July 16, 2020

16Jul

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

Stanislaus has six more deaths. Old Scenic hospital eyed

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus County’s death toll from the virus rose from 51 to 57 on Tuesday, the county Health Services Agency reported. Details on the residents who died were not available. Total positive tests rose to 5,356. Another 39,974 people have tested negative.

Resident to Stanislaus Co Supervisors: ‘You need to start leading’

Modesto Bee

As a coronavirus outbreak continued to burn through the community and fill hospitals with COVID-19 patients, Stanislaus County supervisors didn’t take any new steps Tuesday aimed at slowing the spread of the outbreak.

Six Stanislaus, Merced restaurants violated COVID-19 orders over July 4 weekend, state says

Modesto Bee

Find out which local restaurants ABC says violated indoor dining shutdowns over the holiday weekend.

Where to worship in Modesto region now that governor has closed indoor services

Modesto Bee

It’s back to online and outdoor worship services for Modesto area religious organizations. While Gov. Gavin Newsom allowed places of worship to reopen with limited capacity to indoor services in May, on Monday he ordered them to shut down again in 30 counties on the state’s COVID-19 watch list — including Stanislaus County.

Mariposa County wastewater tests positive for COVID-19

abc30

With every flush, Mariposa County is learning more about COVID in the community among residents and tourists. County Health Officer Dr. Eric Sergienko says, “There’s a lot of chatter now about doing wastewater testing, and for us it made sense. We have a highly mobile population that visits the area, and so it’s difficult to capture that data in terms of lab testing and testing people.”

Federal team sent to SJ to help deal with coronavirus surge

Stockton Record

A federal medical assistance team was deployed to Adventist Health Lodi Memorial Hospital on Wednesday to expand intensive care bed capacity to help San Joaquin County hospitals deal with the recent surge in hospitalizations from the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19.

Central SJ Valley:

Fresno-area death count passes 300; schools’ online fall plans

Fresno Bee

Health officials across the central San Joaquin Valley reported nearly 1,000 new cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday. The six-county region has now seen 21,386 cases since the pandemic hit the area in March. That includes 123 new cases reported by Tulare County in an update on Wednesday. More than half of those cases (11,713) are considered active.

Fresno church to remain open despite Gov orders to shut down indoor services

Fresno Bee

Cornerstone Church pastor Jim Franklin announced Tuesday evening that his downtown Fresno church will remain open despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mandate to close indoor services in Fresno County and other parts of California due to the coronavirus pandemic.

See also:

·       ‘Where do we draw the line?’ Some Calif church leaders question order barring indoor worship Fresno Bee

FEMA teams to Fresno, Visalia to relieve coronavirus burden

Fresno Bee

Hospitalizations of patients diagnosed with coronavirus disease continue to rise in Fresno County and the central San Joaquin Valley, spurring the arrival of federal medical teams.

Military To Provide COVID-19 Assistance To Inundated Valley Hospitals

VPR

Earlier this week, Kaweah Delta Healthcare District reported a record high of 68 COVID-19 patients in its hospital beds. Soon, however, the Visalia hospital and at least two others in the San Joaquin Valley will be receiving help from the armed services. For the next month, 20 military healthcare workers will be taking care of patients in Kaweah Delta’s intensive care unit. The team, mostly from Travis Air Force Base in Northern California, includes critical care physicians, critical care registered nurses, respiratory therapists and advanced practice providers.

The COVID-19 Resilience Poll (2020)

Valley Vision – Sacramento

The COVID-19 Resilience Poll tracks the experiences, perceptions, concerns, and hopes of people in the Capital region through the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic including the health impacts and fears, the experiences through the shelter in place order, and the economic fallout from the pandemic. This public opinion poll was in the field May 12-27, 2020, and is demographically representativeof the Capital region, encompassing eight counties, including Sacramento, Yolo, El Dorado, Placer, Yuba, Sutter, Solano and San Joaquin counties. The margin of error is plus or minus three percent.

McEwen: Right Man at the Right Time for Fresno Police Reform

GV Wire

Fresno is fortunate to have Oliver Baines heading its police reform commission.

