Rough&Tumble California Policy and Politics

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Updating . .

California coronavirus deaths rise to 24 as hospitals brace for flood of patients -- California entered the weekend with coronavirus deaths rising to 24, orders for most residents to stay at home to slow the spread and already desperate hospitals bracing for more patients that officials fear will overwhelm the state’s healthcare system. Alex Wigglesworth, Maria L. La Ganga, Phil Willon, Matt Stiles, Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/21/20

• California stay at home order to fight coronavirus doesn’t replace stricter local rules -- After a day of confusion about the reach of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s historic executive order telling residents to remain at home to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, the state announced that more stringent sets of mandatory restrictions implemented by some California counties and cities will remain in place. Phil Willon, Taryn Luna, Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ Thomas Peele in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/21/20

• FDA authorizes new test that could detect coronavirus in about 45 minutes -- The US Food and Drug Administration announced it has authorized the use of the first rapid diagnostic test that could detect the novel coronavirus in approximately 45 minutes. The authorization was made Friday and tests will begin shipping next week, according to a statement from California-based Cepheid, the company manufacturing the tests. Wesley Bruer and Kelly Mena CNN -- 3/21/20

‘It’s a powder keg’: Staff at SF’s largest nursing home say they lack tools to combat coronavirus -- According to two doctors and a nurse, the situation is precarious. Nurses can’t find masks or other protective equipment. Doctors are treating patients suspected of COVID-19 without recommended “face shields.” There are only five or so isolation rooms out of 780 total beds. Although some patients have already exhibited symptoms of possible coronavirus infection, and doctors started asking for tests weeks ago, the facility only began ordering tests on Monday, according to one doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. Jason Fagone and Cynthia Dizikes in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/21/20

California coronavirus testing capability soars, but even nurses complain they can’t get tested -- Testing for coronavirus in California has expanded significantly since midweek, with 23,200 tests completed as the number of cases of COVID-19 grew to more than 1,200, state health officials said Friday. Coronavirus testing increased by more than 84% since Wednesday, when Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state had tested about 12,600 people. Dominic Fracassa and Trisha Thadani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/21/20

Harvard: Coronavirus Patients Will Push San Diego Hospitals Beyond Their Capacity -- An analysis of hospital bed data by Harvard researchers and journalists shows that even under what they consider the best case scenario, San Diego County hospitals will be filled beyond capacity in the coming months with an influx of patients needing treatment for COVID-19. Claire Trageser KPBS -- 3/21/20

California’s rural hospitals can’t handle a coronavirus wave. ‘People will die,’ doctor warns --Mammoth Hospital’s chief medical officer Dr. Craig Burrows didn’t hold back as he urged the 8,234 people living in his Sierra ski-resort town to stay home and avoid crowds. “Try to imagine 100 people getting sick all at once tomorrow,” Burrows said in an unscripted video message the Mono County hospital posted on YouTube. “If that happens, our small hospital, our small community, will be completely overwhelmed and people will die. Ryan Sabalow and Jason Pohl in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/21/20

Masks

SF company donates 60,000 masks, other supplies to health care workers in coronavirus fight -- Health care workers in San Francisco got a large shipment of protective equipment Friday — a critical arsenal as they battle the coronavirus pandemic. The donation from San Francisco company Flexport includes 60,000 surgical masks, 34,000 gloves, 2,000 surgical gowns and 50 thermometers. Mayor London Breed announced the delivery Saturday in conjunction with Supervisor Catherine Stefani, who served as an intermediary. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/21/20

PG&E donating nearly 1 million masks to help hospital workers battle coronavirus -- Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said Friday that it is donating 950,000 N95 and surgical masks to hospitals and others who need them to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. State emergency officials will distribute the face masks, PG&E said. The company has already given 40,000 masks to Kaiser Permanente, which has an urgent need to protect its healthcare workers. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/21/20

Spead

Despite no symptoms, seven Grand Princess passengers test positive for coronavirus -- Seven Grand Princess cruise ship passengers quarantined at Travis Air Force Base — all with no symptoms — tested positive for COVID-19, The Chronicle has learned, as the first batch of swab results from the voluntary testing came back Friday. Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/21/20

New coronavirus cases in LA County jump by 101 in 48 hours, now up to 292 -- The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Los Angeles County continued to rise on Friday, March 20, as health officials announced 61 new cases, making a total of 292 confirmed cases in the county overall. That’s 101 new confirmed cases in the past 48 hours. David Rosenfeld in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/21/20

Orange County coronavirus cases rise to 65 as residents cope, firefighter infected -- The number of coronavirus cases in Orange County rose to 65 as residents coped with statewide restrictions on movements. An Orange County firefighter at Station 4 In Irvine has tested positive for COVID-19 but is “feeling fine,” officials said Friday. The Orange County Fire Authority has placed 24 other firefighters who associated with the sick firefighter into self-isolation. Richard Winton, Hillary Davis, Lilly Nguyen, Faith E. Pinho in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/21/20

