Why California says it can afford to lend 500 ventilators to other states
Sac Bee's HANNAH WILEY: "Gov. Gavin Newsom defended on Thursday his decision to send 500 ventilators this week to the national stockpile, saying California won’t need the machines for weeks and should in the meantime help states with more dire and immediate coronavirus demands.
“Some people have expressed some concern about California’s willingness to extend a hand to New Jersey, New York, Illinois, D.C., to Maryland, to Nevada and to other states across this country by lending ventilators to deal with the crisis at hand in those states,” Newsom said during his daily COVID-19 press conference. “We thought it was the right thing to do, but I also want you to know it was the responsible thing to do as American citizens, from a moral and ethical imperative, to save lives.”
Newsom’s administration has worked with the hospital systems and private companies to refurbish, build and acquire new and donated ventilators, an effort that the governor said put California in the position to be able to lend the 500 machines."
READ MORE related to Pandemic: How far has COVID-19 spread? This quick bloodtest may provide some answers -- LA Times's MELANIE MASON/SUSANNE RUST; Why Sacramento's health director is keeping golf courses open during a pandemic crisis -- Sac Bee's TONY BIZJAK; Is California staying home? Here's what GPS phone data say in pandemic -- Sac Bee's CHACOUR KOOP; News of death should not come by phone.. Doctors struggle to adapt to pandemic's reality -- LA Times's MEREDITH BLAKE; How COVID-19 replicates inside you -- LA Times's JENNIFER LU; We can't shelter in place forever: How the lockdown might end -- LA Times's DEBORAH NETBURN; 113-year-old Bay Area woman plans to survive her second global pandemic -- The Chronicle's STEVEN RUBENSTEIN; Speedy virus tests make inroads at Bay Area clinics -- The Chronicle's CATHERINE HO; Social distance puts squeeze on multigenerational homes -- The Chronicle's OTIS R TAYLOR JR; How long does the virus stay on surfaces and in the air? -- The Chronicle's AIDIN VAZIRI
COVID-19 already changing medical care in the United States
LA Times's NOAM N LEVEY: "The coronavirus pandemic, which has fueled widespread speculation about potential long-term changes to American life, is already causing one important shift: It has accelerated moves to restructure how basic medical care is provided and paid for in the U.S.
Doctor groups and insurers say in just the last month, there’s been a dramatic surge of interest in large-scale changes in the way primary care doctors are paid, an overhaul that policy experts have envisioned for decades.
“I’m a little amazed,” said Shawn Martin, vice president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. “The sense of urgency and financial instability brought on by the crisis has accelerated ideas that we have been noodling on for years."
READ MORE related to Health Care: Rising from their own sickbeds, medics head back to front lines -- AP; Bay Area hospitals redefine 'elective' procedures -- The Chronicle's SAM WHITING
Bipartisan Capitol push for rape crisis center funding
From Capitol Weekly's SCOTT SORIANO: "A bipartisan group of state legislators are urging increased funding for California’s 84 rape crisis centers as reports of sexual assault and domestic violence rise under COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders.
The push across partisan lines has developed in recent weeks. Although required by state law to perform numerous services that include crisis intervention and counseling, the centers get most of their money from private donations, local penalties and fees, and Congress — but not the state.
When Gov. Newsom’s draft budget dropped in January, total general fund support for the centers remained at $45,000. Legislative sources said a number of lawmakers planned to fight for more money, although it was too early to get into specifics."
CDC extends 'no sail' order, cruise ships must create pandemic response plan
The Chronicle's ANNA BAUMAN: "The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extended its “no sail” order for all cruise ships, the agency announced Thursday, in an effort to prevent further spread of COVID-19.
The order requires all cruise ships within U.S. waters to cease operations and develop a COVID-19 response plan that they must submit for CDC approval, the agency said.
“The measures we are taking today to stop the spread of COVID-19 are necessary to protect Americans, and we will continue to provide critical public health guidance to the industry to limit the impacts of COVID-19 on its workforce throughout the remainder of this pandemic,” said CDC Director Robert Redfield."
-- A 34-year-old ICU nurse in South Korea sketches the 'heroes and fighters' working all around him in a COVID-19 isolation ward --
Biden proposes expanding Medicare eligibility and student debt
LA Times's JANET HOOK: "In a peace offering to progressives a day after Sen. Bernie Sandersquit the presidential race, Joe Biden announced support Thursday for an expansion of Medicare and education policies that move closer to his former rival’s agenda.
Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, proposed expanding government health insurance coverage by lowering the eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 60.
The former vice president also called for forgiving college debt for low- and middle-income borrowers at public colleges and universities as well as at minority-focused private institutions."
PG&E customers getting a credit on their April bill, but it's not extra
The Chronicle's KATHLEEN PENDER: "Don’t be misled by an email coming from PG&E about a credit on your April bill.
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. forwarded to some customers an email from the California Public Utilities Commission saying their April bill will include a credit that“may help offset energy costs from higher usage as Californians have stayed at home during the recent month in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.”
In reality, PG&E customers were entitled to this California Climate Credit before the coronavirus came along. It’s just good timing that the credit, which always comes in April, will arrive at a time when residential electricity usage is spiking and many people have lost income."
State telemeeting about fishing ban erupts into chaos. 'Make fishing great again!'
