July 31, 2020

31Jul

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

6 new COVID-19 deaths in Merced Co. Atwater prison, nursing facility among outbreaks

Merced Sun-Star

Merced County’s coronavirus death toll increased by six fatalities Wednesday, the Merced County Department of Public Health confirmed. One of the most recently deceased individuals was between age 35-49, which is on the younger side as far as local coronavirus deaths. The other five fatalities were among residents older than 64.

See Also:

●     Stanislaus deaths top 100. Modesto cases pass 3,000 Modesto Bee

●     Stanislaus County surpasses 100 coronavirus deaths after announcement of 5 more Modesto Bee

●     Salvation Army reports COVID-19 cases now at 25 at its Modesto homeless shelter Modesto Bee

Turlock Police supporters, calling for more funding, dominate city council meeting

Modesto Bee

Turlock residents debated police funding for more than two hours during Tuesday’s city council meeting, dominating the public participation session. The majority of the roughly 60 callers opposed defunding the Turlock PoliceDepartment, with many urging the council to increase its resources and services.

New program allocates $10 million in grants to Stanislaus County businesses

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus County businesses impacted by COVID-19 can begin applying for a new county grant program starting Friday, which will distribute $10 million to local businesses this fall. The program, which was approved by the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors on July 14, will have at least 50% of its funding allocated for small businesses with up to 50 full-time employees, according to a news release.

State COVID-19 help coming soon, but Stanislaus Co once again waits for answers

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus County spokesman said officials grateful for help but said the state needs to do more to keep county informed.

Fact Check: 2020 ad mistates Tom McClintock comment on Social Security

Sac Bee

Congressman Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove holds one of the safest Republican seats in Calif. But he has a well-funded 2020 challenger in businesswoman Brynne Kennedy, who has released her first ad attacking McClintock’s stances on Medicare, Social Security, COVID-19 relief and masks.

Central SJ Valley:

Grim milestone: More than 400 deaths from COVID-19 in Fresno and neighboring counties

Fresno Bee

Fresno County experienced its biggest one-day increase in confirmed coronavirus infections on Wednesday, as the number of people who have tested positive for the virus lurched upward by nearly 600.

See Also:

●     COVID-19 update: Slight increase in active cases in county Porterville Recorder

Clovis and Fresno City Leaders Demand School Reopenings

Clovis Roundup

Clovis Mayor Drew Bessinger joined Fresno City Councilmembers Garry Bredefeld and Mike Karbassi to urge schools to allow in-person learning for the 2020-21 school year.

See also:

●     Fmr Fresno Mayor Alan Autry joins proponents of opening schools amid COVID-19 pandemicFresno Bee

●     School reopening plans linked to politics rather than public health

●     Brookings

●     Valley Childrens Hospital Response to Fresno City Councilmembers’ News Conference on Schools Reopening Valley Children’s Hospital

Kings County launches $5 million funding package for small business assistance

Hanford Sentinel

To help with the detrimental effects shutdown orders have had on small business, Kings County intends to provide financial support to businesses through a new program. At its July 21 meeting, county officials finalized a program to roll out $5 million in small business assistance. Businesses will be able to apply for up to $20,000 for eligible COVID-19 operating expenses and to cover future expenses related to shutdowns.

Tulare County ‘knocking at door’ of new stay-at-home order with state’s highest infection rate

Visalia Times Delta

Tulare County reported 328 new COVID-19 cases and one more death on Tuesday, continuing a trend of elevated virus spread that is sure to keep schools closed and many sectors of the local economy on lockdown.

See also:

·       Tulare inmates sue Sheriff over no COVID-19 protections Fresno Bee

America’s Best Employers For Women 2020 (Clovis Unified School District is #9)

Forbes

Companies have made considerable progress in their quest for gender parity over the years, enacting strong hiring and retention practices that directly benefit female employees and offering family-friendly policies that place women at the center of these efforts.

Nunes declines to answer if he received information from Ukraine lawmaker meant to damage Biden 

TheHill

The House Intelligence Committee’s ranking member, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) on Wednesday declined to answer whether he had received materials from Ukrainian sources meant to damage former Vice President Joe Biden‘s (D) reputation ahead of the 2020 election.

See also:

●      Intel Dems press Nunes for details on anti-Biden package from Ukrainian official POLITICO

South SJ Valley:

Federal coronavirus surge testing site arrives in Bakersfield as Central Valley becomes hot spot

Bakersfield Califn

As coronavirus continues to spread in Kern County, a federal 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 federal site could help local officials bring COVID-19 under control in Kern County.