Coronavirus sick leave: Democrats push to close loophole in new stimulus bill -- When Congress passed a coronavirus stimulus package this week, many lawmakers proudly said they had ensured paid sick leave for workers with the disease or those caring for an ill family member. In reality, however, the bill doesn’t guarantee any leave for millions of workers. It contains two major loopholes: Companies with at least 500 employees are exempt, and those with fewer than 50 can apply for a waiver. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/21/20

Ask an expert: How solid are California’s coronavirus projections? -- Gov. Gavin Newsom has said more than half the state could become infected by the novel coronavirus. To make sense of the state's numbers, CalMatters' Rachel Becker spoke with Lee Riley, a professor of epidemiology and infectious diseases at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and chair of the division of infectious diseases and vaccinology. Rachel Becker Calmatters -- 3/21/20

Economy Finances

Coronavirus: Port of Oakland longshoremen threaten to walk off job -- Some dockworkers at the Port of Oakland are threatening to refuse work at a terminal that they say isn’t properly sanitizing equipment and facilities for employees. The move could halt logistics operations and further strain the global supply chain amid the coronavirus outbreak. Shwanika Narayan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/21/20

Construction on Rams stadium in Inglewood will continue during ‘stay home’ order -- Construction on SoFi stadium in Inglewood is continuing because the work is exempt from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order that all Californians stay at home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, officials said. The new, 70,000-seat home of the Rams and Chargers is set to open in late July and has an estimated cost of $5 billion, making it the priciest venue in NFL history. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$-- 3/21/20

Big Debt, Little Savings, No Income: Why Millions of California Workers Now Stuck at Home Need Help Fast -- Two weeks ago, Ilse Villacorta made a decision. Even though she and her boyfriend had very little money saved up, she would no longer go into work, fearing the rapid spread of the coronavirus. She also decided not to pay rent in April, risking eviction. The couple only had $2,000 in their bank account, and Villacorta wanted to hang on to as much of those savings as possible for the rough road ahead. Sam Harnett KQED -- 3/21/20

Social Distancing

New rules for coronavirus breed conflict in everyday Bay Area life -- With sheltering in place expected to last weeks, if not months, and Newsom suggesting that students may not return to classrooms before summer break, Bay Area residents will likely have plenty of time to get accustomed to this new normal — no matter how reluctantly. Sarah Feldberg in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/21/20

As coronavirus upends California, question remains: Who’ll watch the kids? -- As schools, businesses, governments and most other venues go dark in the effort to restrict the pandemic, state officials are allowing child care centers to remain open, in an effort to support essential workers who can't leave their children otherwise. Elizabeth Aguilera Calmatters -- 3/21/20

Bay Area gun store refused to close for shelter in place, until it got shamed on social media -- Up until Friday, the owner of Castro Valley’s Solar Tactical gun shop remained defiant, despite the countywide shelter-in-place order that began Tuesday due to the coronavirus outbreak. Mike Addis maintained that his business is enshrined by the Second Amendment and provides an essential service, and it would therefore remain open. Megan Cassidy and Justin Phillips in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/21/20

Farmers’ markets open during coronavirus outbreak. But farmers’ livelihoods remain uncertain -- The North Berkeley Farmers’ Market was surprisingly bustling on Thursday afternoon, with farmers hawking petite cone cabbages, oyster mushrooms and golden beets. Janelle Bitker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/21/20

Solano County’s about-face: Why officials resisted, then adopted coronavirus shelter-at-home order -- Solano County Supervisor Skip Thomson was livid. Coronavirus was rapidly spreading in the Bay Area, and county health leaders were uniting in unprecedented orders to the public: stay indoors. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/21/20

Homeless

Coronavirus and homeless: SF preparing to make shelters safer, pull sickest and most vulnerable off the street -- Amber Richmond is tired of berating her homeless shelter bunkmates who cough and don’t cover their mouths. Who use the bathroom and don’t wash their hands. Who sleep a couple of feet from her every night, hacking and sneezing. Kevin Fagan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/21/20

L.A. rushes to open homeless shelters. But will they be ‘hotbeds’ of coronavirus infection? -- Tyrone Dixon was told to be standing out front of The Midnight Mission at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Then, accompanied by two Los Angeles police officers, he and three other homeless people boarded a bus and were whisked out of skid row. Several minutes later, Dixon, 53, who had his temperature taken by the officers on the bus, arrived at the Echo Park Community Center, hopeful about his prospects for a cot and hot shower. Doug Smith, Benjamin Oreskes, Emily Alpert Reyes, David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/21/20

Also

9,000 rolls: How one Newport Beach bar owner turned toilet paper distributor during coronavirus shortages -- It started as a way to get toilet paper into the hands of his employees who were struggling to find the once-common commodity in local stores. And suddenly, Mario Marovic found himself on a roll. A lot of rolls, actually – about 9,000 of them. Laylan Connelly in the Orange County Register -- 3/21/20

