See also:

● California virus deaths rocket higher as ICU space tightens Bakersfield Californian

● Coronavirus Live Updates: U.S. Deaths Set New Record as Cases Surge Wall Street Journal

● The US reported more than 4,000 Covid-19 deaths in one day for the first time ever CNN

California’s new goal: Vaccinate a million people in 10 days

CalMatters

Acknowledging that vaccinations have been too slow, state officials aim to ramp up the pace. But many questions remain about expanding to the next groups of Californians, and, in the meantime, some doctors complain that they still haven’t been vaccinated.

State Legislators representing the Valley propose $2.6B in business aid

Business Journal

Senate Bill 74 — called the Keep California Working Act — allocates $2.6 billion be distributed to small businesses impacted by government-mandated closures. State senators Andres Borgeas (R-Fresno) and Anna Caballero (D-Salinas) are the principal co-authors on the bill.

California suspends 1.4 million virus unemployment claims

Fresno Bee

California has frozen 1.4 million unemployment claims as it battles fraud in its massive coronavirus unemployment relief program, it was reported Wednesday. The state Employment Development Department said it had examined existing claims from people who said they lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic and found about 3.5 million claims were “potentially fraudulent," the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

● California suspends payment on 1.4 million unemployment claims while searching for fraud Los Angeles Times

● After EDD freezes 1.4 million accounts, agency could be swamped by ID verifications San Francisco Chronicle

● California sent unemployment checks to inmates in other states AEI

Federal:

Where do we stand on $2,000 stimulus checks? Here’s what we know

Fresno Bee

After both Democrats won Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoff elections, cementing Democratic control in both chambers of Congress, there could be another round of stimulus checks on the horizon.

Pence affirms Biden as winner, formalizing electoral count after day of riots at Capitol; Trump prepares for exit

Visalia Times Delta

Vice President Mike Pence confirmed early Thursday that Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump, officially ending the 2020 presidential race that Trump has refused to concede and after a violent day at the U.S. Capitol.

● Congress Certifies Biden Victory; Trump Pledges 'Orderly Transition' On Jan. 20 VPR

● McCarthy, Nunes stayed quiet on election challenge — and then opposed Biden’s win Merced Sun-Star

● Election vote divides Republicans as party wrestles with post-Trump identity Roll Call

● Capitol Riot Strains Relationship Between Trump and Pence Wall Street Journal

● Mob Rule in the Capitol The New Yorker

● The Mob Is Gone, but the Crisis of the Republican Party Has Only Begun The New Yorker

● Here’s How California Representatives Voted On Certifying Biden’s Election, And Who Is Calling For Trump’s Removal Capital Public Radio

● California Leaders Question Why Capitol Police Stepped Aside for Mob KQED

● Amid DC violence, these California Republicans voted to reject Biden’s election CalMatters

Pence not engaging in talks with Cabinet on 25th Amendment to remove Trump from power

Fresno Bee

Vice President Mike Pence has not engaged in any discussions with Cabinet members on invoking the 25th Amendment despite White House staff openly questioning Donald Trump’s fitness for office in the final days of his presidency.

● Pelosi, Schumer call for President Trump's removal via 25th Amendment or impeachment abc30

● Lawmakers discuss Trump's fitness to remain president after mob occupies Capitol in DC abc30

● Think the 25th Amendment is a solution to the next two weeks? Think again Los Angeles Times

● Pelosi, Schumer call for Trump’s removal; Trump acknowledges new administration Washington Post

● After Capitol Riot, Resignations and Calls for Trump’s Removal Wall Street Journal

● Democrats Intensify Calls to Remove Trump After Capitol Riot Wall Street Journal

● What can be done to control Trump in his final days? Brookings

● Editorial: Donald Trump’s Final Days Wall Street Journal

Growing group of California Democrats seek Trump’s immediate removal

Fresno Bee

A growing chorus of Democrats is calling for quick action to remove President Donald Trump from office. “I am calling on the @VP to invoke the 25th Amendment and convene the cabinet to remove the President from office. The President continues to put himself above the American people and his reckless actions to undermine our democracy must be met with equal consequence,” Matsui tweeted Wednesday evening.

