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<channel>
	<title>CalMatters</title>
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	<link>https://calmatters.org</link>
	<description>California, explained</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2020 20:54:52 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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	<title>CalMatters</title>
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		<title>Wildfires set school plans ablaze for more than 70,000 students</title>
		<link>https://calmatters.org/education/2020/08/wildfires-school-plans-students/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ricardo Cano]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2020 20:18:23 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[K-12 Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bonny doon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[California Wildfires]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coronavirus california]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coronavirus pandemic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[czu fire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Distance learning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fire mask]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[K-12 education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lnu fire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mask coronavirus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[power shutoffs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Santa Cruz County]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[School reopening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solano County]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sonoma County]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vacaville]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://calmatters.org/?p=133109</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="300" height="232" src="https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SCS_BonnyDoon_082220_01.jpg?fit=300%2C232&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Residents of all ages gather together at a CHP checkpoint on Highway 1 to bring attention to the Santa Cruz Mountain community of Bonny Doon on August 21, 2020. Families have had to evacuate and say there aren&#039;t enough firefighters assigned to the area to save the community. Photo by Kevin Painchaud, Santa Cruz Sentinel" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SCS_BonnyDoon_082220_01.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SCS_BonnyDoon_082220_01.jpg?resize=300%2C232&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SCS_BonnyDoon_082220_01.jpg?resize=1024%2C791&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SCS_BonnyDoon_082220_01.jpg?resize=768%2C593&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SCS_BonnyDoon_082220_01.jpg?resize=1536%2C1186&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SCS_BonnyDoon_082220_01.jpg?resize=1200%2C926&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SCS_BonnyDoon_082220_01.jpg?resize=1568%2C1210&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SCS_BonnyDoon_082220_01.jpg?resize=706%2C545&amp;ssl=1 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>Already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, schools in rural areas like Bonny Doon must now contend with wildfires and related problems like blackouts, poor air quality and damaged internet infrastructure. ]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="300" height="232" src="https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SCS_BonnyDoon_082220_01.jpg?fit=300%2C232&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Residents of all ages gather together at a CHP checkpoint on Highway 1 to bring attention to the Santa Cruz Mountain community of Bonny Doon on August 21, 2020. Families have had to evacuate and say there aren&#039;t enough firefighters assigned to the area to save the community. Photo by Kevin Painchaud, Santa Cruz Sentinel" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SCS_BonnyDoon_082220_01.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SCS_BonnyDoon_082220_01.jpg?resize=300%2C232&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SCS_BonnyDoon_082220_01.jpg?resize=1024%2C791&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SCS_BonnyDoon_082220_01.jpg?resize=768%2C593&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SCS_BonnyDoon_082220_01.jpg?resize=1536%2C1186&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SCS_BonnyDoon_082220_01.jpg?resize=1200%2C926&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SCS_BonnyDoon_082220_01.jpg?resize=1568%2C1210&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SCS_BonnyDoon_082220_01.jpg?resize=706%2C545&amp;ssl=1 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>		
		<div class="wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background calmatters-summary">
			<div class="wp-block-group__inner-container">
				
				<p class="has-small-font-size calmatters-summary-heading"><strong>In summary</strong></p>
				

				
				<p class="calmatters-summary-content">Already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, schools in rural areas like Bonny Doon must now contend with wildfires and related problems like blackouts, poor air quality and damaged internet infrastructure. </p>
				
			</div>
		</div>
		
		
<p>Kristie Summerrill immediately began texting her kindergartners’ parents to check if they were safe as the CZU Lightning Complex fires forced mass evacuations in Bonny Doon, the rural community northwest of Santa Cruz where the elementary school had just recently begun online instruction.</p>



<p>Many of her kindergartners’ families, some who’d lost their homes to wildfire, were sheltering at the Chaminade Resort &amp; Spa in Santa Cruz, a mom told Summerrill. So the teacher and her husband drove their van to the hotel armed with seven bags filled with snacks, water, food, games and supplies, unsure if it would even be of any help or comfort to families without homes.</p>



<p>“The moment she (the mom) opened the door and saw me standing there with those bags she fell into my arms,” Summerrill said, choking up.</p>



<p>In California, dozens of schools are grappling with massive wildfires that have wreaked disruption on the lives and education of tens of thousands of students that had already been disrupted by a global pandemic.</p>



<p>The 625 or so fires <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-25/625-fires-burning-california-firefighters-critical-week" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">burning across the state</a> have <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/23/us/california-wildfires-sunday/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">shattered records</a> for their devastation and left community institutions, such as public schools, to deal with the residual effects. Even as the vast majority of California schools <a href="https://calmatters.org/education/2020/07/california-schools-shut-down-reopening/">remain physically shuttered</a>, fires burning across multiple counties have forced schools to cancel instruction through distance learning, halted plans to distribute <a href="https://calmatters.org/education/2020/07/california-digital-divide-distance-learning/">necessary technology</a> and supplies and pushed back the first day of instruction for some schools.</p>



<p>Wildfires have <a href="https://calmatters.org/projects/school-closures-california-wildfire-outage-flood-water-electricity-guns-snow-days-disaster/">taken a heavy toll</a> on California schools over the past six years, but never to this degree this early in the academic year. More than 70,000 California students have been impacted by temporary halts to distance learning, according to a CalMatters tally. Some schools in affected areas have yet to begin their first day of instruction.</p>



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<p>Many students and teachers have temporarily evacuated their communities. An unknown number of them have lost their homes, adding to the 8,000 or so California educators and kids displaced by fire since 2015.</p>



<p>In Sonoma and Lake counties, schools and communities <a href="https://calmatters.org/projects/california-school-closures-wildfire-middletown-paradise-disaster-days/">repeatedly hit by fires</a> and floods once again had to cancel classes amid evacuation orders.</p>



<p>Schools in Solano County, also affected by evacuations, canceled instruction. Some schools also couldn’t distribute computers for distance learning because they didn’t have enough N95 masks to protect employees from hazardous smoke choking the air across multiple Bay Area counties.</p>



<p>In Bonny Doon, Summerrill and her kindergarten and transitional kindergarten students were just three days into the children’s first introduction to school — learning proper Zoom etiquette, building relationships — when school came to a halt.</p>



<p>First, rolling blackouts and lightning storms took out power and internet access in Bonny Doon, making distance learning impossible for the school of 160 students.</p>



<p>Then, the fires came.</p>



<p>“The kids are confused because we spent three days online doing our Zoom meetings, and now that’s gone away,” Summerrill said of her tots. “Now, they’re staying at friends’ houses or hotels. They’re not understanding why there is no school right now.”</p>



