COVID surge: California braces for latest wave

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“It’s increasingly likely most of us will have a date with COVID if we haven’t yet.”

Last week’s evaluation from Dr. Matt Willis, Marin County’s public well being officer, took on newfound significance Tuesday, when the California Department of Public Health reported that the state’s seven-day COVID take a look at positivity fee had reached 5% for the primary time since February, on the tail finish of the omicron surge that sickened large swaths of the workforce.

• Experts say the precise positivity fee is nearly actually a lot increased, on condition that many Californians self-test at residence and don’t report the outcomes, whereas different contaminated residents could not take a look at in any respect.

Also Tuesday, the extensively revered Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center introduced that the United States has formally surpassed 1 million reported COVID-19 deaths — although the college famous “the number of fatalities is likely much higher.”

More than 90,000 Californians have died of COVID, based on state information — although the Golden State’s loss of life fee has remained pretty secure and low in latest months. And whereas CalMatters’ tracker reveals that statewide hospitalization charges are starting to tick again up, simply 1,527 COVID-positive sufferers have been within the hospital on Monday — a far cry from the practically 12,900 in late January on the peak of the omicron wave.

Nevertheless, a rising group of native public well being officers — together with greater than a dozen within the Bay Area and Southern California — are urging residents to masks up in public locations and keep away from nonessential indoor gatherings or transfer them open air. One small Monterey college district reinstated its indoor masks mandate. And Apple indefinitely postponed its plans to require workers to return to the workplace three days every week beginning subsequent Monday.

The rise in circumstances — which consultants say seems to be pushed by a mixture of extremely contagious omicron subvariants; elevated testing; relaxed restrictions; and waning immunity from vaccination, boosters or prior an infection — might take a look at Gov. Gavin Newsom’s long-term plan for coping with COVID, with the state’s main election proper across the nook.

And it might additionally pose issues for California’s coronavirus-battered financial system, which remains to be struggling to return to pre-pandemic ranges.

• In the Bay Area, the COVID surge is colliding with a persistent employee scarcity, forcing many eating places to briefly shut down, the San Francisco Chronicle studies.
• Stella Dennig, co-owner of Oakland’s DAYTRIP restaurant: “In the end, it’s a burden on restaurant workers whose incomes obviously rely on staying open … and us as restaurant owners, who end up either covering for multiple roles every night, or stressing about the business tanking. It’s a lose-lose.”
• Meanwhile, as youngsters return to in-person studying — decreasing the demand for on-line lessons — unvaccinated Los Angeles Unified educators who’ve been educating on-line might lose their jobs in the event that they don’t get inoculated, the Los Angeles Daily News studies. The news comes as California grapples with a widespread trainer and substitute trainer scarcity.

The coronavirus backside line: As of Monday, California had 8,757,871 confirmed circumstances (+0.6% from earlier day) and 90,219 deaths (+0.1% from earlier day), based on state information now up to date simply twice every week on Tuesdays and Fridays. CalMatters can also be monitoring coronavirus hospitalizations by county.

California has administered 75,489,752 vaccine doses, and 75.2% of eligible Californians are absolutely vaccinated.

Other Stories You Should Know

1
‘Critical fire weather’ looms

Californians ought to gear up for a water conservation “mandate for mandates,” Gov. Gavin Newsom mentioned throughout a Tuesday go to to a Carson water recycling facility. By that, he meant his order to water suppliers to step up by June 10 their native responses to California’s devastating drought — a transfer which may not go over too nicely, on condition that residents in March recorded the most important soar in water use because the drought started.

• Newsom: “I hope folks just pause and reflect on two things. We’re remarkably resilient and resourceful. We got through a five-year drought, 2012 to 2016. We’ll get through this year. That requires us to do things a little differently, be a little more creative. … The approach this year is different than the old administration. It’s bottom-up, not top-down. State vision will be realized at the local level, local flexibility, local strategies, lessons learned from the previous drought … and scaling those plans and best practices all across this diverse state.”
• The governor’s workplace additionally inspired Californians to restrict out of doors watering, take showers as quick as 5 minutes, keep away from baths, use a brush as an alternative of a hose to scrub out of doors areas and solely wash full a great deal of laundry.

The news comes as California braces for a spate of sizzling, dry, windy climate that would see temperatures soar to triple digits and gusts attain 45 miles per hour in some components of the state — or, because the National Weather Service’s Sacramento workplace put it, “critical fire weather conditions” on Thursday and Friday. Incidentally, new analysis accounting solely for the affect of local weather change discovered that the variety of California properties going through extreme wildfire danger might develop sixfold over the subsequent 30 years to 600,000, the Los Angeles Times studies.

2
California election updates

In the crowded area of candidates vying to be California’s subsequent controller, Ron Galperin is the one one whose title will seem subsequent to the job title he seeks on voters’ June 7 main poll. The Democratic controller of town of Los Angeles is hoping that “golden ballot designation” will assist catapult him into the highest two and the November normal election, Sameea Kamal studies on this complete breakdown of Galperin’s 75-minute interview with CalMatters.

• Galperin: “I’m the only one who’s running for this office who has spent the last nine years as a controller, and who’s actually done this day after day. I think what we need is somebody to step into this role, who actually knows what it is that they are doing.”

