Maddy Institute – July 7, 2020

07Jul

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

Stanislaus reports 2,670 coronavirus cases. State says the Co has 1,000 more

Modesto Bee

A huge increase in positive cases is expected this week, the Public Health Officer said.

Deaths grow by 1 in Stanislaus Co. Odd holiday in Modesto

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus Co deaths increased by one to 45 as of Sunday. The Co did not release information on age and gender of the victim. Those aged 65 and older represent 40 of the deaths, four are between 50 and 65 and one person 49 and under has died. Twenty-four women have died.

Housing for workers: Agency will turn 186-room Modesto hotel into apartments

Modesto Bee

The Stanislaus Regional Housing Authority has purchased the Clarion Inn Conference Center and will renovate the 186-room Modesto hotel into studio apartments for retail workers, restaurant servers and other moderate-income workers.

$24.8 million grant helps pay for apartments in Modesto, plus bike paths and ACE rail

Modesto Bee

$24.8 million grant helps pay for apartments in Modesto, plus bike paths and ACE rail. A $24.8 million state grant will help build 74 low-income apartments in Modesto while also promoting alternatives to driving.

Central SJ Valley:

Coronavirus update: Region tops 15,000 cases; What makes open-air dining? No more singing

Fresno Bee

The central San Joaquin Valley has now counted more than 15,000 positive coronavirus cases and 262 related deaths. The six-Co region hit the 15K mark over the Fourth of July weekend, after Fresno Co reported 259 cases on Saturday. Kings Co reported 51 new cases on Saturday and 39 new cases on Sunday.

Pismo’s employee tests positive, but Fresno restaurateur stands ground on indoor dining

Fresno Bee

One employee has tested positive for COVID-19 at Pismo’s Coastal Grill as the owner of the high-profile Fresno restaurant is standing his ground and keeping his dining room open.

Madera Co joins California list for COVID-19 closures

Fresno Bee

Fresno Co’s cases – part of almost 1,000 cases over the long Independence Day holiday weekend in the Co – pushed the total number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Co to 6,599 since the first cases were reported four months ago.

● California tells six additional counties to close indoor businesses, all bars TheHill

● High rate of positive tests keeps Fresno, CA on state’s list Fresno Bee

Will Clovis allow you to raise chickens in your backyard? Here’s what’s happening

Fresno Bee

Holding her knees as she leans into her chicken, Bernadette Planting sings a favorite song for the chickens through her face mask. “You’ll know who I am by the songs that I sing / I’ll feast at your table / I’ll sleep in your clover / who cares what tomorrow shall bring.”

South SJ Valley:

Attorney, now sick with COVID-19, says judge ordered her to court against her better judgment

Bakersfield Californian

A Bakersfield attorney says she’s afraid she may have exposed courthouse staff, bailiffs, other attorneys and her own client to COVID-19 after she says a local judge ordered her to appear in his courtroom last week even though the result of her COVID test was still pending.

Kern Co libraries to get reprieve under new budget adjustment

Bakersfield Californian

After a slight adjustment to revenue projections, more Kern Co library branches will be able to reopen than were initially anticipated.

Lt. Gov. Kounalakis to speak at virtual meeting hosted by Hispanic Chamber

KGET
The Kern Co Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is holding its California Legislative Briefing event on Tuesday. The public virtual session will be held from 2-3 p.m. and will feature state Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis as the guest speaker. She will be discussing issues including higher education in California, the state’s oil and agriculture industries as well as the impact of COVID-19.

State:

Newsom, coming under fire, ramps up enforcement and adds counties to watchlist

LA Times

Gov. Gavin Newsom, facing criticism he opened up the state economy too soon, said Monday the state will expand monitoring of counties hard-hit by the virus after cracking down on restaurants and bars ignoring restrictions over the Fourth of July weekend.

Young adults who think ‘they are invincible’ increasingly infected by coronavirus, Newsom says

LA Times

Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday said the surge in coronavirus cases hitting California was due in part to younger people who might believe “they are invincible” but nonetheless are becoming sick from COVID-19.

