POLICY & POLITICS
North SJ Valley:
Lodi hospital launches tele-ICU to deal with crush of COVID-19 patients
Stockton Record
Adventist Health Lodi Memorial Hospital recently established a secure telehealth connection with critical care specialists at UC Davis Health in Sac to help its physicians in the intensive care unit deal with the needs of a significant number of patients with COVID-19.
See Also:
● SJ virus deaths at 146 as Calif again breaks record for most deaths in single day Stockton Record
Stanislaus deaths at 98. Waterford shuts two busy parks
Modesto Bee
Stanislaus County reported Tuesday that three more residents have died from the virus, raising the total to 98. Fifty-four of the deaths have been announced in July. No information was been released about the age, gender or medical state of the victims before their deaths.
See Also:
● Stanislaus County health officer on COVID-19: ‘It seems to be everywhere’ Modesto Bee
Central SJ Valley:
Fresno cases threaten hospitals; Valley cities defy COVID-19 orders
Fresno Bee
Eight new fatal cases reported Tuesday brought Fresno County’s total to 120 deaths since the coronavirus came to the region in March. The county now sits at 13,336 positive cases of COVID-19 as hospitals are at capacity and face staffing and supply shortages.
See also:
● COVID-19 death toll tops 400 in Fresno, neighboring counties Fresno Bee
● Valley’s coronavirus crisis is here. Data, past decisions provide key lessons for moving forwardFresno Bee
● COVID-19 hospitalizations dip from peak, but cases, deaths worry Fresno’s health officer Fresno Bee
· Portion of local hospital staff sidelined due to COVID-19 exposure abc30
All business essential, Fresno County city affirms. And Newsom’s a ‘bully,’ councilman adds
Fresno Bee
All businesses in Coalinga are essential during the coronavirus pandemic, the city council reaffirmed this week in defiance of state orders — and putting the Fresno County city in danger of losing Fed relief aid.
Two small cities in the San Joaquin Valley that rejected public health orders to shut down certain businesses during the coronavirus pandemic remain defiant after the state took steps to withhold hundreds of thousands of dollars in aid.
See also:
● Calif withholds virus money from 2 defiant cities Visalia Times Delta
● State, counties, cities take hard stance CALmatters
● Calif cuts off coronavirus aid to 2 cities that refuse to shut down SF Chronicle
● ‘I hope you all die,’ salon owner said before hitting Fresno code enforcer with car, email saysFresno Bee
Fresno County Spending COVID Funds Faster Than City
GV Wire
The city and county of Fresno are taking a slower approach spending $171 million in Fed funds from the CARES Act for COVID-19 safety and economic relief. Their prize is keeping the community safe and the economy moving.
Warszawski: This supervisor is a bully — and his antics overshadowed Fresno’s COVID-19 meeting
Fresno Bee
Residents of Fresno, both the city and county, got a good look at many of their elected leaders Tuesday morning during what was termed a “joint workshop”regarding the collective response to COVID-19.
Central Unified Trustees Decide to Take Another Shot at $120M Bond Measure
GV Wire
Central Unified School District trustees hope the second time will be the charm for a $120 million bond measure and voted 5-1 Tuesday night to put it on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Interview: Future Fresno CA mayor Jerry Dyer talks BLM
Fresno Bee
Fresno Mayor-elect Jerry Dyer sat for an interview with The Fresno Bee on July 21. The interview focused on what Dyer would do for the Black community of Fresno when he takes office in January 2021. Dyer spoke freely about how his upbringing, experiences as a police officer and chief of the Fresno Police Department, as well as deep conversations and studies about the experiences of ethnic minorities, have transformed his views.
South SJ Valley:
Fed coronavirus surge testing site arrives in Bakersfield as Valley becomes hot spot
Bakersfield Califn
As coronavirus continues to spread in Kern County, a Fed surge testing unit arrived in Bakersfield on Wednesday. In a press conference announcing the opening of the facility, U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, and others expressed hope that the Fed site could help local officials bring COVID-19 under control in Kern County.