See also:

●      National Guard team assisting at downtown Bakersfield hospital Bakersfield Califn

●      Federal Push For Faster, Cheaper Coronavirus Tests Focuses On 7 New Technologies VPR

●     Kern County reports over 1,000 new COVID-19 cases, four additional deaths Thursday Bakersfield Califn

In fight against COVID-19, Kern officials turn to convalescent plasma to ease burden on hospitals

Bakersfield Califn

Kern County officials are calling on those who have recovered from COVID-19 to donate plasma in a new effort aimed at saving the lives of those hospitalized with the virus. At a Thursday press conference, local officials said hospitals requests for convalescent plasma fall short by around twenty to thirty units each day.

Kern educators take part in distance learning trainings

Bakersfield Califn

For the past several months, the Kern County Superintendent of Schools has led a team of educators from 17 Kern County school districts and partners from Fresno, Kings and San Luis Obispo County Offices of Education to develop standards-based distance learning curriculum in English language arts, math, English language development, science, history and social-emotional learning for students in transitional kindergarten through 12th grade. Nine weeks of lessons and teacher and parent trainings have been completed, intended to give schools a head start on distance learning programs and to make improvements from the previous spring semester.

State:

Calif nears 9,000 coronavirus-related deaths after 2 days of record-setting fatalities

Stockton Record

Calif is approaching another coronavirus milestone: 9,000 deaths after a major surge in infections. The rising death toll comes as officials are trying to slow outbreaks across the state that followed the reopening of the economy in late May and early June.

See also:

·       With Calif deaths surging, will Newsom have to do more?  San Jose Mercury

Calif tax revenue plummeted, but not by as much as Gov. Newsom projected

Fresno Bee

The easy days of Calif budget surpluses are long gone with tax revenue plummeting in the new coronavirus recession. But as bad as the outlook stands, tax collections across the board so far are coming in a little better than Gov. Gavin Newsom projected in the $203 billion state budget he signed last month.

Rent, unemployment woes loom over Californians amid pandemic

Sac Bee

Calif set a new record Wednesday for its highest reported COVID-19 death toll in a single day with 197 dead. Though some of those deaths may have occurred several days or weeks ago because of the verification process used by local health officials, the new numbers underline the ongoing severity of the pandemic.

Calif local leaders take harder line on pandemic order violations

POLITICO

While the majority of Califns appear to be following the rules, videos of shouting matches in stores over people not wearing masks have gone viral while other blatant violations involving churches and other gatherings appear to be on the rise, potentially causing additional outbreaks.

Calif Latinos hit hardest by coronavirus, experts say

Fresno Bee

As the U.S. experiences increasing cases of COVID-19 and deaths, Latinos continue to contract the virus at disproportionate rates, leading some experts to suspect systemic biases across housing, healthcare, and education are to blame.

See also

·       Will Calif be first state to offer unemployment benefits to undocumented workers? Fresno Bee

Calif Supreme Court forbids pension spiking, but upholds other retirement protections

Fresno Bee

The Calif Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against public employee unions that were trying to beat back part of former Gov. Jerry Brown’s pension overhaul law. The court’s ruling prohibits so-called pension spiking, a strategy in which county public workers took extra shifts, worked odd hours at higher pay or cashed out accumulated leave at the end of their careers to inflate their pensions in retirement.

See Also:

●     Calif court: public employees can’t ‘spike’ pensions Bakersfield Califn

●     ‘Pension spiking’ is not protected by Calif law, top court rules LA Times

●     Calif Supreme Court curbs ‘pension spiking’ among public employee plans SF Chronicle

●      Court bans “abusive” spiking, but sticks with pension protections CALmatters

●     Calif Supreme Court decision on public employee pensions Courts.ca.gov

Federal:

U.S. COVID-19 deaths top 150,000, but fatality rates vary by region. What does it mean for Calif?

SF Chronicle

More than 150,000 Americans have died of COVID-19, a somber benchmark that stands alone in defining the toll of this pandemic on the United States. That’s nearly as many people as all the residents of Hayward. More Americans died in the first six months of this pandemic than in World War I or the Vietnam War. It’s two to three times as many deaths attributed to the flu each year.

See also:

·       Trump in trouble as nearly two-thirds of Americans disapprove of his handling of COVID-19, protests, Russia ABC News

·       Amid coronavirus surge, fewer Americans ready to resume daily activities, survey shows TheHill

Fauci testifies before House panel that he is ‘cautiously optimistic’ a safe vaccine is possible this year. 

Wash Post

“We hope that at the time we get into the late fall and early winter we will have, in fact, a vaccine that we can say would be safe and effective,” Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a congressional committee Friday.

