Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
A Judge Takes His Mental Health Struggles Public
Tim Fall, a sitting judge in California’s Yolo County, decided to break the silence on his mental health issues with a book published during a campaign year. Depression and anxiety, he says, shouldn’t disqualify candidates from any profession. (Mark Kreidler, )
California’s Covid Case Rate Is Twice Florida’s: Covid cases in California are no longer falling. They have risen back to the CDC’s red level of “high” virus transmission, as the delta variant continues to wreak havoc, especially in the less vaccinated inland counties of the state. California’s case rate is now twice Florida’s and well above that of Texas. Read more from the Bay Area News Group and Tribune News Service. Newsweek also covers the rise in covid cases.
Black Students Could Be Disproportionately Affected By School Vaccine Mandates: Black students in the Bay Area are being vaccinated against covid at far lower rates than their peers, raising concern that they could be disproportionately shut out of public schools as some school districts in the region require students to be immunized before returning to class. In five core Bay Area counties, 85% of all students ages 12 to 17 have received at least one shot compared with just 52 percent of black students. Read more from the Bay Area News Group.
Below, check out the roundup of California Healthline’s coverage. For today's national health news, read KHN's Morning Briefing.
More News From Across The State
Associated Press:
Proof Of Vax Required As Strict Mandate Takes Effect In LA
Yoga studio owner David Gross felt relieved after Los Angeles passed a vaccine mandate that is among the strictest in the country, a measure taking effect Monday that requires proof of shots for everyone entering a wide variety of businesses from restaurants to shopping malls and theaters to nail and hair salons. For Gross, the relief came from knowing he and his co-owner don't have to unilaterally decide whether to verify their customers are vaccinated. In another part of town, the manager of a struggling nail salon feels trepidation and expects to lose customers. “This is going to be hard for us,” Lucila Vazquez said. (Weber and Dazio, 11/7)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. Restaurants In Low-Vaccine Areas Brace For New Mandate Hits
“Is this the beginning of the end?” Kim Prince asked during a recent phone call. “We have been in a period of pivot, pivot, pivot. I just want to fry chicken.” On Monday, Prince, who owns Hotville restaurant at the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw mall, and all other restaurateurs in the city of Los Angeles will have to pivot again to comply with a new ordinance that requires customers to show proof of a vaccine or a negative COVID-19 test to dine indoors. (Harris, 11/07)
AP:
Appeals Court Halts COVID Vaccine Mandate For Larger Businesses
A federal appeals court on Saturday temporarily halted the Biden administration's COVID-19 vaccine requirement for businesses with 100 or more workers. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted an emergency stay of the requirement by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration that those workers be vaccinated by January 4 or face mask requirements and weekly tests. (11/6)
ABC News:
Dr. Vivek Murthy Defends Biden's Vaccine Mandate As 'Necessary'
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy defended the actions of the Biden administration in a Sunday interview on ABC's "This Week" after it announced a sweeping COVID-19 vaccine mandate for companies with 100 employees or more. "The president and the administration wouldn't have put these requirements in place if they didn’t think that they were appropriate and necessary, and the administration is certainly prepared to defend them," Murthy told ABC News "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz, adding that the U.S. has a history of using vaccine requirements to protect the population. (Demissie, 11/7)
AP:
Biden Vaccine Mandates Face First Test With Federal Workers
President Joe Biden is pushing forward with a massive plan to require millions of private sector employees to get vaccinated by early next year. But first, he has to make sure workers in his own federal government get the shot. About 4 million federal workers are to be vaccinated by Nov. 22 under the president's executive order. Some employees, like those at the White House, are nearly all vaccinated. But the rates are lower at other federal agencies, particularly those related to law enforcement and intelligence, according to the agencies and union leaders. And some resistant workers are digging in, filing lawsuits and protesting what they say is unfair overreach by the White House. (Long and Sisak, 11/7)
USA Today:
Over Half Of Employees Would Report A Coworker For Violating Vaccine Mandates, Study Says
Most employees favor President Joe Biden's efforts to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for employees at large companies, and many workers would consider reporting a co-worker for violating the vaccine rules, a new study suggests. ... A vast majority of employees view vaccinations as a political issue, which can be tough to navigate in a professional workplace, the survey also found. An overwhelming 84% of employees said politics influences their company leaders’ handling of vaccine, mask and testing policies. In fact, the top reason people reported for staying unvaccinated was a lack of trust in the government. (Shen, 11/7)
Los Angeles Times:
Far Fewer Californians Getting COVID-19 Booster Shots Than Expected, Bringing New Alarms
Demand for COVID-19 booster shots in California has been slower than some health officials anticipated, according to data obtained by The Times, sparking new concerns of at-risk populations losing immunity as the risky holiday season approaches.The alarm is particularly high for elderly people and those with compromised immune systems, groups who have the highest risk of suffering severe consequences or death from breakthrough inflections. Officials are also strongly recommending that all recipients of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine get a booster shot.