Northern California blood banks facing critical shortages amid coronavirus outbreak -- While donor blood is not used to treat people with COVID-19, the demand for blood remains for routine surgeries, cancer patients and trauma procedures, and health care administrators worry their reserves may not hold up. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/21/20

California property tax still due April 10, but exceptions could apply -- California county tax collectors cannot extend the April 10 deadline for making the second half of 2019-20 property tax payments, but they can waive late-payment fees and interest under certain circumstances, according to a memo sent out by the California Association of County Treasurers and Tax Collectors. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/21/20

The coronavirus is exposing inequalities in Bay Area medical access -- Andrea de la Rosa can’t afford to get sick. As the Bay Area sheltered in place, the Oakland bartender lost two jobs and a third she was supposed to start this week. Her husband has been out of work since February. When she got sick this winter, she took unpaid leave. She still has 40 hours of sick time on her next — and last — paycheck. Mallory Moench, Shwanika Narayan and Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/21/20

Does air pollution make you more susceptible to coronavirus? California won’t like the answer -- The rapid spread of the novel coronavirus has many people wondering what environmental factors, beyond age and underlying health problems, make some individuals more vulnerable to COVID-19 than others. That’s especially true in California, where residents have long struggled with the nation’s worst-polluted air. Tony Barboza in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/21/20

California could buy PG&E under bankruptcy deal with Newsom -- The state of California could buy Pacific Gas and Electric Co. if the company does not conclude its bankruptcy case on time or has its license revoked by regulators, according to a landmark deal with Gov. Gavin Newsom that the company revealed Friday. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/21/20

Feinstein denies wrongdoing in stock sale before coronavirus outbreak -- California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein took to Twitter on Friday to deny she did anything improper when she sold between $1.5 million and $6 million in a biotechnology company’s stock before the market crashed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/21/20

California Policy & Politics This Morning

Newsom and PG&E strike deal to end company’s bankruptcy -- The utility agreed not to pay shareholder dividends for three years — a $4 billion forfeiture. And it will have more state oversight. "We aren't taking our foot off the gas," said Gov. Gavin Newsom, who had threatened a public takeover of the firm. Judy Lin Calmatters Don Thompson and Daisy Nguyen Associated Press Ivan Penn and Peter Eavis in the New York Times$ -- 3/21/20

California’s final presidential primary results may be delayed due to coronavirus -- The final results from California’s presidential primary might not be known until late April, after Gov. Gavin Newsom gave local elections officials additional time to tally the votes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/21/20

Coronavirus

ICU beds already near capacity with non-coronavirus patients at L.A. County hospitals -- Intensive care beds at Los Angeles County’s emergency-room hospitals are already at or near capacity, even as those facilities have doubled the number available for COVID-19 patients in recent days, according to newly released data obtained by The Times. Matt Stiles, Iris Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/21/20

State to lease St. Vincent Medical Center to help with COVID-19 pandemic -- An empty hospital near downtown Los Angeles will be leased by the state to help address the COVID-19 outbreak in Los Angeles County, Verity Health System of California announced Friday. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/21/20

Coronavirus testing hits another snag as labs need emergency funding to meet high demand -- One week after the Trump administration promised a massive expansion of free coronavirus testing, the commercial labs tasked with the effort say they need emergency funding to meet rapidly increasing demand, marking the latest snag in the problem-plagued program. Melody Petersen, Emily Baumgaertner in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/21/20

Orange County officials shift focus to mitigating coronavirus impacts -- As Orange County’s number of new coronavirus cases continues to climb, health officials are shifting resources away from investigating sources of contact and toward protecting the most vulnerable populations, such as seniors and those with chronic health problems, by limiting their exposure to the virus. Jeong Park in the Orange County Register -- 3/21/20

California construction workers prepare to mobilize for coronavirus surge response -- The head of California’s powerful building and construction trades union says plans are in the works to deploy tens of thousands of construction workers to retool and refit hospitals, hotels and buildings the state needs as a surge response to the coronavirus pandemic. Carla Marinucci and Katy Murphy Politico -- 3/21/20

Spread

8 now dead from coronavirus in hard-hit Silicon Valley -- The death toll from coronavirus in hard-hit Silicon Valley increased to eight Friday, with Santa Clara County reporting 196 total cases. Of those infected, 65 are in the hospital. Colleen Shalby, Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/21/20

Irvine firefighter has coronavirus; Orange County cases rise to 65 -- An Orange County firefighter at Station 4 In Irvine has tested positive for COVID-19 as the total number of cases in the county rose to 65. The Orange County Fire Authority has placed 24 other firefighters who associated with the sick firefighter into self-isolation. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/21/20

Navy says it will no longer name ships with COVID-19 cases as virus spreads on waterfront -- Two San Diego-based shipboard sailors are among four new cases of coronavirus among San Diego’s military community, the Navy and Marine Corps announced Friday. However, in a departure from previous cases, the Navy’s Pacific Fleet is no longer naming the ships those sailors are stationed aboard — only that they are on two different vessels. Andrew Dyer in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/21/20