Extra $600 in jobless aid set to lapse as coronavirus relief bill talks deadlock

abc30

A deadlocked Senate on Thursday exited Wash for the weekend without acting to extend a $600 per-week expanded jobless benefit that has helped keep both families and the economy afloat as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the country.

Coronavirus Trackers:

Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Calif

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:

●     Calif Department of Public Health

●     Coronavirus (COVID-19) CDC

●     Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic – WHO

●     John Hopkins University & Medicine John Hopkins University

●     Tracking coronavirus in Calif LA Times

●     Coronavirus Tracker SF Chronicle

●      Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count 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:

Trump tweets about delaying election. Calif Republicans & Democrats say that won’t happen

Fresno Bee

Calif lawmakers quickly denounced President Donald Trump’s tweet suggesting the November election should be delayed, with even the top Republican in the House of Representatives saying the election would be going forward as planned.

See Also:

●     Trump floats idea of November election delay, a virtual impossibility abc30

●     Trump Floats Delaying The Election. It Would Require A Change In Law VPR

●     Trump suggests delaying November election — but it’s not likely LA Times

●     Trump can’t delay the election. But many states are unprepared for this year’s changes SF Chronicle

●     McConnell rebuffs Trump suggestion, says election will be held ‘on time’ TheHill

●     Federalist Society co-founder calls Trump’s tweet about delaying election “fascistic” Axios

●      GOP Leaders Rebuff Trump’s Suggestion of Delaying Election WSJ

●      Only Congress Could Change Date of November Election WSJ

●      Trump floats moving Election Day, but Congress holds the power. Politifact

●      Editorial: Trump’s Election-Delay Idea Unworthy of a U.S. President  National Review

Vice President Karen Bass? Joe Biden considers Calif leader for key 2020 role

Fresno Bee

Most Americans don’t know Bass, but Biden’s team appears to be giving her serious consideration. Bass, a former physician’s assistant who rose to become the first woman to serve as speaker of the Calif State Assembly, is in competition with Sen. Kamala Harris for the role.

See also:

●      Editorial: Joe Biden should pick Karen Bass, not Kamala Harris, as VP Sac Bee

●     ‘Building bridges’: How Bass became a leading VP contender AP News

●      When Karen Bass Went to Work in Castro’s Cuba  The Atlantic

●      The Top 10 women Joe Biden might pick as vice president CNN

Poll: Gen Z Democrats say Trump is swamping Biden in digital ads

POLITICO

Nearly half of the youngest Democratic voters said they’d seen digital advertising from President Donald Trump and the GOP, but only one-in-five said they’d seen Biden ads.

Opinion: The real challenge of voting by mail

National Review

There will be far more voting by mail this fall than we have seen before in a national election in America. That’s because Election Day will come amid a pandemic, and long lines at crowded polling places won’t be safe.

See also:

●      Postal Service backlog sparks worries that ballot delivery could be delayed in November Wash Post

Calif interest groups file flurry of suits challenging November ballot language

POLITICO

Campaigns are already challenging the official descriptions for six of the 12 measures on the November ballot. Aug. 10 is the last day for public review, which makes these challenges urgent. But even beyond the outcome, the litigation is instructive because they telegraph the arguments that campaigns will make to voters.

Hiltzik: Who is funding Calif ballot measures?

LA Times

You can lay the hand-wringing about the failing condition of the American economy aside for a moment, because one sector is blazingly fat and likely to become even more so between now and election day.

Other:

Lice become one more head-scratcher during COVID-19 pandemic

Bakersfield Califn

Just when everyone thought they had enough worries, here’s a new one: tiny parasites living in your hair. A national chain of lice clinics reported Thursday its Bakersfield operation experienced a 37 percent increase in treatments between April and May.

Native Americans Feel Devastated by the Virus Yet Overlooked in the Data

NY Times

Statistical gaps can make it difficult to properly allocate public resources to Native Americans. When that’s the case, one leader said, “tribal nations have an effective death sentence.”

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Groups unite to urge US to extend food aid to schoolchildren

Bakersfield Califn

A high-profile coalition of educators, activists and philanthropists — including the American Federation of Teachers, the NAACP and the charity World Central Kitchen — is urging Congress to extend and expand emergency provisions that allow school districts nationwide to feed millions of children during the coronavirus pandemic.

Farmworkers are getting coronavirus. They face retaliation for demanding safe conditions.