<p>Meanwhile, empty high school campuses in Vacaville Unified, a district of 13,500 students, became evacuation centers as people fled the fires making up the LNU Lightning Complex. James Buescher, an assistant principal at Buckingham Charter Magnet High School in Vacaville, set up an online fundraiser for the school principal who lost her home to fire and is coordinating gift card donations for two students who also lost their homes.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-background is-style-solid-color" style="background-color:#ffda83"><blockquote><p>“The kids are confused because we spent three days online doing our Zoom meetings, and now that’s gone away. They’re not understanding why there is no school right now.”</p><cite>Kristie Summerrill, bonny doon kindergarten teacher </cite></blockquote></figure>



<p>Though classes in the district resumed online Monday, several Buckingham students could be without reliable internet access for at least a month because the fires burned some cell towers just outside the city limits, Buescher said. In response, the district has ordered more hotspots and is exploring ways to bring back affected students on campus to do distance learning.</p>



<p>“If you would’ve told me a year ago what this year would have looked like, I would have just laughed,” Buescher said.</p>



<p>In the neighboring Fairfield-Suisun district, fires and hazardous air quality have pushed back efforts to distribute computers to students multiple times, according to Tim Goree, Fairfield-Suisun’s executive director for administrative services and community engagement.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The district only has 330 N95 masks, which Goree said was an insufficient amount to protect employees on the distribution front lines while rationing them for a potential return for in-person instruction.</p>



<p>“When you combine all of these different issues — COVID and fires and air quality — it makes some things almost impossible to do,” Goree said.</p>



<p>The Bonny Doon school remains untouched by the fires, largely <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-25/bonny-doon-group-stays-to-fight-czu-fire-santa-cruz" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">thanks to efforts from “community heroes”</a> who banded together to protect the campus from flames, said Mike Heffner, the principal and superintendent. A water tanker sits outside the campus in case shifting winds threaten the school again.</p>



<p>In the days since evacuating, Heffner, Summerrill and other teachers have been calling and texting families, trying to account for everyone’s safety and tallying how many have lost their homes. Instruction at Bonny Doon, which temporarily closed last year <a href="https://calmatters.org/projects/california-wildfires-school-closures-disaster-days-power-outages-blackouts-local-control/">due to public safety power shutoffs</a>, will be pushed back at least until August 31. Heffner, however, said he is unsure of when school will resume — either online or in person — noting that the school buildings have likely sustained significant smoke damage “that will make them uninhabitable for a while.”&nbsp;</p>



<p>Many students will likely need computer replacements, Heffner said, urging the public to <a href="http://www.bdcsf.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">donate to the school’s community foundation</a>.</p>



<p>“We’re going to come back stronger, but I don’t think it’s going to happen as quickly as any of us hope,” Heffner said.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-pullquote" style="border-color:#F4BB32"><blockquote><p>“It’s unconscionable what we’ve done to the young. It’s not their fault, and we’re destroying their planet.”</p><cite>holiday smith, sixth-grade teacher at bonny doon</cite></blockquote></figure>



<p>Holiday Smith, a sixth-grade teacher at Bonny Doon, rushed to evacuate her family, horses, pets and chickens “within sight of very tall, enormous flames” from their homes in Last Chance, a remote unincorporated area further northwest of Bonny Doon.</p>



<p>At the evacuation center in the Watsonville fairgrounds, Smith has tried connecting with her students. She and another teacher lost their houses. Smith is amazed at the resilience she’s seen in her students, but worries about how the disasters will affect their mental health. For more than five months, Bonny Doon students have been away from their teachers and each other.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>Later in the school year, Smith’s curriculum included plans to teach her sixth-graders about climate change and the human impacts on the environment. Now, Smith and her students are experiencing the realities of that curriculum.</p>



<p>“It’s unconscionable what we’ve done to the young. It’s not their fault, and we’re destroying their planet,” Smith said. “I’m 42 years old, I’ve got plenty of life left. But I think about my students and I think about what they’re going to go through their whole lives and their lifetime with the (climate change) crisis that we’ve created and it just does not feel like there is the urgency that there should be to be combating this crisis.”</p>



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<div class="cm-coronavirus-teaser">
  <h3>More on the coronavirus in California:</h3>
  <div class="cm-coronavirus-teaser-item">
    <a href="https://calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2020/04/california-coronavirus-covid-patient-hospitalization-data-icu/"><img src="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/AP_CoronavirusHospitalization_01.jpg?w=780&#038;ssl=1" data-recalc-dims="1"></a>
    <div>
      <h4><a href="https://calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2020/04/california-coronavirus-covid-patient-hospitalization-data-icu/">Tracking coronavirus hospitalizations in California by county</a></h4>
      <p>CalMatters is tracking positive and suspected cases of COVID-19 in patients who are hospitalized throughout the state, broken down by county.</p>
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="cm-coronavirus-teaser-item">
    <a href="https://calmatters.org/explainers/coronavirus-california-explained-newsom/"><img src="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/040720_Coronafeatures_AW_sized_06.jpg?w=780&#038;ssl=1" data-recalc-dims="1"></a>
    <div>
      <h4><a href="https://calmatters.org/explainers/coronavirus-california-explained-newsom/">California’s response to coronavirus, explained</a></h4>
      <p>Gov. Gavin Newsom says the state appears to be flattening the curve. We unravel the response to the coronavirus outbreak and look at what lies ahead.</p>
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="cm-coronavirus-teaser-item">
    <a href="https://calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2020/04/gavin-newsom-coronavirus-updates-timeline/"><img src="https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/CoronaTimeline_feature_1.jpg?w=780&#038;ssl=1" data-recalc-dims="1"></a>
    <div>
      <h4><a href="https://calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2020/04/gavin-newsom-coronavirus-updates-timeline/">Timeline: California reacts to coronavirus</a></h4>
      <p>This timeline tracks how California state and local governments tackled the evolving COVID-19 crisis since the first case was detected.</p>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>
]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">133109</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Blackboard brawl: How California’s teachers hope to avoid 60,000 layoffs</title>
		<link>https://calmatters.org/education/2020/08/california-teachers-crisis-layoffs/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lauren Hepler]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2020 19:11:28 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Labor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[california federation of teachers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[California school reopening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[california teachers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coronavirus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coronavirus california]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[covid-19]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crises]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[essential workers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[non-union teachers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pandemic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[School Funding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[school outbreaks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[School reopening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[teacher strike]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[teachers salaries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[teachers unions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teachers' Strike]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://calmatters.org/?p=133043</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="300" height="192" src="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082020_UnionInfluence_09.jpg?fit=300%2C192&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Maya Suzuki Daniels sits with her 14-month-old at the table where she teaches high school English. Daniel’s expects that her son will make frequent appearances during her zoom lectures. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters via Google Hangout" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082020_UnionInfluence_09.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082020_UnionInfluence_09.jpg?resize=300%2C192&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082020_UnionInfluence_09.jpg?resize=1024%2C654&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082020_UnionInfluence_09.jpg?resize=768%2C490&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082020_UnionInfluence_09.jpg?resize=1536%2C981&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082020_UnionInfluence_09.jpg?resize=1200%2C766&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082020_UnionInfluence_09.jpg?resize=1568%2C1001&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082020_UnionInfluence_09.jpg?resize=706%2C451&amp;ssl=1 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>After a spring of crisis education, teachers’ unions hope to parlay many successful reopening battles into bigger electoral victories. But they're also bracing for layoffs of up to 60,000 educators, and some teachers are still scrambling for bare-minimum supplies.]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="300" height="192" src="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082020_UnionInfluence_09.jpg?fit=300%2C192&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Maya Suzuki Daniels sits with her 14-month-old at the table where she teaches high school English. Daniel’s expects that her son will make frequent appearances during her zoom lectures. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters via Google Hangout" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082020_UnionInfluence_09.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082020_UnionInfluence_09.jpg?resize=300%2C192&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082020_UnionInfluence_09.jpg?resize=1024%2C654&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082020_UnionInfluence_09.jpg?resize=768%2C490&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082020_UnionInfluence_09.jpg?resize=1536%2C981&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082020_UnionInfluence_09.jpg?resize=1200%2C766&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082020_UnionInfluence_09.jpg?resize=1568%2C1001&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082020_UnionInfluence_09.jpg?resize=706%2C451&amp;ssl=1 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>		
		<div class="wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background calmatters-summary">
			<div class="wp-block-group__inner-container">
				