San Francisco Chronicle:
Less Than Half Of San Francisco's COVID-19 Booster Shots Have Gone To Seniors So Far
When COVID-19 vaccines became available early this year, San Francisco, like the rest of California, prioritized getting shots to its elderly population. By May 1, 81% of San Franciscans aged 65 and older had been fully vaccinated — far more than the city’s overall vaccination rate of 47% by that day.But the city has not been as successful in prioritizing seniors for COVID-19 booster shots, according to the latest data from the San Francisco Department of Health. (Nielson, 11/06)
AP:
NBA To Players, Coaches, Refs: Booster Shots Are Recommended
The NBA told its players, coaches and referees on Sunday that they should receive booster shots against the coronavirus, with particular urgency for those who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The league and the National Basketball Players Association — working jointly based on guidance from the NBA’s public health and infectious disease experts — said those who received Johnson & Johnson shots more than two months ago should get a booster. The booster recommendation also was made for those who received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine at least six months ago. (Reynolds, 11/7)
NBC News:
These Southern California Groups Are Fighting To Close Latino Vaccination Gaps
A Latino Covid-19 vaccination gap in California's third largest county has medical workers and community groups scrambling to close the disparities before the holidays. Latinos are the second largest demographic group in Orange County, making up 35 percent of the population, but they have the lowest vaccination rate — 21.8 percent —according to OC Health Care Agency data. (Flores, 11/5)
Bay Area News Group:
Why Only One-Third Of Pregnant Women Are Vaccinated
Pregnant women are among the most health-conscious Americans — taking vitamins, limiting coffee, avoiding alcohol, exercising and eating well. But only 31% are vaccinated against the dangerous COVID-19 virus, less than half the 69.7% vaccination rate of other U.S. adults and even lower than traditionally resistant groups, such as young men, low-income rural residents and conservative Republicans. (Krieger, 11/08)
San Francisco Chronicle:
'Somos Vecinos:' S.F.'s Neighborhood Clinics Begin Vaccinating Children Ages 5 To 11
The Excelsior site — which the health department created earlier in partnership with the Latino Task Force and Excelsior Strong — is one of nine community vaccine clinics in San Francisco. With the help of community-based groups, the clinics have been integral in getting vaccines into communities of color. The health department will also be opening up four vaccination sites at schools next week. “It’s all about accessibility and closeness,” said Dr. Ariel Franks, the health department’s vaccine task force equity lead. Between drugstores, doctors’ offices and community clinics in a system of nearly 100 sites across the city, “everyone in San Francisco should be 10- to 15-minute walk from a vaccine.” (Echevarria, 11/06)
Modesto Bee:
Modesto Hospital Makes Appeal For COVID-19 Vaccinations
Board members of Doctors Medical Center in Modesto are making their own appeal for COVID-19 vaccinations. The approaching holiday gatherings will create conditions for spreading the SARS-COV-2 virus. In addition, flu viruses will be making people sick, creating a dual threat that could fill hospital beds with patients suffering from the flu or COVID-19 pneumonia. (Carlson, 11/06)
CIDRAP:
Survey Reveals Entrenched US COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy
A detailed national survey of Americans, which included residents of the four largest US metropolitan areas, found that about half of those unwilling to be vaccinated against COVID-19 were unlikely to change their minds. A research team based at Emerson University published their findings yesterday in Scientific Reports. The 36-question survey of 6,037 Americans was conducted in April 2021, roughly a year into the pandemic. One third of the respondents were part of the national sample, and two thirds were from Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York City. (11/5)
The Wall Street Journal:
Covid-19 Vaccines And Myocarditis Link Probed By Researchers
Some theories center on the type of spike protein that a person makes in response to the mRNA vaccines. The mRNA itself or other components of the vaccines, researchers say, could also be setting off certain inflammatory responses in some people. One new theory under examination: improper injections of the vaccine directly into a vein, which sends the vaccine to heart muscle. To find answers, some doctors and scientists are running tests in lab dishes and examining heart-tissue samples from people who developed myocarditis or pericarditis after getting vaccinated. (Loftus, 11/7)
Bay Area News Group:
Sea Otters Being Given Vaccines At Monterey Bay Aquarium
When Dr. Mike Murray’s needle was ready, the scene gave a new definition to “vaccine hesitant.” There was wriggling and squirming, even with four assistants wearing thick, bite-proof gloves holding the patient on a mat with a duffel bag filled with foam. “Buzz saw in a fur coat,” Murray joked after administering the shot into a patch of thick fur. (Rogers, 11/6)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Here's Why The Bay Area Landed Back In The Red And Orange CDC Tiers For COVID Spread
Maybe it was all too good to be true. As COVID-19 case rates fell through the autumn, it seemed as if finally the pandemic was drawing to an end. But then, as it has so many times before, the coronavirus threw another punch. After slow but steady improvement in the public health metrics, the numbers hit a wall. As of Tuesday this week, the entire Bay Area returned to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s orange “substantial” and red “high” categories of coronavirus transmission. (Echevarria, 11/06)
The New York Times:
She Died With Long Covid. Should Her Organs Have Been Donated?
Potential donors are routinely screened now for coronavirus infections before their organs are removed. Generally, the organs are considered safe for transplantation if the test is negative, even if the donor has recovered from Covid. But there is no universally accepted set of recommendations regarding when organs can be safely recovered from virus-positive bodies and transplanted to patients in need. Complicating the question is the fact that people with long Covid, whose debilitating symptoms may persist for months, mostly do not test positive for the infection. Some researchers fear the virus may be present nonetheless, hiding in so-called reservoirs within the body — including some of the very organs given to transplant patients. (Caryn Rabin, 11/7)
NBC News:
Covid Antibody Drugs Could Protect People With Weak Immune Systems
Even as the Covid delta wave ebbs in the U.S., millions of people with compromised immune systems remain trapped in an anxious and sequestered limbo. A considerable portion of this population, research indicates, remains highly vulnerable to the coronavirus even after three or four vaccine shots. Many immunocompromised Americans, including people with cancer, autoimmune disorders and transplanted organs, are impatiently awaiting what could be their ticket back to some semblance of normalcy: the ability to receive periodic injections of long-acting monoclonal antibodies. This, research suggests, could provide them the substantial protection against Covid-19 that in their cases vaccination may not. (Ryan, 11/7)
CBS News:
When Will Americans Be Able To Get A COVID-19 Antiviral Pill?
