POLICY & POLITICS
North SJ Valley:
Turlock City Council member target of recall effort
Turlock Journal
A group of community members calling themselves SAVE Turlock are seeking the recall of Turlock City Council member Andrew Nosrati, who has served only a year and half of his four-year term representing the residents of District 3 in northeast Turlock.
Mayor dodges calls to pull Congressional endorsement
Turlock Journal
Though racist social media posts from Republican Congressional candidate Ted Howze’s accounts were published years ago, the polarizing topic has dominated public comment at Turlock City Council meetings for over a month.
City Council approves spending plan for $27M in coronavirus relief
Stockton Record
The Stockton City Council unanimously approved a spending plan at its meeting Tuesday for the more than $27 million in COVID-19 relief funding the city received from the state earlier this month.
Coronavirus cases are surging in Stanislaus County. Why don’t nurses have enough masks?
Modesto Bee
Hospitals in Stanislaus County are treating a growing number of patients for COVID-19 illness during a shortage of protective equipment for frontline staff, which was largely created by the pandemic.
EDITORIAL: Stanislaus leaders can fix a bad decision by enforcing coronavirus rules
Modesto Bee
Among the worst decisions of local leaders in the coronavirus crisis was announcing May 12 that no Stanislaus County resources would be used to enforce Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order.
New COVID-19 testing site to be available in Merced County
abc30
A new COVID-19 testing site will be available in Merced County, starting Monday. The Public Health Department says it is partnering with Verily, which offers state-funded mobile testing resources. The site will be located at the Los Banos Fairgrounds.
Central SJ Valley:
Fresno County’s COVID-19 cases nearing 10,000 while positivity rate slightly rises
Fresno Bee
Fresno County is nearing 10,000 cases of the coronavirus after 389 more positive tests were reported Saturday, according to the county’s Department of Public Health. Fresno County is now at 9,954 total cases of for COVID-19 since the first case was reported on March. 7. And as of Friday, there were 7,133 cases that remained active (no new figure was reported Saturday).
See Also:
● COVID-19: Tulare County reports four more deaths, an additional 203 confirmed cases Visalia Times Delta
● COVID-19 update: Four more deaths in Tulare County Porterville Recorder
● Kern Public Health: 719 new coronavirus cases recorded Sunday Bakersfield Californian
● After Dropping Early In Pandemic, Fresno County Suicides In June Rose To Highest In Years VPR
● Coronavirus update: County single-day positivity rate stays above 25 % Modesto Bee
● Fresno hospitals, busy with other patients, pushed to near-overflow by COVID-19 Fresno Bee
National Guard reserves helping staff Fresno nursing home with COVID-19 outbreak
Fresno Bee
National Guard reserves are assisting with the coronavirus response at a Fresno skilled nursing facility that faced a staffing shortage. The reserves are working at Twilight Haven in southeast Fresno, said Dr. Rais Vohra, Fresno County’s interim health officer.
See also:
● Military To Provide COVID-19 Assistance To Inundated Valley Hospitals Valley Public Radio
● Feds to send COVID tests to nursing homes, but can California really use them? CALmatters
In Face Of Pandemic, Hospitals Get Creative – COVID-19 Update For July 13-17
VPR
As hospitalizations due to COVID-19 continue to rise, Valley Children’s Hospital has made a creative offer: It will accept pediatric patients from area hospitals to make way for adults suffering from COVID-19. This COVID update for the week of July 13-17 features excerpts from a conversation with David Christensen, Chief Physician Executive of Valley Children’s Hospital.
Protesters in support of Trump and law enforcement gather calling for recall of Gov. Newsom
Fresno Bee
Around 75 protesters gathered at Shepherd and Cedar avenues in support of President Trump and law enforcement, and to gather signatures in effort to recall Governor Newsom, Saturday July 18, 2020.
See Also:
● Northeast Fresno rally targets Newsom for recall, boosts Trump Fresno Bee
Supervisor Magsig tells Assemblyman Arambula ‘go back to Sac’ in Fresno hallway meeting
Fresno Bee
“We know how to handle issues in Fresno County better than the governor,” the supervisor added.
Warszawski: Fresno better finally be ready to take the COVID-19 pandemic seriously. Here’s why
Fresno Bee
Here’s a question for everyone living within the sound of my keyboard: Are we, as a region, finally ready to take this pandemic seriously? I used “we” intentionally because it’s inclusive. Because it’s going to take each of our combined efforts to rid Fresno and the central San Joaquin Valley of COVID-19 and return to some sense of normalcy.
