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California Healthline Original Stories
In Legislative Shuffle, California Prioritizes Safety Gear and Sick Leave During Crisis
Lawmakers are calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign bills that would address the challenges of the current COVID-19 crisis and help the state prepare for future pandemics. (Rachel Bluth and Angela Hart and Samantha Young, )
Behind The Byline: 'At Least I Got the Shot'
Check out KHN’s video series — Behind the Byline: How the Story Got Made. Come along as journalists and producers offer an insider’s view of health care coverage that does not quit. (Heidi de Marco, )
Californians Warned To Take COVID Precautions At The Beach: As Southern California gets hit with another heat wave bringing triple-digit temps inland in coming days, the coastline is expected to be especially crowded through the Labor Day weekend. State Parks South Coast District Superintendent Kevin Pearsall said there’s no anticipated beach closures or parking lot restrictions for the State Parks system’s beaches, which includes the popular Leo Carrillo north of Malibu, Bolsa Chica State Beach, Crystal Cove and Doheny State Beach. People must wear masks if entering a park building that is open, Pearsall said. Read more from the Orange County Register and the Los Angeles Times.
In related news:
LA Testing Centers Closed This Weekend: All drive-through testing sites run by the city will be closed Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday. But mobile teams will hold pop-up testing events at Union Station and the Carecen Day Labor Center in Westlake on Friday, and at Liberty Park in Koreatown and the L.A. Downtown Medical Center on Saturday, he said. Mobile teams also will be at Los Angeles City College in East Hollywood on Saturday. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
Note to readers: The California Healthline Daily Edition is off Monday. Look for it in your inbox Tuesday.
Below, check out the roundup of California Healthline’s coverage and the best of the rest of the news.
More News From Across The State
KQED:
Study Finds High Rate of Infection Among Latinos at Mission BART Station
A study conducted in San Francisco’s Mission District in August has found continued high rates of COVID-19 transmission among Latino workers. Tests conducted at BART’s 24th St. Mission Station showed a positive test rate of 9%, compared to 2.61% in San Francisco’s population overall. The vast majority of those who tested positive at the site were Latino (93%), speak Spanish as their preferred language (85%), make less than $50,000 a year (87%), and live in high-density households (79%). (Klivans, 9/3)
Orange County Register:
Zipper Manufacturer Closes Temporarily After COVID-19 Testing Costs Skyrocket
California’s decision to shift more COVID-19 testing costs onto private health insurance companies has wreaked havoc on Talon International, a Woodland Hills-based zipper manufacturer. Talon, which also produces custom labels and patches, had been contracting with Kyla, a San Jose company, to provide weekly testing to its 28 workers for $9.99 per employee per month via its software. (Smith, 9/3)
Bay Area News Group:
Santa Clara County To Keep Indoor Dining, Other Businesses Closed
Santa Clara County plans to maintain its current restrictions for most indoor activities, even if it moves into a new tier of Gov. Newsom’s reopening system as it is expected to do early next week, a top county official said Thursday. Newsom’s new color-coded framework tracks counties’ positivity rate and cases per 100,000 residents. Counties may move from purple (widespread transmission) to red (substantial) to orange (moderate) to yellow (minimal) after spending a minimum of three weeks in each category. (Kelliher, 9/3)
Fresno Bee:
This Fresno Restaurant Has Closed And The Owner Is So Unhappy About It He’s Holding A Rally
High Sierra Grill & Bar has closed and the owner is so frustrated he’s hosting a rally for small businesses. The restaurant on the corner of Bullard and West avenues has been closed for five months. The restaurant doesn’t have a patio, and with sun beating down on it all day, it wasn’t feasible or affordable to put tents and tables in the parking lot, said owner Manny Perales. (Clough, 9/3)
San Francisco Chronicle:
SFPD Gyms Have Remained Open During The Pandemic. So Why Are Private Ones Still Closed?