Other election news you need to know:

• Attorney General Rob Bonta is looking for to make a reputation for himself not solely as California’s prime cop, but additionally as its prime enforcer of housing legal guidelines. In the latest episode of the “Gimme Shelter” podcast, Bonta sat down with CalMatters’ Manuela Tobias and the Los Angeles Times’ Liam Dillon to debate his method to housing enforcement. One of the latest developments: An Orange County Superior Court decide accredited Tuesday Bonta’s request to pause Anaheim’s $320 million sale of Angel Stadium amid an ongoing FBI probe into Mayor Harry Sidhu, who allegedly sought marketing campaign contributions from the Angels in change for serving to finalize the stadium deal. Also Tuesday, the FBI charged the previous head of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce in a separate corruption case.
• Sacramento County District Attorney and legal professional normal candidate Anne Marie Schubert introduced the decision of a 1998 homicide chilly case utilizing DNA proof, the latest instance of her workplace utilizing that methodology to crack open high-profile circumstances. Schubert additionally garnered the endorsement of Ralph Diaz, who retired as head of California’s state jail system in October 2020. Schubert “is a leader in fighting against the early prison release policies that are putting violent criminals back into our communities before they are adequately rehabilitated,” Diaz mentioned.
• Developments within the Los Angeles mayoral race: City Attorney Mike Feuer grew to become the latest candidate to drop out of the race on Tuesday and endorsed Rep. Karen Bass. Meanwhile, rapper Snoop Dogg endorsed billionaire businessman Rick Caruso, who final week secured the backing of one other former mayoral contender, City Councilman Joe Buscaino.

3
Can you steadiness CA’s funds?

This week, state lawmakers are holding a raft of hearings to debate Newsom’s $300.7 billion funds proposal and extra absolutely flesh out their very own priorities for spending California’s whopping $97.5 billion surplus. They have till June 15 to ship a balanced plan to Newsom’s desk — however the actual query is, how would you spend all that cash?

• Now you’ll be able to put your concepts to the take a look at with this splendidly enjoyable “Spend the Surplus Game” from CalMatters information journalist John Osborn D’Agostino. Want to move a wealth tax? That’ll internet you $22.3 billion. But wish to create a single-payer well being care system for all? That’ll price you $200 billion. To get a greater really feel for how Newsom and lawmakers need to juggle competing priorities, see if you could find a approach to obtain all your coverage targets with out operating a deficit.
• CalMatters surveyed 2,050 readers to see how they might spend the state’s funds surplus. Here are a few attention-grabbing takeaways, courtesy of Itzel Luna, a fellow with CalMatters’ College Journalism Network: Nearly 46% supported taxing the ultra-rich, however nobody backed making a single-payer well being care system primarily based on a $200 billion annual price estimate.
• John Robinson, a 50-year-old Pinole resident, mentioned common well being care was his spending precedence. “But unfortunately because of its cost — and the game really makes it clear — it’s just impossible to do. No matter how much you increase the budget, you just can’t pay for it.”

Other issues value your time

Some tales could require a subscription to learn

How a beloved California trainer repeatedly groomed teenage women for intercourse. // Business Insider

Decades later, former foster kids allege abuse at MacLaren Children’s Center. // Los Angeles Times

When home violence turns deadly: California researchers discovered frequent thread in killings. // Sacramento Bee

Taiwan’s president condemns California church capturing. // Associated Press

This physician was killed saving his mom’s congregation in Laguna Woods church capturing. // Los Angeles Times

Boudin and fentanyl: Court information reveals simply 3 drug dealing convictions in 2021 as immigration considerations formed coverage. // San Francisco Standard

Bay Area ‘white lives matter’ rally sparks outrage in wake of Buffalo mass capturing. // San Francisco Chronicle

How a San Diego church grew to become a nexus of right-wing political organizing. // Voice of San Diego

Popular Seal Beach pickleball courts taken over by councilman’s nonprofit. // Orange County Register

Indictment: Man stole UCSD college students’ identities, obtained $200K in COVID unemployment advantages. // San Diego Union-Tribune

COVID stipends trigger outcry at Alameda County Office of Education. // EdSource

California to attraction ruling overturning state regulation mandating ladies on company boards. // CalMatters

Most California trainer preparation applications flunk math instruction. // EdSource

Job program gives some hope in neighborhood at heart of Sacramento’s homeless disaster. // CapRadio

Bay Area diesel costs are hovering. Could they push the price of client items even increased? // San Francisco Chronicle

Finding a spot to hire in Los Angeles has develop into a aggressive sport. // Los Angeles Times

In the San Joaquin Valley, quickly rising college districts endure overcrowding. // EdSource

Study finds mysterious DDT chemical compounds in California condors. // Los Angeles Times

Environmentalists oppose extra life for California nuke plant. // Associated Press

East Village Green, downtown San Diego’s long-promised park, now prices $80M and comes with fewer options. // San Diego Union-Tribune

An city wildlife bridge is coming to California. // New Yorker

Reading the tea leaves as California’s early votes are available in. // Capitol Weekly

Your BART story: Transit company solicits literary works to spice up ridership. // San Francisco Chronicle