The World

Terminations following complaints of unsafe working conditions at Primex Farms in Wasco highlight the tightrope farmworkers must walk to protect their health and jobs while avoiding retaliation from their employers. Within weeks, at least 40 Primex workers, many of whom were active in a recent strike, were terminated, former workers told The World. Others said they feared the same fate if they spoke up.

Calif Pizza Kitchen Latest Chain to File for Bankruptcy

Bloomberg

Calif Pizza Kitchen Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Houston on Wednesday, becoming the latest restaurant chain to try to cut debt as it grapples with the pandemic.

Calif should ban marijuana advertising to protect children and teens

Sac Bee

It’s one thing to decriminalize cannabis, but it’s another to encourage use with marketing and advertising that reaches kids.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Anonymous tips help Calif counties enforce virus orders

Bakersfield Califn

After weeks of stressing education over enforcement, Calif communities say they are now issuing fines and relying on anonymous tips to make sure businesses and residents are complying with health orders requiring masks, disinfection and social distancing as the state tries to contain the coronavirus.

OPINION: Calif should ban marijuana advertising to protect children & teens

Fresno Bee

It’s one thing to decriminalize cannabis, but it’s another to encourage use with marketing and advertising that reaches kids. And that’s the problem: Almost all commercial advertising makes its way to the eyes and ears of children. If we care about public health, we should ban all cannabis ads.

Public Safety:

Dozens infected with COVID-19 at Calif youth prisons. Should inmates get released early?

Fresno Bee

Jane Faalataina’s son is among the 47 teens and young adults who have tested positive for COVID-19 inside the walls of Calif’s youth prisons. So far, his symptoms are minor, but he’s in medical isolation inside a Stockton facility, and his studies are suffering, she said.

Calif prison population drops below 100,000 for first time in 30 years

SF Chronicle

The population decline comes amid pressure from advocates to release more inmates, especially those who are older or have chronic illness, during the coronavirus pandemic. 

See also:

●      Dozens infected with COVID-19 at Calif youth prisons. Should inmates get released early? Sac Bee

What happens to police officers seen using excessive force against protesters? 

ProPublica

Apparently very little. But ProPublica is hoping to gather more information from anyone who may have witnessed incidents.

Fire:

Caldwell and Gillem fires merge, Calif’s largest since 2018

Mercury News

The Caldwell and Gillem fires have merged and are approaching 80,000 acres, with another hot and windy day expected Thursday. The Caldwell Fire, sparked by lightning, has been burning since July 22 in the area of Lava Beds National Monument, in Modoc and Siskiyou counties. The Gillem Fire was also started by lightning, on Monday, at the larger fire’s northwest corner.

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

Record economic plunge, bleak jobs numbers reveal virus toll

Modesto Bee

The coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy plunging by a record-shattering 32.9% annual rate last quarter and is still inflicting damage across the country, squeezing already struggling businesses and forcing a wave of layoffs that shows no sign of abating.

See Also:

●     Economy shrank at record-breaking 33% rate last quarter as 1.4M sought unemployment aid last week abc30

●     Record collapse in GDP points to challenges for economic recovery — and Trump LA Times

●     Coronavirus recession hits Social Security, Medicare, highway funding TheHill

●     U.S. suffered worst quarterly contraction on record as virus ravages economy POLITICO

●      The great coronavirus economic crisis is far from over AEI / National Interest

●      U.S. Economy Contracted at Record Rate Last Quarter; Jobless Claims Rise to 1.43 Million WSJ

●     Opinion: Get Ready for Another Fake Economic Recovery

●     Editorial: The Lockdown’s Destruction WSJ

Does Trump Want to Save His Economy?

NY Times

The president is showing little urgency or strategy as the economic recovery stalls ahead of the November election.

‘A meaningful hit to the economy’: What could happen if Congress cuts unemployment benefits

POLITICO

White House economic advisers and GOP lawmakers including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell contend the extra payment acts as a disincentive for workers to seek new jobs.

Coronavirus Is the Crisis Some Bank Investors Have Been Waiting For 

WSJ

Bank results and stocks are getting hammered. But some investors see proof they are good investments.

Amazon, Apple, Facebook Show Dominant Results, Grip on Society

WSJ

Tech companies reap billions, surprising investors just one day after Congressional scrutiny.

See also:

●      Big Tech’s Embarrassment of Riches WSJ

Jobs:

Calif jobless claims reach 9.1 million since mid-March amid record-shattering economic plunge

SF Chronicle

More than 1.4 million Americans filed new claims for unemployment this week, another grim marker of the economic devastation caused by the pandemic. The new figures released by the Department of Labor Thursday brings the total number of jobless claims since the onset of shelter-in-place to 54 million.

