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Manteca is inching toward year round homeless shelter

in Around California

Manteca has taken the first step toward city funding of a year-round homeless shelter and services.

The City Council Tuesday authorized spending $180,000 in the first of what could be a series of six month contracts with the Turlock Gospel Mission to operate an emergency homeless shelter at 555 Industrial Park Drive.

The vote that extends the shelter through Sept. 30, 2021 also grants the city manager authorization to extend it for a second six-month period from Oct. 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022 for an additional $180,000.

They also approved a conditional use permit to allow the tent operation to legally take place in the industrial park much to the chagrin of neighboring property owners and businesses.

They expressed their dismay in an email to city officials sent via a representative. At least one owner that had spent significant money buying and repairing a nearby industrial building that had been damaged by an illegal marijuana growing operation several years ago has decided to sell due to the proximity of the homeless shelter. They have been experiencing non-stop issues with homeless that vandalize, trespass, and defecate on their property.

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Air board tells San Joaquin Valley growers to phase out ag burns by 2025

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California’s air quality board voted today to call for a near-complete ban of agricultural burning by 2025 in the San Joaquin Valley, one of the most polluted regions in the country. 

The move to phase out burning is more than a decade in the making for the eight-county Central Valley, where growers set fire to hundreds of thousands of tons of waste from vineyards and orchards every year. Burning sends up plumes of particles and gases that drift into farm towns largely made up of Latino residents. 

After a four-hour hearing and more than an hour and a half of debate, the air board unanimously approved a resolution directing air board staff to work with the local air district to phase out nearly all burning over the next four years. 

The phase-out will mostly affect owners of vineyards and orchards who will have to grind up vines, trees and other waste and mix it into soil, or haul it to composting and biomass facilities. 

Continue Reading on Visalia Times Delta

California’s rocky COVID-19 vaccine rollout dogged by poor communication, forecasting

in Around California

California is failing to provide crucial information about COVID-19 vaccine supply levels to local officials, complicating efforts to schedule appointments and contributing to temporary closures of vaccination sites.

Officials running local vaccination programs in multiple counties say they are not being told how many doses they will receive over the next three weeks, which is key data they need to keep vaccine sites open and running smoothly.

President Biden promised last month that his administration would provide a “reliable three-week supply look-ahead” in an effort to improve the transparency and efficiency of the country’s rocky vaccine rollout.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said he learns every Tuesday morning how many doses the Golden State will receive over the next three weeks. But state officials have yet to share those numbers with many local, city and county leaders, making it difficult to create appointments and plan for the administration of second doses.

Continue Reading on LA Times

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BUSD takes step toward building affordable housing for teachers, staff

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The front entrance of the Berkeley Adult School where Curative runs a COVID 19 test facility using one of Gehl’s custom made kiosks to streamline the efficiency of testing. Nov. 23, 2020. Photo: Pete Rosos

Cornelius Smith pulls into the parking lot at Oxford Elementary at 8 a.m. He leans the driver’s seat back to get some shut-eye, two hours before his shift starts. 

By day, Smith works as a school safety officer at the high school. By night, he is an armed officer at the Federal Reserve in San Francisco. He sleeps when he can, crashing for a few hours in the evening at his cousin’s place in Emeryville or at his parent’s in Hercules, and in his car in the mornings. The drive home to Antioch takes up to an hour and a half, depending on traffic, and he makes it back only on the weekends.

Smith would love to live in Berkeley, but with the sky-high cost of housing, “it’s way too expensive.” Many teachers live paycheck to paycheck, and classified staff like Smith earn even less. School safety officers at Berkeley Unified make as little as $29,000 each year, and the median salary for district employees is $45,833. 

Continue Reading on Berkeley Side

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Merced College to host COVID-19 vaccination clinics

in Around California

Merced County will host community-based COVID-19 vaccination clinics next week at Merced College, with the possibility of more the following week.

Dignity Health-Mercy Medical Center, University of California Health, UC Merced, Merced College and other health practitioners and volunteers are partnering with the County to facilitate these clinics. These vaccine doses were made available through Dignity Health and University of California Health.

