Projections show California COVID-19 cases and deaths rising more than expected
From the LAT's ALEX WIGGLESWORTH and LAURA KING: "California is one of a handful of states where coronavirus cases and deaths are rising faster than researchers expected, according to the latest calculations in a widely relied-upon model of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Christopher Murray, director of the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that the institute’s latest projections suggested the nationwide fatality count would reach 137,000 by Aug. 4. It stands now at nearly 80,000.
The picture is mixed in some of the country’s most populous states, he said.'
LAO: Virus’ fiscal impact lower than governor’s estimate
From the Legislative Analyst, via Capitol Weekly: "This report—our Spring Fiscal Outlook—provides an update on the budget’s condition in light of this seismic shift. Specifically, we provide our estimates of the potential size of the budget problem—assuming a baseline level of expenditures—that the Legislature could face for 2020‑21.
Ultimately, the May Revision will include different revenue estimates and expenditure proposals than we used to arrive at our assessment of the budget problem. In fact, the administration very recently released an estimate of the budget problem—about $54 billion—that is significantly higher than either of our estimates.
The intent of this document, however, is to give the Legislature a sense of our estimate of the baseline problem going into the May Revision and to help prepare policymakers for the tremendous fiscal challenges ahead."
State workers got furloughs before with a $40B budget hole. Now it's $54B
Sac Bee's WES VENTEICHER: "The last time California faced a massive budget deficit, the governor soon started talking about furloughs.
Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed unpaid days off for state workers in 2008, when the state faced a roughly $40 billion deficit.
On Thursday, the Department of Finance projected a $54 billion deficit, raising questions about where the state will look to reduce spending this time around."
READ MORE related to Economy: California launched a $1.2B Capitol renovation before the bust. Will it continue? -- Sac Bee's HANNAH WILEY/WES VENTEICHER/ADAM ASHTON; An economic tsunami could soon thrust half a billion people into extreme poverty -- LA Times's KATE LINTHICUM/NABIH BULOS/ANA IONOVA
Joe Biden accuser Amy Lappos says, 'I don't want to be weaponized'
The Chronicle's EMILIE MUNSON: "Amy Lappos, the Connecticut woman who a year ago alleged unwanted physical contact by former vice president Joe Biden, says she has been attacked on social media by individuals falsely suggesting she is hiding additional allegations against Biden.
The attacks started after Lappos tweeted about an interview in which another woman, Tara Reade, came forward with a sexual assault allegation against Biden. The online commenters have suggested Lappos is withholding part of her story because she backs Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign.
Pinned at the collision of the #MeToo movement and the hyper-partisan 2020 election, the onslaught of tweets, Facebook messages and text messages have left Lappos, 44, traumatized and scared, she said. For Lappos, who says she is a survivor of unrelated sexual violence, the attacks open deeply painful wounds."
Newsom's mystifying claim that California's first community COVID-19 case came from a nail salon
The Chronicle'sd MATTHIAS GAFNI: "On Thursday, when asked why personal services such as barbers and spas would not open in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom stated that the first community transmission of the coronavirus in the state came from a nail salon. On Friday, he repeated the claim.
His comments have caused a stir, shining a spotlight on an industry run predominantly by women and foreign-born residents that has been hurting since the shelter-in-place shutdown.
But is Newsom’s comment accurate? Publicly released data about a Santa Clara County case and records reviewed by The Chronicle raise questions."
READ MORE related to Pandemic: How close are Bay Area counties to meeting reopening criteria? -- The Chronicle's ERIN ALLDAY/JOAQUIN PALOMINO; Ill birthday party guest jokes about COVID-19 -- and infects others, CA officials say -- Sac Bee's DON SWEENEY
California prisons sell coronavirus masks to the state. Are the prices too high?
Sac Bee's WES VENTEICHER: "A California prison agency that relies on inmate labor is selling hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of masks and sanitizer to state government agencies, charging prices that give it a profit of about 80 cents a mask.
The California Prison Industry Authority is selling cloth barrier masks for up to $3.10 each to at least 14 state departments in the last three weeks, according to procurement records.