				<p class="has-small-font-size calmatters-summary-heading"><strong>In summary</strong></p>
				

				
				<p class="calmatters-summary-content">After a spring of crisis education, teachers’ unions hope to parlay many successful reopening battles into bigger electoral victories. But they&#8217;re also bracing for layoffs of up to 60,000 educators, and some teachers are still scrambling for bare-minimum supplies.</p>
				
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<p>Last Sunday, a freak lightning storm hit the Salinas Valley and sparked a fire in the hills above America’s salad bowl. On Monday, local students started week two of classes moved online to slow the <a href="https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2020/08/guest-worker-covid-outbreak-california/">rapid spread</a> of the coronavirus. By Wednesday, widening fire evacuations forced a breaking point: Even online classes were cancelled at some schools.</p>



<p>“It’s been rough,” said Kati Bassler, president of the Salinas Valley Federation of Teachers. “We have a second-year teacher that lost her home.”&nbsp;</p>



<p>The turbulent end to summer break follows months of confusion and controversy over if and how to reopen California schools. In July, the <a href="https://calmatters.org/education/2020/07/california-schools-shut-down-reopening/">state ordered</a> schools in counties home to 97% of students and hundreds of thousands of teachers to begin the year online. But in recent weeks, some schools have challenged the rules by <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article245049385.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rebranding themselves</a> as daycares or <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-21/orange-county-gets-approval-for-several-schools-to-reopen-after-covid-19-case-count-drops" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">applying for waivers</a>. The situation is also changing quickly in places <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-24/more-counties-removed-california-covid-19-watchlist" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">recently removed</a> from a state virus watch list, including Orange, San Diego, Mono, Sierra and Santa Cruz counties.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Behind the scenes, difficult questions about what’s safe and what’s sensible have come down to hundreds of district-by-district negotiations. The most contentious pit teachers’ unions against skeptical administrators, critics of union self-interest and proponents of private or charter schools. Caught in between are non-union teachers with less negotiating power, plus parent groups forming to alternately hire teachers for private learning pods, fundraise for needy classrooms or mull conspiracy theories about vaccines. Besides, one popular line of criticism goes, if nurses and police are still required to report to essential jobs, why not teachers?</p>



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<div class="infogram-embed" data-id="93be659b-f47d-4d5c-b1de-d14aec2e6fc0" data-type="interactive" data-title="Pandemic teaching"></div><script>!function(e,i,n,s){var t="InfogramEmbeds",d=e.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];if(window[t]&&window[t].initialized)window[t].process&&window[t].process();else if(!e.getElementById(n)){var o=e.createElement("script");o.async=1,o.id=n,o.src="https://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed-loader-min.js",d.parentNode.insertBefore(o,d)}}(document,0,"infogram-async");</script>
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<p>Teachers’ unions say what’s on the line is both the immediate health of students and teachers, as illustrated by <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/georgia-coronavirus-school-viral-photo-temporarily-closes-positive-covid-19-tests/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">school outbreaks</a> in other places, as well as the long-term viability of the state’s public schools. California Teachers Association President E. Toby Boyd said in an interview that without more funding, the union, a <a href="https://reason.org/commentary/the-teacher-layoff-lie-in-californi/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">perennial</a><a href="https://reason.org/commentary/the-teacher-layoff-lie-in-californi/"> foe</a> of conservative groups, is bracing for much deeper cuts than the 30,000 education layoffs that labor groups reported during the Great Recession.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“We’re thinking about twice those numbers,” Boyd said. The union projects a looming budget shortfall of up to $20 billion, or “a big hole to fill.”</p>



<p>Instead, the union and allies like the California Federation of Teachers and Service Employees International Union are hoping to build on many successful distance learning negotiations to lobby for new taxes. Boyd said his union is advocating for a special legislative session to consider new proposed wealth taxes <a href="http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB1253" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AB 1253</a> and <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB2088" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AB 2088</a>, which are <a href="https://calmatters.org/economy/2020/08/california-democrats-coronavirus-millionaire-tax-2/">opposed</a> by Republicans and many moderate Democrats. Also on the table, he said, are more <a href="https://calmatters.org/education/2019/01/lausd-utla-strike-deal-legislature-newsom/">teacher strikes</a> like the ones that swept Los Angeles and Oakland last year.</p>



<p>“Society has realized the importance of education and what teachers really do,” Boyd said. “We will see if that’s the truth. There’s a phrase: put your money where your mouth is.”</p>