South SJ Valley:

Kern County reports 162 new virus cases; virus spreads to more nursing homes

Bakersfield Californian

The Kern County Public Health Services Department reported 162 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday morning. The county has now recorded 6,931 coronavirus cases and 98 virus-related deaths, according to county data.

See also:

·       New guidelines, shortages could make COVID-19 tests harder to get Bakersfield Californian

Kern County Creates First Community-Led Advisory Board With Sheriff’s Dept

VPR

The Kern County Sheriff’s Department has agreed to collaborate with a community-led advisory council, officials announced on Tuesday. It will be the first of its kind for the county. Arleana Waller, the founder of MLK CommUNITY, led the initiative to create the advisory council. She said the main goal is to have a diverse panel of community members to review policies within the department.

City approves plan to build entertainment district in central Bakersfield

KGET

The Bakersfield City Council approved a plan Wednesday to transform part of Mill Creek. The owner of Maya Cinemas wanted to buy five acres of land near the movie theater to create an entertainment district at P Street and California Avenue. On Wednesday, the council approved a letter of intent for the sale of the land to ME Development Company The city says it is the final step in the Mill Creek Vision Plan.

State:

California has ‘uncontrolled spread’ of COVID-19, data show. How bad is it?

Fresno Bee

The coronavirus is spreading “uncontrolled” in California, a report shows. A map created by public health and crisis experts uses COVID-19 data and White House reopening criteria to track each state’s progress in controlling the spread of the virus based on several measures. It then categorizes them into different levels of spread based on those trends.

See Also:

●     Calif shatters record with more than 11,000 new cases in one day Stockton Record

●     Next 2 weeks critical for Calif as coronavirus rages unchecked around state LA Times

As California rolls back reopening, key question looms: Will it be enough?

San Jose Mercury

As Californians grappled with losing freedoms that in some cases they only very recently had regained, epidemiologists said Wednesday the answer likely will depend on where you are. Areas with particularly bad outbreaks might soon need to take residents back to the sheltered-in-place days of spring.

See also:

·       Newsom, Garcetti face political distress as Calif locks down again Politico.

·       Editorial: Let’s do this second shutdown right, California LA Times

Bill would add taxpayers to list for juries in California

Associated Press

Paying taxes in California could make you eligible for jury duty under a proposal backed by some prominent state lawmakers on Wednesday who worry the people deciding criminal and civil cases are “wealthier and whiter” than the population.

Do California Republicans still want to repeal Obamacare?

Fresno Bee

Democrats trounced Republicans in the battle districts of California in 2018, largely by focusing on health care and the GOP efforts to dismantle Obamacare.

See also:

●     Democrats used Obamacare to win California battlegrounds. Will it work again in 2020?  Sacramento Bee

California’s Black exodus comes with a hidden toll for transplants

CALmatters

Wilson is one of around 275,000 Black Californians who have left high-cost coastal cities in the last three decades, sometimes bound for other states or cities, but more often to seek their slice of the American dream in the state’s sprawling suburban backyard.

Walters: California confronts serious and multiplying crises in 2020

Sacramento Bee

The year is scarcely half over and California is experiencing an unprecedented wave of traumatic events.

Viewpoints: California Gov. Newsom bets big on ‘balanced’ state budget. Will his wager pay off?

Sacramento Bee

Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a 2020-21 state budget he described as “balanced, responsible and protects public safety and health, education and services to Californians facing the greatest hardships.”

Federal:

67% of Americans don’t trust Trump on coronavirus, poll finds

Fresno Bee

As the coronavirus spreads throughout the U.S., a majority of Americans — 67% — say they don’t trust President Donald Trump to speak truthfully about the pandemic, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll, and 62% say he’s actually “hurting” efforts to slow its spread.

See also:

●      Trump still has no plan as coronavirus crisis spins out of control Wash Post

Congress Is Investigating Contracts Tied To Mask And PPE Shortages

VPR
Congressional investigators are launching an inquiry into a handful of companies that landed government contracts related to COVID-19, calling the deals “suspicious” because the companies lacked experience and, in some cases, had political connections to the Trump administration.