Calif hiring 5,300 workers, appointing ‘strike team’ to get a handle on unemployment surge

Fresno Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom doesn’t expect Calif to get through a backlog of unemployment insurance claims for two more months despite a push to hire thousands of temporary workers and improve state technology.

See Also:

●     Newsom announces reforms to improve processing CA unemployment claims amid backlog abc30

●     Thousands demanding answers for issues while trying to access unemployment benefits abc30

●      Nearly 1 million claims backlogged CALmatters

New federal unemployment benefits could take as long as 20 weeks to process, Calif EDD head says

Sac Bee

Amid a testy oversight hearing Thursday afternoon, Employment Development Department head Sharon Hilliard said that Calif could take as long as 20 weeks to process any additional federal employment benefits once they come.

See also:

●     Out-of-work Califns finally receive benefits, only to be mysteriously cut off abc30

Remote work, child care, mask enforcement: COVID-19 is re-writing employment law

San Diego Union-Tribune

Hundreds of pandemic-related labor lawsuits have been filed, and that’s just the beginning of what’s to come, legal experts say.

Apple says workers won’t return to offices until early 2021

SF Chronicle

Apple employees in the U.S. will continue to work from home until early 2021, a spokesperson for the company confirmed.

Filing for Calif unemployment benefits? Here’s how

CalMatters

If you’ve lost your job, seen freelance work dry up or had your hours reduced, it might be time to fall back on state support that has been expanded during the pandemic. Applying for benefits in Calif means searching through records, proving your need and often, a lot of waiting. 

Unemployment Data Update: March through July 25, 2020

Calif Center for Jobs & the Economy

As PUA claims by the self-employed continued to rise, total initial claims were up 4.5% in Calif while dropping 9.2% for the nation as a whole.

Families File First Wave of Covid-19 Lawsuits Against Companies Over Worker Deaths

WSJ

Coronavirus victims and their families allege workplaces failed to protect them.

America’s Best Employers For Women 2020 (CUSD is #9)

Forbes

Companies have made considerable progress in their quest for gender parity over the years, enacting strong hiring and retention practices that directly benefit female employees and offering family-friendly policies that place women at the center of these efforts.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Clovis and Fresno City Leaders Demand School Reopenings

Clovis Roundup

Clovis Mayor Drew Bessinger joined Fresno City Councilmembers Garry Bredefeld and Mike Karbassi to urge schools to allow in-person learning for the 2020-21 school year.

See also:

●     Fmr Fresno Mayor Alan Autry joins proponents of opening schools amid COVID-19 pandemicFresno Bee

●     School reopening plans linked to politics rather than public health

●     Brookings

●     Valley Childrens Hospital Response to Fresno City Councilmembers’ News Conference on Schools Reopening Valley Children’s Hospital

Special education students faces ‘huge obstacles’

Visalia Times Delta

Many parents want to know how the District will support their children.

Merced Union High School District board votes to delay start of upcoming school year

Merced Sun-Star

The Merced Union High School District’s board of trustees voted Wednesday to delay the start of the 2020-21 school year by a week until Aug. 19. The decision was made to provide the district additional time to program and distribute mobile internet devices to all students.

Kern educators take part in distance learning trainings

Bakersfield Califn

For the past several months, the Kern County Superintendent of Schools has led a team of educators from 17 Kern County school districts and partners from Fresno, Kings and San Luis Obispo County Offices of Education to develop standards-based distance learning curriculum in English language arts, math, English language development, science, history and social-emotional learning for students in transitional kindergarten through 12th grade. Nine weeks of lessons and teacher and parent trainings have been completed, intended to give schools a head start on distance learning programs and to make improvements from the previous spring semester.

What Are Parents Doing For Child Care? Here Are 3 Options (With Trade-Offs)

VPR

Kirk Gallegos is a single father of four. He works construction in Barstow, Calif. Prudence Carter is a single mother of one. She’s the dean of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Calif, Berkeley. Both of them share the same problem with tens of millions of other parents around the country: Their public schools aren’t operating full time in-person this fall.

Making Sense of Governance in Early Childhood

Ed Note

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. But historically funding for those services has been spread across multiple state agencies, which makes it difficult for communities and service providers to ensure that families are getting what they need. As a result, states are increasingly focused on how they can rethink their governance systems to improve child and family outcomes.

Assessments Will Likely Show COVID-19-Related Learning Loss: Then What?