As the U.S. braces for a potential new wave of the virus this winter, there are promising signs that the first pill to treat COVID-19 in some at-risk Americans could be available by the end of the year. A panel of the Food and Drug Administration's outside advisers is scheduled to meet on November 30 to weigh a potential emergency use authorization for molnupiravir, an antiviral drug developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics that recently won authorization in the United Kingdom. (Tin, 11/5)
Stat:
Not All Covid Waves Look The Same: A Snapshot Of The Delta Surge
At first, Joyce Dombrouski thought it might just be some kind of blip. Maybe it was Montana’s summer tourists. But then, at one point this August, St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula had 30-plus Covid inpatients — “and we thought 30, a year ago, was a horrific number,” said Dombrouski, the chief executive of Providence Montana. It just kept growing. ... The Delta-caused wave that now seems to be sloping downward has different demographics than previous waves, and provides a snapshot of the current state of the pandemic in the United States. .... divides in who’s getting seriously ill — rooted in geography, in vaccination status — seem to have grown, and epidemiologists don’t think those two trends are unrelated. (Boodman, 11/8)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Child Care In California Hasn't Rebounded, And Many Workers Aren't Coming Back
California lost about 27,800 child care workers between February and April of 2020 — or roughly a third of its workforce — according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. From then through September of 2021, about 19,600 have come back. Still, the workforce is about 10% smaller than it was pre-pandemic. Even before the pandemic, however, there wasn’t enough child care available in California to meet families’ needs. Labor issues that long bubbled below the surface are now driving acute staffing shortages: low pay, long hours and limited benefits. That makes it hard to earn a living in the industry that supports the rest of the economy. (Gedye, 11/7)
Los Angeles Times:
How Does COVID-19 Change The Brain? This Scientist Is Finding Out
The disease may be best known for its ability to rob people of their breath, but as the pandemic spread, patients began reporting a disconcerting array of cognitive and psychiatric issues — memory lapses, fatigue and a mental fuzziness that became known as brain fog. There were also more acute problems, including paranoia, hallucinations, thoughts of suicide and psychosis. This strange constellation of symptoms has led researchers to suspect that the disease is mounting a direct attack on the brain. Researchers want to figure out how — and what the assault’s long-term effects may be. (Khan, 11/05)
NPR:
Advice For Cold, Flu And COVID-19: Wear A Mask And Wash Your Hands
Cold and flu season is coming up, on top of the still ongoing COVID pandemic. The number of cases of flu in the U.S. last year was low because people were still at home and masking up. But this year, cases could go up. And many are asking, how do they avoid getting sick? (Silver, 11/6)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Longer Wait Times Expected As Land Ports Open Today To Vaccinated Travelers From Mexico
The San Ysidro Port of Entry reopens today to tourism and family visits for vaccinated travelers after almost 20 months of restrictions because of the pandemic — and just before the busy holiday shopping season. Border communities on both sides heaved a sigh of relief — while at the same time bracing for what could be very heavy traffic, long waits and crowds at the land ports. (Wendy Fry and Alexandra Mendoza, 11/8)
AP:
As Rules Ease, Travelers Head To US For Emotional Reunions
The U.S. lifted restrictions Monday on travel from a long list of countries including Mexico, Canada and most of Europe, setting the stage for emotional reunions nearly two years in the making and providing a boost for the airline and tourism industries decimated by the pandemic. Wives will hug husbands for the first time in months. Grandmas will coo over grandsons who have doubled in age since they last saw them. Aunts and uncles and cousins will snuggle babies they haven’t met yet. (Leicester and Loller, 11/8)
AP:
EXPLAINER: How US Rules On International Travel Are Changing
More than a year and a half after COVID-19 concerns prompted the U.S. to close its borders to international travelers from countries including Brazil, China, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom and much of Europe, restrictions are shifting to focus on vaccine status. Beginning Monday, bans on travel from specific countries are over. The U.S. will allow in international travelers, but they must be vaccinated — with a few exceptions. (Arbel, 11/8)
San Francisco Chronicle:
COVID Shots Are Under Way For Young Kids. So When Will California End Its School Mask Mandate?