See also:
● 448 new COVID-19 cases reported Wednesday in Kern Bakersfield Califn
● Calif breaks single-day death record; Kern among 6 counties to report 10-plus deaths on Wednesday San Jose Mercury News
Bakersfield Califn
Battling COVID-19 is a joint community effort, and Adventist Health Bakersfield demonstrated that Wednesday by donating personal protective equipment to Kern Medical Center. Adventist Health Bakersfield recently received a $100,000 grant from Chevron.
State:
Calif again breaks record for most coronavirus deaths in a single day
LA Times
Calif has again broken a new record for the most coronavirus-related deaths in a single day, with 174 deaths reported on Tuesday. It’s the third time this month that Calif has broken a single-day record for deaths and the second time in just a week, according to the LA Times’ Calif coronavirus tracker, which tallies cases and deaths from the state’s 58 counties.
See also:
● Covid-19 has now officially spread to all 58 Calif counties. Sac Bee
Calif cuts off coronavirus aid to two cities that refuse to shut down
San Francisco Chronicle
Two small cities in the San Joaquin Valley that rejected public health orders to shut down certain businesses during the coronavirus pandemic remain defiant after the state took steps to withhold hundreds of thousands of dollars in aid.
See also:
● Calif withholds virus money from 2 defiant cities Visalia Times Delta
● State, counties, cities take hard stance CALmatters
Walters: Legislators want to pile on debt
CalMatters
When legislators passed and Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a 2020-21 state budget in June, they described it as “balanced.” Not by a long shot.
Calif law banning triple-digit interest jeopardized by Fed ‘loopholes,’ lawsuit says
Sac Bee
A year after Calif passed a law to crack down on lenders charging triple-digit interest rates , Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced a lawsuit against a Fed agency to block a new rule that would let certain banks and lenders avoid the state cap.
Fox: Redistricting Commission Doesn’t Need Reforms…Well, Maybe One
Fox & Hounds
When the first eight commissioners to the Calif Citizens Redistricting Commission were chosen by random drawing the beginning of the month, there was an outcry that no Latinos were selected. Because Latinos make up the largest ethnic group in Calif, the LA Times editorial board called the result an embarrassment. Others joined in to say the selection process must be fixed.
Fed:
Coronavirus deaths top 150,000 in US. ‘COVID-19 has changed our world’
Modesto Bee
Coronavirus has killed more than 150,000 people in the United States, Johns Hopkins University reports. The U.S. reached the grim milestone on Wednesday, six months after the first COVID-19 case was reported in the country.
See also:
● U.S. coronavirus deaths top 1,400 in one day Wash Post
As Trump Undercuts Aid Talks, White House Says Extra Jobless Benefits Will Lapse
NY Times
The prospects for a quick agreement between the Trump administration and congressional Democrats on a new round of aid for the ailing economy faded on Wednesday, as President Trump undercut his own party’s efforts to negotiate a deal and a top White House official declared that a lifeline to unemployed workers would run out as scheduled at week’s end.
See also:
Republicans suddenly sweating falling deep into House minority
POLITICO
There’s a growing fear that President Donald Trump’s plummeting popularity in the suburbs could threaten GOP candidates in traditionally favorable districts, and that their party’s eagerness to go on offense might leave some underfunded incumbents and open GOP-held seats unprotected.
Herman Cain Dies After Being Hospitalized for Covid-19
WSJ
Herman Cain, a former Godfather’s Pizza chief executive who ran for president as a Republican in 2012 pushing a simplified tax plan he called “9-9-9,” has died. He was 74 years old.
See also:
● Herman Cain, former Republican presidential hopeful, has died from the coronavirus Wash Post
Coronavirus Trackers:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Calif
COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It’s caused by a virus called coronavirus.