Is Newsom right? Could California see 25.5 million coronavirus cases in two months? -- Experts agree on one fact: The United States lacks enough data to make reliable predictions because authorities have conducted so few tests, due to a cascade of problems. Experts have no definitive way of knowing how many people in the U.S. have had a mild case of the virus but were never diagnosed, were incorrectly diagnosed, or are incubating it now. Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/21/20

Gov. Newsom Leaves Out Key Context In Claim 56% Of Californians Will Become Infected With Coronavirus Over Eight Weeks -- Given the intense focus on his words, PolitiFact California took a closer look at the governor’s statement and found it lacks crucial context. A governor’s spokesperson later acknowledged it doesn’t take into account any mitigation measures put in place before Newsom wrote to Trump, such as last week’s statewide school closures or the San Francisco Bay Area’s stay-at-home orders early this week. Chris Nichols Capital Public Radio -- 3/21/20

Gov. Gavin Newsom just slow-walked California into a mass retreat from a virus. How? -- How do you put 40 million people and the world’s fifth largest economy on virtual lockdown? Gradually and then suddenly, it turns out. Bit by bit, first in large gatherings, then in restaurants and bars, then theme parks and schools, then city by city, Gov. Gavin Newsom managed to slow walk a thousand public school districts, a state full of restaurants, Disneyland and even L.A. and San Francisco into voluntarily shuttering and sending people indoors. Laurel Rosenhall Calmatters -- 3/21/20

Covered California extends special enrollment for health coverage until June 30 -- As coronavirus cases rise throughout California, health officials announced Friday that Covered California, the state’s health insurance marketplace, would extend its special enrollment period until the end of June in an effort to provide health insurance to more people. Erica Hellerstein Calmatters -- 3/21/20

Social Distancing

DMV making changes to fight off coronavirus -- Effective immediately, you must have an appointment to get service at the DMV. Weekday hours have been scaled back. The popular Saturday office openings have ended, fewer seats are available in lobbies, and there are no behind-the-wheel driving tests for the next month. Gary Richards in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/21/20

State court leader urges courts to lower bail, consider early release of inmates during COVID-19 emergency -- California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye is urging state trial court leaders to consider several measures that would reduce the threat of the COVID-19 illness to the justice system, including lowering bail amounts — in some cases to zero — and considering early release for some inmates. Greg Moran in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/21/20

Coronavirus fear leads to another full closure of O.C. courts -- Orange County Superior Court officials late Friday announced that court facilities will fully close again, a day after a partial opening of the facilities for criminal proceedings led to an outcry from both the district attorney and public defenders offices. Sean Emery in the Orange County Register -- 3/21/20

First weekend of California stay-at-home order hits millions -- California has never seen a weekend quite like this. No sports practice for the kids. No dining out. No church services. Brian Melley Associated Press -- 3/21/20

California isn’t a ghost town under coronavirus rules. But it’s pretty quiet out there -- Chaz Manzanares and Andrew Luna stood beneath gray skies Friday morning in the nearly empty parking lot at the closed Del Amo Fashion Center. Their voices carried through the vast, empty parking lot, which usually has valet parking and idling drivers stalling for elusive parking spaces. The two were waiting for a quick employee meeting. Manzanares works as a restaurant server in the mall, as does Luna’s girlfriend. Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/21/20

Los Angeles is shut down, but golfers can still tee off at the city’s courses -- The morning sun warmed the ground as golfers teed up Friday morning at Rancho Park Golf Course in Cheviot Hills. Golf carts zipped along the grass and balls soared out of the driving range stalls. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/21/20

Gov. Gavin Newsom deploys California National Guard to assist food banks during coronavirus outbreak -- Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday deployed the California National Guard to assist food banks statewide serving residents whose needs have not been met due to food shortages during the novel coronavirus pandemic. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ Bob Moffitt Capital Public Radio -- 3/21/20

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions

Safeway increases hourly wages by $2 as thanks for working amid coronavirus crisis -- Thousands of grocery workers at Safeway supermarkets across the nation will receive an extra $2 an hour in pay in appreciation for continuing to serve customers during a time when Californian and other Americans are sheltering at home to avoid becoming infected with the new coronavirus. Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/21/20

Stater Bros. bumps workers’ hourly rate $2 for four weeks -- Stater Bros. on Friday announced it was boosting its workers’ pay $2 hourly, compensating them for working through frantic shopping days amid the coronavirus pandemic. The news came just hours after the parent company of the Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions stores said it will pay workers an extra $2 an hour through March 28. Jack Katzanek in the Orange County Register -- 3/21/20

Who is ‘essential’ now that Californians have to stay home? -- Cities and counties were already issuing shelter-in-place orders in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Newsom's stay-at-home directive had fewer details than many of the local bans. Which should people follow? Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 3/21/20

Unsure if California coronavirus rules hit your business? Good luck finding out -- Loren Pochirowski, who runs a small manufacturer of radio equipment and power supplies in Irvine, Calif., watched Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide stay-at-home order on television with intense interest Thursday. He was left scratching his head. Russ Mitchell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/21/20