Walmart, Starbucks To Enforce Face Mask Policy

Clovis RoundUp

In a press release this morning, Walmart announced they will be mandating a face covering policy for all their stores.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg released from hospital

LA Times

The Supreme Court said Wednesday that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was discharged from a hospital after being treated for a possible infection. A court spokeswoman said in an emailed statement that Ginsburg was “home and doing well.”

Saving the states

Brookings

“To continue to provide services that its citizens need and to avoid severe budget and employment cuts that will drag down the economy, states and localities need more federal help. Providing that help is in everyone’s interest.” Former Federal Reserve Chairman and Brookings Distinguished Fellow Ben Bernanke provides insight on what needs to happen for the U.S. to avoid past mistakes on economic recovery.

Coronavirus Trackers:

Coronavirus (COVID-19) in California

Covid19.ca.gov

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

See also:

●     California Department of Public Health

●     Coronavirus (COVID-19) CDC

●     Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic – WHO

●     John Hopkins University & Medicine John Hopkins University

●     Tracking coronavirus in California 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 Financial Times

●     Coronavirus in California by the numbers CalMatters

Opinion: Need some good news about covid-19? Here are six reasons for optimism.

Wash Post

These days of rising cases, hospitalizations and now surging deaths can be overwhelming. To help get through this storm, we must keep track of positive developments, too.

Elections 2020:

‘Trump is a singular danger’: The president faces unprecedented opposition — from his own party

LA Times

The pained testimony of more than a dozen Republican voters — who go on to explain why they plan to vote for Democrat Joe Biden — filled an ad that ran on Fox News last weekend. In the 60-second spot, one man concludes, “It’s OK to change your mind. We did.”

See also:

·       Republican convention in Jacksonville, will be scaled back Wash Post

·       ‘Trumpy politics’ leave permanent imprint on GOP Politico

·       Even as he struggles in his own reelection bid, Donald Trump continues to remake the Republican Party at every level.

·       George Will: The nation is in a downward spiral. Worse is still to come. Wash Post

The Trump-O-Meter: Where President Donald Trump’s campaign promises stand in the summer of 2020

Politifact

Donald Trump’s campaign promise to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border was vintage Trump: controversial, huge, symbolic. But he also meant a real wall.

Biden Expands Lead as Trump’s Approval Drops, New Poll Shows

WSJ

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s lead over President Trump reached double-digits this month as Mr. Trump’s approval rating declined amid widespread disagreement with his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new WSJ/NBC News poll.

Are American elections pandemic-proof? A state-by-state scorecard

Brookings

With a hugely consequential general election just four months away, and important primary elections before then, U.S. voting systems must be pandemic-proof to ensure confidence in the electoral process. In their new elections preparedness scorecard, Elaine Kamarck, Yousef Ibreak, Amanda Powers, and Chris Stewart assessed all 50 states and the District of Columbia for their readiness to vote from home during a pandemic.

Fact Check: No, The Supreme Court Did Not Strike Down Voting-By-Mail

Politifact

Election officials in California and across the nation are gearing up to expand mail-in voting this fall, they say to offer the public a safe way to vote amid the pandemic.

See also:

●      Scattered problems with mail-in ballots this year signal potential November challenges for Postal Service Wash Post

Other:

McClatchy bankruptcy: Company tells court it needs more time

Sacramento Bee

McClatchy Co. notified a federal bankruptcy judge late Wednesday that it needs more time to negotiate the terms of its sale to the New Jersey hedge fund that won the company at auction last week.

Twitter blocks verified accounts from posting after hack hits high-profile users

LA Times

After the Twitter accounts of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Kanye West and Elon Musk, among other famous users, were hijacked to solicit bitcoin Wednesday, the social media service temporarily blocked verified users from posting messages.

Opinion: McCarthyism is back. This time, it’s woke.