See also:
● Calif Department of Public Health
● Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic – WHO
● John Hopkins University & Medicine John Hopkins University
● Tracking coronavirus in Calif LA Times
● Coronavirus Tracker 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: the latest figures as the pandemic spreads Fin Times
● Coronavirus in Calif by the numbers CalMatters
Elections 2020:
Capital Public Radio
Election officials across the United States are preparing for a surge of mail-in ballots this fall, as fears about voting in-person on Nov. 3 continue amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But there are also fears about the mail-in voting process. Some are concerned, for example, that a crush of ballots dropped in the mail could result in delays in getting them to election offices and votes not being counted.
That email asking you to check your Calif voter information? It’s legit
San Francisco Chronicle
With the prospect of a virtually all-mail election looming this fall, more than 6 million Califns received an email from the secretary of state this week asking them to check online to make sure their voter registration information is up to date.
Wash Post
In a Thursday morning tweet, President Trump claimed without evidence that the 2020 election “will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT” in history, adding: “Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???”
See also:
● Trump Floats Election Delay, but Only Congress Can Change the Date WSJ
● Trump Floats Delaying The Election. It Would Require A Change In Law Valley Public Radio
Trump points to hidden voters and the silent majority as path to victory as he trails in polls
Wash Post
Trailing badly in the polls and with just over 95 days until the election, President Trump is banking on a questionable phenomenon to defy conventional wisdom and win reelection: the “hidden” Trump voter.
Politico
There is logic behind saying to hell with reelection.
Fact Check: Joe Biden:
● Fact Check: Biden wrong that McDonald’s workers can’t jump to competing chains
● Politifact
● Fact Check: Biden is right. Pay for home health workers is paltry Politifact
The long history of racism in the US presidency
Politifact
At a town hall meeting, a home care provider spoke to former Vice President Joe Biden about racist rhetoric targeting Asian Americans during the pandemic. Biden responded by leaning into racism allegations against President Donald Trump.
Opinion: 5 reasons this year’s election is unlike any other in history
ABC News
In the age of COVID and racial outrage, this year’s campaign is unique.
Opinion | A new report shows the 2020 election is in peril. Congress must act
Wash Post
The nonpartisan organization MapLight released a critically important report Wednesday on securing a free and fair election in November. The report looks at a slew of factors that might impact the election, such as the pandemic, attempts to discredit voting-by-mail, the refusal by candidates to recognize the results of the election and a voting system overwhelmed by the volume of mail-in ballots. It also looks upon some less-discussed issues, including the the possibility that the electoral college does not reach a majority.
Other:
Pending Postal Service Changes Could Delay Mail And Deliveries, Advocates Warn
Valley Public Radio
Managers have told postal workers that under DeJoy, the post office is about to embark on what’s been called a long-overdue “operational pivot.” It means that among other things, late-arriving mail will now be left behind by carriers and delivered the next day. Overtime will be eliminated.
House panel grills Bezos, Zuckerberg and other tech chiefs over antitrust concerns
LA Times
Several titans of Big Tech appeared virtually before members of Congress on Wednesday, as the House antitrust subcommittee continued its investigation of concentration across the digital realm. The chief executives of four of the most prominent technology firms in the world — Google’s Sundar Pichai, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Apple’s Tim Cook — were prepared for questions about their business practices and market dominance.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Agriculture officials warning community of possible seed scam
abc30
The US Agriculture Department, as well as ag officials in several states, have issued warnings about unsolicited seeds being sent through the mail. Packets of seeds have been shipped to several people in the Valley and around the country. Sometimes, it appears the package contained jewelry.
See Also:
● Stanislaus ag official warns of mysterious seeds mailed to homes from China Modesto Bee
Bakersfield Califn
Enthusiasm for Kern County hemp may have worn off a little.
Almost 30 million Americans didn’t have enough to eat last week
LA Times
Food insecurity for U.S. households last week reached its highest reported level since the Census Bureau started tracking the data in May, with almost 30 million Americans reporting that they’d not had enough to eat at some point in the seven days through July 21.
