Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
How to Weigh Evacuation Options With Both Wildfires and COVID at Your Door
As the twin disasters of COVID-19 and fire season sweep through California, thousands of residents are weighing difficult options, pitting risk against risk as they decide where to evacuate. Amid a virulent pandemic, where can you safely relocate? (Jenny Gold, )
California Will Continue Testing Despite CDC Guidance, Newsom Says: New guidance on coronavirus testing and travel issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention drew strong pushback from California officials Wednesday. The CDC now says people without symptoms do not need to be tested, even if they were in contact with an infected person. “I don’t agree with the new CDC guidance. Period. Full stop,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday. “We will not be influenced by that change.” Read more from Colleen Shalby and Phil Willon of the Los Angeles Times, Daniel Wu of the Bay Area News Group, Catherine Ho of the San Francisco Chronicle and Martin Espinoza of the (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat.
State Senate Screeches To A Halt After Lawmaker Tests Positive: The California Senate abruptly canceled its session Wednesday after a lawmaker tested positive for the coronavirus, putting the Legislature’s work in jeopardy as they rush to pass legislation ahead of a Monday deadline. Sen. Brian Jones, a Republican from Santee, confirmed in a Facebook post that he had tested positive for the virus. Jones wore a mask on the Senate floor Monday, as is required. He said that he is getting tested again to ensure his results are accurate. Read more from Adam Beam of the Associated Press, Katie Orr of KQED and Jeremy B. White of Politico.
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
Bay Area News Group:
Coronavirus: Improvement Even In Worst Parts Of California
New cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations from the virus in California continued to nosedive Wednesday in the latest data released by state and local health departments, and even the hardest-hit regions appeared to be on the mend. Both numbers reached lows not seen since the final week of June: a seven-day average of 5,887 new cases per day, the lowest since June 30, with 4,424 patients currently hospitalized, the fewest since June 25, according to data compiled by this news organization. (Webeck, 8/26)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County Reports Cases Of Newborns With COVID-19 For First Time
Los Angeles County officials on Wednesday reported the first cases of COVID-19 among newborns. Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer reported that 1,200 pregnant women and girls between the ages of 14 and 52 have tested positive for the virus and two have died of complications. Of the 193 babies who were tested at birth, eight were positive. (Shalby, 8/26)
Los Angeles Times:
Most Nursing Home Inspectors Still Not Tested For COVID-19
A month after Gov. Gavin Newsom promised an aggressive program to test nursing home inspectors for the deadly coronavirus, at least 60% still have not been tested, state health officials acknowledged. Newsom ordered the testing in late July after a Los Angeles Times investigation found that, since the beginning of the pandemic, state health officials had been sending inspectors from nursing home to nursing home — many of which had raging outbreaks — without testing those inspectors to make sure they were not spreading the virus themselves. (Dolan and Mejia, 8/26)
Los Angeles Times:
Second L.A. Bus Driver Dies Of Coronavirus
A Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus driver has died of complications from COVID-19, Los Angeles County officials said Wednesday. The operator, whose name has not been released, worked out of Division 2, a bus yard at 15th and San Pedro streets in downtown Los Angeles. He had been with the agency for 22 years, Metro spokesman Dave Sotero said. (Nelson, 8/26)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Advocates Say Public Health Oversight Of Mesa Verde Necessary To Ensure Safety Of Detainees
A coronavirus outbreak at the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield has prompted local advocates to call on Kern County Public Health Services to assert greater control over the facility. Over half of the immigrant detainees held at Mesa Verde have contracted COVID-19, according to documents released as part of a class-action lawsuit. ICE’s website states that the facility currently holds 52 COVID-positive individuals, with six others that have since tested negative or been released. (Morgen, 8/27)
Los Angeles Times:
Can Downtown L.A. Survive The COVID-19 Pandemic?
