Latest From California Healthline:
KFF Health News Original Stories
Testing In California Still A Frustrating Patchwork Of Haves And Have-Nots
It’s hard to overstate how uneven access to critical coronavirus test kits remains in the nation’s largest state. Even as some Southern California counties are opening drive-thru sites to make testing available to any resident who wants it, a rural northern county is testing raw sewage to determine whether the coronavirus has infiltrated its communities. (Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Angela Hart and Rachel Bluth, 5/4)
As Lawmakers Reconvene, Not Everyone Agrees On COVID-Only Agenda
California legislators resume their work Monday after more than a month off. While the coronavirus pandemic has shifted the state’s priorities, many lawmakers say they still intend to push non-COVID health care bills to tax soda, ban vape flavors and more. (Samantha Young, 5/4)
Lawmakers Return To Sacramento To Face Daunting Budget Deficit, Deal With Coronavirus Legislation: Lawmakers must handle bills ranging from compensation for sick essential workers to planning for a November election that’s likely to be done mostly by mail. They also must work with Gov. Gavin Newsom to address a shortfall that could total $35 billion. And they don’t have much time to get it all done. They must pass a balanced budget by June 15 or go without pay, and will have only a couple of months after that to consider other bills before the legislative session is scheduled to end. Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said he is resisting calls to focus only on coronavirus response. The Assembly returns Monday, while the Senate has extended its recess one more week. Read more from Dustin Gardiner and Alexei Koseff of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Some Businesses Buck Stay-At-Home Orders Even As LA Cases Climb Past 25,000: As Californians prepare to enter the seventh week of stay-at-home restrictions, signs of fatigue are becoming evident. From the high desert to the beach enclaves of Orange County, a growing number of businesses deemed nonessential are choosing to reopen in defiance of orders from local and state authorities. Meanwhile, Los Angeles County public health officials on Sunday reported 21 additional coronavirus-related deaths and 781 new cases overall, pushing the county’s total number to more than 25,000. “The people lost to COVID-19 are mourned by all of us in L.A. County, and to their loved ones, we wish you peace and healing,” Barbara Ferrer, the county health director, said in a statement. Read more from Alex Wigglesworth of the Los Angeles Times.
For Some Californians, Beach Closure Decision Was Last Straw: Long a symbol of free-spirited life, Southern California’s beaches have been transformed into ground zero in the fight over coronavirus lockdown rules in the state. Scenes across Orange County this weekend revealed both the simmering tension over the lockdown orders, and the challenge of keeping people away from the ocean. In Huntington Beach, a municipality of about 200,000 people known as “Surf City,” more than 2,000 people swarmed the center of town on Friday to protest the governor’s order. The city had sued to block the governor’s beach closure order, but a judge refused to issue a temporary injunction. Read more from Ian Lovett of The Wall Street Journal and Rong-Gong Lin II, Alex Wigglesworth, Thomas Curwen and Laura King of the Los Angeles Times.
Below, check out the full round-up of California Healthline original stories, state coverage and the best of the rest of the national news for the day.
More News From Across The State
CalMatters:
People In Poor Areas Of L.A. Are Infected And Dying At Twice The Rate Of Wealthier Neighborhoods
Dalia was working in a clothing factory in South Los Angeles for about five months when the COVID-19 outbreak hit in mid-March. The workload got heavy when the factory started receiving orders to make face masks. Dalia, who was in charge of trimming the masks, sometimes would take extra work home. Like many other undocumented workers, Dalia, who was focused on earning money to make ends meet, thought she was safe at work. (Garcia, 5/4)
Los Angeles Times:
Coronavirus: Rural California Demands To Reopen As Newsom Urges Patience
For Bob Williams, the chairman of Tehama County’s Board of Supervisors, the numbers don’t justify the reality. The rural Northern California community of 65,000 has had only one case of the coronavirus, but it continues to face the same restrictions from the state as denser cities such as Los Angeles, which has had more than 23,000 cases. That’s why Williams has joined elected officials from the Central Coast, Central Valley, Northern California and elsewhere who have asked Gov. Gavin Newsom to let them gradually lift their stay-at-home order. (Miller, 5/1)
The Los Angeles Times:
Donor Gives Santa Cruz Hospital $1 Million For Staff Bonuses
There’s a lot of gratitude for medical providers these days, and a recent anonymous note — plus a whopping donation — to a hospital in Santa Cruz showed it. “Thank you for standing up (and staying up!) to care for our community,” the note said. “This humankindness is what makes you heroic.” (5/4)
Sacramento Bee:
How U.S. Cities, Metro Areas Rank For Coronavirus Infection
In a surprise finding, the Sacramento region has the lowest reported coronavirus infection rate among the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the country, according to a Sacramento Bee analysis. The Bee review of metros with more than 1 million residents showed the highest per capita rates are in larger and older East Coast and Midwest cities, where people often live closer together, and in many cases where leaders were slower to impose “stay at home” orders. The highest rates are in the New York City and northern New Jersey area, followed by New Orleans and Boston. (Bizjak and Reese, 5/2)
Bay Area News Group:
Bay Area Coronavirus Cases Increase Over Weekend
Bay Area counties reported new numbers of COVID-19 cases Sunday, with increases of several dozen in the South and East bay areas. Alameda County’s cases jumped to 1,749 cases on Sunday, an increase of 44 patients from the day before and a seven percent increase since Friday’s totals were released. The county reported no new deaths Sunday, but had added three deaths to its total of 63 on Saturday. (Ruggiero, 5/3)
Bay Area News Group:
A Chat With Santa Clara County's Dr. Sara Cody On COVID-19
Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody led the Bay Area’s push in mid-March for the country’s first “shelter-in-place” order to control the coronavirus pandemic. It’s kept us largely confined to our homes, successfully averted a health system meltdown, and saved lives, but at mounting cost to our livelihoods. Now, as Cody and other Bay Area health officers have extended the order with some modifications through the end of this month, we asked her how their strategy will get us back to work, school and some sense of normalcy and why the region’s rigid approach is still necessary. (Woolfolk, 5/4)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Families Of Coronavirus Victims At Hayward Nursing Say Facility Left Them In Dark
Senait Kifle first learned about a coronavirus infection at Gateway Care & Rehabilitation Center on April 4, when her father’s doctor called with a troubling report. Kifle’s 81-year-old father, a temporary resident recovering from hip surgery, had tested positive about a week earlier. Kifle had little reason to worry, the doctor said... But the doctor hadn’t told her everything. (Cassidy, 5/4)
Sacramento Bee:
How Coronavirus Will Hit City Budgets In Sacramento CA Region
Delayed payments to pension plans. Depleted rainy day funds. And a whole lot of uncertainty about what the future has in store. Local governments across the Sacramento region are scraping old budgets and crafting new ones, as the widening coronavirus pandemic eats into tax revenue, delays major projects and wreaks havoc on the local economy. (Yoon-Hendricks, 5/3)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Coronavirus Pandemic Stresses Young Adults Aging Out Of Foster Care
When Gov. Gavin Newsom pumped $42 million of emergency funding into foster care, he steered a small portion — about $1.8 million — toward young adults who might otherwise be cut loose from services and thrust into a deadly pandemic. Advocates say the money isn’t enough to help people learning to navigate the world on their own. (Swan, 5/3)
Los Angeles Times:
Coronavirus Hinders California Air Pollution Enforcement
The coronavirus is having another unintended effect on California’s environment, hindering the enforcement of clean-air rules that could help protect people’s lungs during the pandemic. Field inspections have been halted since mid-March at the California Air Resources Board, which enforces rules on trucks, ships and other major pollution sources, because of health concerns about in-person investigations. (Barboza, 5/1)
San Francisco Chronicle:
California’s Pharmacies Haven’t Tested For Coronavirus, Unlike In Other States
California must dramatically increase coronavirus testing to reopen the state, but one widely available resource remains untapped: pharmacies. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services cleared the way last month for licensed pharmacists to order and administer coronavirus tests that have been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. Most states, including New York, Florida and Texas, have since allowed pharmacies to swab people and test them in hopes that it will help make testing more readily accessible. (Dizikes, 5/3)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Bay Area Has 6 Criteria For Loosening Coronavirus Restrictions. Here’s Where Each County Is Now
As much success as the Bay Area has had battling the coronavirus with aggressive social distancing efforts, public health experts say the region will remain largely shut down until they can put in place a robust infrastructure to prevent future flareups. When six counties announced last week that they are extending stay-home orders through the end of May, they also unveiled benchmarks they will use to determine when they can safely reopen the region. (Allday, 5/3)
Sacramento Bee:
Why You Can’t Get Your Teeth Fixed In CA: Dentist Need Masks
In mid-March, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration appeared to throw a lifeline to thousands of dentists who were terrified they’d have to close their offices, leaving cavities unfilled, cleanings unscheduled and dental diseases undetected. As one of the most dangerous professions for catching airborne infections, the dentists were anxious to build a stockpile of personal protection equipment just like California’s hospitals were doing. (Sabalow and Bizjak, 5/4)
CalMatters:
Billions In Coronavirus Aid Will Go To Farms. But Farmers Say It’s Not Enough To Keep Them Afloat
Food banks will benefit, but growers still can't stay afloat. It’s too costly to harvest and transport the food, and much of it is perishable, so they are destroying some crops, milk and livestock. (Tobias, 5/2)
San Francisco Chronicle:
SF Could Permanently Lose Half Its Restaurants To Coronavirus Pandemic, Group Says
Half of San Francisco restaurants could close permanently because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to an estimate from the Golden Gate Restaurant Association. Laurie Thomas, the association’s executive director, emphasized that the figure was highly uncertain. “Let’s hope that I’m wrong,” she said, adding that the association is conducting further research to get a clearer picture. (Galbraith, 5/3)
CalMatters:
Governor’s Promise To Immediately Feed Seniors Hasn’t Yet Delivered
It’s the latest example of an ambitious statewide coronavirus plan that was announced before it was ready to launch. Cities and counties were caught off-guard, even though they have to implement it. The total cost could reach billions of dollars per month. (Botts, 5/1)
Fresno Bee:
Former U.S. Judge: Lawsuits Against Shelter Orders Won’t Succeed
A former federal judge in Fresno is casting doubt on whether lawsuits against California’s shelter-in-place order could be successful in court. The lawsuits have become popular among business owners who say the order negatively impacts them financially. Gov. Gavin Newsom imposed stay-at-home orders in March to help slow the spread of coronavirus infections. (Rodriguez-Delgado, 5/3)
Fresno Bee:
Coronavirus Cases Rise Higher In Fresno, Tulare, CA Counties
Fresno and Tulare counties each reported more cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, with smaller or no changes elsewhere in the central San Joaquin Valley. Eighteen additional positive results were posted by the Fresno County Department of Health, bringing the total to 633. (Galaviz, 5/2)
Los Angeles Times:
Coronavirus: Fed Up L.A. Tenants Try Rent Strike, Disobedience
Chris Tyler lost his job at a restaurant on March 15 — the same day Mayor Eric Garcetti banned sit-down food service to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus in Los Angeles. A couple of weeks later, he and his partner decided not to pay rent for the one-bedroom apartment they share in Silver Lake. “It’s a decision that I have made personally that is both political and very much out of necessity,” said Tyler, 31. “I don’t think it’s an unreasonable choice to make in the middle of a global pandemic.” (Dillon, 5/1)