Coronavirus: Newsom’s stay-at-home order differs from the Bay Area’s shelter-in-place rules. Now what happens? -- And whether Newsom’s order trumps the local orders is more than just an academic legal debate: It could have real-world impacts on disputes like Alameda County’s effort to force Tesla’s Fremont auto plant to stop manufacturing cars. San Jose officials also warned Friday that they will start enforcing the local order with citations for businesses that reopen despite a warning. Casey Tolan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/21/20

Coronavirus cutback: California Realtors told to stop home showings, open houses -- The California Association of Realtors told its members Friday to stop all face-to-face sales activities including showings, listing appointments, open houses and property inspections due to coronavirus concerns. Jonathan Lansner in the Orange County Register -- 3/21/20

Coronavirus makes company refocus from festivals to hospitals, including one in Lakewood -- The Torrance-based company, which employs about 200 people, is now working with medical officials and others to build tents and other infrastructure at hospitals to be used for things such as testing facilities or whatever other needs arise during the pandemic. Richard Guzman in the Long Beach Press Telegram$ -- 3/21/20

Homeowners are getting federal mortgage relief, but renters aren’t so lucky -- Federal officials announced a nationwide halt to foreclosures and evictions this week, protecting more than 30 million Americans from the risk of losing their homes as the coronavirus outbreak ravages the economy. But the federal plans don’t cover more than 40 million renters, many of whom, housing advocates worry, may not be able to pay their rent next month. Renae Merle in the Washington Post$ -- 3/21/20

Transit

Metro expects ‘massive’ budget hit from coronavirus as ridership plummets -- Ridership on California’s largest transit system has fallen by more than half during the coronavirus outbreak as life in Los Angeles County has all but ground to a halt, officials said Friday. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/21/20

Caltrans Pulling Toll Takers From Bay Area Bridges Amid Concern Over Coronavirus -- The Bay Area Toll Authority, which operates the bridges in conjunction with Caltrans, said the abrupt but temporary move is being made at the request of Gov. Gavin Newsom "in order to minimize toll collectors’ and toll-paying customers’ risk of exposure to COVID-19 during the current public health emergency." Dan Brekke KQED -- 3/21/20

Homeless

Few homeless off California’s streets as virus spreads -- Homeless people in California congregated in parks, popped into each other’s tents on sidewalks and packed closely together to get food Friday, routine scenes that took on different and dangerous significance as state officials try to contain spread of the coronavirus. Stefanie Dazio and Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 3/21/20

Housing

Sacramento County considers temporary eviction ban against renters impacted by coronavirus -- The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors will consider Tuesday a resolution and an ordinance that would temporarily ban evictions against renters who are unable to pay their rent because they have had a sudden loss in income related to COVID-19. Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/21/20

Education

Standardized testing: Important changes to AP, SAT; K-12 tests canceled -- The Trump administration announced Friday that states will be allowed to cancel federally mandated standardized tests in K-12 schools for the current year, as part of an ongoing disruption of familiar student performance measures caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Also, high school students will be able to take Advanced Placement tests at home and the SAT college admissions test is canceled through May, among other schedule changes. Howard Blume, Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/21/20

USC cancels May in-person graduation. What about UCLA and other colleges? -- USC has joined a growing list of colleges and universities across the county, including UCLA, that are canceling or postponing in-person graduation ceremonies in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/21/20

San Diego State University postpones graduation until December due to coronavirus -- San Diego State University announced on Friday night that it will postpone commencement exercises for its San Diego and Imperial Valley campuses until mid-December because of the coronavirus. The in-person ceremonies will be held December 17-20. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/21/20

Water

The West is in an expanding 20-year drought that a ‘March Miracle’ will do little to change -- The most recent U.S. Drought Monitor released Thursday shows that although recent rains have provided some relief for Southern California, Northern California remains locked in moderate drought or abnormally dry conditions. Paul Duginski in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/21/20

Also . . .

Some of Mexico’s wealthiest residents went to Colorado to ski. They brought home coronavirus -- Each winter, some of Mexico’s wealthiest residents flock to the snowy slopes of Colorado to ski, shop and socialize. This year, at least 14 — and probably many more — came home infected with the coronavirus. Kate Linthicum in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/21/20

Running low on toilet paper? Here are your options -- An ongoing run on toilet paper has left some people low on supplies, but there are a number of alternatives. Joshua Emerson Smith in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/21/20

‘A mess in America’: Why Asia now looks safer than the U.S. in the coronavirus crisis -- In Asian countries that initially faced the gravest risk from the coronavirus, the shambolic U.S. response to the pandemic has elicited confusion, horror and even a measure of pity. Suddenly, it seems, the U.S. is the basket case, an aloof, inward-looking power that has weakened its alliances, failed to lead on global emergencies such as climate change and shrunk in a crisis. Shashank Bengali in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/21/20