See also:

● How a second impeachment of Trump would work Washington Post

● Trump concedes it’s transition time. Will Nancy Pelosi now move to impeach him twice? Modesto Bee

● Democrats Push for Quick Impeachment; Capitol Police Officer Dies After Riot Wall Street Journal

● Pelosi threatens to pursue impeachment if Trump’s cabinet does not strip him of powers. New York Times

● House prepared to impeach Trump if Pence, Cabinet don’t remove him, Pelosi says Roll Call

Where Was Security When A Pro-Trump Mob Stormed The Capitol?

VPR
More than 60 people were arrested, at least 50 police were injured, and officers confiscated guns, pipe bombs and Molotov cocktails. With so many police and security agencies present in Washington, why were so few resources deployed in advance?

● Police Confirm Death Of Officer Injured During Attack On Capitol VPR

● Mob fallout: Pelosi calls for Capitol Police chief to be fired; House SAA to resign Roll Call

● Poll: Majority of Republicans blame Biden for mob storming the Capitol The Hill

● How the U.S. Capitol Police were overrun in a ‘monumental’ security failure Washington Post

● U.S. Capitol police officer dies after engaging rioters Washington Post

● Capitol Police officer dies from injuries suffered in riots, federal murder investigation opened abcNews

● Who Says A Must Say B National Review

Social platforms flex their power, lock down Trump accounts

Bakersfield Californian

After years of treating President Donald Trump's inflammatory rhetoric with a light touch, Facebook and Instagram are silencing his social media accounts for the rest of his presidency. The move, which many called long overdue following Wednesday's deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, is also a reminder of the enormous power that social-media platforms can wield when they choose.

● The pro-Trump media world peddled the lies that fueled the Capitol mob. Fox News led the way. Washington Post

With narrow margin, here are the key health care priorities for Democrats

Roll Call

With Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock clinching victories in the Georgia Senate runoffs, Democrats in Congress will have newfound leeway to pursue health care policy priorities. However, with such a slim majority in the Senate and limited parliamentary workarounds, Democrats will have to keep their caucus unified or seek Republican support.

Biden to name Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo as Commerce Secretary, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh for Labor Secretary

Washington Post

President-elect Joe Biden has selected two prominent New England politicians with sharply different profiles to run the principal Cabinet agencies handling business and labor issues.

Opinion: A Garland for Biden’s Attorney General

Wall Street Journal

Joe Biden promised to lower the temperature of America’s partisan hothouse, but some of his nominations have not lived up to that promise. One that does is his selection of Merrick Garland as Attorney General, perhaps now the most important cabinet post for domestic politics.

Biden says he will release all available coronavirus vaccine before second doses are administered

Washington Post

President-elect Joe Biden announced Friday that he plans to release all available coronavirus vaccine after he takes office. The move breaks with the Trump administration, which has favored holding half the vaccine in reserve to ensure people receive their second doses. It would greatly expand the number of Americans who could soon get their first shot, but risks depleting reserves needed for follow-up shots.

‘In a Dark Place’: A President Increasingly Angry and Isolated

Wall Street Journal

The president spent the day in the White House without access to the social media accounts that helped rocket him to power, as advisers described him as increasingly angry and isolated.

Self-Pardons: The President Can't Pardon Himself, So Why Do People Think He Can?

Labor and Employment Relations Association

There are many judgments to be drawn from the familiar forms of legal argument-history, text, structure, prudence, doctrine and ethos-all of which cohere around the conclusion that such a pardon is not constitutionally permissible,

Opinion: RIP, the GOP of ‘Personal Responsibility’

Washington Post

What ever happened to the “personal responsibility” we’ve so often heard Republicans prattle on about? Republican Sens. Josh Hawley (Mo.), Ted Cruz (Tex.) and others aided and abetted our authoritarian president, amplifying his lies about voter fraud.

Opinion: Trump’s evangelicals were complicit in the desecration of our democracy

Washington Post

The practical effects of the fascist occupation of the U.S. Capitol building were quickly undone. The symbols it left behind are indelible.

Opinion: Republicans’ Fight Isn’t in Congress

Wall Street Journal

It was a display not of patriotism but of frenzy and anarchy. The actions of a few overshadowed the decent intentions of many. Why?