Wash Post

The intellectually intolerant mob claimed two high-profile victims Tuesday with the resignations of NY Times editor Bari Weiss and NY Magazine journalist Andrew Sullivan. These are just two examples of the deadly virus spreading through our public life: McCarthyism of the woke.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Dairy Supply Chains Will Need to Adjust as Consumer Behavior Changes

California Ag Network

COVID-19 is dramatically affecting consumer habits and dairy supply chains as food service demand plummets and grocery sales surge. Consumers struggling with job losses and economic uncertainty quickly returned to buying basic dairy products like fluid milk, commodity cheese and butter.

Home Grown: The Agriculture Industry

CSU

Bringing in almost $50 billion in 2018 and producing 400 commodities, California’s agricultural industry is one of the largest and most important sectors in the state. It employs nearly 420,000 people and provides a third of the U.S.’s vegetables and two-thirds of its fruits and nuts.

CFAP and PPP coronavirus assistance doesn’t reach young farmers and farmers of color

Wash Post

The federal government’s PPP and CFAP relief programs leave out beginning farmers even as the coronavirus decimates their primary sales outlets

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Restorative justice courts give Californians way to avoid prison

CalMatters

It almost sounds like kindergarten: Sit down and talk about what you did wrong. But these neighborhood courts are for adults — and aim to reduce incarceration and reimagine criminal justice.

Public Safety:

Five months after outbreak, California to publish COVID-19 data on local jails

Fresno Bee

California’s jail oversight board on Wednesday said it would collect and publish data about COVID-19 cases in county facilities, a response to months of public criticism and an apparently faltering effort to get similar information from the state’s health department.

McEwen: Right Man at the Right Time for Fresno Police Reform

GV Wire

Fresno is fortunate to have Oliver Baines heading its police reform commission.

Kern County Creates First Community-Led Advisory Board With Sheriff’s Dept

VPR

The Kern County Sheriff’s Department has agreed to collaborate with a community-led advisory council, officials announced on Tuesday. It will be the first of its kind for the county. Arleana Waller, the founder of MLK CommUNITY, led the initiative to create the advisory council. She said the main goal is to have a diverse panel of community members to review policies within the department.

Fire:

Mandatory wildfire evacuations in Fresno Co and a health caution issued in areas

Fresno Bee

A wildfire in western Fresno County has prompted a health caution in the central San Joaquin Valley, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District said. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation order for areas closely affected by the Mineral Fire that broke out Monday afternoon and by Wednesday morning had burned 11,000 acres with 5% containment, Cal Fire said.

See Also:

●     Crews work to contain wildfire near Kerckhoff Lake in Madera Co Fresno Bee

●     Mineral fire in Fresno County grows to 11,000 acres LA Times

●     Power Fire 95% contained as mop-up continues in Madera County Sierra Star

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

Mall store in Fresno, Merced may be closing many – or all – locations, due to COVID-19

Fresno Bee

NY & Company’s parent organization is the latest retailer to file for bankruptcy, in part blaming the coronavirus pandemic and the shutdowns that came with it. RTW Retailwinds, which owns the women’s clothing retailer, said in a statement this week that it plans to close “a significant portion, if not all, of its brick-and-mortar stores.”

See also:

●      This store in Fresno’s River Park set to close as chain retailer files for bankruptcy  Fresno Bee

Hairdressers, Barbershops Brace For More Financial Hits From COVID Outbreak

Associated Press

At A New Twist Salon in Poway, Ellie Blomgren walks through the steps she takes to keep clients safe. On a small table just inside the salon, clients are asked to take a pen from the jar marked “clean pens” before filling out a waiver. When finished they drop the pen into the “dirty pens” jar before proceeding to have their temperature taken and squirting sanitizer into their hands.

Now how deep will California’s coronavirus recession go?

CalMatters

Forget the notion of a V-shaped recovery. Unemployment leveled off around 16% in May, but a retreat to isolation and the end of some relief funds could lengthen the state’s economic recovery — and deepen inequality.

Retail sales in U.S. increased by 7.5% in June

UPI

Retail sales in the United States last month increased by close to 8%, the Commerce Department said in its monthly report Thursday.