Kingsburg chamber treasurer defends use of racial slur
Fresno Bee
The Kingsburg District Chamber of Commerce will take no formal actions against its board treasurer, Debbie Singh Forbes, in connection with controversial social media statements in which she appeared to defend the use of a racist slur describing Latinos.
South SJ Valley:
Hanford City Council to discuss landscape assessment districts
Hanford Sentinel
The Hanford City Council will meet Tuesday and is set to hold a public hearing on proposed changes to annual assessments in the city’s Landscape Assessment Districts. Assessments of various amounts are levied and collected in Landscape Assessment Districts in the city to maintain improvements along arterial and collector streets.
Kern County on governor’s watch list again after increase of COVID-19 cases
Bakersfield Now
Kern County has been added back to Governor Gavin Newsom’s watch list Saturday, which was confirmed by Kern Public Health.
‘We always need more’: Therapies for COVID-19 patients are in short supply
Bakersfield Californian
Remdesivir, a therapy for critically ill COVID-19 patients, is in short supply and as the number of patients hospitalized with the virus climbs in Kern County, doctors must make difficult choices about which patients receive it.
State:
Newsom reopened California without meeting his own coronavirus testing, tracing benchmarks
LA Times
A month into his stay-at-home order and under pressure to lift restrictions, Gov. Gavin Newsom drew a line in the sand: In order to safely reopen and suppress the coronavirus, California needed to be able to test everyone with COVID-19 symptoms and trace the contacts of confirmed cases.
Gov. Newsom orders most California schools to stay closed until coronavirus spread lessens
Fresno Bee
Gov. Gavin Newsom handed down strict guidelines that will require most California schools to keep their buildings closed to start the year to cope with the coronavirus outbreak. Those that do reopen during the coronavirus outbreak must require masks for older childrena as well as makes and consistent testing for staff.
See Also:
● Here’s how Fresno schools will work now that Newsom has closed local campuses Fresno Bee
● When will Clovis schools reopen after Newsom’s shutdown order? Here’s what we know Fresno Bee
● CUSD Responds to Newsom’s Mandate of School Closure Clovis Roundup
● Most California Schools Unlikely To Open In Fall Under New State Rules VPR
● As FUSD Stays Online, There Are Options For Middle And High School Students VPR
● School opening delayed: Stanislaus districts change plans as COVID-19 cases keep rising Modesto Bee
● Governor’s order will likely keep Stanislaus County schools closed longer than most Modesto Bee
● Remote Learning: Tulare County schools could start year as online-only Visalia Times Delta
● Schools in Majority Of California Counties Unlikely To Reopen To In-Person Instruction As Virus Cases Increase Capital Public Radio
● Parents scramble for alternatives CALmatters
● Walters: California tests at-home schooling CALmatters
● Newsom Order Would Keep Most California Schools Online NY Times
● EDITORIAL: Gov. Newsom botched California’s coronavirus reopening. Can he do better for schools? Sac Bee
Opinion: Mathews: It’s time for Newsom to let experts do the briefings
San Francisco Chronicle
Your lunchtime COVID-19 briefings—“Newsom at Noon”— are must-see TV.
Future of California-funded coronavirus testing sites unclear after August
San Jose Mercury
The future of more than 100 state-funded coronavirus testing sites across California will be up in the air at the end of the summer, stirring concerns that hard-pressed counties may be forced to fill in the gaps themselves.
California could reinstate affirmative action. Here’s what that means for hiring
Sac Bee
Women earn 20.5% less than men in California state government.
Census data is four months late, so Calif. redistricting maps may be too, state Supreme Court says
San Francisco Chronicle
With the coronavirus putting U.S. census results on hold for at least four months, the California Supreme Court approved lawmakers’ request Friday to delay an independent commission’s once-per-decade redrawing of lines for legislative and congressional districts next year so that they can be ready by the 2022 elections.
Walters: State’s high living costs make Californians poor
Fresno Bee
There’s no question that the COVID-19 pandemic and the severe recession it spawned are widening California’s economic divide.
Trump can’t weaken Calif’s climate change carbon market, federal judge rules
Fresno Bee
California beat President Donald Trump’s efforts to water down its signature climate-change initiative, a market-based program that’s designed to reduce carbon emissions.
Federal:
GOP leaders, Trump to discuss virus aid as crisis deepens
Modesto Bee
Top Republicans in Congress were expecting to meet Monday with President Donald Trump on the next COVID-19 aid package as the Admin panned more virus testing money and interjected other priorities that could complicate quick passage.