Other:

Opinion: Bipartisan Disgust Could Save the Republic

U.S. News

It was, President-Elect Joe Biden said solemnly, "one of the darkest days in the history of our nation," a day when pro-Trump insurrectionists stormed the Capitol and occupied the chamber where both defenders and detractors of the president found themselves jointly threatened by a marauding mob.

Opinion: The end of the road for American exceptionalism

Washington Post

On the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) appealed to the American ideal. A clutch of right-wing lawmakers during a joint session of Congress had challenged the certification of electoral votes confirming President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Agriculture and Business Coalition Challenge Cal/OSHA Emergency Standards to Protect Nation's Food Supply

Wine Business

A coalition of agricultural and business employers has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court challenging the COVID-19 related emergency temporary standards (ETS) recently approved by the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (Board).

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

By the numbers: Arrests, deaths, injuries and more from the siege on the US Capitol

Fresno Bee

A mob of rioters descended on the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday in a violent attack that resulted in a number of deaths, arrests and injuries as Congress was certifying the results of the Electoral College vote.

Public Safety:

City uses app to enforce COVID-19 guidelines

Porterville Recorder

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Tulare County, the city of Porterville has cracked down on mask-wearing by making it mandatory to wear a mask while in public places.

Fire:

California's wildfire hell: how 2020 became the state's worst ever fire season

The Guardian

On a deadly 24-hour march through the Sierra Nevada in September, the flames of what would become the North Complex fire raced through more than 200,000 acres of dense timber, destroyed a historic schoolhouse and overtook a beloved camp for children with cancer.

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

Local banks prep for new round of PPP lending

Business Journal

While businesses and lenders say the first round was unclear due to ever-changing rules, local lenders are optimistic about participating this time around.

Wall Street rises on Democratic wins, stimulus hopes

Los Angeles Times

Major U.S. stock indexes surged to all-time highs Thursday as Wall Street bet that the Democratic sweep of Washington means more stimulus is on the way for the economy.

Relief Deal Would Give Small Businesses a Shot at a Second Loan

New York Times

The $900 billion assistance package would restart the P.P.P. — the government’s small-business program created under the CARES Act — through March 31, while doing away with the restriction that left more than $100 billion unspent over the summer.

Jobs:

California suspends 1.4 million virus unemployment claims

Fresno Bee

● California suspends payment on 1.4 million unemployment claims while searching for fraud Los Angeles Times

● After EDD freezes 1.4 million accounts, agency could be swamped by ID verifications San Francisco Chronicle

● California sent unemployment checks to inmates in other states AEI

● Opinion: Legislature needs to hold investigative hearings into California’s mass unemployment fraud CalMatters

Virus Surge Ends Seven Months of U.S. Jobs Growth

Wall Street Journal

The U.S. shed 140,000 jobs in December as a resurgence of the coronavirus ended seven months of job growth and weakened the recovery.

See also:

● The economy lost 140,000 jobs in December Washington Post

EDUCATION

K-12:

Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers from Fresno County’s largest school districts

Fresno Bee

Coronavirus cases at Fresno County’s largest school districts continued to rise before students went on winter break. The Bee’s Education Lab compiled data submitted upon request from the four largest school districts in Fresno County.

Fresno Unified superintendent, six other CA superintendents oppose Newsom's school plan

abc30

A return-to-school plan laid out by Governor Gavin Newsom last week is getting some pushback from California school district superintendents, including Fresno Unified's Bob Nelson, who believes the plan does not do enough to help urban schools.

VUSD to bring back more elementary school students for in-person learning. Here's why others must wait.

Visalia Times Delta

After delaying the return of students in grades 3-6 last month, Visalia Unified School District is bringing some of these students back for in-person learning. Third and fourth graders will return to campus on Jan. 19 while those in fifth and sixth grade will continue learning online. Students whose parents chose distance learning will remain online.

Betsy DeVos resigns as education secretary, citing Trump’s role in riot

Washington Post

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, one of President Trump’s longest-serving and most loyal Cabinet members and also one of his most controversial, submitted her resignation Thursday, citing the president’s role in the riot on Capitol Hill.

Higher Ed:

Punjabi language classes will now be offered for the first time at all UC campuses

Sacramento Bee

The University of California will offer Punjabi-language courses at all of its campuses starting in January, marking the first Punjabi-language curriculum to be taught throughout the UC system.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

California’s sequoias and redwoods can survive climate change—if we help them

National Geographic

On a rolling granite hill in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, on a hot August night, tree scientist Kristen Shive camped beneath a giant sequoia tree she estimated could be a thousand years old.