Four months into the pandemic, never has the city seemed so upside down. Parking attendants wave flags to the empty streets. Storefronts, boarded-up from break-ins, merge with stalled construction sites. Homeless camps double as sidewalk bazaars. (Curwen, 8/27)
EdSource:
UC Students Could Face Discipline For Gatherings That Violate Health Regulations, Officials Warn
Top leaders of the University of California system warned Wednesday that students could face various disciplines if they violate health regulations and social distancing rules with the type of crowded parties that have spread Covid-19 infections at university campuses across the state and country. UC president Michael Drake, who became head of the 10-campus system this month, and John A. Pérez, chairman of the UC Board of Regents, both declined to specify the type of sanctions for gatherings that exceed health limits or for refusing to wear masks in public. They said those decisions would be made campus-by-campus and would be judged on a case-by-case basis depending on the situation. (Gordon, 8/27)
Orange County Register:
California Supreme Court To Weigh In On Orange County Board Of Education Lawsuit Over Distance Learning
The California Supreme Court has taken the rare step of quickly taking up two lawsuits – one of them filed on behalf of the Orange County Board of Education – to reopen schools for in-class learning. The state’s highest court has asked Gov. Gavin Newsom to respond by this Friday to petitions filed directly with the court. (Kopetman, 8/26)
Bay Area News Group:
More Than 100 California Schools Received Reopening Waivers
California health officials have granted more than 100 waivers to allow districts and schools — mostly in Southern California — to reopen for in-class instruction in counties where only remote online instruction is allowed due to coronavirus outbreaks. Of the 113 schools and districts that the California Department of Public Health consulted with local authorities on waiver requests, all but four were approved, according to the list the agency posted Wednesday afternoon. (Woolfolk and Woo, 8/26)
LA Daily News:
Student With Cerebral Palsy Navigates Rigors Of Distance Learning, With Help From Mom, Teachers
Teal Phillips’ mom wakes her each morning at 7 a.m., though she won’t log on to her first online class for a couple of hours. Los Angeles Unified School District students, teachers and families are adjusting to their return to distance learning this semester amid the resurgent coronavirus pandemic in Los Angeles County. The Chatsworth High senior’s morning routine is unlike her peers’, however. Teal has cerebral palsy. She uses a wheelchair and is nonverbal. (Fattal, 8/26)
San Francisco Chronicle:
A Double Threat Of Coronavirus And Wildfire Doesn’t Stop Casino Patrons In Lake County
Moments before Sarah Anderson and her husband strolled into the Twin Pine Casino & Hotel in Middletown on Wednesday night, a 747 flew low overhead, having just dumped a load of fire retardant on the northern edge of the LNU Lightning Complex a few miles away. The proximity of the fire, which released thick gray smoke into the skies, did not really bother Anderson, who lives in Lower Lake. Nor was Anderson bothered too much by the risk of exposing herself to COVID-19 inside the casino, which is allowed to be open since it is run by a tribal government. (Cabanatuan, 8/26)
Bay Area News Group:
Gyms, Massage Studios In Contra Costa County Get Clearance To Do Outside Business
“Cautiously optimistic” health officials in Contra Costa County gave the go-ahead to nail salons, massage studios and other small businesses shuttered by COVID-19 to re-open with outdoor operations later this week. The announcement came Wednesday and goes into effect Friday, Contra Costa Health Services spokesman Karl Fischer said. The new order will bring into alignment both the local county health order and the statewide mandate. (Hurd, 8/26)
Bay Area News Group:
Alameda: Not Wearing A Mask Can Cost You
Don’t like wearing a mask in a public place because it feels uncomfortable? Or you do think it’s ineffective? Think again. People who violate Alameda County health orders aimed at stopping the coronavirus could face fines ranging from $250 to $1,000 under an ordinance that the Alameda City Council will consider Tuesday. (Hegarty, 8/26)
Los Angeles Times:
LA Zoo Reopens On Limited Basis With Coronavirus Precautions
The small, bushy meerkat crawled out of its dusty home Wednesday morning and lifted itself atop the highest rock. It was an unusual shift for the elder keeping guard of its pack, including the new litter of pups. For one, the people that this small African mongoose saw weren’t the usual humans that it has observed for the past few months. (Vega, 8/27)
Bay Area News Group:
Santa Clara County Gave 49ers, Earthquakes Guidelines To Return
A Santa Clara County public health officer said Wednesday officials insisted the San Francisco 49ers and San Jose Earthquakes create testing programs that did not drain county resources before approving a plan to return to play. The Earthquakes will play the Portland Timbers tonight in the first professional sports event in the county since the coronavirus pandemic shutdown many activities 5 ½ months ago. The 49ers are scheduled to open the season Sept. 13 at Levi’s Stadium against the Arizona Cardinals. (Almond, 8/26)
Los Angeles Times:
California Targets Diesel Trucks, Ships With Pollution Cuts
California air quality officials are poised to adopt their biggest pollution-cutting regulations in more than a decade, targeting diesel trucks and cargo ships that spew much of the state’s cancer-causing and smog-forming emissions. The state Air Resources Board is expected to vote after a public hearing Thursday on two rules: one to establish stringent new emissions standards for heavy-duty diesel trucks and one to reduce pollution from ships docked at ports. (Barboza, 8/27)
Fresno Bee:
Homeless Count Grew In Fresno, Madera Counties Before COVID-19
About 1,133 more people are homeless in Fresno and Madera this year, a 45% spike from 2019, according to new numbers announced on Wednesday. Total homelessness in Fresno and Madera grew from 2,508 people in 2019 to 3,641 people in 2020, according to results from January’s point-in-time count — three months before the coronavirus pandemic hit the central San Joaquin Valley and devastated the national economy. (Tobias, 8/26)
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Renters Likely To Get Only Short-Term Eviction Relief From State
State lawmakers nearing a deadline for action to avert mass evictions of California tenants who can’t pay their rent because of the coronavirus pandemic are working on a measure that is likely to provide only a short-term solution, those involved in the negotiations say. The proposal is expected to keep a statewide moratorium on eviction proceedings against tenants hurt economically by the pandemic in place through the beginning of next year. A longer-term solution for tenants and landlords who are encountering economic problems of their own because of nonpayment of rent would be put on hold, in hopes the federal government would step in with relief money. (Koseff, 8/26)