See also:
● Inside Trump’s Failure: The Rush to Abandon Leadership Role on the Virus NY Times
● Republicans eye sweeping shield from coronavirus liability AP
● Some People ‘Have The Sniffles’: Trump Downplays The Coronavirus’s Severity VPR
Congress confronts the next coronavirus relief package as pandemic grows
LA Times
It stands as the biggest economic rescue in U.S. history, the $2.2-trillion coronavirus relief bill swiftly approved by Congress in the spring. And it’s painfully clear now, as the pandemic worsens, it was only the start.
See also:
● Congress to return with stimulus front and center NY Times
Exclusive: White House Document Shows 18 States In Coronavirus “Red Zone”
Public Integrity
Pedestrians wear masks as they cross a street amid the coronavirus pandemic July 12, 2020, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Unpublicized recommendations say states should return to stringent control measures
What’s a cognitive test? Here are some examples of the test Trump ‘aced’
Fresno Bee
Can you draw a picture of a cube? Or count backward from 100 by 7 at least five times? Then you might perform well on a cognitive test.
See also:
● Reality shows shortfalls of Trump’s claim to ‘best testing’ AP
● Trump Promotes Caricature of What Conservatives Want NY Times
Rep. John Lewis, A Force In The Civil Rights Movement, Dead At 80
VPR
John Lewis — an icon of the civil rights movement, congressman and, for decades, a force in Democratic politics — died at age 80 on Friday. Lewis had been treated for advanced-stage pancreatic cancer after being diagnosed during a routine medical exam. He publicly disclosed his diagnosis in late December.
See Also:
● Tributes abound after the death of the civil rights giant LA Times
● John Lewis, civil rights icon and longtime congressman, dies LA Times
● Editorial: The humbling example of John Lewis LA Times
Coronavirus Trackers:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) in California
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 disease (COVID-19) Pandemic – WHO
● John Hopkins University & Medicine John Hopkins University
● Tracking coronavirus in California LA Times
● Coronavirus Tracker San Francisco 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: Latest figures as the pandemic spreads Financial Times
● Coronavirus in California by the numbers CalMatters
Elections 2020:
The RNC Raised Nearly $37 Million In June
NPR
The Republican National Committee raised nearly $37 million in June, almost $10 million more than in each of the two months before, according to figures shared first with NPR.
Pandemic? What pandemic? Trump reelection ads ignore coronavirus
LA Times
The death toll keeps rising as COVID-19 rages across Florida, Arizona and other campaign battlegrounds, but the television ads President Trump is airing in those states say nothing about the coronavirus pandemic that has upended life for all Americans.
Trump not ready to commit to election results if he loses
abc30
President Donald Trump is refusing to publicly commit to accepting the results of the upcoming White House election, recalling a similar threat he made weeks before the 2016 vote, as he scoffs at polls showing him lagging behind Democrat Joe Biden. Trump says it’s too early to make such an ironclad guarantee.
See Also:
● Trump won’t commit to accepting result if he loses election LA Times
● Opinion: Trump’s 2020 USPS appointment could corrupt a key institution ahead of Election DayNBC News
● President Trump’s campaign is in freefall Brookings
Joe Biden: Science, not politics, should decide school reopening
LA Times
Joe Biden on Friday unveiled a plan to reopen schools in the era of the coronavirus, seeking to establish federal safety guidelines that he says will be based on science and not on political pressure for the country to arbitrarily put the pandemic behind it.
See also:
● Fact Check: No, Biden will not ‘abolish’ police or prisons, as Trump said PolitiFact
● Biden leads by double digits as the coronavirus takes a toll on Trump, Post-ABC poll finds Wash Post
● Biden under pressure to shatter ‘cement ceiling’ by naming a black woman to be his running mate Wash Post
California progressives help move Biden left on some issues, but not all
San Francisco Chronicle
California progressives are not letting up on Joe Biden after he released a clean-energy plan last week that is more left-leaning than what he campaigned on during the primaries. They want him to go further left on that and other issues — and they aren’t going to stop pushing him even if he defeats President Trump in November and winds up in the White House.
How Your Local Election Clerk Is Fighting Global Disinformation
PEW
Adversaries don’t have to change votes. They can change minds.
Opinion: Young voters, this is your moment
Bakersfield Californian
It is my understanding that younger generations do not like to be “talked at” but “talked to.” I say this, because as I approach the fall semester, I cannot help but want to dialogue with you (college students and young people) about the significance of the youth vote (typically ages 18 to 29). I would especially like to talk to you about your fierce and palpable electoral power, as Millennials (born 1981 – 1996) and Generation Z (1997-current) comprise the largest voting block this coming election, bolstering 37% of the electorate!
