Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
California GOP Consultant Rues ‘Big Mistake’ That Led to Family’s COVID Infections
Richard Costigan, a well-respected fixture in state Capitol circles, has detailed his family’s ongoing experiences with COVID-19 on social media after catching the virus — he surmises — at a backyard gathering. The former Schwarzenegger aide wants people to know this virus doesn’t care who you are. (Samantha Young, )
Newsom Unveils Rules For Elementary Schools: Some California elementary schools may be able to reopen for in-person classes this fall under a strict waiver system announced Monday by state officials. But because of the detailed rules, smaller schools — especially private and parochial campuses with more flexibility — will probably be among the most successful at meeting the special guidelines. The highly anticipated guidance follows Gov. Gavin Newsom's mid-July announcement that the state would generally require fully online learning for public and private schools located in counties on the COVID-19 watch list. Read more from Anita Chabria and Nina Agrawal of the Los Angeles Times and Katy Murphy and Jeremy B. White of Politico.
Youths Allowed To Practice Sports — Outside Or With A Mask On: Youth sporting events and competitions are outlawed in California for now, but practices may go on with strict regulations, according to new state guidelines released Monday evening. The rules cover school-affiliated, club and recreational youth sports programs. Teams will be allowed to practice as long as participants stay 6 feet apart. Activities should take place outside whenever possible, and indoor activity should be limited to exercise that can be done with a mask on. Read more from Michael Nowels of the Bay Area News Group.
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
Los Angeles Times:
Coronavirus Surge Slowing In California, But Don't Expect A Repeat Of Reopening Fever
There are growing glimmers of hope that California’s surge in coronavirus cases could be peaking — but don’t expect the pandemic-shattered economy to share much of this progress in the short term. A Los Angeles Times analysis found that California has now experienced its first weekly reduction in new confirmed coronavirus cases for the first time in 12 weeks. For the seven-day period that ended Sunday, California reported 59,697 new coronavirus cases, a drop of 9% from the previous week of 65,634 cases, which was a pandemic record. (Lin II and Lee, 8/4)
Capital Public Radio/KXJZ:
Is The Summer Surge Fading? California’s Test-Positivity Rate Finally Declines.
After stubbornly sitting above 7% for weeks, California’s 7-day average test-positivity rate fell to 6.1% on Monday — its lowest level in over a month. While Gov. Gavin Newsom said the number is an “early good sign,” he warned he still anticipates another wave of the virus in autumn. (Nixon, 8/3)
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Sees Signs Of Optimism In Controlling Coronavirus Surge
Three weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered a retreat from the coronavirus and reinstated statewide shutdowns for much of the economy, it appears the plan is working: California’s outbreak is showing signs of slowing down. Newsom rang cautiously optimistic at a news briefing in Sacramento County on Monday, noting that case counts and hospitalizations are dropping for the first time in several weeks. The percentage of people testing positive — a key indicator of the outbreak — is trending down too. (Allday and Gardiner, 8/3)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Sees COVID Declines Even As Central Valley Struggles
After months of escalating COVID-19 rates, California is finally seeing some promising declines, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday. About 6 percent of coronavirus tests came back positive in the last week, down from an 8 percent peak, Newsom said. The number of COVID-19 patients in California hospitals declined 10 percent since mid-July. Last week 7,764 people tested positive for the virus, a 21.2 percent decrease from the previous week. (Bollag, 8/3)
Capital Public Radio/KXJZ:
California Has Reported The First Teen Death From COVID-19. Here’s What Parents Need To Know
On Friday, California health officials announced the first COVID-19 death of a person under 18. The teen was treated at Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera. The California Department of Public Health said this person was between ages 12 and 17 and had underlying conditions, but would not release further information due to patient confidentiality. (Caiola, 8/3)
Fresno Bee:
2-Year-Old Girl, Family In Fresno Contract Coronavirus
Cassandra Erese, a Fresno mom of a 3-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy, knew something was wrong when she got a call from her fiancé on June 1. He said their toddler Isabel — who was two years old at the time — did not want to eat. When Erese got home from work, she noticed Isabel’s body felt warm. “As a mom, you know when their temperature is up above the norm,” she said. (Jiselle, 8/3)
Fresno Bee:
In Latest Update, Fresno County Sees Nearly 700 Cases Of COVID-19
Fresno County reported close to 700 new cases of the coronavirus since Saturday, according to the latest figures released Monday. The figures reported by the California Department of Public Health bring the county to a total number of infection of 15,759. There are 138 people hospitalized. The numbers in Fresno County have remained in a stubborn upward trend as officials continue to urge the public to take better measures to stop or slow the spread of COVID-19. (Rodriguez-Delgado, 8/3)