Federal approval of vaccines for 5- to 11-year-olds last week marked a turning point in the pandemic, with all school-aged children now able to get the shots. But it also sparked what has become an urgent, and potentially divisive, question among many parents: How much longer are kids going to have to wear masks at school? (Allday and Tucker, 11/07)
AP:
Schools Take Lead Role In Promoting Vaccines For Youngsters
With the approval of the COVID-19 vaccine for younger children, many elementary schools around the U.S. are preparing to offer the shots, which educators see as key to keeping students learning in person and making the classroom experience closer to what it once was. Some district leaders say offering vaccine clinics on campus, with the involvement of trusted school staff, is key to improving access and helping overcome hesitancy — particularly in communities with low overall vaccination rates. (Eaton-Robb, 11/7)
The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat:
After-School COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics To Begin Tuesday
Sonoma County parents can begin to get COVID-19 vaccinations for children ages 5 to 11 on Nov. 9. The Sonoma County Office of Education, in partnership with Sonoma County Department of Health Services and Sonoma County school districts, chose dozens of sites around the county, with a focus on equity. (Minkler, 11/4)
CBS News:
First Lady Jill Biden And Surgeon General Vivek Murthy Kick Off Kids Vaccination Campaign
First lady Jill Biden and Dr. Vivek Murthy, the surgeon general, will be visiting a children's vaccination clinic at a school in McLean, Virginia, with historic significance in vaccine delivery. Franklin Sherman Elementary School was the first school in the nation to give children the polio vaccine in 1954. Jill Biden and Murthy are starting a campaign to get COVID-19 vaccine shots into the arms of children between the ages of 5-11 years of age. (Jiang, 11/6)
Los Angeles Times:
Court Order Reinstates Distance Learning For Disabled Students
State officials must act immediately to provide distance learning that is comparable to last year for students with disabilities and also adequate to their overall needs, a judge has ordered. The court finding, in the form of a temporary restraining order issued Thursday, will provide immediate relief for 15 students — with several dozen others that could follow — but there are broad implications for students across California. (Blume, 11/05)
Los Angeles Times:
Suits Against Nursing Homes Over COVID-19 Deaths Face Hurdle
As grieving relatives have accused facilities of deadly failures amid COVID-19, Silverado and other companies have argued that they have immunity from such suits under a federal law invoked during the pandemic. They have pointed to the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, which provides protection against legal claims related to “countermeasures” during a public health emergency. The law is triggered by a federal declaration and has previously been invoked for Ebola, Zika and other threats. (Alpert Reyes, 11/05)
The New Republic:
Kaiser Permanente Nurses And Health Care Workers Prepare To Strike Over Two-Tiered Pay
On November 4, a handful of unions representing more than 30,000 Kaiser Permanente workers notified the health system of their intention to strike on November 15, a move that would be among the largest hospital workplace actions in recent memory. The strike, should workers not make a deal with their employer, would be truly massive in scope. It would affect at least 366 facilities in Southern California alone, spanning from hospitals and medical offices to clinics in Target department stores, as well as facilities in Oregon and Southern Washington. (Osberg, 11/8)
YourCentralValley.Com:
Thousands Of California Kaiser Nurses, Health Care Workers Plan To Strike
A union representing thousands of Kaiser Permanente employees delivered a 10-day notice to one of the nation’s largest health care providers Thursday, saying they will go on strike beginning Nov. 15. The United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals are striking over Kaiser Permanente’s proposals to “depress wages for current employees and slash wages for incoming workers during a national health care staffing crisis,” the union said in a news release. (Kiszla and Habeshian, 11/6)
inewsource:
Congress Reacts To Inewsource VA Health Care Investigation
Members of Congress described inewsource’s investigation into the VA health care system as “troubling,” “alarming” and “unacceptable,” emphasizing that the issues raised by the reporting merit further congressional scrutiny. “I am increasingly alarmed by the concerns I hear from veterans and from stories like this one,” said Rep. Mike Bost, R-IL, ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “They all point to one thing — VA not following the law and holding veterans hostage to a health care system that is not serving them.” (Castellano, 11/05)