See Also:
● Coronavirus-linked hunger tied to 10,000 child deaths each month LA Times
Farmworkers face higher job loss rate and risk contracting COVID-19, study shows
Valley Public Radio
Farmworkers in the San Joaquin Valley are more likely to get COVID-19 than in other service industries. They’re also facing job losses, according to a new study released Tuesday.
Big-Money Investors Gear Up For A Trillion-Dollar Bet On Farmland
Valley Public Radio
Farmland has become steadily more expensive, and the pool of farmers and their heirs who can afford to buy it is shrinking. Yet there’s a growing appetite for it among investors, including pension funds and wealthy individuals like Williams. One large group of pension funds says that its members now own almost three times more farm properties than a decade ago. The market value of those holdings has quintupled.
American Farms Could Use More Bees, Scientists Say
Forbes
Crop yields on United States farms could be more bountiful if there were more bees, according to a new study.
LOIS HENRY: Valley farmers look to mountain stream to replenish groundwater
SJV Water
A Kern County water agency is facing a wall of opposition against its plan to harvest up to 12,000 acre feet of water from the South Fork of the Kern River above Lake Isabella and bring it to valley farms.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY
Public Safety:
Who’s actually causing damage at anti-police protests? It’s not who you think
San Francisco Chronicle
The first time I ever made the decision to call 911 came late one Friday night last month when I watched a group of mostly young white people set fire to a car dealership across the street from my North Oakland apartment.
Calif considers strict ‘George Floyd’ law to punish police who fail to intervene
LA Times
Outraged that Minneapolis officers stood by while their colleague killed George Floyd, Calif lawmakers are considering a tough law to punish police who fail to intervene when witnessing potential excessive force — including possible criminal charges and being banned from law enforcement.
Fire:
Firefighters gain on Calif wildfires
Fresno Bee
Firefighters increased containment of large wildfires in rural northeastern Calif on Wednesday. The 34-square-mile (88-square-kilometer) Gold Fire in northern Lassen County was 70% surrounded after eight days, Cal Fire said, but cautioned that critical fire weather was expected for the rest of the week.
Ron Howard’s Paradise documentary: ‘What’s going to happen to that terrific little town?’
Fresno Bee
Director Ron Howard may be a Hollywood icon, but it was his ties to Northern Calif that convinced him to make “Rebuilding Paradise,” a documentary detailing the 2018 Camp Fire and the recovery process that followed. The movie – distributed by National Geographic Documentary Films – will be available to stream beginning Friday, July 31.
Coronavirus Pandemic Sidelines Calif’s Inmate Firefighters
VPR
Last fall, Jason Dixon fought wildfires. “Close enough to singe your beard hair,” he said, the day after he and his team of about a dozen inmate firefighters from Valley View Correctional Facility in Glenn County battled Calif’s wine country Kincade Fire last October. “Fighting the flames hand to hand.”
Stockton Fire Dept gets $100K in Fed funding to buy personal protective equipment
Stockton Record
The Stockton Fire Department has been awarded more than $100,000 in Fed funding to buy personal protective equipment to prevent, prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The money comes from the Fed Emergency Management Agency’s 2020 Assistance to Firefighters Grant-Supplemental.
ECONOMY/JOBS
Economy:
U.S. economy posts sharpest downturn on record
WSJ
The U.S. economy contracted at a record 32.9% annual rate last quarter and weekly jobless claims rose to 1.43 million, amid signs of a slowing recovery.
See also:
● U.S. economy contracted at 32.9% pace in second quarter; Jobless claims rise to 1.43 millionPolitico
● Did a third of the economy really vanish in just three months? Wash Post
Fed sees dim economic outlook as virus squeezes economy
Modesto Bee
Fed Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned Wednesday that the viral epidemic is endangering the modest economic recovery that followed a collapse in hiring and spending this spring. As a result, he said, the Fed plans to keep interest rates pinned near zero well into the future.