<h3>Sink or swim</h3>



<p>During a normal back-to-school season, San Pedro High School English teacher Maya Suzuki Daniels and many of her fellow Los Angeles teachers would be following a familiar routine: Get your class schedule, spend a few hundred of your own dollars on supplies and, for growing numbers who have moved hours away in search of affordable housing, brace for the long commute.&nbsp;</p>



<p>But this year is anything but routine, and Suzuki Daniels, 30, is turning to her mother-in-law for help juggling online classes with caring for her 1-year-old son.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“There’s always this feeling that you’re doing something wrong,” Suzuki Daniels said, after a breakneck shift to distance learning in March. “It really became kind of a sink or swim. Either you’re going to have to take a new kind of responsibility or we’re going to sink, this whole system of public education.”</p>



<p>California’s 319,000 public school teachers are at the center of debate about reopening the state’s economy during the pandemic, but opposition to in-person classes is part of a much bigger reckoning for the profession. Salaries in many regions haven’t kept up with record home prices, pushing teachers out of the communities where they work. Now, with distance learning, they also face new versions of old challenges, like tracking down absent students or making sure their own kids are keeping up in Zoom classes.</p>



<p>How much California teachers get paid for that work varies widely.&nbsp; In rural Siskiyou County, teachers averaged $40,000 a year during the 2018-2019 school year, according to a <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/databases/article239621598.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sacramento Bee analysis</a>. That&#8217;s a fraction of the $136,478 teacher average in affluent districts like the one in Google’s hometown of Mountain View.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-infogram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="infogram-embed" data-id="899a6786-bd04-4289-b2c0-47ef41c69eb2" data-type="interactive" data-title="Teacher pay"></div><script>!function(e,i,n,s){var t="InfogramEmbeds",d=e.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];if(window[t]&&window[t].initialized)window[t].process&&window[t].process();else if(!e.getElementById(n)){var o=e.createElement("script");o.async=1,o.id=n,o.src="https://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed-loader-min.js",d.parentNode.insertBefore(o,d)}}(document,0,"infogram-async");</script>
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<p>Since the painful cuts of the recession a decade ago, a new generation of activist teachers have come together to push for priorities like more funding, smaller classes and less punitive systems. Last year, the first <a href="https://calmatters.org/education/2019/01/lausd-utla-strike-deal-legislature-newsom/">teacher strike</a> in three decades at the nation’s second-largest public school district, Los Angeles Unified, ended with pay raises and the Legislature <a href="https://calmatters.org/education/k-12-education/2019/08/charter-school-deal-california-newsom-teachers-unions/">taking up</a> major school reform questions. Even before the coronavirus, this school year was set to coincide with a <a href="https://calmatters.org/economy/2020/08/california-democrats-coronavirus-millionaire-tax-2/">high-profile campaign</a> for Prop. 15, a commercial property tax hike that would raise up to $11 billion per year for education and local governments.</p>



<p>During the pandemic, teachers and their unions have had more success than essential workers in private industry — agriculture, warehouses, grocery stores — in negotiating the terms of reopening. While most sides now agree that the overlapping crises of the virus, record wildfires and statewide racial justice protests look a lot like a tipping point for education and organized labor, the question is what kind: A chance to rebuild diminished public institutions, or a catalyst for more privatization?</p>



<p>“It’s really hard to sort out history as it’s happening,” said Fred Glass, who wrote <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520288416/from-mission-to-microchip" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a history</a> of California organized labor and worked for 28 years at the California Federation of Teachers.&nbsp; “We’ve never seen anything like this.”</p>



<h3>The art of the Zoom deal</h3>



<p>Teachers and union reps may be working remotely, but that doesn’t mean they can’t still drive a hard bargain. In socially distant or online negotiations across the state this summer, they hashed out benchmarks to go back to in-person classes, potential hybrid schedules, protocols for protective equipment and contentious live video requirements.</p>



<p>When school started on Aug. 10 in the Salinas Valley, teachers were adapting to their new game plan. Bassler’s local union had spent months crafting elaborate scenarios for hybrid on- and offline classes. After the state order to keep all students home, about half of local teachers were coming into empty classrooms to record lesson videos. HVAC systems had been upgraded to increase ventilation, but that, too, soon backfired.</p>



<p>“Our buildings now have a significant amount of smoke in them,” Bassler said. Teachers have been resilient as fires continue to burn, but even the silver lining is dark: “With distance learning, in a way, it’s a blessing that they can probably continue working if they have shelter.”</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="780" height="548" src="https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_UnionInfluence_AW_sized_11.jpg?resize=780%2C548&#038;ssl=1" alt="Steven Comstock, president of Bakersfield Elementary Teachers Association, sits in his office on the first day of school. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters via Google Hangout" class="wp-image-132887" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_UnionInfluence_AW_sized_11.jpg?resize=1024%2C720&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_UnionInfluence_AW_sized_11.jpg?resize=300%2C211&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_UnionInfluence_AW_sized_11.jpg?resize=768%2C540&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_UnionInfluence_AW_sized_11.jpg?resize=1536%2C1080&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_UnionInfluence_AW_sized_11.jpg?resize=1200%2C844&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_UnionInfluence_AW_sized_11.jpg?resize=1568%2C1102&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_UnionInfluence_AW_sized_11.jpg?resize=706%2C496&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_UnionInfluence_AW_sized_11.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption>Steven Comstock, president of Bakersfield Elementary Teachers Association, sits in his office on the first day of school. Comstock, who was enthusiastic for the beginning of the school year, said that Zoom had already crashed once that morning but was running again quickly. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters via Google Hangout</figcaption></figure></div>



<p>The fine points of reopening negotiations were generally left up to local union chapters. At the Greater Santa Cruz Federation of Teachers, union President Casey Carlson and her team invited school district officials to their union’s parking lot, where they set up chairs and TV trays for outdoor negotiations that paid off in a late-August agreement. </p>



<p>Steve Comstock of the Bakersfield Elementary Teachers Association did all his negotiating over Zoom while new infections in the area surged. It was safer, he said, but also awkward.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“Face to face you can kind of read each other, and you take your breaks. There’s a strategy on that,” Comstock said. “Online all you can do is mute or go into a breakout room or something.”</p>