Opinion: Californians deserve safe and breathable air

CalMatters

If we can rethink our habits of polluting the air that we breathe, we can improve our air quality in California and the Central Valley.

Energy:

Major Oil Companies Take A Pass On Controversial Lease Sale In Arctic Refuge

VPR

One of the Trump administration's biggest environmental rollbacks suffered a stunning setback Wednesday, as a decades-long push to drill for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ended with a lease sale that attracted just three bidders — one of which was the state of Alaska itself.

California is scrambling to avoid blackouts. Your refrigerator could help

Los Angeles Times

Sometime next summer, there’s a decent chance a heat wave will bake the American West, and California’s power grid will again be stretched to its limits. As the sun sets, solar panels will start generating less electricity even as temperatures remain high. Power plants that burn natural gas will fire up as quickly as possible, in a race to keep air conditioners blowing and avert the need for rolling blackouts.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

California sees two-day record of coronavirus deaths

Fresno Bee

● Kern Public Health: 840 new coronavirus cases, 2 new deaths reported Thursday Bakersfield Californian

● California virus deaths rocket higher as ICU space tightens Bakersfield Californian

● Stanislaus announces eight more deaths, 511 more cases Modesto Bee

● Coronavirus Live Updates: U.S. Deaths Set New Record as Cases Surge Wall Street Journal

● The US reported more than 4,000 Covid-19 deaths in one day for the first time ever CNN

New, more contagious COVID strain has spread to at least 7 states, officials say

Fresno Bee

Less than two weeks after reporting the first case of a new, more contagious COVID-19 strain in the U.S., the mutated variant has spread to seven states from coast to coast, health officials say.

COVID may be causing ‘irrecoverable’ lung damage in some patients, studies show

Fresno Bee

The coronavirus has been hopping from one human host to another for only about a year, meaning it’s too early to know if there will be long-term or permanent health consequences after infection. One of the craved answers scientists seek is the fate of COVID-19 patients’ lungs, but studies and doctors’ experiences so far don’t paint too bright a picture.

Loss of smell can hint at how severe your COVID infection is, study finds

Fresno Bee

Now, a new study of about 2,500 COVID-19 patients found that a faulty nose affects mostly those with mild cases — nearly 86% — while only slightly affecting people with moderate illnesses (4.5%) and severe-to-critical cases (6.9%).

U.S. records its deadliest day of the pandemic while eyes are fixed on mob storming Capitol

Washington Post

After angry rioters and supporters of President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol in a last stand for the outgoing president, the United States has tallied its deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic for the second straight day.

Human Services:

Mercy Southwest, already a busy place, is getting walloped by COVID

Bakersfield Californian

Mercy Southwest was already a busy hospital but it's been walloped by COVID-19. On Wednesday morning, there were 32 patients being held in its 29-bed emergency department waiting for a room in an inpatient unit to open.

California’s new goal: Vaccinate a million people in 10 days

CalMatters

Fauci Says U.S. Needs More Time To 'Catch Up' On Vaccine Rollout

VPR

Health experts warned that the coronavirus pandemic would get worse before it got better. And that is happening. December was the deadliest month of the pandemic in the United States. The vaccines have made people optimistic, but the process has been slow.

● Covid-19 Vaccines Remain Elusive for Many Doctors, Health Care Workers Wall Street Journal

● U.S. Vaccine Rollout Hurt by Faulty Coordination, Messaging Bloomberg

Risk of False Results with the Curative SARS-Cov-2 Test for COVID-19: FDA Safety Communication

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting patients and health care providers of the risk of false results, particularly false negative results, with the Curative SARS-Cov-2 test.

Pandemic Could Hurt Home-Based Care for Kids With 24/7 Needs

PEW
Tennessee this month became the 50th state to offer a Katie Beckett program or one like it. But the pandemic has worsened worker shortages in home health care, and advocates fear tightening budgets might mean cuts to the program.