Other:
Fiala: Despite giant problems, here are key reasons why things are better for Americans today
Fresno Bee
This may seem an odd time to accentuate the positive. The nation is struggling with a pandemic, protests against racism, political dysfunction, and economic woes. Things could get worse. But when things look dark, it is important to take stock of progress that has occurred.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Petition urges Trader Joe’s to change ethnic food labels
Fresno Bee
Responding to calls for Trader Joe’s to stop labeling its international food products with ethnic-sounding names, the grocery store chain said it has been in a yearslong process of repackaging those products and will soon complete the work.
Almond growers fret over expectations for another record harvest
Bakersfield Californian
As he prepares for the start of next month’s California almond harvest, McKittrick-area grower Don Davis is mindful of forecasts it may be the largest haul in state history. And he’s none too happy about it.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
Violent crime in US cities surges in summer amid pandemic, protests: ‘Perfect storm of distress’
Fox News
City police departments already running on fumes amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, widespread protests and civil unrest are now struggling with their latest challenge: a surge in violent crime.
Public Safety:
Inside Fresno County Jail during coronavirus pandemic: ‘It’s sad and it’s scary’
Fresno Bee
With more than one in every three inmates at the Fresno County Jail infected with the coronavirus and a number of officers testing positive for COVID-19 also, their family members are demanding for more action to ensure the safety of those at the downtown facility.
About half of Calif prison inmates killed by COVID-19 were disabled, advocates say
Fresno Bee
More than half of the California prison inmates who’ve died after contracting the coronavirus as of early this week had disabilities known to the state corrections department, according to a group of attorneys who are suing the state for better conditions.
Fire:
Crews battle California blaze as state fire danger grows
Fresno Bee
A wildfire in rural central California grew larger but firefighters also increased containment, authorities said Sunday. Low humidity and hot temperatures have raised fire danger in large portions of the state.
See Also:
● Hot weather challenges crews battling wildfire near Coalinga. How fast is it spreading? Fresno Bee
California is trying to crack down on power line fires. Will it work?
San Francisco Chronicle
After years of failing to stop fiery catastrophes caused by California utility companies, state regulators are taking a different approach this year that they hope will prevent power lines from burning more neighborhoods to the ground.
See also:
● California’s looming wildfire threat requires a cleaner, more resilient electrical grid CALmatters
ECONOMY/JOBS
Economy:
Parlier businesses severely impacted by Gov’s recent shutdown order
abc30
Robert Iniguez, owner of Phat Bobby’s Cuts in Parlier, has been on edge since the governor’s latest order issued earlier this week to close barbershops. The closure not only impacts him but his family and his employees and their families.
PPP loans, reopened economy fuel Fresno unemployment drop
Fresno Bee
Almost 18,000 businesses across the central San Joaquin Valley received loans from the federal government through June 30 to keep employees on their payrolls during the pandemic.
SJ County offers more grants to small businesses, nonprofits
Stockton Record
A new round of grant funding is available to small businesses and nonprofit organizations in San Joaquin County that have incurred unfunded expenses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This round of grants — approximately $8 million — is available through Aug. 31 on a first-come, first-served basis for qualified applicants, so county officials are encouraging business owners to apply as soon as possible before all the funding is allocated.
Cardrooms cry foul as Calif tribal casinos ignore Newsom’s pleas to shut down
San Francisco Chronicle
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide shutdown of indoor entertainment venues in response to surging coronavirus cases — from restaurants and bars to movie theaters and even exhibits inside zoos — doesn’t include the state’s 62 tribal casinos, some of which have drawn huge crowds since reopening in the last month
5 Charts That Show the Extent of the Black Wealth Gap in U.S.
Bloomberg
Even in this era of Black Lives Matter, the coronavirus pandemic is worsening racial economic inequality.
Balancing Public Health and Economic Effects of Physical Distancing: Q&A with Jonathan Welburn
RAND
Jonathan Welburn has spent years studying how economic shocks ripple outward, from one company to another, like a contagion moving through the economy. As COVID-19 infections surged, jobs vanished, and companies shut down, his research helped underscore the economic costs of the crisis, and the grim choices facing policymakers.
Webinar: Global shifts in innovation & entrepreneurship in a post-COVID-19 world
AEI
Join AEI’s Karen Young and Bret Swanson and leading investors Christopher Schroeder and Brad Feld for a conversation on innovation, global economic growth, and the investment climate in the Middle East.
Jobs:
Does City of Fresno’s new COVID-19 policy on infected workers apply to county workers?
Fresno Bee
The Fresno City Council instituted a policy that all employers in the city must notify employees and customers if a worker tests positive for the coronavirus — and advocates say that includes employees of Fresno County.