See also:

●      U.S. Retail Sales Exceeded Forecast in June After Record May Bloomberg

●      America Went Shopping For Clothes Again In June VPR

9 charts that show the good, the bad and the truly alarming of this early economic recovery

Wash Post

Parts of the economy are more than 80 percent back, but others are barely 25 percent recovered.

Fed survey says economy has picked up but outlook cloudy

Modesto Bee

The Federal Reserve says economic activity has picked up in most regions of the country but still remains well below pre-pandemic levels with the country facing high levels of uncertainty.

Across metro areas, COVID-19 relief loans are helping some places more than others

Brookings

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is Congress’s central policy for keeping U.S. workers in their jobs amid widespread small business closures due to COVID-19. In an analysis of data from the Treasury Department and the Small Business Administration, Joseph Parilla and Sifan Liu find that PPP funds are not going to the places and businesses where they’re needed most.

An Action Plan for Equitable Economic Revitalization

California Forward

As the state continues to navigate a reopening in the midst of a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, the grim economic implications of the pandemic are expected to have lasting effects.

To aid an equitable recovery, there must be a focus on how the state can institute a decision-making process to rapidly deploy resources and investments that not only improve the current conditions of those who have been hit the hardest, but also seizes the opportunity to correct the long-standing lack of investment that helped create the deep inequities we see today.

Jobs:

California’s jobless claims backlog jumps to nearly 2 million

Orange County Register

Nearly 2 million unemployment claims filed in the state over the first three months of government-ordered business lockdowns have yet to be paid, an analysis of federal government statistics shows.

Another 1.3 million workers file new unemployment claims last week

Wash Post

About 1.3 million workers filed for unemployment insurance for the first time last week — the 17th straight week that new claims exceeded one million as the coronavirus pandemic continues to drag down the economy.

See also:

●      Number of laid-off workers seeking jobless aid stuck at 1.3M AP

●      1.3 million American workers applied for jobless benefits last week Politico

White House tells 18 million unemployed workers to ‘Find Something New’ in ad campaign

Wash Post

The initiative — complete with a virtual roundtable featuring Apple CEO Tim Cook — was swiftly derided as “tone-deaf” on social media.

Working from home remains popular during pandemic

Business Journal

As concerns of a second wave of coronavirus infections looms, and the first wave gains steam, many companies remain hesitant to reopen or send their employees back to the workplace — and in the case of some — that means the remainder of the year.

Out of Work

The California Sunday Magazine

The coronavirus shutdown through the eyes of the recently unemployed

EDUCATION

K-12:

California schools chief says some districts can open safely

Fresno Bee

California’s education chief on Wednesday applauded the state’s two largest school districts, LA and San Diego, for this week’s decision not to reopen classrooms this fall amid rising coronavirus cases but said the same rules need not apply in counties with low rates of infection.

See Also:

●      California campuses likely to remain closed amid coronavirus spike, state schools chief says LA Times

●      Will Fresno schools reopen? This leader says social distancing students is ‘impossible’ Fresno Bee

●     Most California schools ‘shouldn’t reopen’ if COVID-19 trends continue, state superintendent says abc30

●     California campuses likely to remain closed amid coronavirus spike, state schools chief says LA Times

●     As coronavirus surges, new pressure on Gov. Newsom for a schools reopening plan LA Times

Fresno’s Central schools will keep classes completely online to start the school year

Fresno Bee

The Central Unified School District will start the school year with an all-online learning model amid the coronavirus pandemic, but officials plan to transition into traditional in-person classes.

See also:

●     How will Clovis schools protect students during reopening? Fresno Bee

●     Selma Unified announces fall school plans. When will kids return to the classroom? Fresno Bee

●      VUSD delays decision to open schools after marathon meeting Visalia Times Delta

●     Central Unified will start new school year with distance learning abc30

●     Here are a few options Tulare City School District is considering for reopening Visalia Times Delta

●      KHSD board approves distance learning model for first quarter of school year  Bakersfield Californian

●     Fairfax School District giving families 3 back-to-school options Bakersfield Californian

●     McFarland Unified will reopen in-person instruction in phases Bakersfield Californian

SJ amends guidebook for schools, removes option for five days a week on campus

Stockton Record

On Tuesday, San Joaquin County Public Health Services and the San Joaquin County Board of Education amended the 2020-2021 planning guide for schools to address the challenges of COVID-19.