POTUS 45

Seven days as a ‘wartime president’: Trump’s up-and-down command of a pandemic -- Fixated on his portrayal in the media, Trump has used this past week to try to rewrite history in hopes of erasing the public’s memory of him dismissing the severity of threat and bungling the early weeks of the administration’s response. Philip Rucker and Ashley Parker in the Washington Post$ -- 3/21/20

NBC’s Peter Alexander asked Trump to reassure Americans about coronavirus. Trump berated him instead -- It was the journalistic equivalent of a layup, an opportunity for President Trump to utter a sound bite to soothe an anxious nation’s fears and concerns amid a pandemic. Instead, Trump turned an exchange at a news conference into something very different — a jarring attack on the news media in general and the reporter who asked the question in particular. Paul Farhi in the Washington Post$ -- 3/21/20

Trump Resists Pressure to Use Wartime Law to Mobilize Industry in Virus Response -- President Trump and his advisers have resisted calls from congressional Democrats and a growing number of governors to use a federal law that would mobilize industry and provide badly needed resources against the coronavirus spread, days after the president said he would consider using that authority. Katie Rogers, Maggie Haberman and Ana Swanson in the New York Times$ -- 3/21/20

Beltway

U.S. intelligence reports from January and February warned about a likely pandemic -- U.S. intelligence agencies were issuing ominous, classified warnings in January and February about the global danger posed by the coronavirus while President Trump and lawmakers played down the threat and failed to take action that might have slowed the spread of the pathogen, according to U.S. officials familiar with spy agency reporting. Shane Harris, Greg Miller, Josh Dawsey and Ellen Nakashima in the Washington Post$ -- 3/21/20

Biden attacks Trump’s coronavirus response as inadequate, hits him for lack of transparency -- Joe Biden on Friday criticized President Trump over his administration’s response to the novel coronavirus, blaming him for the country’s testing shortage and accusing him of a lack of transparency. Matt Viser in the Washington Post$ -- 3/21/20

-- Friday Updates

L.A. County gives up on containing coronavirus, tells doctors to skip testing of some patients -- The nation’s second-largest municipal health system has told its staff that it is essentially abandoning hope of containing the coronavirus outbreak and instructed doctors not to bother testing symptomatic patients if a positive result won’t change how they would be treated. Jack Dolan, Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/20/20

Trump halts most traffic on U.S. border with Mexico -- The U.S. and Mexico have agreed to restrict all nonessential travel across their shared border in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, President Trump said Friday, adding that he was invoking the Defense Production Act to increase output of badly needed medical supplies. Eli Stokols, Kate Linthicum, Molly Hennessy-Fiske in the Los Angeles Times$ Elliot Spagat Associated Press -- 3/20/20

L.A. takes drastic action on coronavirus, closing all nonessential businesses -- The new Los Angeles County public health order requires all indoor malls, shopping centers, playgrounds and nonessential retail businesses to close and prohibits gatherings of more than 10 people in enclosed spaces. The city of Los Angeles issued a significantly more restrictive order, requiring all nonessential businesses to close, with companies able to operate only through work-at-home arrangements. The order also bans all public gatherings of any size outside homes. Jaclyn Cosgrove, Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Alex Wigglesworth, Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/20/20

Officials long warned funding cuts would leave California vulnerable to pandemic. No one listened -- California public health officials have repeatedly warned over the last decade that federal budget cuts were weakening their ability to respond to a widespread health crisis like the current coronavirus pandemic. Patrick McGreevy Jack Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/20/20

Confusion spreads among homeless as officials fight coronavirus -- Residents with no homes worry that crowding into small shelter rooms with large numbers of strangers isn't safer than staying on the streets. Communication roadblocks are causing confusion. Manuela Tobias Calmatters -- 3/20/20

Financial survival

Day laborer centers close nationwide due to coronavirus -- The coronavirus pandemic has forced the closure of all day laborer centers throughout the country, including about 20 centers in California, putting thousands of people out of work. Araceli Martinez Ortega Calmatters -- 3/20/20

Billions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of Bay Area jobs at risk from the coronavirus -- Nearly a half a million people work in Bay Area restaurants, stores and venues that have been required to shut down or drastically scale back operations to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, a Chronicle review of federal data released by the Associated Press found. Joaquin Palomino and Cynthia Dizikes in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/20/20

Coronavirus: Silicon Valley businesses bracing for impact -- Most small businesses, Mahood said, don’t have enough cash on hand to last more than 30 days or so. And while he understands the emphasis and focus on “flattening the curve” to try to slow the spread of the disease, he said, the impact on businesses has taken a backseat. Emily DeRuy in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/20/20

Delivery, child care and other gig jobs are open amid unemployment caused by coronavirus -- Thousands of people are getting furloughed as companies and schools all over the country cancel events, restrict travel and shutter campuses to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. For those without a safety net, such as paid time off or a healthy emergency fund, these actions can cause devastating financial pain. Kathy Kristof in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/20/20