See also:
● Fed sees dim economic outlook as virus squeezes economy LA Times
● Wall Street rallies as Fed keeps rates pinned at record low LA Times
Jobs:
Calif may create $600 weekly unemployment benefit as enhanced Fed aid set to expire
abc30
Calif lawmakers may offer relief for recipients of unemployment benefits as the $600 weekly Fed aid is set to expire July 31. Congress is working on a new stimulus bill. The proposal from the Senate includes another $1,200 in direct payments to taxpayers, but it cuts the enhanced unemployment benefit from $600 to $200.
Calif hiring 5,300 workers, appointing ‘strike team’ to get a handle on unemployment surge
Sac Bee
Calif has paid out $49 billion in unemployment benefits since the coronavirus outbreak hit
See also:
● Newsom announces ‘strike team’ for Calif’s unemployment agency as 1 million await benefits LA Times
Farmworkers Face Higher Job Loss Rates And Risk of Contracting COVID-19, Study Shows
VPR
Farmworkers in the San Joaquin Valley are more likely to get COVID-19 than in other service industries. They’re also facing job losses, according to a new study released Tuesday.
Newsom allows minimum wage to increase in 2021
POLITICO
Businesses, especially restaurants, say they will struggle to survive with the minimum wage increasing in January as their sectors face intermittent closures due to coronavirus conditions.
Prop. 22 backers sue Calif AG over gig-worker initiative description
San Francisco Chronicle
Backers of Proposition 22, a November referendum seeking to partially overturn Calif’s AB5 gig-work law and keep Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Postmates and Instacart workers in the state as independent contractors, sued Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Wednesday. They charged that he wrote an inaccurate label, title and summary of their measure “infected with the contagion of bias and hostility.”
Opinion: GOP plan for coronavirus business liability imperils workers
LA Times
If you were looking for evidence that Republicans in Congress have no sympathy for workers facing illness or worse from the coronavirus pandemic, look past the party’s proposal to cut unemployment benefits.
Visualizing vulnerable jobs across America: A tool to understand your local economy
Brookings
As state and local leaders focus on economic relief and recovery from COVID-19, greater attention to job vulnerability can guide their efforts to build back better. Marcela Escobari, Natalie Geismar, and Dhruv Gandhi share findings from their new dataset on America’s vulnerable jobs—positions that pay low wages and are not covered by employer-sponsored health care benefits.
EDUCATION
K-12:
How distance learning will work for Fresno’s Central schools. ‘It must be different’
Fresno Bee
Students in Fresno’s Central Unified schools should expect online learning to look a lot different than it did in the spring when the coronavirus abruptly forced campuses to close. The fall semester begins Aug. 12, and teachers are preparing for a new world of distance learning.
See also:
· Fresno County politicians speak out in favor of reopening local schools abc30
· Some students thrive with online learning and closed schools LA Times
· Bill Gates: Benefits almost always outweigh the costs for younger students to return to schoolsTheHill
· Editorial: Calif schools were already unequal. Then came ‘learning pods’ LA Times
· Teachers Are Wary of Returning to Class, and Online Instruction Too NY Times
Walters: Reading test bill should be shelved
CalMatters
Legislation to abolish Calif’s test of would-be teachers’ ability to teach reading should be deferred in this pandemic-shortened session.
You still have to get your kids vaccinated even if their Calif school goes online
Sac Bee
Most Calif kids will kick off the 2020-2021 academic year with distance learning due to the coronavirus, but the state’s strict vaccination laws still require students be up-to-date on their shots before starting class.
Fresno-area teacher under investigation after ex-students speak out about ‘risque’ photo shoots
Fresno Bee
A Central High School English teacher has been placed on administrative leave as Fresno police investigate social media allegations from former students who say he asked to photograph them posing nude or in lingerie.
ACLU accuses Greenfield Union School District of free speech violations
Bakersfield Califn
The American Civil Liberties Union Foundations of Southern and Northern Calif sent a letter to the Greenfield Union School District Wednesday, expressing concerns and alleging “the district has created a hostile environment for Black students and staff in its schools by subjecting them to differential treatment and degrading, off-handed comments.”