See also:
· Local governments employ most essential workers. Why isn’t Congress doing more? The Hill
Stanislaus Co unemployment continues to fall, a trend that’s unlikely to continue
Modesto Bee
Unemployment rates continue to slowly recover in Stanislaus County as the economy adjusts to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, which has affected nearly every facet of daily life since March.
Did baristas lose their jobs because of COVID-19 or because they tried to unionize?
LA Times
It was just like the heady pre-pandemic days at Augie’s Coffee on a recent Friday morning in downtown Riverside. About 80 regulars lined up outside the beloved Inland Empire mini-chain, which had meticulously built its reputation as a neighborhood hub through delicious drinks and woke politics.
Essential and ignored: Working in a pandemic
San Francisco Chronicle
Search inquiries for the word “essential” began to trend on Google the week of March 8. Seven days later they hit their peak. Same for phrases like “essential work” and “essential worker.” Then the inquiries dropped just as fast as they rose. The trend lines look something like a sharp mountain surrounded by plains.
What the latest jobs report tells us about California’s economy
Politico
California’s June unemployment rate — 14.9 % — is an improvement from May’s dismal 16.4 %, according to the latest monthly jobs report from California’s Employment Development Department.
California Employment Report for June 2020
The Center for Jobs and the Economy
Initial analysis of the June Employment Report from the California Employment Development Department.
EDUCATION
K-12:
Newsom orders most Calif schools to stay closed until coronavirus spread lessens
Fresno Bee
Gov. Gavin Newsom handed down strict guidelines that will require most California schools to keep their buildings closed to start the year to cope with the coronavirus outbreak. Those that do reopen during the coronavirus outbreak must require masks for older childrena as well as makes and consistent testing for staff.
See Also:
● Here’s how Fresno schools will work now that Newsom has closed local campuses Fresno Bee
● When will Clovis schools reopen after Newsom’s shutdown order? Here’s what we know Fresno Bee
● CUSD Responds to Newsom’s Mandate of School Closure Clovis Roundup
● Most California Schools Unlikely To Open In Fall Under New State Rules VPR
● As FUSD Stays Online, There Are Options For Middle And High School Students VPR
● School opening delayed: Stanislaus districts change plans as COVID-19 cases keep rising Modesto Bee
● Governor’s order will likely keep Stanislaus County schools closed longer than most Modesto Bee
● Remote Learning: Tulare County schools could start year as online-only Visalia Times Delta
● Schools in Majority Of California Counties Unlikely To Reopen To In-Person Instruction As Virus Cases Increase Capital Public Radio
● Parents scramble for alternatives CALmatters
● Newsom Order Would Keep Most California Schools Online NY Times
● EDITORIAL: Gov. Newsom botched California’s coronavirus reopening. Can he do better for schools? Sac Bee
● Walters: California tests at-home schooling CALmatters
CIF delays Calif high school sports, pushing fall sports to start in January
Fresno Bee
The Sac-Joaquin Section says “the virus is the enemy here” as the coronavirus causes another problem for high school sports.
Kids Get Coronavirus, But Do They Spread It? We’ll Find Out When Schools Reopen
VPR
As scientists study the burden of COVID-19 around the globe, it’s pretty clear that despite some cases of serious illness, kids tend to get infected with the coronavirus less and have milder symptoms compared to adults. What’s much less understood is the extent to which kids can spread the illness among themselves – or to the adults with whom they come in close contact.
As local school districts turn to distance learning for fall, stakeholders share mixed feelings
Bakersfield Californian
When schools abruptly had to make the switch to distance learning in the spring, many thought it would only last a few weeks. Then it stretched on for another month, until ultimately the remainder of the school year. But things would go back to normal in the fall, right?
As parents of students look for alternatives, home schooling sees ‘explosive’ interest
Sac Bee
For Laila Barakat’s children, school will be home, like other students in their district. But they won’t participate in distance learning. Their teachers will be mom and dad. Barakat has decided to do home schooling for her three school-aged children – one in first grade, one in transitional kindergarten, and one in pre-kindergarten — instead of connecting them to an online classroom.
CTA says getting back to school requires higher taxes
Politico
In response to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Friday directive keeping schools closed in counties on the state’s coronavirus watch list — a designation that encompasses the majority of California’s population — the California Teachers Association said that state lawmakers must “return to the Capitol and adopt additional revenues” so schools will have the resources to protect students and staff.
Making Sense of Governance in Early Childhood
EdNote
Research increasingly shows that the first five years of life are a critical period for child development. States have responded by ramping up the availability of services supporting early childhood development.