East Bay Times:
Marin’s Busy Veterinarians Face Exhaustion As Pandemic Wears On
These days, Dr. Shay Redfield said the pattern has been the same. Her practice, West Marin Pet Hospital in Fairfax, is “booked solid, weeks out,” said the veterinarian, who said it has been “10- to 12-hour days, five days a week” since the COVID-19 pandemic began. (Hanson, 11/8)
Modern Healthcare:
Healthcare Employment Tops 16 Million, The Most Since Early 2020
Healthcare employment rebounded somewhat in October after a dip in September. The healthcare industry added an estimated 37,200 jobs in October after a slight decline in September, when the industry shed 1,000 jobs—a revised count that shows a much smaller decrease than the government's previous report. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published its latest preliminary jobs data on Friday. (Bannow, 11/5)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
First-Ever Biotech Company Spins Out Of San Diego Blood Bank
For the first time in its 70-year history, the San Diego Blood Bank is spinning off a life science company in a bid to use blood cells to treat cancer, autoimmunity and other deadly diseases, the organization announced Friday. Community Bio will function as an independent, for-profit company. The firm plans to supply other life science companies and research groups with the materials they’ll need to develop and test so-called cell therapies, which use cells rather than teeny molecules or bulky proteins to treat disease. (Wosen, 11/5)
Orange County Register:
OC’s CalOptima Names Interim Leader As Richard Sanchez Retires
Michael Hunn, a former hospital executive with Providence Health & Services in the Greater Los Angeles area, has been named interim chief executive officer of CalOptima, the public agency that is the health care insurer for the poor and the disabled in Orange County. CalOptima’s board of directors selected Hunn on Thursday, Nov. 4, to fill the top post to be left vacant with the retirement of Richard Sanchez. Sanchez left his position as director of the Orange County Health Care Agency to join CalOptima in April 2020, shortly after the start of the coronavirus shutdown. Sanchez started as interim director at the publicly funded CalOptima and became permanent CEO only a year ago, in November 2020. (Walker, 11/05)
The Hill:
Spending Bill Faces Senate Scramble
President Biden’s climate and social spending bill is facing the threat of changes in the Senate as Democrats navigate a slim majority and tricky budget rules. Even as House Democrats have spent days agonizing over trying to work out an agreement that could win over nearly all of their members — ultimately punting until at least mid-November as moderates push for an analysis of the bill — Senate Democrats are warning that it is likely to change once it reaches their chamber. The bill faces multipronged challenges in the Senate: An even narrower majority, complex rules governing what can be in the legislation and a chaotic process that lets Republicans try to peel off enough Democrats to inject changes into the legislation or sink it altogether. (Carney, 11/7)
The Wall Street Journal:
Biden Gets $1 Trillion Down Payment On Domestic Agenda; Obstacles Loom For Spending Bill
President Biden notched a big win with the House passage of the $1 trillion public-works bill late Friday, but political obstacles loom ahead for the White House as attention shifts to an even bigger spending bill and next year’s midterm elections. Congress is set to take a weeklong recess and return on Nov. 15 with a litany of items to complete in short order to avert a government shutdown and move forward on the roughly $2 trillion education, healthcare and climate package that has proven difficult to negotiate with the party’s slim majority in Congress. (Timiraos, Andrews and Talley, 11/7)
AP:
Biden Hails Infrastructure Win As 'Monumental Step Forward'
President Joe Biden on Saturday hailed Congress’ passage of his $1 trillion infrastructure package as a “monumental step forward for the nation” after fractious fellow Democrats resolved a months-long standoff in their ranks to seal the deal. “Finally, infrastructure week,” a beaming Biden told reporters. “I’m so happy to say that: infrastructure week.” (Fram and Mill, 11/6)
CNBC:
Medicare Has Coverage Gaps Despite Congressional Effort To Expand It
If Democratic lawmakers get their way, Medicare will start covering hearing services for the first time in the program’s history. The coverage, which would take effect in 2023, is included in Democrats’ proposed $1.85 trillion spending bill, dubbed the Build Back Better Act and aimed partly at strengthening the social safety net. The legislative package still needs approval in both the House and Senate before it could be signed into law by President Joe Biden. (O'Brien, 11/6)