<p>For Comstock, the summer was above all a lesson in the inequality that has always plagued the urban district with more than 30,700 students — 90% eligible for free lunch programs, 91% non-white — and 1,700 teachers. While parents in more affluent surrounding suburbs pushed to go back to school, Comstock’s district heard from parents who worked high-exposure essential jobs and didn’t want to risk their childrens’ safety. The district rushed to raise money for laptops and WiFi hotspots for each student, rather than issuing one device per family like in the spring.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“This has really shown who has and who doesn’t have,” Comstock said.&nbsp;</p>



<p>There’s also the question of what the breakneck shift to distance learning could mean longer term for <a href="https://calmatters.org/education/2020/07/what-californias-budget-deal-means-for-k-12-schools/">school funding</a>, hopefully avoiding cuts at schools already <a href="https://edsource.org/reports/understanding-teacher-shortages-in-california#:~:text=California%20is%20experiencing%20a%20teacher,the%20proper%20preparation%20to%20teach." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">struggling to attract</a> new teachers. Comstock has his eye on Capitol Hill to see whether a deal emerges on <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/6800" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">federal stimulus measures</a>, since billions of dollars in state education funding depend on federal programs.</p>



<p>“The whole thing,” Comstock said, “it’s just a political football going back and forth.”</p>



<h3>Fight like hell</h3>



<p>Many of California’s <a href="https://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sd/cb/ceffingertipfacts.asp" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">1,037 public school districts</a> went through a similar series of negotiations in the months leading up to the first day of school, said Jeff Freitas, president of the California Federation of Teachers.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Unions were involved because the pandemic changed the working conditions that teachers agree to in collective contracts with school districts.&nbsp; Many questions had to be answered: Could days lost to the pandemic be counted like snow days? Or once it was clear that the disruption was longer term, would teachers’ hours or pay change? What happens if a teacher gets sick?</p>



<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignright" style="border-color:#F4BB32"><blockquote><p>“We’re getting smeared, you know, as being liberal and brainwashing the kids and a bunch of Communists, but I really see it like look, do you want a country or not?”</p><cite>suzuki daniels, los angeles english teacher</cite></blockquote></figure>



<p>Many districts came to the negotiating table willingly, but the state union at times had to help “force open that door” to start the process, Freitas said, through tactics like unfair labor practice complaints or enlisting local school boards to help wrangle reluctant superintendents. The reasons for negotiation delays varied, he said, from personal or political differences between districts and the union to broader shifts in a community that have diminished teachers’ negotiating power.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In most cases, unions signed a “side letter,” a contract addendum generally referred to as a memorandum of understanding. Among the common sticking points were funding commitments, how many hours of live instruction per day to require and how worker’s compensation or legal liability will work for teachers who contract coronavirus when in-person classes resume.</p>



<p>In Los Angeles, Suzuki Daniels senses that the tense moment for her profession is part of something bigger. She sees teaching as “kind of revolutionary,” and advocates not just for public schools but also other civic institutions undermined by privatization and conservative politics, like voting rights and the post office.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“The most visible public sector is teachers saying, ‘Well hang on, we’re going to fight like hell,’” she said. “We’re getting smeared, you know, as being liberal and brainwashing the kids and a bunch of Communists, but I really see it like look, do you want a country or not?”</p>



<p>How public schools have handled shutdowns is also a lightning rod in parent Facebook groups that have formed during the pandemic, like the 2,200-member public “<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/753221112080194" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reopen California Schools</a>” group.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Posters compare notes on switching to private or charter schools seeking loopholes to go back to class sooner, and they often blame dysfunction on teachers’ unions. In some cases, the conversation verges into conspiracy theories about forced vaccines, or whether Zoom classes are part of a Chinese government plot to indoctrinate children. Others mostly&nbsp; worry about students falling behind.</p>



<p>Results at the state level are coming into focus. Teachers’ unions concentrated over the summer on state budget negotiations and <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB98" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SB 98</a>.&nbsp; The wide-ranging education bill tacked onto the budget&nbsp; allocated hundreds of billions of state and federal dollars to help schools weather the pandemic, but unions fear it won’t all materialize, leaving a multibillion-dollar budget hole. The measure also increased recordkeeping requirements for online classes and reduced teaching hours required, though Freitas said the terms were confusing and sometimes onerous for teachers after concerns about <a href="https://calmatters.org/education/2020/07/california-digital-divide-distance-learning/">poor student outcomes</a> in the spring.</p>



<p>“We lost instruction during the closure. That was crisis education,” Freitas said. “(Policymakers) didn’t want that to happen again and they wanted accountability, but they wanted accountability without really talking to the experts that are in the classroom.”</p>



<p>Though the process hasn’t always been smooth, it could have lasting impacts on the role teachers play in drafting curriculums. Many are already advocating to move away from drill-and-test routines toward a more holistic approach to mental health and life outside the classroom.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="780" height="522" src="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_UnionInfluence_AW_sized_02.jpg?resize=780%2C522&#038;ssl=1" alt="Piano teacher Krystina Ludovico started a Facebook group over the summer to help connect teachers with supplies they need for the new school year. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters via GoogleHangout" class="wp-image-132896" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_UnionInfluence_AW_sized_02.jpg?resize=1024%2C685&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_UnionInfluence_AW_sized_02.jpg?resize=300%2C201&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_UnionInfluence_AW_sized_02.jpg?resize=768%2C513&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_UnionInfluence_AW_sized_02.jpg?resize=1536%2C1027&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_UnionInfluence_AW_sized_02.jpg?resize=1200%2C802&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_UnionInfluence_AW_sized_02.jpg?resize=1568%2C1048&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_UnionInfluence_AW_sized_02.jpg?resize=706%2C472&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_UnionInfluence_AW_sized_02.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption>Piano teacher Krystina Ludovico started a Facebook group over the summer to help connect teachers with supplies they need for the new school year. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters via GoogleHangout</figcaption></figure>



<h3>Slipping through the cracks</h3>



<p>Krystina Ludovico, a 31-year-old music teacher from Hayward, was afraid that teachers who usually dip into their own pockets to buy back-to-school supplies would be stretched even thinner with the uncertainty of the pandemic. In July, she started the East Bay Teacher Needs Facebook group.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Her fears were correct, and soon the group had attracted nearly 400 members posting a stream of fundraisers for pencil cases, crayons, and bigger ticket items.</p>



<p>“A lot of the teachers are like, ‘I need laptops and printers,’” Ludovico said. “It was like, ‘Oh my god, I was not prepared for this.’”</p>