Higher Ed:
CSUB’s commitment to ethnic studies
23abc
Dr. Vernon Harper, provost and vice president for academic affairs, discusses the recent decision by the CSU Board of Trustees to require ethnic studies or social justice education for the system’s nearly half million students. Dr. Harper also detailed the university’s ongoing commitment to diversify curriculum and engage all voices – students, faculty and staff – to ensure CSUB reflects the region we serve.
See also:
● Cal State Approves New Graduation Requirement: Ethnic Studies Or Social Justice Class Valley Public Radio
UC faculty protest plan to limit role in chancellor searches
LA Times
In a highly unusual protest, University of Calif faculty leaders are collectively opposing a proposal to alter the search process for campus chancellors, which they believe will significantly reduce their role and potentially affect the quality of the UC system.
Calif’s higher education leaders see an opportunity in crisis
EdSource
Colleges, students and faculty members may be unsure of what lies ahead as they brace for another mostly virtual academic term amid a pandemic, but the crisis could force Calif’s higher education systems to improve.
As the pandemic upends higher education, is residential college worth the cost?
PBS
The pandemic has upended the traditional model of higher education, particularly for residential colleges. As many schools announce plans to charge full tuition while continuing with remote learning, some students and parents are questioning whether the price is worth it. Hari Sreenivasan reports on a new effort to rethink the value, and the cost, of traditional college in the coronavirus era.
ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY
Environment:
’It’s real.’ Latinos, African Americans most likely to view pollution as a serious health threat
Sac Bee
Latinos and African Americans are more likely to view pollution as a serious health threat than other groups, according to a new statewide study by the Public Policy Institute of Calif.
COVID-19 lockdown caused 50% global reduction in human-linked Earth vibrations
Science Daily
This quiet period, likely caused by the total global effect of social distancing measures, closure of services and industry, and drops in tourism and travel, is the longest and most pronounced quiet period of seismic noise in recorded history.
Statewide Survey: Californians and the Environment
PPIC
This research was supported with funding from the Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
Expect a refund on your August bill
Calif Public Utilities Commision
This August* your utility bill will include an electric credit identified as the “Calif Climate Credit.” Your household and millions of others throughout the state will receive this credit on your utility bills.
Energy:
MHPS Will Supply Battery Energy Storage Systems to Help Balance the Calif Grid
OA Online
Hecate Grid, an energy storage company formed by Hecate Energy and InfraRed Capital Partners Limited (acting in its capacity as manager of InfraRed Infrastructure Fund V), has awarded Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas, Inc. (MHPS) the Johanna Energy Storage System (ESS) project.
See also:
- Biden calls for 100% clean electricity by 2035. Here’s how far we have to go. Wash Post
- Biden’s climate change plan calls for carbon-free electricity by 2035 Wash Post
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
COVID-19 hospitalizations dip from peak, but cases, deaths worry Fresno’s health officer
Fresno Bee
The number of people hospitalized in Fresno County and neighboring counties for confirmed coronavirus infections has declined in recent days. But as the average daily number of new cases continues to climb, Fresno County’s top doctor said Tuesday he fears that will drive future hospitalizations and fatalities in the coming days and weeks.
See Also:
● Portion of local hospital staff sidelined due to COVID-19 exposure abc30
● 448 new COVID-19 cases reported Wednesday in Kern Bakersfield Califn
● Stanislaus County health officer on COVID-19: ‘It seems to be everywhere’ Modesto Bee
● SJ virus deaths at 146 as Calif again breaks record for most deaths in single day Stockton Record
Last Calif county without COVID-19 just reported positive cases. Bars may be a source
Fresno Bee
Modoc County has ended its run as the last county in Calif without a confirmed case of COVID-19. On Tuesday, the county’s health department announced two positive cases and urged people who had visited bars in the county over the past 14 days to call health authorities.
Mask? Check. Hand sanitizer? Check. What about goggles? Fauci talks eye protection
Modesto Bee
No pandemic outfit is complete without eye protection, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday. Face coverings are critical, but don’t neglect the eyes, he told ABC News.