Will opening California schools increase coronavirus cases?

Sacramento Bee

Coronavirus infections are skyrocketing in California, yet some school districts around the state are making plans to reopen. Is this a deadly mistake?

Pace of California schools planning to open with distance learning accelerates

EdSource

The pace of school districts that will start the coming school year primarily with distance learning is accelerating in California. In recent days, districts serving at least 1.4 million of the state’s 6.2 million public school students have announced that they will be teaching students remotely, at least to begin the school year.

Parents must have a say in districts’ distance learning plans under new Calif law

EdSource

Dissatisfied with the uneven quality of distance learning among school districts after they closed in March, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature established minimum requirements for the next school year in legislation accompanying the 2020-21 budget.

California starts buying child-sized masks for schools

Fresno Bee

California has begun buying masks made for children as the state continues to adapt to life with the coronavirus.

CIF announcement on fall sports coming soon

Porterville Recorder

The announcement from the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) about the fate of fall sports is coming soon. On June 12 the CIF put out a press release that stated it would make the announcement by July 20, which is now just five days away.

Higher Ed:

As coronavirus spikes, what does future hold for Modesto’s college-bound students?

Modesto Bee

In a typical summer, high school graduates heading to college in the fall would be visiting their campuses, registering for classes and preparing to move into dorms. But as coronavirus cases continue to rise and colleges close in-person operations, many Modesto-area graduates are left with uncertainty about what awaits them in the fall.

California sues to reinstate Obama-era rule protecting student borrowers

SF Chronicle

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra sued the Trump administration Wednesday, challenging a revised rule he charged would make it harder for students to get loan relief from predatory lenders and for-profit colleges.

Trump Administration Clears For-Profit Colleges To Register Veterans Again

VPR

For the second time in two months the Trump administration has sided with the for-profit college industry over a key constituency: veterans. In May, the president vetoed a bipartisan bill promoting debt forgiveness for veterans who were defrauded by for-profit schools. Now, the Department of Veterans Affairs is allowing several repeat-offending schools access to GI Bill money.

International Students Play a Critical Role in Higher Education

PPIC

In addition to bringing a diverse set of skills and perspectives, international students contribute significantly to the fiscal health of California’s public and private higher education institutions.

23 attorneys general sue Betsy DeVos to repeal overhaul of student loan forgiveness program

TIME

Democratic attorneys general in more than 20 states – including Californian – sued Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Wednesday, seeking to repeal her overhaul of a student loan forgiveness program. Congress voted to strike down her policy, which makes it more difficult to get federal student loans erased, but President Donald Trump saved it through a veto.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

Bigger, badder storms coming in the years ahead, and Calif is right in the path

SF Chronicle

California’s wild weather swings, from pounding rain to drought and from fires to floods, are widely expected to worsen as the climate warms. A study released Wednesday shows just how severe things might get, and it’s not pretty.

Trump reins in major environmental law to speed big projects

abc30

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he was rolling back a foundational Nixon-era environmental law that he says stifles infrastructure projects, but that is credited with ensuring decades of scrutiny of major projects and giving local communities a say.

See also:

·       Federal judge blocks Trump Admin’s easing of rule on methane emissions Reuters

·       Trump’s move on key environment law feeds Democrats’ strategy Roll Call

Bigger, badder storms coming in the years ahead, and Calif is right in the path

SF Chronicle

California’s wild weather swings, from pounding rain to drought and from fires to floods, are widely expected to worsen as the climate warms. A study released Wednesday shows just how severe things might get, and it’s not pretty.