<p>East Bay Teacher Needs is one example of a growing number of grassroots efforts to help keep teachers and students from slipping through the cracks during distance learning. It’s a model that echoes other informal patches to the social safety net stretched thin during the pandemic, like GoFundMe campaigns to stave off evictions or Venmo accounts to collect mutual aid dollars to feed hungry neighbors.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>Boyd is hoping to find more permanent solutions, starting with the new taxes up for consideration in the Legislature and the November election.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“This is a political world that we live in,” Boyd said, “and we have to deal with it as such.”</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">133043</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>A chance to fix poor ventilation in classrooms, protect children and teachers, and create jobs</title>
		<link>https://calmatters.org/commentary/my-turn/2020/08/a-chance-to-fix-poor-ventilation-in-classrooms-protect-children-and-teachers-and-create-jobs/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest Commentary]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2020 19:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[California Legislature]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[My Turn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[California Schools]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[classrooms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[covid-19]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jobs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[students]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[teachers]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://calmatters.org/?p=132849</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="300" height="149" src="https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/HVAC-system.jpg?fit=300%2C149&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="ventilatopm" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/HVAC-system.jpg?w=2309&amp;ssl=1 2309w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/HVAC-system.jpg?resize=300%2C149&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/HVAC-system.jpg?resize=1024%2C508&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/HVAC-system.jpg?resize=768%2C381&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/HVAC-system.jpg?resize=1536%2C762&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/HVAC-system.jpg?resize=2048%2C1016&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/HVAC-system.jpg?resize=1200%2C596&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/HVAC-system.jpg?resize=1568%2C778&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/HVAC-system.jpg?resize=706%2C350&amp;ssl=1 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>Fixing poor ventilation in classrooms may slow the spread of COVID-19 when children and teachers return, and create new job opportunities.]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="300" height="149" src="https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/HVAC-system.jpg?fit=300%2C149&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="ventilatopm" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/HVAC-system.jpg?w=2309&amp;ssl=1 2309w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/HVAC-system.jpg?resize=300%2C149&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/HVAC-system.jpg?resize=1024%2C508&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/HVAC-system.jpg?resize=768%2C381&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/HVAC-system.jpg?resize=1536%2C762&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/HVAC-system.jpg?resize=2048%2C1016&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/HVAC-system.jpg?resize=1200%2C596&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/HVAC-system.jpg?resize=1568%2C778&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/HVAC-system.jpg?resize=706%2C350&amp;ssl=1 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>		
		<div class="wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background calmatters-summary">
			<div class="wp-block-group__inner-container">
				
				<p class="has-small-font-size calmatters-summary-heading"><strong>In summary</strong></p>
				

				
				<p class="calmatters-summary-content">Fixing poor ventilation in classrooms may slow the spread of COVID-19 when children and teachers return, and create new job opportunities.</p>
				
			</div>
		</div>
		
		
<div class="wp-block-organic-profile-block"><div class="organic-profile-image" style="background-image:url(https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Barbara-Sattler.png)"><figure class="wp-image-132850"><img src="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Barbara-Sattler.png?w=780&#038;ssl=1" alt="Profile Image" data-recalc-dims="1"/></figure></div><div class="organic-profile-content" style="text-align:center"><h3>By Barbara Sattler and</h3><h5></h5><p class="organic-profile-bio"><em>Barbara Sattler is a registered nurse and a founding and board member of the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, bsattler@usfca.edu.&nbsp;</em></p><div class="organic-profile-social"></div></div></div>



<div class="wp-block-organic-profile-block"><div class="organic-profile-image" style="background-image:url(https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Rico-Tamayo.jpg)"><figure class="wp-image-132851"><img src="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Rico-Tamayo.jpg?w=780&#038;ssl=1" alt="Profile Image" data-recalc-dims="1"/></figure></div><div class="organic-profile-content" style="text-align:center"><h3>Rico Tamayo, Special to CalMatters</h3><h5></h5><p class="organic-profile-bio"><em>Rico Tamayo is the president of the California Federation of Teachers Early Childhood-K12 Council, rtamayo@cft.org</em><strong><em>.</em></strong></p><div class="organic-profile-social"></div></div></div>



<p>Even prior to COVID-19, researchers had flagged poor ventilation in classrooms as dangerous to students.</p>



<p>Poor ventilation has been linked to falling test scores and poor attendance, as well as respiratory illness. Statewide and national studies show that our schools’ ventilation problems are systemic.</p>



<p>As a registered nurse and public health advocate, and the California Federation of Teachers&#8217; Early Childhood and K-12 Council president, this issue has long concerned both of us.&nbsp;</p>



<p>But now, with COVID-19 spreading throughout California, it’s more urgent than ever that we provide safe spaces for our children and their teachers. The Healthy Schools, Healthy Recovery, Healthy Air bill, <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB841">Assembly Bill 841</a>, does just that. By taking advantage of a limited opportunity to solve our schools’ ventilation problem in the long-term, the bill will help create safer air in classrooms that may slow the spread of COVID-19 when children and teachers return, and provide a new work opportunity for those among the 2.8 million Californians that are currently unemployed.</p>



<p>While California’s school-aged children are distance learning we can invest money locally and provide an opportunity for workers to make these urgently needed repairs and upgrades – but only if we move quickly and act now.</p>



<p>AB 841, introduced by Assmblymember Phil Ting, a Democrat from San Francisco, is unique in that it focuses on those most in need of these critical upgrades and jobs. The bill will address schools in low-income areas first, which have long been underfunded, under-resourced and have the highest need for improvements. These efficiency improvements will save schools money, allowing more funds to go toward supplies for students instead of utility bills.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Importantly – we do not need more funding to pay for this. AB 841 authorizes a one-time redirection of unspent energy efficiency funds from investor-owned utilities to schools. Workers would be mobilized to replace and upgrade HVAC systems, increase energy efficiency, as well as repair water fixtures that can leach lead into drinking water.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In addition to supporting new jobs through school upgrades, AB 841 will also put people to work building out California’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure. By streamlining the approval process of charging projects at the California Public Utility Commission, we can create quality jobs bringing cleaner air to communities that need them most – providing important job training that ensures long-term career pathways where there are often too few.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>With efficient HVAC upgrades and new investment in zero-emission vehicles that cuts greenhouse gas emissions, AB 841 takes us a step closer to creating a healthier climate and a robust clean economy for our children to inherit.</p>



<p>While many of our schools sit empty, now is the time for state leaders to take advantage of this rare opportunity to make our schools healthier places and generate jobs and economic benefits at a time when we need them most. AB 841 represents an opportunity to do something positive in an otherwise dire situation.</p>