Higher Ed:
UC Davis unveils preliminary fall plans; full update expected later this month
Fresno Bee
As coronavirus cases rise across California, colleges and universities are grappling with how best to bring students back — if at all. The University of California, Davis, is continuing a plan for both in-person and remote classes with county and state approval, with a final fall plan expected by the end of the month.
Pacific moves fall classes online
Stockton Record
University of the Pacific announced Friday that it now plans for nearly all teaching and learning to be conducted remotely for the fall semester. Pacific had planned to resume classes on its campuses in the fall, but the recent increase in COVID-19 cases led to the change.
UC, CSU, community college leaders talk online education, police, coronavirus
Mercury News
The leaders of the UC, CSU and California community college systems spoke about the challenges of educating students during the coronavirus pandemic
Schools Ask Athletes to Accept Health Risks Amid the Pandemic
WSJ
A number of colleges have required or encouraged athletes to sign waiver forms before they are allowed to attend voluntary workouts
For first-generation students, a disappearing ‘college experience’ could have grave consequences
Chronicle of Higher Education
For some students, the trappings of that “true college experience” represent the appeal of campus life. For first-generation students, they are anything but superficial; they can be among the key forces keeping educational dreams alive. But as the coronavirus whittles away all signs of normalcy on campuses nationwide, first-generation students and their advocates say their education may be endangered.
ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY
Environment:
Trump can’t weaken Calif’s climate change carbon market, federal judge rules
Fresno Bee
California beat President Donald Trump’s efforts to water down its signature climate-change initiative, a market-based program that’s designed to reduce carbon emissions.
See also:
· Trump loses legal attack on California cap-and-trade linkage Politico
Editorial: Trump’s continued disregard for the environment and climate change poses a mortal threat
LA Times
It’s fitting that President Trump invoked an interstate highway expansion in Atlantal ast week to announce final rules that, if they survive the inevitable legal challenges, will undermine one of the nation’s bedrock environmental laws, the National Environmental Policy Act.
Energy:
Chevron buys Houston driller for $5 billion
Associated Press
Chevron will take over Noble Energy for $5 billion in the first big deal announced since the coronavirus pandemic shook the energy sector. Chevron has been shopping for assets since last year and with crude prices down more than 30% this year, it jumped Monday with its all-stock offering for the independent Houston oil and gas driller.
Opinion: Why does Calif’s Leg tolerate the oil industry’s environmental racism?
Sac Bee
Of the 1.8 million Californians living near drilling in heavily polluted areas, 92 % are from communities of color. It is past time to stop sacrificing Black and brown communities to the oil and gas industry. And this summer, our lawmakers can take the first step to do something about it.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
Fresno County’s COVID-19 cases nearing 10,000 while positivity rate slightly rises
Fresno Bee
Fresno County is nearing 10,000 cases of the coronavirus after 389 more positive tests were reported Saturday, according to the county’s Department of Public Health. Fresno County is now at 9,954 total cases of for COVID-19 since the first case was reported on March. 7. And as of Friday, there were 7,133 cases that remained active (no new figure was reported Saturday).
See Also:
● COVID-19: Tulare County reports four more deaths, an additional 203 confirmed cases Visalia Times Delta
● COVID-19 update: Four more deaths in Tulare County Porterville Recorder
● Kern Public Health: 719 new coronavirus cases recorded Sunday Bakersfield Californian
● After Dropping Early In Pandemic, Fresno County Suicides In June Rose To Highest In Years VPR
● Coronavirus update: County single-day positivity rate stays above 25 % Modesto Bee
● Fresno hospitals, busy with other patients, pushed to near-overflow by COVID-19 Fresno Bee
In Face Of Pandemic, Hospitals Get Creative – COVID-19 Update For July 13-17
VPR
As hospitalizations due to COVID-19 continue to rise, Valley Children’s Hospital has made a creative offer: It will accept pediatric patients from area hospitals to make way for adults suffering from COVID-19. This COVID update for the week of July 13-17 features excerpts from a conversation with David Christensen, Chief Physician Executive of Valley Children’s Hospital.
Coronavirus cases are surging in Stanislaus County. Why don’t nurses have enough masks?
Modesto Bee
Hospitals in Stanislaus County are treating a growing number of patients for COVID-19 illness during a shortage of protective equipment for frontline staff, which was largely created by the pandemic.
‘I was naive to think this couldn’t touch my family’: Pacific Islanders hit hard by the coronavirus
LA Times
It was still early in California’s coronavirus outbreak when Lina Ili started feeling the symptoms that would soon turn her family’s life upside down. Coughing and running a fever, she holed up inside the bedroom of her Long Beach home for weeks. But breathing grew increasingly difficult, Ili, 46, said. “You couldn’t even lie down because it felt like a heaviness on your chest.”