Fresno Bee:
CA Officials Make Plans For COVID-19 Strike Team In Fresno
A week after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the formation of three “strike teams” to respond to the continuing spread of COVID-19 in California’s Central Valley, wide-ranging meetings Monday and Tuesday are the first step in developing an action plan for the region. Leaders from Fresno County’s health, social services and emergency services agencies, as well as representatives of the local medical, agriculture and business communities are convening with officials from several state agencies to assess the situation and see what resources the state can bring to bear. (Sheehan, 8/3)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Local Company Struggles To Procure Ventilators For State's COVID-19 Response
A Bakersfield medical equipment supplier has fallen far short of its contractual commitment to provide the state with 8,000 ventilators for treatment of COVID-19 patients. As of Wednesday, Ashli Healthcare Inc. had sent the state just 188 of the breathing-assistance machines, or less than 2½ percent of the promised total, according to the agency that in April signed a $139 million, no-bid supply contract with the company. (Cox, 8/3)
LA Daily News:
Deal Between LAUSD And Teachers Will Set Standard For Distance Learning
A tentative deal has been struck between Los Angeles Unified School District and the union representing 33,000 teachers detailing what will be required of educators under distance learning to begin later this month, the union and district officials said Monday, August 3. Union members and the Board of Education are expected to vote to ratify the proposal this week. (Rosenfeld, 8/3)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Chula Vista Teachers Want Stricter School Reopening Criteria
San Diego County’s largest elementary school district and its teachers union disagree about when it will be safe enough to reopen schools and what a safe reopening looks like. School districts across the county and state are engaged in similar debates as districts work to reach agreements with teachers unions, which they need to finalize reopening and distance learning plans. (Taketa, 8/3)
San Jose Mercury News:
San Jose Teachers Required To Teach In Classrooms
Despite acknowledging the unknown long-term effects of COVID-19, the San Jose Unified School District is forcing most of its teachers back into the classroom next week for the start of the upcoming school year. Under a new agreement reached between the district and the San Jose Teachers Association, nearly 1,600 teachers will head back onto campus for the first day of school on Aug. 12. But unlike most years, they’ll be teaching their lessons in an empty classroom to students on the other side of a computer screen — without being given the choice to work from home. (Angst, 8/3)
San Jose Mercury News:
AT&T Offers 11,000 Hotspots To San Jose Students
As part of a citywide goal to prevent students from falling behind with virtual learning this school year, San Jose has partnered with AT&T to provide 11,000 hotspots to students and residents who have no internet access at home. “We have heard too often of our children in San Jose having to sit in a Burger King parking lot at 10 p.m. to finish their homework because they do not have broadband at home,” Mayor Sam Liccardo said during a news conference on Monday. “We cannot continue to move forward with our community where too many of our children are unable to learn online.” (Angst, 8/3)
Fresno Bee:
Protest Targets Sexual Assault At California’s Fresno State
More than 125 people marched from Fresno State to the Phi Mu Eta Zeta sorority house Monday afternoon, protesting sexual assault and rape culture in the university’s Greek community while a former student who alleges she was drugged and raped at a fraternity party spent most of the day in a Title IX hearing. As the protesters marched past Bulldog Lane and near the fraternity and sorority houses, they chanted “Phi Mu, we needed you” and “Silence is violence.” The marchers held signs that said #MeToo and called out rape culture. (Calix, 8/3)
Los Angeles Times:
Women Addicts Delivering Stillbirths May Face Murder Charges
It sounds like a nightmare scenario for women’s rights in California. Every time a woman suffers a late-term miscarriage or gives birth to a stillborn baby, she could potentially become the target of a homicide investigation, with police visiting homes and delivery rooms to carry out interrogations. Yet some medical and civil rights groups say that scenario is not so far-fetched if the murder prosecution of Chelsea Becker is permitted to proceed in a rural county of the San Joaquin Valley. They say it could judicially rewrite the state’s homicide statute, expanding it to apply to any pregnant woman whose conduct might have resulted in the loss of her pregnancy. (Wigglesworth, 8/4)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Bakersfield Hospitals Still Strained With Influx Of Patients