<p>We ask our state leaders to vote yes on AB 841, to improve the health and safety of children, to ensure a safe work environment for California teachers in the time of the coronavirus and beyond, and to create good jobs that can help families weather this period of economic hardship.&nbsp;</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">132849</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>California lawmakers propose last-minute bill providing funds for fighting wildfires</title>
		<link>https://calmatters.org/environment/2020/08/california-wildfire-bill/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Julie Cart]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2020 18:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[California Legislature]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[California wildfire bills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[California Wildfires]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[electrical grid]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fire season]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kevin mullin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural resources agency]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public utilities commission]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Richard Bloom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildfire bill]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://calmatters.org/?p=133058</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="300" height="200" src="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_LNULightingComplex_082320_01.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires jump Butts Canyon Rd. on Aug. 23, 2020, as firefighters work to contain the blaze in unincorporated Lake County. The fire has killed four people, destroyed 845 structures and scorched more than 340,000 acres according to Cal Fire. Photo by Noah Berger, AP Photo" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_LNULightingComplex_082320_01.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_LNULightingComplex_082320_01.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_LNULightingComplex_082320_01.jpg?resize=1024%2C681&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_LNULightingComplex_082320_01.jpg?resize=768%2C511&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_LNULightingComplex_082320_01.jpg?resize=1536%2C1022&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_LNULightingComplex_082320_01.jpg?resize=1200%2C799&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_LNULightingComplex_082320_01.jpg?resize=1568%2C1044&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_LNULightingComplex_082320_01.jpg?resize=706%2C470&amp;ssl=1 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>A fee added to utility bills — less than $1 per month — would be extended until 2045 if the legislation is adopted by two-thirds of both chambers.]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="300" height="200" src="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_LNULightingComplex_082320_01.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires jump Butts Canyon Rd. on Aug. 23, 2020, as firefighters work to contain the blaze in unincorporated Lake County. The fire has killed four people, destroyed 845 structures and scorched more than 340,000 acres according to Cal Fire. Photo by Noah Berger, AP Photo" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_LNULightingComplex_082320_01.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_LNULightingComplex_082320_01.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_LNULightingComplex_082320_01.jpg?resize=1024%2C681&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_LNULightingComplex_082320_01.jpg?resize=768%2C511&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_LNULightingComplex_082320_01.jpg?resize=1536%2C1022&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_LNULightingComplex_082320_01.jpg?resize=1200%2C799&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_LNULightingComplex_082320_01.jpg?resize=1568%2C1044&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_LNULightingComplex_082320_01.jpg?resize=706%2C470&amp;ssl=1 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>		
		<div class="wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background calmatters-summary">
			<div class="wp-block-group__inner-container">
				
				<p class="has-small-font-size calmatters-summary-heading"><strong>In summary</strong></p>
				

				
				<p class="calmatters-summary-content">A fee added to utility bills — less than $1 per month — would be extended until 2045 if the legislation is adopted by two-thirds of both chambers.</p>
				
			</div>
		</div>
		
		
<p>Facing another catastrophic wildfire season, state lawmakers are proposing last-minute legislation to tap into a utility-bill fee to free up $500 million for training firefighters and other immediate steps.</p>



<p>The proposed legislation also sets aside $2.5 billion for future projects related to handling wildfires and adapting to climate change.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignright is-style-default" style="border-color:#F4BB32"><blockquote class="has-text-color has-dark-gray-color"><p>“It is imperative that we better prepare our state for longer and more dangerous fire seasons to come.”</p><cite>assemblymember kevin mullin</cite></blockquote></figure>



<p>The bill would extend a fee until 2045 that has been added to electrical customers’ bills since last year to create a $21 billion insurance fund to pay for utility-caused fire damage.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Lawmakers say the cost to ratepayers would be less than $1 dollar a month.</p>



<p>The <a href="http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB1659&amp;firstNav=tracking" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bill</a> was introduced Tuesday night and authored by Assemblymembers Kevin Mullin, a Democrat from San Francisco, and Richard Bloom, a Democrat from Santa Monica, against the backdrop of more than <a href="https://www.fire.ca.gov/daily-wildfire-report/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">two-dozen major wildfires</a> burning across the state.</p>



<p>&#8220;It would be negligent for the Legislature to end our session without taking immediate action to generate more resources for battling wildfires across California and mitigating the resulting environmental damage,” Mullin said in a statement.&nbsp; “It is also imperative that we better prepare our state for longer and more dangerous fire seasons to come.”&nbsp;</p>



<p>Despite the urgency of the <a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2020/08/california-fire-heat-wave-czu-gavin-newsom/">fire siege</a>, the proposal faces potential headwinds: It’s coming in the midst of a busy legislative moment when a rush of bills must be considered before the end of session on Monday. Because it involves extending an existing fee, the measure requires a two-thirds vote of both chambers to be approved.</p>



<p>“I’m not naive, a two-thirds vote is difficult to achieve,” Bloom said. “The clock is ticking, and that adds an added dimension. But this is a priority that everyone understands. We are all looking for ways to be responsive.”</p>



<p>The proposal envisions immediate and longer-term uses for the funds. At first, $500 million would be borrowed from a state surplus to pay for training new firefighters and projects that reduce wildfire risk, to begin a month after the bill is signed into law. Proponents say the money would be paid back at the end of the fiscal year with the proceeds of a revenue bond.</p>