*   When: Tuesday, Feb. 9, 1pm – 6pm; Wednesday, Feb. 10, 8am – 6pm; Thursday, Feb. 11, 8am – 7pm

*   Where: Merced College – Main Campus Gymnasium, 3600 M Street, Merced CA 95348

These clinics are open to anyone 65 years or older or in Phase 1A of the County’s vaccine distribution plan, regardless of insurance, ability to pay or legal status. The age requirements are in accordance with the County’s phased eligibility tiers. There are enough vaccines to inoculate over 2,500 people. The goal of these clinics is to reach Merced’s most vulnerable populations to ensure they receive timely access to the COVID-19 vaccine, but we need your help.

Continue Reading on Merced County Times

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SBA Reminds California Small Nonfarm Businesses that Deadlines are Approaching for Working Capital Loans Due to Drought

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January 12, 2021 - SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Director Tanya N. Garfield of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Disaster Field Operations Center-West on Monday reminded California small nonfarm businesses of the deadline dates to apply for an SBA federal disaster loan for economic injury. These low-interest loans are to offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by drought in the following primary counties.

According to Garfield, small nonfarm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size may apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million to help meet working capital needs caused by the disasters. “Economic Injury Disaster Loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that cannot be paid because of the disasters’ impact,” said Garfield.

“SBA eligibility covers both the economic impacts on businesses dependent on farmers and ranchers that have suffered agricultural production losses caused by the disasters and businesses directly impacted by the disasters. Economic injury assistance is available regardless of whether the applicant suffered any property damage,” Garfield added.

Continue Reading on Sierra Sun Times

University Of California Planning To Resume In-Person Classes In Fall 2021

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SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – The University of California is planning to return to in-person instruction in fall 2021.

A statement Monday from the UC president’s office said that, while COVID vaccines will soon become available to faculty, staff, and students, UC was remaining vigilant in critical prevention efforts.

“As the University continues to monitor the evolution of the pandemic, we are also carefully planning a safe return to in-person classes,” said President Michael V. Drake, M.D. “Current forecasts give us hope that in the fall our students can enjoy a more normal on-campus experience.”

Continue Reading on GoodDay CW 31

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Local fire departments begin administering COVID-19 vaccine to first responders

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Firefighters and paramedics wait outside LAC + USC Medical Center during a surge of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Los Angeles, California, U.S., December 27, 2020. REUTERS/Bing Guan

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As California's vaccine distribution rolls out, firefighters across the state are receiving their first doses of the coronavirus vaccine. 

Several local fire departments recently began administering their first doses. According to Fire Chief of Sacramento Fire Department Gary Loesch, some in his department started getting their first round of vaccines Thursday morning.

"Myself and a couple other members of Sacramento Fire have gotten their first shot today, and that was the Moderna shot," Chief Loesch said in a conversation with ABC10.

Firefighters are part of Phase 1A in California's vaccine rollout plan because they work on the frontlines, with the public, and often in a medical capacity, said Loesch. Sacramento fire personnel that are scheduled as 1A for the coronavirus vaccine have some type of medical training.

Continue Reading on ABC 10

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Many California ZIP Codes Get Protection From Home Insurance Non-Renewals

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Nearly 2.4 home insurance policyholders in California now fall under a one-year moratorium against non-renewal of residential property insurance coverage in the wake of historic wildfires in 2020.

On Dec. 31, 2020, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara put another six ZIP codes under the moratorium, bringing to 563 the number of ZIP codes now protected from non-renewal of residential property insurance policies. This means homeowners won’t lose their home insurance when their policies come up for renewal.

California has more than 2,600 ZIP codes, meaning the moratorium covers about one-fifth of the state’s ZIP codes.

Continue Reading on Daily Journal Online

U.S. COVID-19 Cases Hit 19-Million Mark

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The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States has now surpassed 19 million, according to Johns Hopkins University data. 

The country has marked the 19th million cases just six days after the country recorded 18 million cases. The nation's COVID-19 cases have more than doubled in less than two months, the Associated Press reported. 

Deaths associated with the disease have also increased in the country. It now totals more than 332,000 recorded deaths, which is more than one death for every 1,000 Americans.

The U.S. accounts for about four percent of the world's population. COVID-19 cases account for 24 percent of its total population and 19 percent for its COVID-19 deaths.

Continue Reading on Latin Post

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