In his 30 years of hospital administration, Bruce Peters has seen nothing like it. The president and CEO of Mercy Downtown and Mercy Southwest hospitals said an increase in regular hospital admissions and a growing number of COVID-19 hospitalizations has resulted in the two hospitals being jampacked — beyond capacity in some cases. "This is the most unique, most stressful situation I’ve ever faced," Peters said. "There’s just been nothing like it prior to this in my personal work history. It’s very unusual." (Shepard, 8/3)
Los Angeles Times:
Couple Drove Through Flames To Escape Raging Wildfire
Ash from the massive Apple fire was falling like snow as Jack Thompson was double-checking clearances around his home at the Whitewater Preserve, a canyon wilderness about 12 miles northwest of Palm Springs. He noticed a nearby column of black smoke and that worried him. “I knew right away that this was a brand-new fire in my backyard,” said Thompson, 40. (Sahagun and Money, 8/4)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
In A First, San Diego DA Charges Ramona Gym Owner For Violating California's COVID-19 Shutdown Orders
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan has charged a Ramona gym owner with five misdemeanors for operating during the state’s shutdown orders, the first criminal charges filed against a business owner for violating public health orders aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. The charges were filed against Peter San Nicolas, owner of Ramona Fitness Center, who said he had to stay open in order to save a business he has owned for two decades. (Riggins, 8/3)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Bay Area Residents Mostly Wear Masks And Follow Coronavirus Rules. But There’s A Big Exception
Across the Bay Area, mask wearing appears to have risen sharply since California’s mask mandate took effect in mid-June. In stores and on busy streets, almost everyone wears a face covering. According to a July survey by the Public Policy Institute of California, 74% of respondents said people in their communities should wear masks in public places at all times, and another 12% said most of the time. But pockets of noncompliance remain — especially in outdoor parks, where people gather with friends. (Kramer, 8/3)
Sacramento Bee:
Restaurants Defy California County Coronavirus Orders To Shut
El Dorado County officials have suspended the health permits of two restaurants for failing to require employees to wear masks to protect against COVID-19. Both restaurants, however, have remained open in defiance of the county. (Bizjak, 8/3)
Sacramento Bee:
California Coronavirus Spike Could Hurt Sacramento Airport
Sacramento International Airport has continued to bounce back from a devastating spring that saw the coronavirus pandemic all but shut down air travel in and out of California’s capital, but airport officials are now watching the state’s most recent rush of COVID-19 cases for signs of a new slump ahead. “We have seen numbers slowly come back. It’s continued to trend that way, but the situation’s very dynamic,” airport spokeswoman Samantha Mott said Monday. (Smith, 8/3)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento Family: Racism, Not COVID-19, Caused Life Support
As Keona Hankston lay brain-dead Monday inside Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, outside her family declared that, while the coronavirus led her to seek care at the hospital, it was not the respiratory illness that put her on life support. “In less than a day, she went from laughing and telling me about being a new mom and how bad she was ready to come home and get away from the mean staff that was treating her like she was the plague,” said Hankston’s sister, Regina Gadlin. “Yes, my sister was infected with COVID-19, but let’s be clear that COVID is not responsible for her condition. It is the staff that disregarded her life and winged her procedure.” (Anderson, 8/3)
AP:
California To Let Absent Lawmakers Vote During Pandemic
The California Assembly changed its rules on Monday to let lawmakers at high risk for the coronavirus vote on bills without being present in the chamber, defying advice from the Legislature’s own lawyers who say the new rule is likely illegal. It’s the first time in the state Assembly’s 170-year history that absent lawmakers will be allowed to vote on bills. Assembly leaders say the rule is necessary to protect the health and safety of its members after a coronavirus outbreak last month infected at least six people who work there. One of two lawmakers to get sick was briefly hospitalized. (Beam, 8/3)
Sacramento Bee:
Do CA Democrats Have Time To Pass Laws After COVID Outbreak?
A common maxim in the California Legislature holds that lawmakers shouldn’t fall in love with their bills. This year, there are a lot of broken hearts in the Capitol. Hundreds of bills meant to alleviate the homeless crisis, decrease medical bills and bolster labor laws ran into the buzz saw of a legislative year twice abbreviated by the coronavirus outbreak. (Wiley, 8/4)
Capital Public Radio/KXJZ:
California Has Lost A Greater Share Of Revenue Than Most States Due To COVID-19
California's progressive tax structure means state revenue does well in good economic times but suffers more than most other states when there's a downturn. In January, California was projecting a $5.6 billion surplus, but the pandemic quickly transformed that into a $54 billion deficit. The Golden State tried a little bit of everything to help stanch the fiscal bleeding: lawmakers canceled new spending, drew from the state's rainy-day fund and limited tax breaks for large and medium-sized businesses. (Nixon, 8/3)