Opinion: COVID-19 shows desperate need for Gov. Newsom to invest in California’s public health

Fresno Bee

As California reckons with the darkest moment of the toughest public health challenge in generations, the new year brings a glimmer of hope. Our local public health departments are gearing up to be a crucial part of a massive mobilization to deliver vaccines against COVID-19, first to those whose jobs, age or underlying health conditions put them at greatest risk, and then to every Californian.

IMMIGRATION

Coalinga State Hospital Patients Without Legal Status Ask To Be Deported Amid Unsafe Conditions

VPR
In the last two weeks, 48 people at the Coalinga State Hospital have contracted Covid-19, according to the Department of State Hospitals. Some patients without legal documentation are asking the state to allow ICE to deport them because they don’t want to get the virus.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Fresno Church Buying Tower Theatre Faces Rigorous Rezoning Process

Housing:

California Democrats ask Newsom to spend $5 billion to help renters struggling in pandemic

Sacramento Bee

A group of California Democrats wants Gov. Gavin Newsom to set aside billions of dollars in additional funding to help tenants keep up with their rent during the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Gimme Shelter’: What changes to expect in California housing in 2021

Los Angeles Times

As California lawmakers are preparing to return to the Capitol, they’re facing an immediate debate over whether to extend protections against evictions for tenants due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. And, after years of failures, they’ll also restart discussions on a package of bills aimed at increasing housing production across the state.

Commentary: Five things I’ve learned covering California’s housing crisis that you should know

CalMatters

Back in 2017, I wrote a fairly unremarkable piece about a state lawmaker’s proposal to take away a tax break on California vacation homes to fund more low-income housing. More precisely — believe me, among housing nerds it’s essential to be precise — the bill would have eliminated the mortgage interest deduction on second homes, generating an estimated $300 million annually to build publicly subsidized apartments.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Where do we stand on $2,000 stimulus checks? Here’s what we know

Fresno Bee

After both Democrats won Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoff elections, cementing Democratic control in both chambers of Congress, there could be another round of stimulus checks on the horizon.

Turbo Tax blames IRS for stimulus money deposited into wrong accounts

abc30

If you're waiting for your second stimulus payment and you used Turbo Tax to do your taxes, you will need to wait a little longer to get your money.

Counting unemployment as taxable income is no tax law quirk

AEI

In reality, however, the taxation of unemployment insurance benefits is not a “quirk.” It is an application of the simple principle that the income tax system should tax all forms of income neutrally.

The IRS abandons its lawless effort to deny rebate payments to prisoners

AEI

When asked about the policy’s legal foundation, an IRS spokesman replied, “I can’t give you the legal basis.” As one observer commented, “It appears that the IRS is just making this up.” In a victory for the rule of law, however, the IRS recently abandoned its policy in the face of adverse court decisions.

TRANSPORTATION

California DMV postpones in-person driving tests until February amid COVID surge

Fresno Bee

The California Department of Motor Vehicles will postpone all in-person driving tests through Feb. 1 out of concern for the continuing surge in COVID-19 cases, the department announced Thursday.

Stay closer to home, California health officials urge, in updated COVID travel advisory

Fresno Bee

As coronavirus deaths and hospitalizations reached all-time highs, the California Department of Public Health on this week updated its guidelines outlining the COVID-19 risk associated with traveling, expanding on and superseding an advisory sent on Nov. 13 with two main updates.

Flights delayed as FAA controllers test positive for COVID-19

Fresno Bee

Nearly 300 air traffic control centers nationwide have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to flight delays as the facilities are temporarily closed for cleaning.

Transportation Sec. Elaine Chao, other staff resign amid DC, Capitol Hill protests

abc30

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao tweeted Thursday that she is resigning. She's the first Cabinet member to leave in wake of President Donald Trump's response to a mob of his supporters breaching the US Capitol. "It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the U.S. Department of Transportation," she tweeted on Thursday.

WATER

Dismal California snowpack is bad sign for water supplies

San Francisco Chronicle

A month into California’s peak storm season, the lack of wet weather is beginning to weigh on the state’s water supply.

“Xtra”

Modesto native Jill Gregory named general manager at Sonoma Raceway

Modesto Bee

Modesto native Jill Gregory is returning to Northern California to a familiar place from her days as a teenager. Gregory, a 1983 graduate of Grace Davis High School, was named the executive vice president and general manager at Sonoma Raceway earlier this week.