Ed Note

Over the last several months, researchers and organizations have tried to quantify the potential learning loss as a result of the closures related to COVID-19. Some suggest students may be 30% to 50% behind where they would have been, had schools remained open as usual. More than 75% of school principals expect student achievement to be lower than it was in fall 2019. Indeed, RAND Corp’s educator survey showed nearly half of teachers focused their distance learning time primarily on reviewing prior content. Only 12% reported covering all or nearly all the curriculum they would have had school buildings not closed.

Higher Ed:

Fresno State won’t start football camp as scheduled, but it can still start on time

Fresno Bee

The Fresno State Bulldogs will not open fall camp as scheduled on Aug. 7, their fourth coronavirus-related setback to starting a 2020 football season. Whether the Bulldogs will be able to start on time with conferences adjusting scheduling their models, or start at all, are two of still seemingly hundreds of questions swirling around college athletics as it tries to plow through a pandemic that has not been slowed her or in other parts of the country.

Coronavirus outbreak at USC’s fraternity row leaves at least 40 people infected

LA Times

USC is dealing with an outbreak of the coronavirus spread across the university’s Greek row. The school has detected around 40 positive COVID-19 cases involving individuals living on 28th Street, where many fraternity groups associated with the university are based, chief student health officer Sarah Van Orman said.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

Calif sees hotter-than-normal year so far

Stockton Record

Temperatures soared higher than normal across much of the nation in June and through the first six months of 2020, putting the country on track for what could be another one of its warmest years on record. Every one of the 48 contiguous states saw above-normal average temperatures during the first half of the year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported in its most recent update on climate conditions in the United States and around the world.

Calif’s plastic bag ban back. Where must you pay, where can you bring your own?

Sac Bee

Calif’s single-use plastic bag ban is back, but Sac-area supermarkets’ rules on personal shopping totes remain a mixed bag for now. Some stores – think Costco and Smart & Final – allow customers to bring in bags and pack their own groceries.

Exclusive: Calif’s clean-air programs take a hit in new funding squeeze

CALmatters

Some of Calif’s key environmental programs for battling smog and climate change have lost nearly $105 million as the state grapples with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.  In a letter shared with CalMatters, the state’s Department of Finance notified lawmakers of reductions to funds from the proceeds of Calif’s landmark cap and trade program.

Air Quality Disparities Persist Despite Overall Gains

VPR

The places with the most severe air pollution nearly 40 years ago remain among the most polluted places today, according to a new study that uses historical air pollution data to track disparities in air quality over time. Decades of research and the lived experiences of millions of Americans have established that people in the United States do not have equal access to clean air, and that poor people and people of color are more likely to breathe polluted air than their fellow citizens who are white or rich. 

Energy:

New Fresno business brokers renewable energy credits

Business Journal

Summer is here and farms in the Central Valley are harvesting fruits, vegetables and many other crops — but more recently, the ag industry is looking to harvest something a bit hotter: the sun.

PG&E utility CEO Andy Vesey to step down in latest management shakeup

SF Chronicle

Michael Lewis, the company’s senior vice president in charge of electric operations, will serve as interim president of Pacific Gas & Electric Co.

Tesla, embattled Calif utility PG&E team up for high-tech energy storage system

Fox Business

Embattled Calif utility PG&E and Tesla broke ground in Monterey County, Calif, last week to begin constructing one of the biggest utility-owned, lithium-ion battery energy storage systems on the planet.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Grim milestone: More than 400 deaths from COVID-19 in Fresno and neighboring counties

Fresno Bee

Fresno County experienced its biggest one-day increase in confirmed coronavirus infections on Wednesday, as the number of people who have tested positive for the virus lurched upward by nearly 600.

See Also:

●     COVID-19 update: Slight increase in active cases in county Porterville Recorder

●     Kern County reports over 1,000 new COVID-19 cases, four additional deaths Thursday Bakersfield Califn

●     Stanislaus deaths top 100. Modesto cases pass 3,000 Modesto Bee

●     Stanislaus County surpasses 100 coronavirus deaths after announcement of 5 more Modesto Bee

Who’s social distancing? UC Davis study shows income levels, stay-at-home orders are factors

Fresno Bee

How much are Americans staying home or maintaining social distancing? It depends heavily on income, a new UC Davis study suggests. Published Thursday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study found that wealthier communities decreased their mobility “significantly more” than poorer communities.

‘It’s real.’ Latinos, African Americans most likely to view pollution as a serious health threat

Fresno 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.

Calif Latinos are among the hardest hit by COVID-19. Experts blame systemic racism

Fresno Bee

As the U.S. experiences increasing cases of COVID-19 and deaths, Latinos continue to contract the virus at disproportionate rates, leading some experts to suspect systemic biases across housing, healthcare, and education are to blame.