San Francisco police officers and other city employees have been able to use a dozen gyms during the pandemic, mostly inside police stations, despite the fact that private gyms have been closed to the public for the past several months. The Department of Public Health said Thursday that it “does not support” the police department’s use of indoor gyms, but health officials can’t put a stop to it because San Francisco’s health order allows departments to decide what is an “essential function.” (Thadani, 9/3)
Fresno Bee:
Mourners Remember Foster Farms Workers Who Died Of COVID-19
In front of grieving and frustrated community members at the Max Foster Sports Complex, Naindeep Singh echoed a familiar sentiment heard Thursday night about the treatment of workers at the nearby Foster Farms facility. “They call us essential, but treat us as expendable,” said Singh, the Executive Director of Jakara Movement, a statewide community and youth organization. “I’ve seen through letters and talking with others about what is happening inside.” The vigil was held to honor the victims of one of the largest coronavirus outbreaks in the San Joaquin Valley. Merced County health officials have said eight people have died and another 400 have been infected with COVID-19 at the Livingston plant. (Lopez, 9/4)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno Nurse From The Philippines Dies From COVID-19
A Fresno nurse at Community Regional Medical Center died from complications of COVID-19, the hospital announced. Oliver Isleta, a registered nurse in the CRMC Telemetry Unit, passed away Tuesday, according to the chief operating officer’s message to staff. “It is with indescribable sadness that I share the tragic loss of a very special member of our team, Oliver Isleta,” COO Craig Wagoner wrote to the staff. “I want to express my sincerest condolences to his family and to Oliver’s Community family who worked closest with him. (Anteola, 9/3)
Orange County Register:
Orange County School Districts Will Have Local Power To Manage Any COVID-19 Outbreaks
School districts will manage themselves in the event of a coronavirus outbreak on a campus once they are able to return to in-person instruction, which for most public districts is on track to be allowed as of Sept. 22, Orange County officials said Thursday, Sept. 3. Orange County CEO Frank Kim, speaking at press conference that addressed an array of subjects related to the reopening of schools, said districts will follow their own policies in deciding to stay open or not once they return to in-person instruction. (Albano, 9/3)
Sacramento Bee:
Twin Rivers Secures 10,000 Testing Swabs For Start Of School
Twin Rivers Unified is embarking on an ambitious plan, inching closer to the day its campuses will reopen by ordering thousands of saliva-based COVID-19 testing kits. It’s possibly the only one in the capital region and Northern California doing so on such a scale. The school district, home to more than 27,000 students, began voluntarily testing essential staff employees this week. About 1,000 testing kits arrived, and school officials ordered 10,000 in anticipation of resuming in-person instruction at some point this school year. (Morrar, 9/3)
Sacramento Bee:
Amid COVID, New Faces Soar At Food Banks And So Do Costs
Sacramento’s regional food bank is sending out an SOS. The coronavirus pandemic has ravaged Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services at exactly the time individuals and families need it most. “It’s not just food costs. It’s operational costs. It’s fuel. It’s labor. It’s boxes and tape,” said Blake Young, the food bank’s president and CEO. “We’re all bleeding cash because the demand is so high.” (Anderson and Smith, 9/3)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Three SF Supervisors, Environmental Groups Seek Ouster Of Health Official After Chronicle Investigation
Three San Francisco supervisors and a group of environmental activists are calling for a city public health official to be reassigned or fired, saying she misled the public about a helicopter survey of radioactive waste at two former naval bases in the city that were contaminated during the Cold War and are now being cleaned and turned into housing. The San Francisco Department of Public Health defended the official, Amy Brownell, saying she did nothing wrong in relying on the helicopter scan, which found no radioactive anomalies, to assure people the sites were safe. (Dizikes and Fagone, 9/3)
San Francisco Chronicle:
State Halts Operations At San Quentin Dental Clinic, Citing COVID-19 Hazard
The state’s workplace safety regulator has ordered San Quentin’s dental clinic to cease many of its operations, citing practices that have “contributed to the spread” of COVID-19 in the state prison. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health order comes after a massive coronavirus outbreak at the Marin County facility, which has to date infected more than 2,200 incarcerated men and 277 employees and killed 26 prisoners and one correctional sergeant. (Cassidy, 9/3)
AP:
California Prison's Dental Clinic Cited For COVID-19 Risks
The prison in the San Francisco Bay Area is the California lockup hit hardest by the coronavirus. More than 2,200 inmates — about two-thirds of the prison population — have been infected, along with nearly 300 employees. Twenty-six inmates — including several on death row — have died from confirmed or suspected infections. (9/4)
Sacramento Bee:
California Correctional Officers Sue Over Rectal Exams
The young men and women who had been selected to become correctional officers at California’s state prisons were ready to do whatever it took to get the coveted jobs. So they put aside their objections when medical workers at a group of Sacramento clinics told them they needed rectal exams before they could start training, several told The Sacramento Bee. About 190 current and former correctional officers who say they were subjected to the exams filed a lawsuit Thursday against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. They allege the exams, performed from around 2006 to 2016, were unnecessary and constituted sexual assault. (Venteicher, 9/3)
Orange County Register:
Pregnant Inmates Get Inconsistent Medical Care At Orange County Women’s Jail, Grand Jury Says
Pregnant inmates at Orange County Women’s Jail received inconsistent medical and custodial care, including one woman who was shackled to her hospital bed while suffering a miscarriage, according to a 2019-20 grand jury report. The report, presented this month to the county Board of Supervisors, reviewed 10 fetal deaths in Orange County custody and the treatment of pregnant inmates. (Saavedra, 9/3)
Los Angeles Times:
Amid Coronavirus, We Want To Party. Just Don't
It sure would be nice to escape all the bad news this Labor Day and gather with friends and maybe a family member or two or five for a cookout or bonfire, or to lounge around someone’s pool to escape the roasting temperatures while saying “ciao” to a bummer of a summer. Yes, it would indeed be nice — but we’re not going to be fooled again and hope you won’t either. Recent experience shows what could happen if we prematurely let down our guard, not to mention our face masks, while the coronavirus is still freely circulating. It’s a recipe for a giant toxic cocktail that may be refreshing in the moment but packs a killer hangover: a COVID-19 comeback. (9/4)
Southern California News Group:
Time Runs Out On California’s Legislative Session. What Did They Do Right, Wrong?