Shelter in place order spurs mass layoffs in restaurants -- Chef Brenda Buenviaje cries more often than she laughs these days, and when she thinks about all of the employees she had to lay off at her Bay Area restaurants this week, she also feels like throwing up. Justin Phillips in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/20/20

Rides dwindle for Uber, Lyft, taxis as coronavirus makes Bay Area stay at home -- San Francisco Lyft driver Steven Smith is earning far less than minimum wage as ride requests have plunged since the shelter in place orders seeking to limit the spread of the coronavirus. “I’m scared; very scared,” he said. His disability income covers the rent on his subsidized apartment, but he depends on his ride-hailing income for food and everything else. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/20/20

Coronavirus: Emergency measure makes it easier for California restaurants to sell alcohol — and for you to get it -- You’ll be able to get that margarita to go under a temporary measure taken by the state’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC). California restaurants may now sell “beer, wine, and pre-mixed drinks or cocktails,” for pick-up or delivery as long as it has “a secure lid or cap” (without a hole for sipping or a straw) and is sold with food. The state has also lifted its ban on alcohol sold at drive-through windows. Evan Webeck in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/20/20

Workers at 2 California prisons have coronavirus; 4 inmates at Mule Creek being observed -- Two state prison employees have been confirmed as testing positive for coronavirus — one at California State Prison, Sacramento, outside Folsom and another at San Quentin — officials said Friday. So far, no inmates have tested positive for COVID-19, corrections officials said. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/20/20

Social separation

These are the jobs and sectors exempted from California’s coronavirus stay-home order -- (the list) -- Gov. Gavin Newsom said his executive order includes an extensive list of businesses, jobs and operations that are exempted from a new statewide requirementdirecting all Californians to stay at home amid the coronavirus outbreak. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/20/20

California facing new reality: order to stay home amid virus -- Normally congested freeways in California were largely free of traffic Friday, though lines snaked out of grocery stores and people hit the streets for fresh air after waking up to a new reality: the nation’s most populous state was in a near lockdown after Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered 40 million residents to stay home indefinitely, with some exceptions, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Kathleen Ronayne and Don Thompson Associated Press -- 3/20/20

Coronavirus: San Jose officials remind residents to stay at home, warn of firmer enforcement -- From when the stay-at-home order was issued in Santa Clara County on Tuesday through Thursday afternoon, 56 people or businesses had gotten their first warning about being out or open against the order in San Jose: an assortment of repair shops, clothing and furniture stores, hair salons and barber shops, gyms, a car wash, and most famously, a gun store that stirred passionate discussion what scared residents deem essential. Robert Salonga in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/20/20

What’s essential during California’s coronavirus lockdown? Cannabis and garden shops stay open -- The list goes far beyond grocery stores and pharmacies. Sacramento County’s shutdown order, issued a few hours before Newsom implemented a statewide mandate, exempts dry cleaners, media organizations, exterminators and taxi drivers, to name a few. In the aftermath of Newsom’s order, issued late Thursday, some businesses were still scrambling to determine their status. Dale Kasler, Theresa Clift, and Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/20/20

California releases more jail inmates amid coronavirus crisis -- In Alameda County, officials announced 247 people were being released from the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. San Diego County officials have announced similar moves, as have San Francisco, San Mateo and other counties. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has reduced its inmate population by 6% in the last three weeks and Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey said her office would consider reducing bail for thousands of nonviolent offenders. Maura Dolan, Alene Tchekmedyian, Paige St. John in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/20/20

'Mom, what's happening to our city?': My apocalyptic bike ride on Valencia with my son -- My 15-year-old son and I ventured out of our house late Thursday evening to ride our bikes down Valencia Street, the beating heart of San Francisco's Mission District. What we found was a city we didn't recognize. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/20/20

Spread

Coronavirus: San Mateo County reports 11 new COVID-19 cases, 100 total -- San Mateo joins Santa Clara as the two Bay Area counties with cases in the triple-digits. Both were the only counties to report coronavirus deaths until Friday morning, when Contra Costa County announced its first. Evan Webeck in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/20/20

Here are the L.A. County communities with coronavirus cases -- Health officials Thursday reported the county’s second death, with the total number of confirmed cases rising by 40 overnight to 230. Alex Wigglesworth, Jaclyn Cosgrove in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/20/20

A disaster foretold: Shortages of ventilators and other medical supplies have long been warned about -- Fear was growing in hospitals across the country in 2009 as a frightening epidemic that came to be called the H1N1 swine flu swept across the globe. From Galveston, Texas, where a hospital ran out of test kits, to Loma Linda University Medical Center in San Bernardino, which had to set up tents to handle a crush of patients, to New York, where hospitals scrambled to bring on extra emergency staff, it appeared the nation’s healthcare system would be overwhelmed. Noam N. Levey, Kim Christensen, Anna M. Phillips in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/20/20

Before coronavirus, California let its public health funding stall for a decade -- Fourteen years ago, California made a huge investment in public health by creating a standalone state department and seeding it with tens of millions of dollars in special funding for emergency supplies. Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/20/20