Sierra View performs first ever non-surgical stent procedure

Porterville Recorder

The first non-surgical stent procedure ever in the City of Porterville was recently performed at Sierra View Medical Center. Sierra View was able to perform the procedure after receiving the Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) designation from the Calif Department of Public Health.

Salvation Army reports COVID-19 cases now at 25 at its Modesto homeless shelter

Modesto Bee

The Salvation Army reported Wednesday that the number of COVID-19 cases among the homeless men at its Berberian Center shelter has risen to 25. The army reported last week that three homeless men had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. These were the center’s first COVID-19 cases among its homeless men and women.

A new strain of the coronavirus is dominant now. Is it more contagious?

SF Chronicle

A mutant strain of the coronavirus that some researchers believe is more infectious is rampaging across the globe and has moved into the Bay Area, but there are conflicting views about how this tiny deviant is impacting people.

Human Services:

Several counties on Calif’s COVID-19 watch list struggle to perform contact tracing

Fresno Bee

Twenty-eight of the 38 Calif counties with surging cases of COVID-19 report that they are attempting to investigate everyone infected and trace everyone they expose. But at least seven counties aren’t, and another one is asking all people sick with the virus to notify their contacts themselves.

CA falls behind in effort to buy 10,000 COVID-19 ventilators

Sac Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s drive to obtain 10,000 ventilators to help Calif hospitals treat COVID-19 patients has fallen well behind schedule as coronavirus infections continue to surge.

Federal coronavirus surge testing site arrives in Bakersfield as Central Valley becomes hot spot

Bakersfield Califn

As coronavirus continues to spread in Kern County, a federal 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 federal site could help local officials bring COVID-19 under control in Kern County.

See also:

●      National Guard team assisting at downtown Bakersfield hospital Bakersfield Califn

●      Federal Push For Faster, Cheaper Coronavirus Tests Focuses On 7 New Technologies VPR

In fight against COVID-19, Kern officials turn to convalescent plasma to ease burden on hospitals

Bakersfield Califn

Kern County officials are calling on those who have recovered from COVID-19 to donate plasma in a new effort aimed at saving the lives of those hospitalized with the virus. At a Thursday press conference, local officials said hospitals requests for convalescent plasma fall short by around twenty to thirty units each day.

Calif scales back coronavirus testing task force despite long lines, new outbreaks

LA Times

In the early days of coronavirus testing, Calif public health officials teamed up with private industry executives for an immediate impact. The group, established by Gov. Gavin Newsom, added over 100 new test sites in three weeks, launched partnerships with new innovative labs, and managed the flow of swabs, chemicals and gear through the state’s sprawling new testing infrastructure.

See also:

●      Calif’s coronavirus testing task force loses members, influence CALmatters

“Go on Medi-Cal to get that”: Why Californians with mental illness are dropping private insurance to get taxpayer-funded treatment

CALmatters

In dozens of interviews, families, attorneys, judges, therapists and public officials agree: People with serious mental illnesses often do better dropping private insurance and qualifying for taxpayer-funded treatment.

COVID-19 Hospital Data System that Bypasses CDC Plagued By Delays, Inaccuracies

VPR

Earlier this month, when the Trump administration told hospitals to send crucial data about coronavirus cases and intensive care capacity to a new online system, it promised the change would be worth it. The data would be more complete, transparent, and an improvement over the old platform run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, administration officials said. Instead, the public data hub created under the new system is updated erratically and is rife with inconsistencies and errors, data analysts say.

Trump asks COVID-19 survivors to donate plasma after visiting Red Cross

abc30

President Donald Trump on Thursday visited the headquarters of the American Red Cross to encourage survivors of COVID-19 to donate plasma. Thousands of coronavirus patients have donated their plasma in hopes it could help other patients recover from the coronavirus, and scientists are testing if the donations might also prevent infection in the first place.

Now, more than half of Americans are millennials or younger

Brookings

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau show that the combined millennial, Gen Z, and younger populations stood at 166 million as of July 2019, 4 million more people than the total population of Gen X, baby boomers, and older cohorts. William Frey discusses the significance of America’s changing demography and explores how the size and activism of the nation’s younger generations could impact the 2020 election.

IMMIGRATION

Calif Latinos hit hardest by coronavirus, experts say

Fresno Bee

As the U.S. experiences increasing cases of COVID-19 and deaths, Latinos continue to contract the virus at disproportionate rates, leading some experts to suspect systemic biases across housing, healthcare, and education are to blame.