California virus ‘strike teams’ issue few citations

Associated Press

Newly formed “strike teams” of state inspectors contacted thousands of California businesses over the long Independence Day weekend but issued citations to a relative few as they enforced coronavirus restrictions amid a resurging pandemic.

California lawmaker reports ‘mask to mask’ COVID-19 infection

Fresno Bee

Assemblywoman Autumn Burke, D-Inglewood, has tested positive for COVID-19 and will remain in quarantine with her daughter until a doctor instructs her otherwise, she tweeted on Monday.

Months of protests at Capitol and around Calif have cost nearly $70 million

Modesto Bee

Months of protests at the state Capitol and elsewhere in California have now exceeded $70 million in law enforcement overtime and other costs and that number is expected to increase as more figures are compiled, newly released documents show.

Federal:

Despite Rising Coronavirus Cases, Trump’s Focus Appears To Be Elsewhere

VPR
President Trump, in a speech Friday at Mount Rushmore that lasted more than 40 minutes, focused on statues and “cancel culture” and accused his political opponents of fascism. But he spared just a few words for the pandemic that has killed 130,000 Americans, thanking “the doctors, nurses and scientists working tirelessly to kill the virus.” And that was it.

Trump approval divides Democrats, Republicans like no president has before, poll finds

Sac Bee

President Donald Trump’s approval rating has remained low through June, with 38% of Americans approving of his job performance as president, according to a new Gallup poll. Trump’s approval rating dropped from 49% in May to 39% in early June, coinciding with the national protests over the death of George Floyd, an Black man who died in Minneapolis police custody.

● Gallup: Trump’s job approval rating erodes among key groups TheHill

U.S. COVID-19 Deaths Near 130,000; Florida And Texas Report Record Case Numbers

VPR

Nearly 130,000 people in the United States have died from the coronavirus and more than 2,800,000 people have been infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both Florida and Texas reported their biggest daily rise in new confirmed cases over the past few days, with Florida reporting 11,443 new resident cases on Saturday and another 9,999 on Sunday. Texas reported a record 8,258 new cases on Saturday followed by 3,449 on Sunday. California reported 5,410 new cases on Sunday and Arizona reported 3,536 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday.

PolitiFact: Is Mask Wearing Causing Fungal Lung Infections? No, This Is Another Bogus Claim On Facebook

PolitiFact California

The claim, posted on July 2, had been shared 16,000 times and viewed nearly 700,000 times over the past 24 hours. It was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed.

Supreme Court rules states can bind presidential electors’ votes

abc30

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that states can require presidential electors to back their states’ popular vote winner in the Electoral College. The ruling, just under four months before the 2020 election, leaves in place laws in 32 states and the District of Columbia that bind electors to vote for the popular-vote winner, and electors almost always do so anyway.

● Editorial: States and the Electoral College Wall Street Journal

Supreme Court upholds regulation banning robocalls to cellphones

TheHill

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld a decades-old federal regulation that prohibits robocalls to cellphones and expanded the ban to include government debt-collection calls.

Coronavirus Trackers:

Coronavirus (COVID-19) in California

Covid19.ca.gov

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

● Coronavirus (COVID-19) CDC

● Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic – WHO

● John Hopkins University & Medicine John Hopkins University

● Tracking coronavirus in California LA Times

● Coronavirus Tracker 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 Financial Times

● Coronavirus in California by the numbers CalMatters

Elections 2020:

Plenty of propositions on Calif November ballot

Porterville Recorder

The deadline has passed for to the requirements to be met for propositions to be placed on the November ballot in California. Californians rose to the challenge in meeting that deadline as no less than 12 statewide ballot measures will be consider by voters in California’s November election.

One ad, three accents: How Democrats aim to win Latino votes for Biden

LA Times

The Spanish-language ads for Joe Biden used the same slogan to contrast him with President Trump — “Los cuentos no pagan las cuentas,” a play on words that roughly means: “Telling stories won’t pay the bills.” But the narrator for the version of the ad that aired in Miami had a Cuban accent. In Orlando, Fla., the accent was Puerto Rican. In Phoenix, it was Mexican.

Fact Check: Biden correct – Trump Admin delayed, scaled back CDC reopening guidelines

Politifact

Joe Biden berated President Donald Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying in a recent speech in Delawarethat Trump failed to take the necessary steps to get the virus under control.

Trump is losing support among young white working-class voters

Brookings

So far in this election cycle, President Trump has stubbornly refused to expand his base, playing instead to a brand of populist conservatism that rests on solid support from white working-class voters. But voters in this group under 40 are starting to break ranks. William Galston breaks down the recent polling data.

Editorial: With Nov. 3 looming, Trump is more dangerous than ever

LA Times

The nation could well be entering an especially dangerous period in Donald Trump’s presidency. His poll numbers are embarrassingly low for an incumbent seeking reelection, even some of his loyal supporters question his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and the economy he had planned to ride into a second term has been battered by shuttered businesses and stay-at-home orders.

Other:

Fresno Co Historical Society shelves Civil War Revisited

Fresno Bee

Last year, the Fresno Co Historical Society began the process of re-imagining its yearly Civil War Revisited fundraiser.

Mendonca: I faced a challenge 1 out of every 3 in America has: depression & anxiety

CalMatters

As our country wrestles with serious issues, it has never been more urgent for business and economic leaders to move beyond platitudes on mental health.

Fox: California and the Need for “Order”

Fox & Hounds

In the current political environment, the phrase “law and order” has been entangled with the President Donald Trump’s campaign to clamp down on protestors and its implied racial overtones. But focusing on the second half of the equation, “order,” and what it represents, is becoming a problem for Governor Gavin Newsom and California authorities when it comes to dealing with destructive protests but also with coronavirus preventive protocols or illegal fireworks.

The thin blue line: The history behind the controversial police emblem

San Diego Union-Tribune

Law enforcement officers and supporters who display the thin blue line flag — on patrol vehicles, uniforms and, in the days of the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks — view it as a show of pride and respect for a dangerous profession that puts officers’ lives on the line.

Opinion: How conservative conspiracy theories are deepening America’s political divide

TheHill

The political butterfly effect is alive and well in America. A seemingly trivial and misleading disclosure by the Trump administration recently sent the right-wing hysteria industrial complex into overdrive.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Pismo’s employee tests positive, but Fresno restaurateur stands ground on indoor dining

Fresno Bee

One employee has tested positive for COVID-19 at Pismo’s Coastal Grill as the owner of the high-profile Fresno restaurant is standing his ground and keeping his dining room open.

Dozens of Pistachio Plant Workers Infected with COVID-19

KQED

The plant reopened with limited operations on July 1 after voluntarily shutting down for five days, employees said. But as they return to work, the workers said they are still worried and do not feel safe.

Nearly 190 farmworkers contract virus in Southern California

Fresno Bee

Dozens of farmworkers staying at a Southern California housing facility for migrant laborers tested positive for the coronavirus last week, the Ventura Co Star reported. Co Public Health Director Rigoberto Vargas said that as of Friday 188 of the 216 workers tested positive at Villa Las Brisas in Oxnard.

Ag to be helped by funding to fight citrus disease, USMCA

Porterville Recorder

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the agricultural industry hard just like everyone else, but a couple of developments last week will certainly be helpful to those in agriculture. The California State Budget last week again including $5 million in state funding to fight the spread of Asian citrus psyllid and the Huanglongbing disease that could devastate the state’s citrus industry.

The struggle to enter Calif’s cannabis market: ‘So much heartache, so much pain’

CALmatters

The process is daunting: business plans, tax returns, seed money. Even with state programs designed to close the gap, experts and advocates say the cost of entry and long list of requirements are still keeping people of color and low-income applicants from entering the state’s lucrative legal market.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Fresno Co calls for service were up 140% on Fourth of July, compared to last year

Fresno Bee

Fresno Co dispatchers received almost 10 times as many calls during the busiest hour on the Fourth of July than on a typical night, the Fresno Co Sheriff’s Office said on Monday. Fireworks seemed more on display than usual for anyone standing outside in the Fresno area on Saturday, and numbers from the Sheriff’s Office and city firefighters back that up.

Coronavirus Fraudsters Keep Prosecutors Busy

PEW

State AGs track millions in false loan and unemployment claims.

Public Safety:

Attorney, now sick with COVID-19, says judge ordered her to court against her better judgment

Bakersfield Californian

Top medical officer for Calif prisons ousted amid worsening coronavirus outbreak

LA Times

As COVID-19 infections rapidly spread through California’s prisons, authorities on Monday announced the replacement of the state correction system’s top medical officer. The move came as Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized a previous decision to transfer hundreds of inmates from a Chino facility that had been battling an outbreak.

Protests Prompt Policing Changes

PEW

“If it weren’t for the protesters, the bill would not have been introduced. I can’t say how much protest does actually lead to policy change and action,” said Democratic Colorado state Representative Leslie Herod.

Fire:

Worst Night Ever for Illegal Fireworks, Says Fresno Fire Department

GV Wire

One look at the Fresno sky on Saturday night might have told you it was the worst night ever for illegal fireworks. Confirmation came from events on the ground.

California firefighters battle flames north and south

Fresno Bee

California firefighters battled large wildfires in Santa Clara and LA counties on Monday. A fire that has burned more than 2.3 square miles (5.1 square kilometers) north of Gilroy was 15% contained, and a smaller fire east of Morgan Hill was 80% contained, Cal Fire said.

California severely short on firefighting crews after COVID-19 lockdown at prison camps

Sac Bee

As California enters another dangerous fire season, the COVID-19 pandemic has depleted the ranks of inmate fire crews that are a key component of the state’s efforts to battle out-of-control wildfires.

Commentary: Improving Forest Health Can Build Jobs, Economies in Rural California

PPIC

Putting Californians to work improving the health of the state’s headwater forests would boost economic recovery and reduce wildfire risk.

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

Small business aid went beyond hard-hit companies, data show

Modesto Bee

The government on Monday identified roughly 650,000 mostly small businesses and nonprofits that received taxpayer money through a federal program that was designed to soften job losses from the coronavirus but also benefited wealthy, well-connected companies and some celebrity owned firms.

● Jelly Belly and Yeezy got PPP loans. Which other California companies benefited? LA Times

● Treasury to name 700,000 small businesses receiving government loans LA Times

● Financial firms among big relief fund recipients San Francisco Gate

● Companies tied to California officials get US virus loans San Francisco Gate

● 6 curious takeaways from California’s small-business loans CalMatters

● 40 Trump-connected lobbyists secured over $10B in coronavirus relief for clients: report TheHill

● Billionaire Kanye West’s Yeezy Received A Multimillion-Dollar PPP Loan Forbes

● Coronavirus Special Report: Administration releases names of those who received funds under PPP Roll Call

● Coronavirus relief loans benefited members of Congress, lawyer who represented Trump and firms that reported creating no jobs Washington Post

6 curious takeaways from California’s small-business loans

CALmatters

Organic farms, the governor’s winery group, a scooter startup and … Burning Man? The new list of California recipients of federal Paycheck Protection Program loans to ease economic fallout from the coronavirus is long, varied and sometimes bizarre.

Wall Street rises again, joins worldwide upturn for markets AP

LA Times

Stocks are pushing higher in early Monday trading on Wall Street, joining a worldwide upturn headlined by the best day for Chinese stocks in nearly five years. The S&P 500 was 1.4% higher, following up on similar gains in Europe and much of Asia. Stocks in Shanghai leaped 5.7% for their biggest gain since 2015, when China’s market was in the midst of a bubble bursting. Treasury yields also climbed, another signal of improved optimism.

How to build Black wealth

Brookings

Despite the many gains by African Americans on breaking educational barriers and increasing household income, the Black-white wealth gap still seems to be growing over time. William Gale explains why this is and outlines public policy solutions that could help reduce the gap.

Jobs:

State awards a $5 million tax credit for job creation. Who’s hiring, and how many people?

Fresno Bee

The expansion of Fresno-based Bitwise Industries is not simply limited to its growing physical footprint across Central California. In addition to its own operations, the technology company serves as a landlord to technology firms and entrepreneurs in Fresno and Bakersfield and is adding a location in Merced.

File an unemployment claim & still waiting? Calif says it will expedite older cases

Fresno Bee

The state’s unemployment agency, under fire from frustrated lawmakers struggling to help constituents get their jobless payments, said it will give special attention to people who filed claims in March and April and still have received no benefits.

‘We Need Help’: People At Higher Coronavirus Risk Fear Losing Federal Unemployment

VPR

Many people with underlying medical conditions are worried about what’s going to happen at the end of the month. It’s not currently safe for many of them to go back to work. The COVID-19 death rate is 12 times higher for people with underlying conditions. But an extra $600 a week in federal unemployment benefits, which has been enabling them to pay their rent and other bills, will stop coming at the end of July.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Fresno teachers open up about online classes. ‘I was not prepared for how hard it really is’

Fresno Bee

Late one night not long after the coronavirus shut down Fresno schools, Debbie Downs got a phone call from one of her young students. He was scared. His parents were fighting. The Yosemite Middle School special education teacher stayed on the phone with her student, doing what she could to comfort him and let him know he wasn’t alone.

As schools plan to reopen with student rotations, parents worry about how they will manage kids and work

abc30

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools have to reduce the number of students in a class. But they have to do it with the same number of teachers to make the numbers work at some schools. That means a rotating schedule — kids in the classroom part-time and learning remotely from home part-time.

With California schools opening soon, kids lack needed tech to learn remotely

CALmatters

When schools unexpectedly closed their doors en masse in mid-March, one of the most immediate hurdles reconnecting students with their instructors was the state’s yawning digital divide. Across the state, hundreds of thousands of families lacked internet access or the necessary technology for online learning, hampering their chances to participate. Though many districts bulk purchased computers this spring, the digital gap remains huge.

Higher Ed:

CSUB focuses initiatives on making higher education diverse, welcoming for all

Bakersfield Californian

Cal State Bakersfield has made it a primary goal to show that higher education is diverse, accessible and welcoming to all students, especially students of color.

Fresno State football: Bulldogs waiting for CSU workout OK

Fresno Bee

For Fresno State, Monday was supposed to be the day. The Bulldogs were to report to campus, take a coronavirus test, head into quarantine for seven days and on July 13, when allowed by the NCAA to start eight hours per week of mandatory workouts and film review, they would be ready to go.

The Coming Fall Crisis

Inside Higher Ed

Three months ago, many of us thought our nation would bring the COVID-19 virus under control. With business and recreation closures, social distancing, and testing, we believed we could flatten and reduce the curve and slowly return to normality. Unfortunately, it is clear the disorganized and politicized U.S. effort to contain the virus has failed.

New rules: Foreign pupils must leave US if classes go online

Associated Press

International students will be forced to leave the U.S. or transfer to another college if their schools offer classes entirely online this fall, under new guidelines issued Monday by federal immigration authorities.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

Officials explain how fireworks affected the Valley’s air quality this weekend

abc30

The fireworks from the Fourth of July holiday had a significant impact on the Central Valley’s air quality. “It was a pretty typical Fourth of July. We saw PM spikes in the very unhealthy level, which is about three to four times the acceptable federal limit, and it lasted about two hours,” said Heather Heinks with San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.

Valley Air District issues ‘health caution’ for smoke looming from Northern California wildfire

abc30

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District has issued a “health caution” as smoke from a burning wildfire in Northern California has begun to loom over Central California. The Crews Fire sparked on July 5 and is burning in Santa Clara Co near Gilroy.

Energy:

Scientists affirm adequacy of Kern fracking reviews

Bakersfield Californian

Bay Area scientists have signed off on a series of fracking permits in western Kern Co, allowing the well-completion technique to proceed after Gov. Gavin Newsom put in place new, time-consuming review procedures prompted by environmental concerns and regulatory conflict-of-interest accusations.

California Energy Price Data for June 2020

California Center for Job & the Economy

Monthly updates from the most current June 2020 fuel price data (GasBuddy.com) and April 2020 electricity and natural gas price data (US Energy Information Agency). To view additional data and analysis related to the California economy visit our website at www.centerforjobs.org/ca.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Coronavirus: Tracking Central California COVID-19 cases

abc30

We’re tracking the cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus in Central California.

● COVID-19 update: Cases rise, but ‘stable;’ patients sent to PDC Porterville Recorder

● Kern announces 124 more cases of COVID-19 on Monday Bakersfield Californian

● Coronavirus updates: 11,500 cases set new daily record for California Sac Bee

More Americans are wearing face masks than ever, poll shows. But is it enough?

Sac Bee

A record number of Americans say they are wearing face masks, a new poll shows. In a Gallup poll conducted June 22-29, 86% of respondents said they had worn a face mask in the last week. That’s up from 51% in early April and 79% from mid-May, according to Gallup.

● Local, State Officials Bicker Over Mask Mandates PEW

● PolitiFact: Is Mask Wearing Causing Fungal Lung Infections? No, This Is Another Bogus Claim On FacebookPolitiFact California

The Trouble With Hot Spots: Hard-Hit Counties Send COVID-19 Patients To Other Areas

Capital Public Radio

Imperial Co on the Mexican border is some 600 miles away from the state capital. But when its two area hospitals recently began to run out of intensive care unit beds, it had to transport critically ill patients as far north as Sac.

Pooling Coronavirus Tests Can Spare Scarce Supplies, But There’s A Catch

VPR

Federal health officials are hoping to stretch the supplies used to test for the coronavirus by combining samples from a number of people and running a single test. The idea is simple. Instead of running a coronavirus test on every specimen that arrives in a lab, take a sample of that specimen and combine it with samples from other specimens. Then run a single test on that pooled sample.

CT Scans Show Huge Cavities in Lungs of COVID-19 Patient

Newsweek

COVID-19 patient coughing up blood was found to have cavities in his lungs, according to his doctors.

Human Services:

The Dentist Will See You Now. But Should You Go?

VPR

Add dental visits to the list of services you can book now or shortly as cities, counties and states continue to modify their months-long stay-at-home orders aimed at reducing COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations.

Early Coronavirus Testing Restrictions Led To Some Big ER Bills

VPR

Fresh off a Caribbean cruise in early March, John Campbell developed a cough and fever of 104 degrees. He went to his primary care physician and got a flu test, which came up negative.

What Seniors Should Know Before Going Ahead With Elective Procedures

Capital Public Radio

For months, Patricia Merryweather-Arges, a health care expert, has fielded questions about the coronavirus pandemic from fellow Rotary Club members in the Midwest. Recently people have wondered “Is it safe for me to go see my doctor? Should I keep that appointment with my dentist? What about that knee replacement I put on hold: Should I go ahead with that?”

Aerosols, Droplets, Fomites: What We Know About Transmission Of COVID-19

VPR

By now, it’s common knowledge that the coronavirus can be spread by being in close contact with someone who’s infected and then breathing in their respiratory droplets. Or by touching a contaminated surface and rubbing your eyes, nose or mouth. An open letter signed by 239 researchers addressed to the World Health Organization, published Monday in Clinical Infectious Diseases, calls for attention and guidance around a third route of transmission: tiny respiratory particles that float in the air and are called aerosols.

The Pandemic Is Pushing Scientists To Rethink How They Read Research Papers

VPR

The coronavirus pandemic has posed a special challenge for scientists: Figuring out how to make sense of a flood of scientific papers from labs and scientists unfamiliar to them. More than 6,000 coronavirus-related preprints from researchers around the world have been posted since the pandemic began, without the usual peer review as a quality check. Some are poor quality, while others, including papers from China from early in the course of the epidemic, contain vital information.

No, the coronavirus vaccines in development haven’t killed children

Politifact

There’s still no proven, publicly available vaccine for the coronavirus, but misinformation about it is already coursing through the internet.

Antibodies can be the bridge to a vaccine

Wall Street Journal

Drugs that mimic an immune response are in development, but it’s time to ramp up manufacturing.

Opinion: Empty cradles means a bleaker future

American Enterprise Institute

When it came to babymaking, America was once exceptional in the developed world.

IMMIGRATION

California legislators call on Newsom to stop transferring prisoners to ICE

San Francisco Chronicle

Dozens of state legislators on Monday urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to halt the transfer of immigrants in local and state custody to Immigration and Customs Enforcement as officials face an alarming number of COVID-19 infections in these facilities.

● ‘It needs to stop.’ Calif leaders urgeNewsom to stop ICE transfers from prisons Sac Bee

Ninth U.S. Court of Appeals says Trump’s ban on asylum seekers violates immigration law

San Francisco Chronicle

The Trump administration’s near-total ban on asylum seekers at the Mexican border, requiring applicants to first seek refuge in another country, violates U.S. immigration law and endangers thousands of migrants from Central America, a federal appeals court ruled Monday.

Latino children suffer higher rates of COVID-19

CALmatters

Latino children are testing positive at higher rates than other groups of children, accounting for the majority of all California cases among those under 18. Experts say close contact with essential workers and crowded living conditions play a role.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Will Clovis allow you to raise chickens in your backyard? Here’s what’s happening

Fresno Bee

Housing:

Housing for workers: Agency will turn 186-room Modesto hotel into apartments

Modesto Bee

$24.8 million grant helps pay for apartments in Modesto, plus bike paths and ACE rail

Modesto Bee

Fresno historic Armenian homes get demolition by neglect

Fresno Bee

On the morning of June 4, two early 20th century cottages burned in Fresno in what appears to be an arson fire. The houses were part of the Armenian Town Project, which included five residences and a summer kitchen located at M and Santa Clara streets.

Podcast: Why California’s housing market isn’t tanking

CalMatters

Rents are falling in some areas, but home prices remain stubbornly high

Will tenants, landlords and taxpayers split the bill for unpaid rent?

San Jose Mercury

Mounting debts for unpaid rent during the pandemic could upend the state’s apartment industry — throwing tenants out on the street and choking small landlords unable to make mortgage payments.

What’s behind a rush of pool building during the pandemic

Business Journal

People stuck at home are looking differently at how their homes provide for their needs. For a pool industry in the heat of its season, that interest has kept them afloat.

How to Tell If You Live in the Suburbs

Bloomberg

The U.S. hasn’t had a formal definition for what constitutes a suburb. A new data analysis comes closer to defining America’s most popular neighborhood type.

PUBLIC FINANCES

California state worker furloughs save money now, add cost later

Fresno Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California State Legislature are cutting state workers’ pay in a way that could burden the state’s long-term finances for many years to come. The state is cutting workers’ pay for the next two years, and in exchange is giving most of them two flexible days off. That’s 48 days off to use at their discretion.

Feds extend deadline for Paycheck Protection Program, used by many Bay Area businesses

San Francisco Chronicle

Small businesses have another chance to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program after President Trump signed a deadline extension into law on Saturday. Businesses have another month, until Aug. 8, to apply for the loans, according to the Small Business Administration. The PPP is a federal loan forgiveness program created in April to help businesses cope with the economic hardship caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

TRANSPORTATION

$24.8 million grant helps pay for apartments in Modesto, plus bike paths and ACE rail

Modesto Bee

Amtrak medical chief explains coronavirus safety measures on trains, in stations

Sac Bee

Enhanced cleaning, more space for physical distancing, travel flexibility and a contact-free travel experience are Amtrak’s new standard of travel during coronavirus pandemic, says Amtrak Medical Director Dr. Ann Kuhnen.

WATER

Congress receives report on Friant-Kern Canal repairs

23abc

On Monday, the United States Bureau of Reclamation sent Congress the final feasibility report to begin repairs on the Friant-Kern Canal. Officials from the office local Congressman Kevin McCarthy applauded the report saying this marks a critically important step forward in restoring lost water capacity to the communities served by eight irrigation and water districts along the canal. The Friant-Kern Canal runs from Fresno Co through Tulare Co and into Kern Co.

California megadrought? Not if you look at precipitation

LA Times

If you want to know what climate change means for California’s water supply, consider the last two Februaries. In 126 years of statewide record-keeping, you can’t find a drier February than the one we just experienced. But February 2019 was the third-wettest on record.

“Xtra”

See student’s epic superhero video that caught attention of Disney exec Bob Iger

Fresno Bee

A superhero fan used some impressive special effects to capture the attention of Disney executive chairman Bob Iger and other big Hollywood names. Georgia State University student Julian Bass, 20, a theater major, tweeted a video of his magical montage on July 2, 2020.