Hundreds in Sacramento may have coronavirus. A ‘ridiculous’ lack of tests masks true figure -- Sacramento’s top health official said Thursday that testing for the coronavirus in the region is so far behind where it should be that the actual number of people infected with the virus here could be 20 to 100 times higher than what’s been reported. Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks and Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/20/20

How the blood of coronavirus survivors may protect others from COVID-19 -- As U.S. scientists race to stave off a tidal wave of COVID-19 patients, they are showing renewed interest in a little-known medicine with ancient roots and many modern applications: convalescent plasma. Melissa Healy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/20/20

Have you recovered from COVID-19? Biotech company needs your help with advanced research -- Vir Biotechnology is looking for patients in San Diego and Los Angeles counties who have recovered from COVID-19 to donate blood to help the company find better ways to diagnose and treat the infection. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/20/20

Naval Special Warfare sailor tests positive for COVID-19, SEAL training at BUD/S suspended -- Naval Special Warfare Center at Naval Base Coronado suspended training for some Navy SEAL and SWCC classes due to the risk coronavirus poses to trainees in “extremely strenuous, high-risk training,” according to a statement late Thursday from a Naval Special Warfare Command spokeswoman. Andrew Dyer in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/20/20

Sailors on ships won’t be tested for coronavirus unless they meet CDC threshold, Navy says -- Those benchmarks, set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, include a fever of at least 100.4 degrees, symptoms of acute respiratory illness and a connection with a known COVID-19 case or recent travel to a high-risk area, according to Regena Kowitz, a Naval Medical Forces Pacific spokeswoman. Andrew Dyer in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/20/20

The coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of an infant and a teenager -- Children are largely spared the worst effects of the coronavirus that has infected more than 200,000 people and killed nearly 9,000 around the world, two new studies confirm. But the first reports to document COVID-19 deaths in children make clear that those under 18 are neither immune from infection nor completely spared from becoming very sick. Melissa Healy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/20/20

Doctors and nurses brace for coronavirus onslaught: ‘What happens if I end up on a ventilator?’ -- As hospitals prepare for a possibly overwhelming number of COVID-19 patients in the coming weeks, doctors and nurses in all departments are being told they may have to start working in emergency rooms and intensive care units, a directive that has sent shock waves through the medical community. Emily Baumgaertner, Soumya Karlamangla in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/20/20

Nurses protest to demand safety and equipment as they treat coronavirus patients -- Nurses saying they were not properly prepared or equipped to treat patients infected with the coronavirus held a demonstration Thursday outside Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center demanding safety and protective gear during COVID-19 outbreak. Rosalio Ahumada and Rene C. Byer in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/20/20

‘Deep cleaning’ doesn’t mean anything. Still, deep cleaners are in high demand -- It’s happened at schools, stores and offices, warehouses and city halls: Someone who might be infected with the coronavirus passes through. The building often closes. Then come the calming words: deep cleaning. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/20/20

What if I get sick? Coronavirus adds new anxieties for pregnant women -- In a recent study published in the Lancet, researchers followed nine pregnant women who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China — the epicenter of the outbreak — during their third trimester. Researchers found that none of the infants, all delivered via caesarean, had the virus at birth. There also was no evidence of the virus in the mothers’ breast milk, cord blood or amniotic fluid, according to the study. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/20/20

Coronavirus: California property taxes are still due April 10 -- The certainty of property taxes being due in April remains firmly entrenched despite the coronavirus. Residential and commercial property owners must still make their property tax payments by the April 10 deadline even amid the coronavirus woes, according to tax collectors. In contrast, income tax filers in California and nationwide have gotten a break. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/20/20

‘This will be their 9/11': How to help kids cope with coronavirus stay-at-home orders -- With stay-at-home orders enacted in California and schools likely closed for the rest of the academic year, children can be especially vulnerable as the security of their routines is upended and they worry about the health of loved ones. Sonali Kohli, Paloma Esquivel in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/20/20

SF air pollution is 38% lower than normal, but will it last? -- Sheltering in place has plenty of downsides, especially economically, but there is one thing you can feel good about if you’ve taken to working from home. It’s likely drastically reducing Bay Area air pollution. Tessa McLean in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/20/20

Some enter 6th day without power as PG&E crews work to end outage in snowy foothills -- Hit simultaneously by a snow storm, frigid weather and a mandate that all California residents only leave home for essential reasons, a few thousand homes and business in the Sierra Nevada foothills remain without power Friday morning, the sixth straight day in the dark for some residents Michael McGough and Rosalio Ahumada in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/20/20

Key California congressional race looking more competitive for GOP -- Democratic Assemblywoman Christy Smith may have won the primary for a vacant Los Angeles-area congressional seat, but that victory isn’t getting much respect. On Thursday, the Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan newsletter that tracks House, Senate and gubernatorial races across the country, moved the 25th Congressional District contest from its “Likely Democrat” category to “Leans Democrat,” which indicates the race is in play. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/20/20