This year’s legislative finale wasn’t as crazy as last year’s, when a protester threw blood on the Senate floor. But, as the constitutional deadline loomed at midnight on Monday, lawmakers cursed and squabbled as they mulled the final bills. Memories of the late-night theatrics will fade away, but Californians will soon deal with the effects of many of the substantive bills that now are heading to Gov. Gavin Newsom. (9/1)
CalMatters:
Newsom's Third Try On COVID-19
Will the third time be the charm for Gov. Gavin Newsom and his somewhat erratic efforts to battle the COVID-19 pandemic while preventing irreparable damage to the state’s once-vibrant economy? Newsom won widespread praise for his earliest efforts at preventing spread of the sometimes fatal coronavirus six months ago, ordering widespread shutdowns of consumer businesses such as restaurants and bars. It set California apart from other states, such as New York, that were experiencing sharp spikes in infections and deaths. (Dan Walters, 9/2)
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Is Still Recovering From Its Coronavirus Information Breakdown
The cleanup of California’s coronavirus information meltdown continued this week as officials announced plans to stand up a new data collection system. The $15.3 million, six-month contract with Minnesota-based OptumInsight is more to the point than the Newsom administration’s initial response, which was to oust a top health official without explaining how that might address the technical lapses that left the state in the dark for weeks. (9/3)
Los Angeles Times:
Trump's Push For A COVID-19 Vaccine Will Cost Lives
The Trump administration is plainly counting on a vaccine for COVID-19 becoming approved by the Nov. 3 election, in the expectation that news of the discovery will inspire a tide of public optimism that will sweep Trump to reelection. Here’s a more judicious counsel about how you should be reacting to the administration’s push for rapid approval of a vaccine: Be afraid. Be very afraid. (Michael Hiltzik, 9/4)
Sacramento Bee:
Nancy Pelosi’s Dumb Salon Visit During Coronavirus Pandemic Deals Blow To Credibility
Shame on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for forcing us to agree with Fox News on something.On Tuesday, Fox released exclusive video of Pelosi visiting a San Francisco salon even though salons in the city were officially closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited a San Francisco hair salon on Monday afternoon for a wash and blow-out, despite local ordinances keeping salons closed amid the coronavirus pandemic,” wrote Brooke Singman of Fox News in a story highlighting Pelosi’s hypocrisy. (9/2)
Los Angeles Times:
Can We Leave Nancy Pelosi's Hair Alone?
So, let’s talk about Nancy Pelosi’s hair. Or, more specifically, the wash and blowout that the Democratic House Speaker from San Francisco got at a salon there that was shuttered by pandemic rules but somehow managed to open for her — and just her. Of all the rules surrounding the pandemic that she could have broken — having a dinner party, say, forgetting to put her mask on when she went to Safeway — she picked the one that would outrage everyone. Salon owners in California have been railing against laws that have closed and crippled their businesses for months. Everyone of every gender is desperate to get their hair cut — or colored, highlighted, balayaged, blown out, you name it. (Carla Hall, 9/2)
Los Angeles Times:
Hard Lessons Learned When COVID-19 Hit San Quentin Prison
San Quentin State Prison has been no match for the coronavirus. Of the nearly 3,200 incarcerated individuals, 2,237 have been infected, more than 100 have been hospitalized, and 26 have died. As we stand over the rubble of this public health disaster, still stunned by the events of the past three months, we are compelled to give our account as front-line physicians and offer some hard-earned lessons for preventing similar outbreaks in correctional facilities. (Haiyan Ramirez Batlle and John Grant, 9/4)
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Bill Would Enhance The Role Of Nurse-Midwives
In California, nurse-midwives really deliver — to the tune of 50,000 babies a year. These unsung women’s health practitioners attend 10% of all births, providing mothers in mostly rural and typically poorer communities with excellent maternity care, all while saving millions on medical costs. (Bill Dodd, 9/4)
Southern California News Group:
Pass The MORE Act, End Federal Cannabis Prohibition
The U.S. House of Representatives will vote later this month on the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, which would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, effectively putting the drug in the same category as alcohol. The MORE Act, which has over 85 cosponsors in the House, would lift the threat of federal prosecution for marijuana in states that have legalized it. (9/3)