By contrast, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration is buying surgical masks, which can be disposable after one use, from Chinese manufacturer BYD for 55 cents each, according to contracts his administration released this week."
Bay Area cities face grim financial outlook amid budget slashing. Here's what they are planning to cut
The Chronicle's DOMINIC FRACASSA/RACHEL SWAN: "The economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic is leaving deep scars on the budgets of Bay Area cities.
While the newest round of health orders that took effect last week across much of the region relaxed restrictions for some businesses, efforts to stop the spread of the virus by sheltering in place and shuttering most commercial activity have walloped cities across the board.
Sales tax revenues have plunged, as have hotel tax receipts, and income from parking, tourism and other funding sources. That has forced cities to confront difficult, complex spending choices while dealing with a still-unfolding pandemic as pressure mounts to reopen."
Students to take Advanced Placement tests online at home, with mixed feelings
The Chronicle's JILL TUCKER: "Over the next two weeks, millions of teenagers across the country will take Advanced Placement exams to determine whether they should earn college credit for high school coursework.
This year, those students will take those high-stakes tests at kitchen tables or in bedrooms, perhaps in pajamas, and with full access to textbooks or the entire internet.
In the Bay Area, with some of the most prestigious public and private high schools in the country, students often take multiple exams during their four years of high school, giving many of them a year’s worth of college credit."
Feared shortage of ventilators in the US could turn into glut
AP: "As requests for ventilators from the national stockpile crescendoed in late March, President Trump made what seemed like a bold claim: His administration would provide 100,000 within 100 days.
At the time, the Department of Health and Human Services had not ordered any new ventilators since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in January. But records show that over the following three weeks, the agency scrambled to turn Trump’s pledge into a reality, spending nearly $3 billion to spur U.S. manufacturers to crank out the breathing machines at an unprecedented pace.
An analysis of federal contracting data by the Associated Press shows the agency is now on track to exceed 100,000 new ventilators by around July 13, about a week later than the 100-day deadline Trump first gave on March 27."
Cool weather incoming with showers predicted in NorCal, forecast shows
Sac Bee's VINCENT MOLESKI: "After a warm Mother’s Day, the Sacramento area could be in for a turn in the weather.
Northern California has endured weeks of summer-like weather, but a reprieve is expected in the form of rain showers Monday afternoon and possibly through Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
“After getting a taste of the summer the last few days it will feel more like spring this week,” the NWS’s Sacramento office wrote in a forecast. “Shower chances and cooler temperatures return to NorCal."
READ MORE related to Environment/Climate: Shark kills 26-year-old surfer off closed NorCal beach, officials say -- Sac Bee's DON SWEENEY; Man killed by shark was fixture in Santa Cruz surfing community -- The Chronicle's TATIANA SANCHEZ/TONY BRAVO
Jerry Stiller dead at 92
LA Times's GINA PICCALO: "Jerry Stiller, father of actor Ben Stiller and best known for his Emmy-nominated portrayal of the outrageous and combustible Frank Costanza on NBC’s “Seinfeld,” has died of natural causes. He was 92.
Stiller’s time on the Jerry Seinfeld sitcom not only cemented his place in American pop culture. As he once recalled, it represented “the best years of my life as an actor.”
His death was announced by Ben Stiller, who tweeted early Monday: “I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes. He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad."
Jobs picture will get worse before improving, Treasury secretary says
LA Times's LAURA KING: "With the coronavirus outbreak ravaging the U.S. economy and joblessness reaching Depression-era heights, Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin acknowledged Sunday that things were “probably going to get worse before they get better,” but he predicted a rebound later in the year.
And as the outbreak’s repercussions widened, Vice President Mike Pence’s office denied Sunday evening that he was in quarantine, after multiple news reports said the vice president was self-isolating. Last week, a spokeswoman for Pence — Katie Miller, wife of senior White House aide Stephen Miller — tested positive for the coronavirus.
Spokesman Devin O’Malley said the vice president, who heads the administration’s coronavirus task force, planned to be at the White House on Monday and said he had repeatedly tested negative for the virus."