Energy:

Duke Energy Renewables, Kroger partner on California solar project

Business Journal

REC Solar, a subsidiary of Duke Energy Renewables, has developed a 1-megawatt rooftop solar installation for the Kroger Co. The installation is at a 300,000-square-foot bakery facility serving two Kroger subsidiaries in California.

County: Oil and gas industry contributed more than $197 million in property tax revenues last year

Bakersfield Californian

At a time when some feel California oil and gas production is being marginalized, Kern’s Board of Supervisors is moving to reinforce the industry’s importance to the county’s economy and residents. A county news release Wednesday said a study conducted by Natelson Dale Group Inc. showed the oil and gas industry contributed more than $197 million in local property tax revenues last year.

See also:

●      Study finds oil and gas industry contributed more than $197 million in 2018-2019 property tax revenues in Kern County KGET 17

CRC files Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Bakersfield Californian

California Resources Corp., a major local employer and one of the state’s largest oil producers, filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Wednesday after reaching a series of creditor agreements it said will restructure $5 billion in debt and allow it to emerge a financially healthier company.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Fresno reaches at least 308 deaths from COVID-19

Fresno Bee

Fresno County added 123 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday and no new deaths, according to statistics from the state Department of Public Health.

Kern County reports 162 new virus cases; virus spreads to more nursing homes

Bakersfield Californian

The Kern County Public Health Services Department reported 162 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday morning. The county has now recorded 6,931 coronavirus cases and 98 virus-related deaths, according to county data.

See also:

●      How California seized control of two troubled nursing homes CalMatters

Mandatory Mask Use Could Have Saved 40,000 Lives, Study Says

Bloomberg

Statistical analysis shows that personal choices alone don’t defeat Covid-19.

See also:

●      Face masks can lower your own COVID-19 infection risk Fresno Bee

●      Opinion: The problem with pandemic shaming | American Enterprise Institute AEI

This City’s Coronavirus Safety Measures Could Become Best Practices

VPR

When the meatpacking industry in the U.S. started seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases, local officials in New Bedford, Mass., worried that their city was next. But the city took action, issuing emergency orders that safety experts say should be a model for workplaces across the U.S., if those orders can be properly enforced. Jon Mitchell, the city’s mayor, issued two COVID-19 orders on May 6 in a city where nearly 15% of the population works in manufacturing and 20% is Latino.

Human Services:

Did someone with COVID-19 infect you? Calif is short on contact tracers to find out

Fresno Bee

California communities are scrambling to track down people exposed to the coronavirus after the state let many accelerate reopening without meeting minimum standards for contact tracers, a review of county data shows.

Calif aims to cut cost of average COVID-19 test, shift more charges to insurers

Fresno Bee

California plans to shift more COVID-19 testing costs onto private insurers as part of a strategy overhaul aimed at reducing costs and expanding testing to more vulnerable people, the leader of the state’s health care agency said Tuesday.

See Also:

●     Fresno health clinic offering rapid COVID-19 tests that give results in minutes abc30

●     California revamps testing guidelines as virus surges Bakersfield Californian

Military healthcare workers to help treat COVID-19 patients at Kaweah Delta

abc30

The CEO of Kaweah Delta Medical Center says the coronavirus surge is here and can be directly attributed to the reopening of businesses following the state shutdown.

See Also:

●     Military To Provide COVID-19 Assistance To Inundated Valley Hospitals VPR

As Hospitals Fill Up, Kern Medical Plans To Increase Capacity And Staffing

VPR
As COVID-19 case counts rise across California, prompting a new wave of business closures from Governor Gavin Newsom, hospitals are slowly approaching their capacities. Although Bakersfield’s Kern Medical is currently nearing as many patients as it can handle, it has plans to expand.

Rite Aid to bring COVID-19 test sites to Kern County

ABC23

Rite Aid announced 161 additional COVID-19 self-swab testing sites opening on Thursday in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including several new locations in Kern County.

COVID-19 testing falls short in long-term care facilities

PEW

Only seven states require regular testing of residents or staff.