New studies clarify what drugs help, hurt for COVID-19
AP
New studies clarify what drugs help, hurt for COVID-19.
See also:
● How does COVID-19 affect kids? Science has answers and gaps AP
Asymptomatic spread responsible for most virus transmission, HHS official says
TheHill
Young people not showing coronavirus symptoms are playing a big role in the pandemic.
Study: Wearing a Mask Protects You From Severe COVID-19 Symptoms
GV Wire
Masks appears to do more than protect others during COVID-19. They protect the mask user, too.
See also:
● ‘Bizarre’ face masks are a partisan issue, NIH chief says LA Times
● Here’s what happens to oxygen levels when you wear a mask ABC30 Fresno
A coronavirus vaccine: Where does it stand?
Politifact
More than four months into the coronavirus pandemic, how close is the U.S. and the world to a safe and effective vaccine? Scientists say they see steady progress and are expressing cautious optimism that a vaccine could be ready by spring of 2021.
Human Services:
National Guard reserves helping staff Fresno nursing home with COVID-19 outbreak
Fresno Bee
National Guard reserves are assisting with the coronavirus response at a Fresno skilled nursing facility that faced a staffing shortage. The reserves are working at Twilight Haven in southeast Fresno, said Dr. Rais Vohra, Fresno County’s interim health officer.
See also:
● Military To Provide COVID-19 Assistance To Inundated Valley Hospitals Valley Public Radio
● Feds to send COVID tests to nursing homes, but can California really use them? CALmatters
New COVID-19 testing site to be available in Merced County
abc30
A new COVID-19 testing site will be available in Merced County, starting Monday. The Public Health Department says it is partnering with Verily, which offers state-funded mobile testing resources. The site will be located at the Los Banos Fairgrounds.
‘We always need more’: Therapies for COVID-19 patients are in short supply
Bakersfield Californian
Remdesivir, a therapy for critically ill COVID-19 patients, is in short supply and as the number of patients hospitalized with the virus climbs in Kern County, doctors must make difficult choices about which patients receive it.
Military teams sent to five California hospitals amid coronavirus staffing shortages
LA Times
Active-duty U.S. Air Force doctors, nurses and other medical providers are being sent to work in California hospitals to assist with a steep rise in coronavirus cases that has strained some healthcare systems across the state.
Rising Hospitalizations Could Exacerbate Disparities for Latinos
PPIC
Increased rates of hospitalization for COVID-19 in California, especially in the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, could take a disproportionate toll on Latino residents.
People Avoided Hospitals During the Pandemic
Consumer Reports
With all eyes on the coronavirus, chronic conditions worsened, emergencies escalated, and countless treatments were delayed.
IMMIGRATION
How the coronavirus spread through one immigration facility
Bakersfield Californian
Gregory Arnold walked into the warden’s office April 1 as the novel coronavirus ripped through one of the largest immigration detention centers in the United States. Waiting with about 40 guards to begin his shift, he heard a captain say face masks were prohibited.
A casualty of Trump’s immigration policy: Millions of trees
POLITICO
The decision to suspend seasonal visas is expected to hurt forestry firms as well as state and federal governments.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
Sewage tests reveal coronavirus in popular Yosemite National Park
Fresno Bee
Coronavirus has been detected in Yosemite National Park by testing raw sewage – a science that revealed dozens of people have had COVID-19 in Yosemite since the popular park reopened last month.
See Also:
● Tests reveal coronavirus in Yosemite National Park’s sewage Modesto Bee
More black bear interactions prompt warnings, camp closures at Calif national park
Fresno Bee
They didn’t get the memo about social distancing. Portions of Lassen Volcanic National Park have been closed for back-country camping due to an uptick in black bear interactions. The closure, including the area east of Hat Creek, the Park Highway and Kings Creek, was expanded last week after multiple incidents of black bears getting food from backpackers were reported.
Congress is poised to pass Great American Outdoors Act
Wash Post
A bill that would provide billions of dollars to the National Park Service, Forest Service and Land and Water Conservation Fund has been called one of the most important environmental proposals in decades.
Housing:
What are the costs to build tiny homes, ADUs in Fresno CA?
Fresno Bee
Many housing advocates have championed the statewide legalization of backyard cottages as a potential solution to high housing costs. But for many Fresno homeowners, financing the construction of these units is still far out of reach.
Bakersfield Californian
Kern County has revoked the city of Bakersfield’s online access to the Assessor-Recorder’s Office, saying the city improperly posted documents online, potentially exposing residents to fraud.