Coronavirus vaccines are in the works, but keep your mask
LA Times
Nearly $6 billion has been allocated. Clinical trials are entering a crucial third phase, and Operation Warp Speed is getting closer to the goal of delivering 300 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine by January.
See also:
● Human trial for coronavirus vaccine launched by Moderna enters Phase 3 ABC News
● Stores afraid to enforce masks. Union boss says hire muscle Fresno Bee
● Wearing masks could cut Calif coronavirus spread in half, top health official says LA Times
● Why Won’t Some People Wear Face Masks? WSJ
● COVID-19: Considerations for Wearing Cloth Face Coverings CDC
What they don’t tell you about surviving COVID-19
San Francisco Gate
‘Recovered’ doesn’t mean healthy again.
FDA Nears Decision Authorizing Covid-19 Treatment With Convalescent Plasma
WSJ
Antibody-rich blood plasma would be one of the first coronavirus treatments to receive approval, which could pave way for wider use.
See also:
· Harvested Antibodies Now Being Tested As A Prevention Tool Against COVID-19 VPR
Don’t fall for this video: Hydroxychloroquine is not a COVID-19 cure
Politifact
Millions of people, including the president of the United States, have seen or shared a video in which a doctor falsely claims there is a cure for the coronavirus, and it’s a medley starring hydroxychloroquine.
See also:
● Fact Check: Who are the doctors in the viral hydroxychloroquine video? PolitiFact
● Opinion: With Dr. Stella Immanuel’s viral video, this was the week America lost the war on misinformation Wash Post
50% of Americans Say Health Care Reform Should Be Top Priority for Congress
Newsweek
A new poll suggests that half of all Americans believe that Congress should consider passing a health care reform bill their top priority.
Opinion: 3 Predictable Covid Nightmares & How Congress Can Help Prevent Them
POLITICO
The good news is that they aren’t partisan, and they’re fixable.
Human Services:
‘It’s like a vicious cycle’: How the pandemic leaves the poor not only exposed, but hungry
Fresno Bee
Rarely does a mother try to stop her child from drinking a glass of milk. But with schools closed and unemployment spiking during the pandemic, Lissete Frausto, a mother of two in Oakland, finds she has little choice.
Can you get a coronavirus test in Calif if you want one? It depends
Fresno Bee
Calif officials say it’s no longer possible for everyone who wants a COVID-19 test to get one because of lab delays and supply shortages. So who can get a test? That depends on where a person ranks under new guidance the Newsom administration unveiled this month for testing sites and labs to determine whom to schedule for testing and which samples to test first.
See Also:
● Calif can’t keep up with demand for coronavirus tests. Will Congress help? Sac Bee
● Calif scales back coronavirus testing task force LA Times
Calif’s Hard-Hit Central Valley To Get Fed Health Workers, More State Help
VPR
Help is on the way for Calif’s Central Valley, where hospitals are inundated with coronavirus patients and local infection rates far outpace the statewide average.
Bakersfield Califn
Battling COVID-19 is a joint community effort, and Adventist Health Bakersfield demonstrated that Wednesday by donating personal protective equipment to Kern Medical Center. Adventist Health Bakersfield recently received a $100,000 grant from Chevron.
Lodi hospital launches tele-ICU to deal with crush of COVID-19 patients
Stockton Record
Adventist Health Lodi Memorial Hospital recently established a secure telehealth connection with critical care specialists at UC Davis Health in Sac to help its physicians in the intensive care unit deal with the needs of a significant number of patients with COVID-19.
Fresno man donates $4M to Valley Children’s Hospital
Fresno Bee
The estate of a Fresno man has donated $4 million to Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera, which will recognize the gift in its new outpatient center that’s planned for construction.