Stat:
New Court Rulings Add To The Dispute Over A U.S. Drug Discount Program
In the latest twist in a closely watched legal battle, two different federal court judges late last week reached largely conflicting views about the approach taken by the U.S. government to enforce a controversial prescription drug discount program. One judge decided the federal government overstepped its bounds when it threatened earlier this year to penalize Novartis and United Therapeutics for curtailing discounts in what is known as the 340B drug discount program. However, the judge in the other case, which was brought by Sanofi and Novo Nordisk, took the opposite view, yet at the same time also told the government to reassess a key issue concerning the use of contract pharmacies, which are at the heart of the dispute. (Silverman, 11/6)
Stat:
Walensky’s Efforts To Resuscitate The CDC Are Faltering
Operating via Zoom from her home office in Newton, Mass., Rochelle Walensky is facing down a challenge that would sound herculean for even the most hardened players in the federal bureaucracy: resuscitating the CDC. Her challenge is especially tough because as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Walensky is a political outsider and finds herself playing second fiddle to Anthony Fauci, the face of the U.S. pandemic response who has advised presidents for decades. And there’s this: The White House has not hesitated to undercut Walensky’s scientific expertise, and the agency’s scientific process. (Facher, 11/8)
Modesto Bee:
Modesto-Area Second Harvest Copes With Rising Food Costs
Nearly two years into the pandemic, the increased need for food shows no signs of abating. Manteca-based Second Harvest reports it is providing 485,000 pounds of food per week in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties, with 42% of that going to Stanislaus County. (Valline, 11/07)
AP:
Food Banks Embark On Expansions With Lessons From COVID
Food banks across the country are pursuing major expansion projects driven in part by their experiences during the pandemic, when they faced an explosion of need. “So many people who had never had to ask for help found themselves in a position of needing it and not knowing where to go,” said Ginette Bott, president and chief executive of the Utah Food Bank. “It was like somebody flipped a switch.” Even though demand for fresh and packaged provisions has dropped from pandemic peaks, the need remains far above pre-pandemic levels. (Thanawala, 11/5)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento, California Homeless Living In Tents Has Doubled
The number of tents across Sacramento County has “easily doubled” since the last time officials conducted a homeless census in early 2019, according to the researcher in charge of the biennial count. During the last count in January 2019, researchers estimated there were 5,570 homeless people living in Sacramento County on any given night, in tents, vehicles and shelters. The count was scheduled to occur again in January 2021, as required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, but was canceled due to the pandemic. (Clift, 11/08)
Modesto Bee:
Modesto CA Police Using Outreach Workers On Homeless Calls
The Modesto police have started a new team to engage with the homeless people who commit quality-of-life offenses — including drinking in public and camping in parks — that often frustrate residents. The team consists of civilian outreach specialists. While they work closely with the police and respond to nonviolent calls, the specialists free up officers’ time, allowing officers to focus more on higher-priority calls. (Valine, 11/08)
AP:
Southern California Enacts New Smog Rules On Refineries
Southern California air regulators on Friday approved new restrictions on area oil refineries and other factories that could remove tons of smog-forming pollutants from the air. The board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District adopted rule changes requiring emissions limits on oxides of nitrogen that will affect nine refineries and seven plants that produce asphalt, biofuel plants, hydrogen and sulfuric acid. (Jablon, 11/6)
Los Angeles Times:
Mono Lake Is Source Of Powder Fine Air Pollution
For those who live near the briny shores of California’s Mono Lake, October can be a dreaded month. That’s when turbulent winds scour Mono’s exposed lake bed, or “bathtub ring,” and launch clouds of fine dust that blanket homes, ranch lands and scenic trails. For 50 years, the vast lake has been a source of so-called PM10 particulate — a dust so fine that it can clog human airways, penetrate the lungs and aggravate serious heart and lung diseases, such as asthma. (Sahagún, 11/06)