Sac Bee's RYAN SABALOW/HANNAH WILEY: "The California Fish and Game Commission abruptly canceled a teleconference Thursday morning amid cries of “make fishing great again!” and “fascists!” before it could consider authorizing a limited ban on sportfishing in some areas.
Earlier this week, a group of conservative politicians, sheriffs and media outlets told their followers that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration was planning to outright cancel the fishing season statewide because of COVID-19.
Some rural communities fear too many out-of-town anglers would import the new coronavirus and infect residents. About 1 million licensed anglers regularly fish California’s waterways through the year, making the state one of the country’s most active fishing states."
April rains put a dent in the drought, at least in SoCal
LA Times's PAUL DUGINSKI: "U.S. Drought Monitor data released Thursday show that less of California is abnormally dry, and more of the state is drought-free.
The improvement is mostly in Southern California and along the Central Coast, while data for Northern California show little change.
A cold upper-level low has meandered around Southern California after stalling off Point Conception, dropping moderate to heavy rain and mountain snow for the last several days. For example, downtown Los Angeles received 1.10 inches of rain on Monday, breaking the old record for the date of 0.84 of an inch set in 1958."
2 Sacramento men released from ICE custody by judge ruling on virus risk
Sac Bee's ANDREW SHEELER: "Two Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees are returning home to Sacramento after a federal judge ordered their release from custody due to their risk of contracting severe illness from the coronavirus.
Charles Joseph and Gennady Lavrus of Sacramento were among four men ordered released by U.S. District Court Judge Maxine Chesney, of the Northern District of California.
Joseph and Gennady, along with Salomon Medina Calderon and J Elias Solorio Lopez, all have underlying medical conditions that put them as heightened risk from COVID-19 while they remain in custody, Judge Chesney found."
READ MORE related to Immigration: In Oaxaca, this scientist is a hometown boy made good. The US says he's a Russian spy -- LA Times' PATRICK J MCDONNELL; Trump admin, citing COVID-19, expels 10K migrants in less than 3 weeks -- LA Times's MOLLY O'TOOLE
How self-employed and gig workers can get help during the pandemic
Sac Bee's DAVID LIGHTMAN: "For the self-employed, the promised good news of the federal stimulus was that it should be easier now to get unemployment benefits in California and the rest of the country. But implementing the program has proven to be chaotic and confusing.
In California, the unemployment system is overwhelmed with an unprecedented number of jobless claims – 2.4 million as of Wednesday – making it particularly difficult for those who have not previously sought benefits, and the state itself, to get answers or clarity.
“People just can’t get through,” said Katie Vlietstra, vice president for government affairs and public relations at the National Association for the Self-Employed. “And even if you do get someone on the line in California, they’re not always sure what to do to process the benefit."s
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READ MORE related to Economy: Unemployed Californians to get an extra $600 in weekly benefits starting Sunday amid crisis -- LA Times's PATRICK MCGREEVY; Sacramento's restaurant scene was flourishing before the virus. Will it ever recover? -- Sac Bee's BENJY EGEL; States do battle for viral protective gear in a market driven by chaos and fear -- LA Times's ANNA M PHILLIPS/DEL QUENTIN WILBER/JIE JENNY ZOU; Proposed OPEC deal reportedly includes cutting 10M barrels of oil per day -- AP
College counselor clashed with Lori Loughlin's husband over daughter's qualifications, records show
LA Times's MATTHEW ORMSETH: "Two years ago, a college counselor at Marymount High School, an elite all-girls school on Los Angeles’ Westside, got a call in his office: J. Mossimo Giannulli, the fashion designer and husband of actress Lori Loughlin, was at the front desk and wanted to see him.
The counselor, Philip Petrone, had told USC he doubted that Giannulli’s daughter rowed competitively, as her college application stated, given her busy schedule as a video blogger. Moreover, he shared his concern that her family was working with William “Rick” Singer, an independent counselor Petrone suspected was misleading colleges.
On his way downstairs, he thought the visit from Giannulli had something to do with this. He thought right."
READ MORE related to Education: Distance learning begins soon for Sacramento-area students. But will everyone have a laptop? -- Sac Bee's SAWSAN MORRAR
Sacramento property taxes due Friday to avoid penalties. only four counties OK'd payment delay
Sac Bee's DALE KASLER: "The feds are giving you until July 15 to pay your income taxes because of the coronavirus pandemic. Same with the state of California.
But property taxes are due Friday, thank you, and if you miss the deadline you could face a 10 percent penalty.
Sacramento County and other counties in the state are sticking with the traditional April 10 deadline because they say they need the money for essential services like public health and schools. The California Association of Counties said last week that county tax collectors plan to cancel the penalties “on a case-by-case basis” for those facing hardships due to COVID-19."
Jail watchdogs won't keep track of virus cases in lockup. Activists want answers.
Sac Bee's JASON POHL: "California’s jail watchdogs have no plans to collect and publish information about how many inmates and employees have been infected with the coronavirus, the state board overseeing county lockups said Thursday.
Despite already gathering data on jails, including about their population and conditions, officials with the California Board of State and Community Corrections deferred to the state’s health department to release such information. But the health department has not yet even provided details about outbreaks in other types of facilities, like nursing homes.
That means jails for the foreseeable future will remain a patchwork of black boxes for the public as the pandemic deepens. Meanwhile, California’s prison system publishes daily updates about people who test positive for coronavirus, what facility they are in and how many test results are pending."