IMMIGRATION

Federal judge issues temporary restraining order against GEO and city of McFarland over immigrant detention centers

Bakersfield Californian

A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order against the city of McFarland and the private prison company GEO Group Inc., blocking the use of two state prisons as immigrant detention facilities.

See Also:

●     New California immigrant detention center blocked by judge — for now Sacramento Bee

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

PARC, Council consider Columbia Park renovations

Turlock Journal

The Turlock City Council and the Parks, Arts and Recreation Commission heard several revitalization options for the pool during a special joint meeting Tuesday evening, each of which aims to address the facility’s rapidly declining condition.

City approves plan to build entertainment district in central Bakersfield

KGET

The Bakersfield City Council approved a plan Wednesday to transform part of Mill Creek. The owner of Maya Cinemas wanted to buy five acres of land near the movie theater to create an entertainment district at P Street and California Avenue. On Wednesday, the council approved a letter of intent for the sale of the land to ME Development Company The city says it is the final step in the Mill Creek Vision Plan.

Campfire bans coming to public lands across California

SF Chronicle

Facing the double-barreled threat of wildfire danger and the coronavirus pandemic, public land managers overseeing some of California’s most popular parks are moving to ban campfires outside of designated fire rings — in some cases, through the end of the summer.

Housing:

Apple Gives $400M to Help Fight California’s Housing Crisis

NBC
Tech giant Apple is making a $400 million payment on its $2.5 billion promise to help fight California’s housing crisis. The funding is coming at a crucial time with the state being hit with both a record number of COVID-19 cases and a recession.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Understanding California’s Enacted Budget for 2020-21

Next 10

California, along with the nation, is facing historic challenges as we work to address a public health crisis amid calls for racial justice. With the economy continuing to suffer from extended shelter-in-place protocols, many Californians have been eager to understand what our state is doing to address the most pressing issues of today.

CalPERS misses annual investment return target after coronavirus sinks markets

Fresno Bee

CalPERS missed its annual investment return target for the year, a shortcoming that will increase costs for local governments in the years to come. The California Public Employees’ Retirement System reported a 4.7% return for the fiscal year ending June 30, falling short of the system’s 7% target amid a global market downturn, according to a Wednesday news release.

States Take Aim at People With No Retirement Plan

WSJ

With so many workers having no money in retirement accounts, states are passing legislation to help people to start saving.

Fox: Federal Dollars Won’t Be Coupled to Tax Reform

Fox & Hounds

Slightly more than a decade ago as California was working its way out of the last devastating recession, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the legislature created the Commission on the 21st Century Economy, chaired by financier Gerald Parsky.

TRANSPORTATION

DMV gives senior citizens one-year extension for expired driver’s licenses

Visalia Times Delta

The California DMV is giving an automatic one-year extension to drivers 70 years and older with an expired non-commercial driver license. DMV staff hopes to reduce the need for this at-risk demographic to visit a DMV office in person during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Public transportation leaders request $36B in emergency funds

The Hill

Leaders from America’s largest transportation systems are asking for $36 billion in emergency federal funding as part of a new coronavirus relief bill.

High-Speed Rail’s Potential 2020 Turning Point

Streetsblog SF

2008 will be remembered as the year California voters launched America’s first HSR project. And 2020 could be the year America decides to complete it.

Calif High-Speed Rail Authority releases construction progress video

Global Railway Review

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and challenges around quarantine measures, California’s high-speed rail project continues to move forward, as shown in the Authority’s July 2020 construction update video.

WATER

Mariposa County wastewater tests positive for COVID-19

abc30

With every flush, Mariposa County is learning more about COVID in the community among residents and tourists. County Health Officer Dr. Eric Sergienko says, “There’s a lot of chatter now about doing wastewater testing, and for us it made sense. We have a highly mobile population that visits the area, and so it’s difficult to capture that data in terms of lab testing and testing people.”

“Xtra”

Rose Parade canceled for first time since World War II amid COVID pandemic

abc30

The 2021 Rose Parade has been canceled because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on planning for the New Year’s Day tradition and the risk of spreading infections among its huge audience and participants, organizers said Wednesday.