IMMIGRATION
Trump Administration won’t accept new DACA applications
LA Times
The Trump administration will deny new applications for so-called “Dreamer” immigrants and cut renewals to one year from two years, despite reversals in court that kept alive the Obama-era program to shield young people from deportation.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
Parks, trails close in Waterford after enforcement failed to deter crowds, mayor says
Modesto Bee
The city of Waterford closed two parks on Tuesday because of crowds, lack of social distancing and concerns of the coronavirus spreading. Mayor Michael Van Winkle said officials asked the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department to patrol the area and write citations, but enforcement didn’t deter unsafe activities at River Park and South Reinway Park and Trail Head.
Housing:
These Californians are especially worried about paying rent during coronavirus. Is help coming?
Fresno Bee
Latino and Black tenants in Calif are much more worried than their white and Asian counterparts about paying their rent in the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to data taken by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Rent drop likely for offices but not apartments, survey says
LA Times
Calif office spaces are expected to keep getting emptier and their rent prices will likely keep declining for years as the fallout of the pandemic persists, according to a new survey of commercial real estate developers and financiers.
Calif county with highest COVID death rate violated court rules for evictions
CalMatters
Imperial County “has allowed landlords to pursue court-ordered evictions during the novel coronavirus pandemic — despite state judicial rules barring such proceedings.
Trump claims decision to repeal fair housing rule will boost home prices, lower crime
TheHill
President Trump claimed Wednesday that his recent decision to replace an Obama administration rule targeting racial housing discrimination would boost suburban housing prices and reduce crime.
PUBLIC FINANCES
More stimulus checks? Calif Democrats say money should go to ‘those who need it’
Fresno Bee
Calif Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, both Democrats, aren’t crazy about the Republican plan to send most people another round of economic stimulus payments, saying the proposal won’t always reach the people who need the money most.
Calif law banning triple-digit interest jeopardized by Fed ‘loopholes,’ lawsuit says
Fresno Bee
A year after Calif passed a law to crack down on lenders charging triple-digit interest rates, Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced a lawsuit against a Fed agency to block a new rule that would let certain banks and lenders avoid the state cap.
Calif tax revenue plummeted, but not by as much as Gov. Newsom projected
Sac Bee
The wealthy are doing fine, and the rest of us are shopping online.
TRANSPORTATION
Amtrak alters service to respond to decrease in ridership
Bakersfield Califn
Amtrak has suspended and altered several of the routes on its Thruway Bus Network that have been impacted from reduced ridership since the coronavirus pandemic began. Route 12, from Bakersfield to Victorville has been indefinitely suspended, while Route 19 has been truncated at San Bernardino.
Caltrans targets gas emissions, service expansion
Transportation Today
Calif Department of Transportation (Caltrans) officials said a $146 million funding allotment via the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP) would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance system access.
WATER
Newsom Lays Out Big Dreams for Calif’s Water Future
Courthouse News Service
Touting ways to shield Calif’s most precious resource from climate change, Governor Gavin Newsom released strategies Tuesday to improve drinking water quality, revive a stalled multibillion-dollar tunnel and build new dams.
LOIS HENRY: Valley farmers look to mountain stream to replenish groundwater
SJV Water
A Kern County water agency is facing a wall of opposition against its plan to harvest up to 12,000 acre feet of water from the South Fork of the Kern River above Lake Isabella and bring it to valley farms.
“Xtra”
How the Big Fresno Fair is reinventing itself: Drive-thrus with food and live music
Fresno Bee
Earlier this month, the Big Fresno Fair announced it would be pulling its annual concerts series for 2020. At the time, the fair said it could not get needed approval from the Fresno County Department of Public Health for use of the Paul Paul Theater due to the coronavirus pandemic, but it was working with health officials on modifications that would allow the fair to continue to operate at some capacity.
See Also:
● Big Fresno Fair reimagined as a series of drive-thru, virtual fair experiences Hanford Sentinel
● A new twist for Tulare County Fair Hanford Sentinel
CSUB’s inaugural Big West fall season delayed until 2021
Bakersfield Califn
The last hope that any team sporting events would be held in Bakersfield this fall was officially dashed Wednesday afternoon.