Landlords feel the squeeze of eviction moratorium as renters stop paying
Bakersfield Californian
Local landlords have begun feeling the pinch of Gov. Newsom’s eviction moratorium. Since March 4, the state has prevented landlords from evicting tenants in an effort to allow vulnerable populations to self-quarantine.
To Help Those Experiencing Homelessness, Tulare Street Medicine Team Starts With Health
VPR
People experiencing homelessness often rely on the hospital emergency room for medical care. In Porterville, Vera Miles has done it multiple times. She’s lived under the trees along the Tule River in Porterville for five years. The 60-year old shares the space with her partner. She says she isn’t worried about getting the coronavirus.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, a Black housing crisis gets worse
LA Times
Veronica Sance’s rent for her one-bedroom apartment in LA’ Crenshaw district ate roughly half her paycheck as a receptionist in the entertainment industry. Then, Sance said, she was wrongfully fired in late 2018 because as a Black woman she was held to different standards from white employees. Sance filed a discrimination complaint and ultimately reached a settlement with the company, which didn’t admit wrongdoing, according to a document she shared.
OPINION: Calif’s high living costs make people poor. COVID-19 pandemic has made it worse
Fresno Bee
There’s no question that the COVID-19 pandemic and the severe recession it spawned are widening California’s economic divide. California already had the nation’s highest rate of functional poverty before this year began, as calculated by the Census Bureau using cost-of-living as well as income data, with nearly 20 % of the state’s 40 million people impoverished.
PUBLIC FINANCES
California needs $28 billion in taxes by the end of July
Public CEO
The budget signed by the governor almost three weeks ago assumes $28 billion in tax revenue to be collected by the end of July.
Tax Hikes in a Pandemic: Some States, Cities Say Yes
PEW
State budget shortfalls could total $555 billion over the next two fiscal years.
The Federal Reserve’s response to COVID-19
Brookings
Controlling the spread of the virus must be the first priority for restoring more-normal levels of economic activity—but, more importantly, for saving lives. Former Federal Reserve Chairs Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen testify about what needs to be done to stimulate an economic recovery and the Federal Reserve’s response so far.
Opinion: Jon Coupal and Ernest Dronenburg: Prop. 13 is working, reject Prop. 15
Daily News
Come November, Proposition 13 faces its biggest political battle at the ballot box. It is instructive to ask whether that iconic tax affordability measure remains good tax policy for California.
TRANSPORTATION
Bus drivers are still driving: What Gov’s order means for Calif school employees
Sac Bee
Linda Figone, a bus driver trainer in Gilroy, was supposed to be off for the month of July. Instead, she spent the first two weeks driving school bus routes three days a week. The job? Delivering meals to students who’ve relied on school food programs since COVID-19 forced campuses to close four months ago.
High-Speed Rail Construction in Fresno County
KFSN Fresno
Video.
Young people are increasingly driving COVID-19’s spread
TheHill
Younger Americans eager to get back to their social lives are increasingly responsible for the spread of the coronavirus, risking their own health and that of their family and friends under what health experts say is the misguided impression that the virus cannot cause them harm.
Do You Have to Quarantine After Flying to California?
Newsweek
With novel coronavirus cases spiking in parts of the country, some areas have issued quarantine mandates and travel advisories for those traveling from states reporting a recent surge in cases, such as California.
WATER
More clashes in Mexico over repaying U.S. water debt
Fresno Bee
Farmers once again clashed with Mexican military forces Sunday to protest releases of water from a dam to repay a water debt owed to the United States. Video posted by congressman Mario Mata Carrasco showed tear gas canisters being fired over the heads of protesters at the Las Virgines dam in in the northern border state of Chihuahua.
How a Marsh Restoration Could Help Preserve Lake Tahoe’s Famed Blue Hue
Capital Public Radio
When Stuart Roll moved to Tahoe around two decades ago he took the gondola up the mountain in South Lake Tahoe. What he saw concerned him. “I remember riding up the gondola and looking out over the lake and seeing what appeared to be a giant brown plume coming out of the river,” said Roll, a watershed supervisor for the California Tahoe Conservancy.
“Xtra”
Here’s what church was like in Fresno the Sunday after Newsom closed indoor services
Fresno Bee
On the first Sunday following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order that churches must once again cease indoor worship in Fresno County, hundreds of people showed up at CrossCity Christian Church to take part in an outdoor worship service.
Coronavirus could mean no live music until 2022, Lollapalooza co-founder says
Modesto Bee
The co-founder of one of the United States’ premier music festivals gave a sharp blow to music fans hoping for the swift return of concerts. Marc Geiger, former global head of the William Morris Endeavor music division and the co-founder of Lollapalooza, said in a podcast he feels live music won’t return until 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic.