Maddy Institute – May 1, 2020

01May

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

Merced mayor asks Newsom to open local businesses. 12 new coronavirus cases in county

Merced Sun-Star

Merced Mayor Mike Murphy on Thursday sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, asking the state leader to reopen businesses in rural cities amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Stanislaus will use federal money to help 300-plus businesses survive the pandemic

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus County will spend $3 million in federal coronavirus assistance on relief grants for businesses that shuttered during the outbreak.

New interactive tool gives SJ residents easier, personalized access to COVID-19 answers

Stockton Record

People seeking assistance on COVID-19 issues from San Joaquin General Hospital and San Joaquin County Clinics now have an easier tool available that uses the latest guidance from public health authorities and provides consistent personalized information.

Stockton Strong fund receives $1M donation for virus response

Stockton Record

Financial Center Credit Union and the Michael Duffy Family Fund announced a $1 million donation Thursday to the Stockton Strong COVID-19 Response Fund, which was launched in an effort to support Stocktonians impacted by the coronavirus.

EDITORIAL: Calls to reopen Stanislaus County muffled by Turlock nursing home coronavirus calamity

Modesto Bee

The nightmare unfolding in Turlock serves as a caution to us all. Last week, seven of the nine mayors in Stanislaus County called for an aggressive business reopening here.

Central SJ Valley:

Friday: Mayor Lee Brand will answer your questions about coronavirus in Fresno

Fresno Bee

Fresno Mayor Lee Brand has been at the center of the city’s coronavirus pandemic response. On Friday evening, he will take part in a live event hosted by The Fresno Bee on Facebook and YouTube Live.

Ready to open shops amid COVID-19? Fresno official says owners need to start planning

Fresno Bee

Fresno County’s top health officer said business owners should begin to think about whether they are ready to open with the proper protections amid the coronavirus for when California Gov. Gavin Newsom loosens restrictions.

● EDITORIAL: Councilmen’s advice risks coronavirus resurgence. Wiser course is to stay shelteredFresno Bee

Manufacturer moves assembly line to Fresno, adding 50 new jobs

Business Journal

Over the next two years, Trillium Flow Technologies will merge the assembly lines from its Salt Lake City plant to its facility at 2494 S. Railroad Ave. in Fresno, near Jensen Avenue and Golden State Boulevard, according to a press release.

15 Fresno businesses fined for violating COVID-19 order

abc30

15 Fresno businesses have racked up more than $28,000 in fines for not following the city’s ‘shelter in place’ order for non-essential businesses.

South SJ Valley:

Kern County receives $157 million in federal coronavirus aid

Bakersfield Californian

The Kern County Board of Supervisors will discuss plans to spend around $157.1 million in federal aid at its Tuesday meeting.

Kern County Fair board warns it may have to close for good

Bakersfield Californian

The Kern County Fair may soon close permanently if it cannot find enough grant money or donations to cover its financial losses during the coronavirus shutdown, members of the event’s board of directors warned Wednesday.

Joined by five Kern government leaders, Shannon Grove asks for greater latitude in determining fate of local economy

Bakersfield Californian

Five Kern County officials joined Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove Thursday in requesting Gov. Gavin Newsom modify his stay-at-home order to allow for more local economic flexibility.

See also:

● Kern may seek permission to reopen ahead of other counties Bakersfield Californian

Taft city manager: ‘There’s no defiance’ on health order

Bakersfield Californian

The city of Taft doesn’t intend to defy state law or Kern County’s health order, but it was to continue to advocate for cities and counties not significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to have the right to reopen businesses.

Mendota Mayor Fears COVID-19 Case Numbers Are Higher Than Officials Say

VPR
Mendota currently has 8 confirmed cases of the coronavirus but Mayor Rolando Castro says he thinks the number is higher. Rural farm towns like Mendota are home to large populations of undocumented people. Many of those undocumented residents think getting tested will lead to other problems, Castro says.

State:

Protest planned Friday at Capitol as frustration mounts over California’s stay-at-home orders

Fresno Bee

As California Gov. Gavin Newsom continues to fight coronavirus spread through orders limiting public movements and closing some state beaches, push back is growing from various quarters seeking a reopening of churches, business and public gatherings.

Will pensions be ‘on the chopping block’ in recession? California Supreme Court to hear case

Sacramento Bee

Former Gov. Jerry Brown predicted two years ago that public pensions would be “on the chopping block” during the next economic downturn.

As California moves toward easing stay-home orders, here’s what your county is doing

Sacramento Bee

As Gov. Gavin Newsom moves toward reopening California and eventually lifting the weeks-long, statewide stay-at-home order, the state’s 58 counties and their health officers are working to tailor the order to their unique needs.

● California’s death toll is over 2,000, but it’s likely much higher Sacramento Bee This California county might defy the state and lift stay-at-home order Los Angeles Times

● Northern California county is 1st to ease stay-home orders Hanford Sentinel

● Small California county prepares to defy Newsom by opening bars, churches Politico

California state union questions open floor plans, shrinking cubicles in an age of coronavirus

Sacramento Bee

California leaders should give the same attention to reopening state government as they are giving to reopening businesses and public spaces, a state union said this week in a letter to the Newsom administration.

Fact check: Did Gavin Newsom tell the whole story about state unemployment phone lines?

Sacramento Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom, his state agency under siege from angry workers who lost their jobs and can’t reach anyone to help, pledged a big improvement to California’s embattled unemployment system this month: To “expand the hours of our call center.”

Reopening California by summer will be an arduous task requiring vast changes — and it won’t be quick

Los Angeles Times

Despite the enthusiasm of people desperate to get back to work, California officials still have a lot to do before they can meet the technological benchmarks that Gov. Gavin Newsom set to reopen the economy and lift restrictions on daily life.

California to re-work ethics guidelines deemed ‘terrifying’ by seniors

San Francisco Chronicle

California’s public health officials will rework ethical guidelines for hospitals issued in April after groups representing thousands of seniors and people with disabilities across the country protested that younger, healthier people would get preferential access to lifesaving care in a worst-case coronavirus surge.

EDITORIAL: Gavin Newsom’s half-baked announcements harm credibility, raise troubling questions

Sacramento Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom should do a better job of making sure the information he gives to the public is 100 percent accurate. Unfortunately, the governor has a long track record of making announcements that turn out to be half-baked.

EDITORIAL: In reversal, California Democratic Party to release parts of sexual misconduct report

Sacramento Bee

Last Saturday, The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board called on California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks to reveal the findings of the party’s official report on sexual misconduct allegations against the party’s former chair – or resign.

OPINION: California needs its leaders. That’s why I’ve called the Assembly back to Sacramento

Sacramento Bee

Representative democracy makes no sense without representatives. That is why I have called our 80-seat California State Assembly back into session as of May 4. Our California government is an extension of every single person who lives here, and it must continue to function for the benefit of every single person here.

Federal:

Americans grade Trump’s COVID-19 response worse than every state governor, poll finds

Fresno Bee

Americans in all 50 states say their governor is doing a better job responding to the coronavirus pandemic than President Donald Trump, according to a new poll. The survey found Trump had a wide disparity in approval even in some states with Republican governors.

● Opinion: Anthony Fauci did in five minutes what Trump has failed to do for weeks Washington Post

● Trump’s Disinfectant Talk Trips Up Sites’ Vows Against Misinformation New York Times

● Justice Dept. scrutinizes White House-connected doctor linked to disputed coronavirus treatmentWashington Post

Trump speculates that China released virus in lab ‘mistake’

Fresno Bee

President Donald Trump has speculated that China could have unleashed the coronavirus on the world due to some kind of horrible “mistake,” and his intelligence agencies said they are still examining a notion put forward by the president and aides that the pandemic may have resulted from an accident at a Chinese lab.

● Chinese lab conducted extensive research on deadly bat viruses, but there is no evidence of accidental release Washington Post

● Fact Checker: Was the new coronavirus accidentally released from a Wuhan lab? It’s doubtful.Washington Post

US coronavirus death toll passes Trump’s 60,000 marker

abc30

President Donald Trump likes to talk about the most, the best, the thing that nobody has ever seen. Now he is trying to make a virtue of a lower number, arguing that the efforts of his administration have warded off a far greater death toll than otherwise would have been seen.

● Why COVID-19 death predictions will always be wrong Business Insider

● Where The Latest COVID-19 Models Think We’re Headed — And Why They Disagree FiveThirtyEight

Half of States Don’t Meet Benchmarks to Reopen Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, Analysis Shows

U.S. News

HALF OF U.S. STATES fall short in two critical tests of their readiness to restart their economies: Too many people are testing positive for coronavirus and states are testing too few people to limit its spread, according to a new analysis by U.S. News using data supplied by the University of Missouri.

● Live updates: As states begin reopening, a report suggests coronavirus pandemic could last two more years Washington Post

● Fauci warns states rushing to reopen: ‘You’re making a really significant risk’ Washington Post

● Commentary: COVID-19 is expanding further into Trump country Brookings

Opinion: Donald Trump’s claim that US tested more than all countries combined is Pants on Fire wrong

The Poynter Institute

Responding to weeks of criticism over his administration’s COVID-19 response, President Donald Trump claimed at a White House briefing that the United States has well surpassed other countries in testing people for the virus.

Opinion: Unmasking the Vice President

Wall Street Journal

Vice President Mike Pence invited a wave of media indignation this week when photos circulated of him touring the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., sans face mask. How could the guy in charge of the White House coronavirus task force be so cavalier?

OPINION: Will Congress put education back on the stimulus runway?

Roll Call

Congress wrapped up another round of coronavirus funding last week, and further aid measures are likely on the way. But will lawmakers continue to help the airline industry soar and leave education at the gate?

Commentary: Congress has introduced bills to limit drug reliance on China

AEI

Marco Rubio (R-FL) and a group of bipartisan senators (including Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)) is promoting a bill which would limit US reliance on drugs and drug ingredients coming from China.

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 Los Angeles Times

● Coronavirus Tracker San Francisco Chronicle

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

No canvassing, no problem: Liberal groups launch letter-writing campaign to reach infrequent voters

Fresno Bee

Beset by deep restrictions on how they can campaign during the outbreak, an alliance of more than a half-dozen left-leaning organizations said Thursday that they would begin a massive letter-writing campaign to urge low-frequency voters to turn out for the November elections.

Where the battleground map stands six months out

Fresno Bee

The level of inconsistency and chaos surrounding Trump’s coronavirus response is reaching new heights, as Democrats show new signs of unifying behind presumptive presidential nominee Biden.

Biden expected to publicly address sexual assault allegation

Fresno Bee

Joe Biden on Friday was expected to give his first public comments on a sexual assault allegation that has roiled his presidential campaign.

● A Time Line Of Tara Reade’s Sexual Assault Allegations Against Joe Biden Forbes

● Biden Accuser Leaves Democrats Struggling to Reconcile #MeToo Bloomberg

● Biden Denies Tara Reade Sexual-Assault Allegation Wall Street Journal

● Joe Biden denies he sexually assaulted a former Senate aide, calls on National Archives to release complaint if it exists Washington Post

● EDITORIAL: Tara Reade’s allegation that Joe Biden assaulted her demands an independent investigation Los Angeles Times

● Opinion: The hypocrisy dividing line: How accusations against Biden reveal what we really care about Sacramento Bee

‘Everyone’s watching’: Biden’s VP audition process begins

Fresno Bee

While the coronavirus has upended virtually every aspect of American life, there’s one constant: The veepstakes competition that unfolds every four years is one of the most unpredictable, often awkward, rituals of politics.

Biden offers olive branch to Sanders to avoid 2016 discontent

Fresno Bee

Joe Biden’s campaign announced an agreement Thursday with supporters of Bernie Sanders that allows the Vermont senator to keep hundreds of delegates to the Democratic National Committee, as the Biden camp tries to unite the Democratic Party ahead of the general election.

See also:

● Joe Biden gets backing of key Latina activist Dolores Huerta Bakersfield Californian

● Joe Biden to let Bernie Sanders keep hundreds of delegates in deal to foster unity Los Angeles Times

It’s all about Trump in a key California congressional race

San Francisco Chronicle

President Trump and his handling of the coronavirus pandemic is front and center in an upcoming congressional runoff vote that could be a template for fall elections in California and the rest of the country.

Assembly leaders fear remote voting could lead to laws being overturned

Politico

A debate over the California Legislature voting remotely in the coronavirus era isn’t just about public health — it also reflects a fear that voting from afar could lead to laws being invalidated.

OPINION: Joe Biden’s latest proposed tax hike is a gift to his corporate lobbyist friends

Washington Examiner

Joe Biden’s presidential campaign announced in an email Wednesday that it was going to hike the death tax as part of his “Plans to Support Women During the COVID-19 Crisis.” Taxing the grieving children of business owners and rich parents may seem like an odd way to “support women” during a pandemic, but if you know a little about Biden’s inner circle, it makes perfect sense.

Other:

The Bee, Fresno County Historical Society partner to preserve newspaper’s print archives

Fresno Bee

The Fresno Bee’s printed archives are close to finding a new home with the Fresno County Historical Society, which has agreed to collaborate with the newspaper to find a location to preserve its vast print library.

Cell phone data shows people are back on the move in the Valley

abc30

If you’ve become a little anxious for “stay at home” orders to end, you’re not alone. Action News has tracked data for the entire coronavirus outbreak and we have new evidence that people are back on the move.

Opinion: ‘We are all in this together’ popular coronavirus pandemic sentiment. But is it true?

Fresno Bee

Hopeful signs have popped up saying things like, “we are all in this together, even though we are six feet apart.” That’s sweet. But is it true? In many ways, we are not all in this together.

EDITORIAL: Despite bumpy roads, the Hanford Sentinel looks forward to the future

Hanford Sentinel

You may have noticed a few changes here in the pages of the Sentinel — and in the world at large — over the last few weeks. So much has been going on that it’s hard to know where to begin.

Opinion: Limit Governors’ Emergency Powers

Wall Street Journal

As governors across the country destroy their states’ economies in the name of public health, there is shockingly little oversight of their actions.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

As Pismo’s plans to open soon, other Valley restaurants await approval

abc30

As the debate continues on when to reopen the economy, one Fresno restaurant is planning to reopen as early as May 7th with limited seating and brand new safety measures in place.

Walmart launching new delivery service to get orders to your home in less than 2 hours

Fresno Bee

Walmart is launching a new delivery service during the coronavirus pandemic that will deliver items to customers in under two hours, the company said Thursday.

Whole Foods will give shoppers masks as it announces new safety rules ahead of strike

Fresno Bee

Amazon-owned grocery chain Whole Foods will begin handing out free masks to customers and require that they wear them inside their stores, the company announced Thursday, as employees prepare to strike over working conditions.

Volunteer Groups Donate Meals To Frontline Health Workers

Business Journal

A pair of local organizations are doing their part to help ensure health care workers are well fed as they battle the coronavirus pandemic. One group, Feed the Frontlines Fresno, made its first food delivery Tuesday to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

New initiatives combat food insecurity

Turlock Journal

Governor Gavin Newsom announced new initiatives to help Californians put healthy food on the table while also supporting the farm industry, which has been devastated by COVID-19.

Martinez named to Farmers President’s Council

Porterville Recorder

Farmers Insurance agent Ismael Maduena-Martinez has been named to the national insurer’s Presidents Council, the company recently announced. Membership in the President’s Council is the organization’s most elite honor for the top one percent of agents and district managers.

Thursday Night Market Place will offer certified farmers market

Hanford Sentinel

A modified version of Thursday Night Market Place will take place after all. Beginning on Thursday, May 7, there will be an essentials-only certified farmers market at Civic Park, the Thursday Night Market Place Facebook page announced on Thursday.

Commentary: Webinar — COVID-19: A food supply crisis or a hunger crisis?

AEI

COVID-19 has devastated the US economy, disrupted the nation’s food supply chains, significantly affected federal and state safety-net programs for low-income households, and catastrophically damaged the financial well-being of tens of millions of families.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Child abuse reports plummet during pandemic. Here’s why that’s not good news

Fresno Bee

As schools and daycare centers have been forced to close during the coronavirus pandemic, reports of child abuse have plummeted in numerous states, officials reported. But many of those being reported are so severe that they required hospitalizations, according to The Washington Post.

Justice Department sees early fraud signs in SBA loan flurry

Fresno Bee

The Justice Department has begun a preliminary inquiry into how taxpayer money was lent out under the Paycheck Protection Program and has already found possible fraud among businesses seeking relief, a top official said.

COVID-19 highlights the need to protect health for all by ending mass incarceration

Sacramento Bee

The last epidemic in America wasn’t just dramatically more lethal than COVID-19. At its outset, it targeted one group of people with alarming precision and unrelenting ferocity.

‘Outdated, unsafe, unfair’: coronavirus renews battle over California’s cash bail system

The Guardian

As coronavirus tore through jails and prisons across the United States, California reduced bail for most low-level offenses to $0, allowing thousands of defendants to wait out their court dates at home instead of in custody.

Public Safety:

Turlock calls for police, firefighter service decline during coronavirus crisis

Modesto Bee

Calls to Turlock’s police and fire departments have dropped 20% during coronavirus stay-at-home orders, reports show. The closure of non-essential businesses and police prioritizing staff duties contributed to the dip, said Turlock Police Chief Nino Amirfar.

Hate rising? In age of coronavirus, Asian Americans in Orange County are targets

Orange County Register

The ugly talk has grown loud enough, and common enough, that on the same night this week, April 28, three different local government bodies — the county board of supervisors and the city councils in Irvine and Garden Grove — felt the need to pass three independent resolutions denouncing hate crimes against Asian Americans.

California’s Ammo Background Checks Misfire

National Review

California’s attempts to discourage gun ownership hit a bump Thursday. U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez granted a preliminary injunction that stopped the state from enforcing its background checks on ammunition purchases.

Fire:

PG&E’s Settlement With Wildfire Victims Faces Crucial Vote

New York Times

Some victims think the $13.5 billion deal is flawed and are worried that a lawyer who negotiated it has a conflict of interest.

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

Many Merced small businesses in survival mode, seven weeks into coronavirus pandemic

Fresno Bee

Small businesses in Merced have been forced to adapt during the coronavirus pandemic. Some have been forced to close, while others have had to find new ways to offer their services to their customers.

● Critics see politics as small lenders get assist in small-business relief Roll Call

Coronavirus forces California initiative backers to hold off until 2022

San Francisco Chronicle

Worried about the effect the coronavirus pandemic may have on the November elections, backers will delay until 2022 a California initiative that would raise the dollar limit for damages awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.

Wall Street powers through waves of bad economic news to its best month in decades

Washington Post

Investors looked past weeks of grim economic news to power Wall Street to its best month in decades, even as the three major U.S. indexes ended Thursday’s session in the red.

Some law firms will die without quick cuts, consultant says; which ones acted this past week?

ABAJournal

At least a dozen more large and midsized law firms cut pay and furloughed employees in the past week because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. But it’s not nearly enough, according to a former BigLaw lawyer who once worked as a consultant.

America’s Coronavirus Nightmare: Debt, Deflation and Mass Unemployment

National Interest

If before today’s grim unemployment numbers Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell had reason to worry about engineering a post-coronavirus U.S. economic recovery, he now has even more reason for concern.

BLS adds 5 COVID questions to monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) May-Oct — 5/1 update

American Economic Association

Update May 1, 2020: OMB has approved the Bureau of Labor Statistics request of April 20 to add five questions to the Current Population Survey (CPS), between May and October, on the effects of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) — with the term of clearance that BLS cognitively test the questions in parallel with data collection.

Commentary: What role should the federal government play in addressing state and municipal pension debts?

AEI

Public sector pensions have long argued that they need not abide by the stricter federal funding rules applied to private sector pensions. Private pensions must assume conservative rates of return on investments and must address unfunded liabilities promptly.

Commentary: How AI might discover the big ideas that could power America’s post-pandemic economy

AEI

The US economy wasn’t gangbusters before COVID-19. While the long expansion had driven down unemployment to historically low levels, productivity growth was modest. So overall economic growth was modest, too. That’s a key difference between the post-financial crisis recovery and the 1990s boom.

Jobs:

Travel limits, end to vacation buy-back directed for state agencies as California’s recession hits

Fresno Bee

The California Department of Finance urged state agencies on Thursday to take “immediate actions” to cut spending and identify savings in preparation for a years-long recession caused by the coronavirus.

Staggering job losses hit California low-wage workers. Recovery won’t be easy after shutdown

Fresno Bee

The depths of the job losses have been largely concealed since the mandatory reporting of mass layoffs to the state was suspended in March through what is known as the WARN Act. However, new data from the Urban Institute roughly calculates the scale of unemployment for different low-wage industries across the country and in California.

● 30 million have sought US unemployment aid since virus hit Fresno Bee

● 30 million have sought US jobless aid since coronavirus hit abc30

● A Staggering Toll: 30 Million Have Filed For Unemployment VPR

● How budget cuts and restrictive policies hobbled the unemployment insurance system Los Angeles Times

● Over 3.8 Million Americans Filed for Jobless Benefits Last Week as States Struggle With Coronavirus Claims Surge Wall Street Journal

● Opinion: Just like the Great Depression, we need 500,000 service year jobs now Boston Globe

Looking for work? Here are 5 tips for job-hunters during the coronavirus pandemic

Fresno Bee

Finding a job can be tough even in the best of times, but with the economy still mostly shut down in many states, and stay-home orders and social-distancing rules in effect, it may seem impossible.

● Commentary: COVID-19: Another barrier to employment for low-skilled workers? AEI

Work safety strike, virus lockdown protest set for May Day

Fresno Bee

Essential workers will strike nationwide on May Day to demand safer conditions during the coronavirus outbreak, while other groups plan rallies against tight stay-at-home orders they say are crippling the U.S. economy.

Ppe To Be Included In Farmworker Relief Boxes

Business Journal

Farmers, laborers and food processors have been competing with a flurry of other industries and public agencies to grasp the limited amount personal protective equipment coming into the country.

How budget cuts and restrictive policies hobbled the unemployment insurance system

Los Angeles Times

As the number of laid-off workers seeking jobless benefits grew by nearly 4 million in just the last week, it’s little surprise that the systems charged with responding are overwhelmed.

Commentary: The many new indicators of an epic job collapse

AEI

The job market is deteriorating rapidly, but no one knows by how much because government statistics are produced with a lag. Fortunately, several economists have created measures to light the darkness. While they disagree on some specifics, their overall conclusion is the same: The U.S. is experiencing an economic catastrophe.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Tulare County-Based Center Takes Teacher Recruitment Online

VPR

California faced teacher shortages long before schools closed due to COVID-19. Seventy-five percent of the state’s school districts say there are not enough qualified teachers to meet student needs according to the Palo Alto-based Learning Policy Institute.

California parents of special education students find ways to cope with unique challenges during school closures

EdSource

Seeing his behavioral therapist used to be the best part of the day for Jesse, a 5-year-old in Lake County with moderate autism. Now it’s his worst.

California has a new web ‘portal’ to help essential workers find child care

EdSource

Families across California can now search for open child care programs on a new state website — though essential workers are the only ones who can take advantage under the state’s shelter-in-place orders.

Students Prepare for AP Exams during COVID-19

PPIC

In response to disruptions from COVID-19, the 2020 AP exams will be open book/open note format and taken online at home, according to the College Board. The new exams are scheduled May 11–22. At 45 minutes each, the exams will be much shorter and cover less material—focusing on content covered prior to March school closures.

California schools have lost contact with thousands of students more than a month into closures

Politico

More than a month after California schools closed due to the coronavirus, thousands of students are still unaccounted for as teachers struggle to connect with them in the era of distance learning.

Commentary: Avoiding the COVID-19 slump: Making up for lost school time

Brookings

Over the summer months, when children are not in school, those from under-resourced communities tend to lose roughly 30 percent of the gains they made in math during the school year and roughly 20 percent of the gains in reading.

Commentary: Webinar — A blueprint for back to school: How should schools prepare?

AEI

Reopening schools in a manner that is safe and responsive to the needs of families and communities will involve novel challenges. AEI scholars John P. Bailey and Frederick M. Hess collaborated with more than a dozen former public officials and leaders, with experience from the White House to the schoolhouse, to determine how to reopen schools this fall.

Higher Ed:

Fresno State students will get coronavirus relief money next week. Here’s how it works

Fresno Bee

Fresno State students will begin to see federal emergency money hit their bank accounts as early as Monday. The grants are based on financial need.

How coronavirus could change college life: Outdoor classes, small group dorms, takeout dining

Los Angeles Times

It’s fall and here’s what college life could look like: Students are back in class — but spaced apart in auditoriums, fitness centers, even outdoors. They’re eating cafeteria food again — but taking it to go rather than sitting with friends in dining halls.

UC president sees mix of online, classroom instruction in fall

San Francisco Chronicle

University of California campuses are unlikely to fully reopen for the fall term because of the coronavirus pandemic, UC President Janet Napolitano acknowledged Thursday.

Coronavirus and colleges: High school seniors confront tough admissions decisions

San Francisco Chronicle

Viridiana Barreto, a senior at Lighthouse Charter School in Oakland, knows all about the coronavirus’ sudden, sprawling, maddening impact on the college admissions process.

A new reality for student parents: Teaching their children’s classes while taking their own

CalMatters

As both K-12 schools and colleges move to remote learning because of the coronavirus, many families now have more than one generation homeschooling under the same roof. Advocates for students with children say they need extra support from colleges.

Coronavirus Pushes Colleges to the Breaking Point, Forcing ‘Hard Choices’ About Education

Wall Street Journal

From schools already on the brink to the loftiest institutions, the pandemic is changing higher education in America with stunning speed.

California bar exam will be postponed and administered online

ABAJournal

Because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the California bar exam is postponed from July until Sept. 9 and 10, and the state supreme court wants the bar to be online with remote or electronic proctoring.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

Record drop in carbon emissions forecast due to COVID-19. Don’t celebrate, experts say

Fresno Bee

Global carbon dioxide emissions are expected to fall by about 2.6 billion tons this year, or about 8%, from 2019, the largest recorded drop since the global financial crisis of 2008, the International Energy Agency said.

Forest Service extends temporary closure of some facilities

abc30

This week, federal officials extended the closure of ‘developed recreation sites’ on National Forest System lands in the Pacific Southwest Region until May 15th.

● County trails, US Forest service campgrounds to open slowly through summer San Francisco Chronicle

California’s Green New Deal Likely To Be Sidelined By COVID-19; Lawmakers Hope To Salvage Its Goals

Capital Public Radio

California’s bold Green New Deal could be severely scaled down or sidelined until next year due to the pandemic. But some lawmakers and advocates say there’s an important COVID-19 connection to the legislation.

California Electric Trucks Standard is First of its Kind; Pandemic Leads Trucking Industry to Question its Viability

Capital Public Radio

Electric trucks of all sorts could become commonplace on California’s roadways if state air officials and clean-air advocates get their way. “We’re sending the market signals that zero-emission trucks are going to be required in California,” said Craig Duehring, who works in the transportation and clean technology branch of the California Air Resources Control Board, or CARB.

California releases detailed list of outdoor activities allowed during shutdown

SFGate

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is encouraging residents to go outdoors during the shelter-in-place order as long as they follow social distancing guidelines. “We want you to see sunsets,” he said. “We want you to enjoy activities outdoors. What they don’t want is people congregating outside in large groups.”

New reason to conserve redwoods — they’re best at storing polluting carbon

San Francisco Chronicle

A fervid new push is being made to protect and restore previously clear-cut coast redwood forests after studies documented how they store more carbon than any other tree, a characteristic that researchers believe could be used as a bulwark against global warming.

Pause on bag law is a hit to some recyclers

Plastics Recycling Update

California’s single-use bag ban has been suspended for two months, with the governor citing coronavirus safety concerns. One plastics reclaimer said the move led to an immediate drop in PCR sales.

Energy:

Climatec supports city managers via the California City Management Foundation

PublicCEO

Climatec recently renewed its sponsorship of the California City Management Foundation (CCMF) for 2020-21. Climatec’s contribution continues the energy services firm’s Corporate Benefactor level support of the Foundation, which provides premier advocacy and support for its members.

Fed change allows oil companies to qualify for recovery loans

Roll Call

The Federal Reserve on Thursday changed the terms for its Main Street Lending Program, making it easier for oil companies to borrow from a fund meant to help small and midsize companies hurt by the coronavirus pandemic.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Coronavirus deaths continue to climb in Tulare County, 26 new cases in Fresno County

Fresno Bee

Four more people have died in Tulare County from complications of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths in the county to 40. Tulare County now accounts for more than three-fourths of the 53 deaths in the central San Joaquin Valley.

● Mariposa County Reports ‘Cluster’ of Dozen New Cases Sierra News

● Stanislaus County records biggest daily jump in coronavirus cases. Two more have died Modesto Bee

● Stanislaus County faring better than state on coronavirus per capita. Here’s the data Modesto Bee

● Coronavirus update, May 1: Stanislaus reports two more deaths; business aid goes out Modesto Bee

● 4 more deaths in county, bringing total to 40 Porterville Recorder

● COVID-19 cases jump by 17, 96 total Hanford Sentinel

● Coronavirus: Comparing the Curve Visalia Times Delta

● Kern County reports seventh COVID-19 death Bakersfield Californian

● Coronavirus death toll passes 2,000 in California, more than half in L.A. County Los Angeles Times

● Tracking coronavirus hospitalizations in California by county CalMatters

● U.S. deaths soared in early weeks of pandemic, far exceeding number attributed to covid-19Washington Post

● A record one-day spike in coronavirus cases shows challenges facing L.A. County Los Angeles Times

● Nearly seven weeks into the shutdown, here’s why so many are still getting sick Washington Post

Visalia nursing home employees who contracted COVID-19 feel unsafe returning to work

abc30

One employee at the Redwood Springs Healthcare Center was put back on the schedule and let their supervisor know of their concern right away, but says nothing was done.

● Asymptomatic staff, untested at many nursing homes, are spreading the coronavirus San Francisco Chronicle

Why you should avoid some cough syrups if you think you’ve got the coronavirus

Los Angeles Times

Coughing is one of the hallmark symptoms of being infected with the novel coronavirus. So it’s no surprise that many are swigging dextromethorphan, a workhorse cough suppressant, to calm those bone-rattling expulsions of germs and air.

Does the coronavirus-killing power of sunlight make it safe to go to the beach?

Los Angeles Times

Although sunlight can help kill coronaviruses on surfaces, it doesn’t work fast enough to help beachgoers, said Andrea Armani, a professor of chemical engineering and materials science at USC. “It doesn’t make it safe to go out to the beach because the time it takes for the sun to kill the virus is exceptionally long,” Armani said.

With the most STD cases in the nation, California needs to expand access to prevention and treatment

CalMatters

While California’s health system is focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, our state’s capacity to test, treat and conduct community tracing activities for sexually transmitted diseases has been dramatically reduced.

“Someone will contract the virus here:” Meet homeless Californians trying to survive a pandemic

CalMatters

The vast majority of people who were unhoused in California before coronavirus swept across the state are exactly where they were. Encampments still line the streets. Shelters feel more like a risk than a refuge. And affordable housing is as elusive as ever.

E-cigarettes could be just as bad for your heart as regular cigarettes, study finds

CBS News

Electronic cigarettes may be just as bad for the cardiovascular system as traditional cigarettes, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Researchers found that both vaping and smoking cigarettes cause a similar amount of damage to arteries and blood vessels.

Human Services:

A Next-Generation Coronavirus Test Raises Hopes And Concerns

VPR
States clamoring for coronavirus tests in recent weeks have been talking about two types. First, there’s a PCR test that detects the virus’s genetic material and so can confirm an active infection. And then there’s an antibody test, which looks at the body’s reaction to that infection and so is useful in identifying people who have been infected with the virus in the past.

● What is remdesivir? Why experts are hopeful but cautious about its use for COVID-19 PolitiFact

● Opinion: What you need to know about the COVID-19 vaccine Gates Notes

Madera Brewer Makes Hand Sanitizer To Battle Coronavirus

Business Journal

A Madera brewer and steel structure manufacturer has converted half of his brewery to the production of hand sanitizer to help health care workers and families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Every California resident with coronavirus symptoms should be tested, state officials say

Los Angeles Times

New guidelines call for all symptomatic low-risk people — including young adults without underlying health conditions — to be among the state’s top priorities for testing.

● Kern County to open three free coronavirus testing sites for residents Bakersfield Californian

● Cue the debunking: Two Bakersfield doctors go viral with dubious COVID test conclusionsCalMatters

Trump administration skimps on coronavirus aid for Medicaid providers

Los Angeles Times

The Trump administration’s program to aid hospitals and doctors on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis is leaving behind the nation’s Medicaid safety net — the pediatricians, mental health providers and hospitals that serve the poorest patients.

Telemedicine key to US health care even after pandemic ends

Roll Call

As thousands of patients struck by COVID-19 rushed to seek treatment in overcrowded New York City hospitals, intensive care specialists more than 350 miles away at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center stepped up to provide remote assistance to beleaguered colleagues in New York.

Most California Health Corps volunteers not eligible to join

ABC News

State officials say two-thirds of the 93,000 people who volunteered for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s California Health Corps lacked valid medical licenses, the most basic requirement.

The Critical Condition of Health Care in 2020

U.S. News

A BAD ECONOMY IS BAD news for an incumbent president running for reelection, since voters tend to look to the other candidate for relief – a campaign truism that helped Bill Clinton win the presidency in 1992.

For Those Who’ve Lived Both, COVID-19 Carries Echoes of the Early AIDS Crisis

U.S. News

Volunteers on St. Mark’s Place in Manhattan handing out flyers and warning of a new contagion sweeping through the community. Heart-wrenching hospital visits to loved ones dying of a strange virus, many of them languishing in isolation. Denial and apparent indifference in Washington despite alarmed public health experts. Increasingly urgent news headlines amid a mounting death toll.

Commentary: Berkeley may lose a hospital; how can it be saved?

CalMatters

In the battle to stop the spread of COVID-19, California’s local hospitals are on the front lines. As the number of cases surged last month, public health officials became increasingly concerned that hospitals could be overwhelmed.

IMMIGRATION

ICE detention centers ‘unprepared’ to battle coronavirus, report shows

Fresno Bee

A new report sheds a devastating light on the poor conditions in U.S. immigration jails battling cases of the coronavirus despite pleas to release vulnerable individuals and ensure safe environments for those left inside.

‘Remain in Mexico’ asylum hearings suspended through June 1

Fresno Bee

The Trump administration on Thursday suspended immigration court hearings for asylum-seekers waiting in Mexico through June 1, bowing to public health concerns while extending a state of limbo those locked down in Mexican migrant shelters.

Green card bill would bring more foreign doctors, nurses to US

Roll Call

A bipartisan group of senators introduced new legislation Thursday to grant 40,000 unused green card slots to foreign health care workers needed to help U.S. medical professionals fight the coronavirus pandemic.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

SLO County beaches are staying open; governor announces closures in Southern California

Fresno Bee

San Luis Obispo County beaches have narrowly escaped a historic shutdown. A day after a memo was leaked implying California Gov. Gavin Newsom would shutter all of the state’s beaches, Newsom clarified Thursday that only beaches in the Orange County areawill close.

● Gov. Newsom issues hard closure on Orange County beaches abc30

● Coronavirus: Tulare Co. reaches 40 deaths, 640 cases Visalia Times Delta

● Calif. Governor Expected To Order Closure Of All Beaches And State Parks VPR

● Time out for Orange County. Gavin Newsom closes its beaches to slow coronavirus spreadSacramento Bee

● After Reports Of Possible Statewide Action, Newsom Closes All Orange County Beaches Capital Public Radio

● Counties Are Taking Varied Approaches To Beaches, Parks As Restrictions Begin To Ease Capital Public Radio

● All state and local beaches in Orange County must temporarily close, Gov. Gavin Newsom says Los Angeles Times

● No California-wide beach shutdown: Gavin Newsom went for narrow closure San Francisco Chronicle

● Gov. Newsom orders hard close of beaches in Orange County Orange County Register

● Newsom shuts down Orange County beaches, spares rest of California Mercury News

● Line in the sand: Newsom closes all beaches in the OC but not elsewhere — sparking legal fightCalMatters

● Newsom considered statewide beach closure despite publicly dismissing idea Politico

● California governor orders Orange County beaches to close CNN

● Column: Newsom could use some beach time. It’s sad he’s closing Orange County beaches amid coronavirus Los Angeles Times

Housing:

Coronavirus: San Jose passes rent freeze for thousands of apartments, mobile homes

Mercury News

In its latest effort to relieve San Jose residents impacted by the spread of COVID-19, the nation’s 10th largest city is freezing rents on tens of thousands of apartments and mobile homes for the rest of the year.

You can skip mortgage payments for 6 months. But many fear what comes after that

Los Angeles Times

In March, like millions of others, Thomas Taylor saw his income plummet. The global pandemic left the 42-year-old furloughed from his two bartending jobs and staring down a $2,600 monthly mortgage payment on his Laguna Niguel condo.

As May bills come due, calls for rent and mortgage forgiveness increase

San Francisco Examiner

Calls for rent cancellation are growing as May rent comes due for many tenants with little to no income. At least 21 rent strikes are planned for Friday in San Francisco and 38 in the East Bay, according to a tracker by the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project and contributors worldwide.

“Owners are very scared:” Tensions boil to the surface in California rent strike call

The Real Deal

A national rent strike Zoom call organized Thursday featured the usual suspects – tenants rights advocates and renters sharing their stories of economic hardship.

EDITORIAL: The only heartbreak hotels during the pandemic are the ones that won’t let homeless people in

Los Angeles Times

Getting vulnerable homeless people off the streets is essential to preventing more outbreaks. Homeless people living temporarily in a hotel near you, or homeless people sick and dying on a sidewalk near you.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Why some mailed stimulus checks won’t arrive until September

abc30

The frustrations continue for many people when it comes to not getting their stimulus money. The checks will be issued in reverse AGI order starting with people with the lowest incomes first, those who make $10,000 or less.

What Are California’s State Budget Reserves and How Can They Be Used During the COVID-19 Crisis?

California Budget & Policy Center

California is facing significant costs related to the immediate public health response to the COVID-19 crisis. In addition, the state will likely spend more on services such as health care and cash assistance for Californians whose incomes have fallen sharply in the wake of the statewide stay-at-home order.

Republican-led states signal they could strip workers’ unemployment benefits if they don’t return to work, sparking fresh safety fears

Washington Post

Iowa, Oklahoma and other states reopening soon amid the coronavirus outbreak are issuing early warnings to their worried workers: Return to your jobs or risk losing unemployment benefits.

The IRS sent $1,200 to a rich woman who doesn’t need it. Also, she’s British. And lives in London.

Washington Post

Dead people are receiving payments, but many low-income Americans, Social Security recipients and veterans complain they are still waiting for their money

TRANSPORTATION

Which airlines require masks on flights? Delta, American among latest with new rules

Fresno Bee

Several major airlines will require passengers to wear face coverings or masks while on flights. Delta, American and Frontier airlines all announced new regulations Thursday that will start in May.

● Devastated airlines now requiring passengers to wear masks and to sit rows apart Sacramento Bee

Travel limits, end to vacation buy-back directed for state agencies as California’s recession hits

Sacramento Bee

California Electric Trucks Standard is First of its Kind; Pandemic Leads Trucking Industry to Question its Viability

Capital Public Radio

A new proposal could mean 300,000 zero-emission trucks on California’s roads by 2035. It’s being applauded by environmentalists, but some in the trucking industry want state leaders to relax climate standards due to the pandemic.

Rural, Intercity Bus Companies Hit Hard by Pandemic

PEW
Ron Moore has been in the bus business for decades. He’s proud of his family-owned West Burlington, Iowa, company, Burlington Trailways, which connects rural towns with big cities, spans six states and carries more than 200,000 passengers a year.

Will Commuters Ever Go Back to Commuter Trains?

City Lab

Last year, the fiscal management control board of MBTA, Boston’s regional transit agency, faced a critical decision. With area commuters enduring the worst car traffic in the United States,would the board greenlight a multi-billion-dollar revamp of its traditional commuter rail network, expanding it to offer bi-directional “regional rail” service every 15 minutes?

WATER

Season’s last snowpack survey confirms dry winter. California inching toward statewide drought

Fresno Bee

The last Sierra Nevada snowpack measurement of the season on Thursday confirmed what California officials have feared for months: The state has suffered through a dry winter.

● California enters summer with below average snowpack; storms weren’t enough to offset dry winter Los Angeles Times

Commentary: Why State Water Contractors sued California over restrictions on water deliveries

CalMatters

California needs to make foundational investments to ensure our water infrastructure is operating with the flexibility and capacity to provide the maximum benefit for our residents, farms and environment.

“Xtra”

Four new Fresno food trucks and the places to find them during the pandemic

Fresno Bee

The traditional food truck scene with trucks lined up and people packed at tables has been upended during this coronavirus pandemic.

Fresno Chaffee Zoo offer pen pal program to teach kids about animals

abc30

Valley kids can learn more about the animals at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo by joining their new digital pen pal club, Zoo to You Pen Pals. If your kids have questions about any wild animals, they can email the zoo’s educators.

City: Cancelation of July 4th fireworks celebration ‘premature’

Bakersfield Californian

After sending a memo Thursday morning announcing the annual Fourth of July fireworks celebration at The Park at Riverwalk was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns, the city of Bakersfield released a retraction later in the day declaring the cancelation was premature. The celebration is pending the state’s economic rollout plan and social distancing orders as the pandemic continues to unfold.

Remote weddings? You can get married via video in California now

Sacramento Bee

Let the wedding bells ring. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Thursday afternoon to allow Californians to get married and obtain marriage licenses via video calls for the next two months during the coronavirus emergency.