See also

·       Will Calif be first state to offer unemployment benefits to undocumented workers? Fresno Bee

Twin Rulings By Federal Judge Block ‘Public Charge’ Rules For Immigrants

VPR

A federal judge in NY issued two strongly worded rulings on Wednesday that put a temporary freeze on restrictive Trump administration immigration policies. The measures, which are now on hold, had broadened the grounds under which immigrants could be considered “public charges,” a label that can harm the chances of obtaining either a green card or entry to the United States.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Warszawski: More money for parks? Great. But bill, introduced by Fresno congressman, has a downside

Fresno Bee

Like movie critics breathless over a summer blockbuster (remember those? sigh), conservationists are hailing the Great American Outdoors Act as the biggest and most significant public-lands spending bill in half a century.

Housing:

In CA: Pandemic is not an excuse to block new housing, state warns city

USAToday

A city hiding behind the pandemic to avoid approving new housing gets another stern warning from the state. And criminal justice advocates are calling on corrections staff to not repeat its prison mistakes at youth facilities. Plus: What are the odds of getting bitten by a shark, anyway? 

Calif landlords are locking out struggling tenants. A ‘tsunami of evictions’ may be next

The Guardian

As Covid-19 continues to pummel the state, hundreds of thousands of renters are at risk of becoming homeless

PUBLIC FINANCES

Calif Supreme Court forbids pension spiking, but upholds other retirement protections

Fresno Bee

The Calif Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against public employee unions that were trying to beat back part of former Gov. Jerry Brown’s pension overhaul law. The court’s ruling prohibits so-called pension spiking, a strategy in which county public workers took extra shifts, worked odd hours at higher pay or cashed out accumulated leave at the end of their careers to inflate their pensions in retirement.

See Also:

●     Calif court: public employees can’t ‘spike’ pensions Bakersfield Califn

●     ‘Pension spiking’ is not protected by Calif law, top court rules LA Times

●     Calif Supreme Court curbs ‘pension spiking’ among public employee plans SF Chronicle

●      Court bans “abusive” spiking, but sticks with pension protections CALmatters

●     Calif Supreme Court decision on public employee pensions Courts.ca.gov

Democratic Lawmakers Want Tax Hikes For Calif’s Million-Dollar Earners

Capital Public Radio

More than a dozen Democratic state lawmakers have signed on to a proposal to raise taxes on Calif’s wealthiest earners to offset lost revenue due to the coronavirus crisis. Assembly Bill 1253 would tax income above $1 million an extra 1%. Earnings above $2 million would get hit with a 3% tax hike, while that above $5 million would be taxed an extra 3.5%.

Free drinks, store credit and cries for help: How we’re handling the coin shortage

LA Times

A laundromat operator imploring friends and relatives to trade their stashes of quarters for his dollar bills. A restaurant offering customers free drinks instead of nickels and dimes. Supermarkets issuing pennies’ worth of store credit. A woman filling her purse with coins so she can pay in exact change. 

Fox: Going for Broke Chasing a Tax Gusher

Fox & Hounds

In this time of Covid-19, public sector unions see an opportunity for a tax gusher. The Proposition 15 property tax increase measure funded largely by public unions could raise $12.5 billion. 

TRANSPORTATION

High-Speed Rail Work Fwy. 99 Construction

KMPH Fox Fresno

Video.

Local Public Transit Among Those Approved For Caltrans Funding

RedHeaded BlackBelt

Caltrans announced today that it has approved $146 million in Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP) funding for 166 local public transportation projects. These projects will improve the sustainability of transportation systems and help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Approximately $140 million for 158 projects will benefit disadvantaged communities most affected by climate change.

CA skateboarders and COVID-19: Demand up, equipment down

Capitol Weekly

Shelter-in-place has pushed consumers of varying ages to skateboarding in unprecedented numbers, creating a dramatic increase in participation and sales.

WATER

Warren Buffett controls dams in Northern Calif. Why Gov. Newsom wants them torn down

Fresno Bee

Desperate to complete a historic but complicated dam removal on the Calif-Oregon border, Gov. Gavin Newsom has appealed to one of the world’s wealthiest men to keep the project on track: financier Warren Buffett.

See Also:

●     Calif Has A New Plan To Protect Its Water Supply From Climate Change, But Some Say It’s Based On Old Thinking Capital Public Radio

“Xtra”

A new twist for Tulare County Fair

Hanford Sentinel

The Tulare County Fair will look very different in 2020, but fairgoers will still be able to enjoy Fair food and displays created by Tulare County residents. The twist, in response to COVID-19 regulations, will allow for residents to show off their art, baked goods, photography and more, explained Dena Rizzardo, CEO of the Tulare County Fair.