<p>The second step, to be developed in six months, allocates funds for a long list of priorities, including home-hardening strategies such as fire-resistant roofs, clearing trees and brush to create defensible space around buildings.&nbsp; The bill prioritizes public safety projects in low-income communities that are undefined in the legislation but may include improving emergency preparedness and notification.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Both funds would be overseen by the Public Utilities Commission and the state Natural Resources Agency.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">133058</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Old racist policies keep hurting these Fresno-area families. Will this make things safer?</title>
		<link>https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2020/08/old-racist-policies-keep-hurting-these-fresno-area-families-will-this-make-things-safer/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2020 16:17:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[California Divide]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[California Divide: Economic Inequality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[California Divide: Housing]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://calmatters.org/?p=133098</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="300" height="200" src="https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_6757-1.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Melynda Metheney, who lives in West Goshen, is one of many residents in the San Joaquin Valley who are undergoing a pilot project to test electric energy in their homes. The communities chosen for the project have relied on wood and propane. Photo by Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado, The Fresno Bee" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_6757-1.jpg?w=1140&amp;ssl=1 1140w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_6757-1.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_6757-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_6757-1.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_6757-1.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="300" height="200" src="https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_6757-1.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Melynda Metheney, who lives in West Goshen, is one of many residents in the San Joaquin Valley who are undergoing a pilot project to test electric energy in their homes. The communities chosen for the project have relied on wood and propane. Photo by Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado, The Fresno Bee" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_6757-1.jpg?w=1140&amp;ssl=1 1140w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_6757-1.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_6757-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_6757-1.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_6757-1.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">133098</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Brigades and beer: Amid lack of firefighters, residents step up</title>
		<link>https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2020/08/california-firefighters-cal-fire-bonny-doon/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Emily Hoeven]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2020 12:45:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Newsletters]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WhatMatters]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ben lomond]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bonny doon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[boulder creek]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cal Fire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[california fires]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[california newsletter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[calmatters newsletter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[czu august lightning complex]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[daniel potter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[firefighters]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lnu lightning complex]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[newsom propostions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[newsom updates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[special ed guidelines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[special education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vacaville]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Workers Compensation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Xavier Becerra]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://calmatters.org/?p=132857</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="300" height="200" src="https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_BonnyDoon_082120_01.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Jesse Katz joins the firefighting effort as a civilian volunteer battling the CZU August Lightning Complex Fire on Aug. 21, 2020, in Bonny Doon. Photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP Photo" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_BonnyDoon_082120_01.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_BonnyDoon_082120_01.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_BonnyDoon_082120_01.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_BonnyDoon_082120_01.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_BonnyDoon_082120_01.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_BonnyDoon_082120_01.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_BonnyDoon_082120_01.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_BonnyDoon_082120_01.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="300" height="200" src="https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_BonnyDoon_082120_01.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Jesse Katz joins the firefighting effort as a civilian volunteer battling the CZU August Lightning Complex Fire on Aug. 21, 2020, in Bonny Doon. Photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP Photo" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_BonnyDoon_082120_01.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_BonnyDoon_082120_01.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_BonnyDoon_082120_01.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_BonnyDoon_082120_01.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_BonnyDoon_082120_01.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_BonnyDoon_082120_01.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_BonnyDoon_082120_01.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AP_BonnyDoon_082120_01.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
<div class="wp-block-group has-white-background-color has-background"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container">
<p>As <a href="https://twitter.com/Cal_OES/status/1298344458635759617">fires continue to rage across the state</a>, stretching understaffed firefighting crews to the limit, some Californians are taking matters into their own hands and forming makeshift brigades to protect their communities.</p>



<p>In the face of limited help from fire agencies, about <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-25/bonny-doon-group-stays-to-fight-czu-fire-santa-cruz">50 Bonny Doon residents</a> <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Residents-defended-homes-from-the-CZU-fires-in-15511733.php">defied evacuation orders</a> to defend their town against the CZU August Lightning Complex fire tearing through Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties. In nearby <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-24/fire-santa-cruz-mountains-firefighters-fema">Boulder Creek and Ben Lomond</a>, volunteer firefighting crews asked an <a href="https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/national-preparedness/frameworks/urban-search-rescue">elite emergency response team</a> to help them set up temporary command centers. </p>



<p>And in Vacaville, <a href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/08/24/vacaville-man-fends-off-fires-with-bud-light/?preview_id=7401138">one man used a 30-can pack of Bud Light</a> to fend off flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fire. </p>



<ul><li><strong><a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-25/bonny-doon-group-stays-to-fight-czu-fire-santa-cruz">Mike Zucker, a 70-year-old Bonny Doon resident, on Sunday</a>: </strong>&#8220;We&#8217;ve been battling it, kind of a ragtag outfit. &#8230; While there were some Cal Fire crews in the area working hard to fight the blaze, there simply haven&#8217;t been enough of them.&#8221;</li><li><strong><a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Residents-defended-homes-from-the-CZU-fires-in-15511733.php">Jonathan Cox, deputy chief for Cal Fire&#8217;s San Mateo and Santa Cruz unit</a>: </strong>&#8220;We&#8217;re always, always worried when there&#8217;s people in the area who haven&#8217;t evacuated or are taking independent action.&#8221;</li></ul>



<p>Cal Fire, the state firefighting agency, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Residents-defended-homes-from-the-CZU-fires-in-15511733.php">later sent reinforcements to help residents</a> — but is stretched thin due to a <a href="https://calmatters.org/environment/2020/07/fire-season-california-inmate-coronavirus/">dearth of inmate firefighters</a>, <a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2020/08/california-fire-news-2020/">historic blazes</a> that have <a href="https://www.fire.ca.gov/daily-wildfire-report/">charred an area larger than Delaware</a>, and a <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/Northern-California-is-shorthanded-on-fire-crews-15506287.php">limited supply of out-of-state firefighters</a> due to fires blazing across the West. </p>



<p class="has-text-align-left">Crews <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-25/progress-weather-boosts-battle-northern-california-wildfires">made progress on containing the blazes</a> Monday and Tuesday as more supplies were made available and weather conditions improved — but firefighters warned there was still a long way to go.</p>



<ul><li><strong><a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/Significant-progress-in-CZU-Lightning-15512949.php">Ian Larkin, chief for Cal Fire&#8217;s San Mateo and Santa Cruz unit, on Tuesday</a>: </strong>&#8220;We&#8217;re in this for the long haul. &#8230; This is a historic event. We&#8217;ve never seen fires like this.&#8221;</li></ul>



<p>For more information, check out <a href="https://www.latimes.com/wildfires-map/">the Los Angeles Times&#8217; fire map</a>.</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center">______________</p>



<p><strong>The coronavirus bottom line:</strong>&nbsp;As of 9 p.m. Tuesday night, California had&nbsp;<strong>673,095 confirmed coronavirus cases</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>12,257 deaths</strong>&nbsp;from the virus, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2020/03/california-coronavirus-by-the-numbers-cases-testing-masks-hospital-beds/">a&nbsp;CalMatters tracker</a>.</p>



<p><strong>Also:&nbsp;</strong>CalMatters regularly updates this pandemic timeline tracking the&nbsp;<a href="https://calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2020/04/gavin-newsom-coronavirus-updates-timeline/">state’s daily actions</a>. And we’re&nbsp;<a href="https://calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2020/04/california-coronavirus-covid-patient-hospitalization-data-icu/">tracking the state’s coronavirus hospitalizations by county</a><strong>.</strong></p>



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<h2>Other stories you should know</h2>



<p><strong>1.</strong> <strong>Some students can return to school, state says</strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="600" height="400" src="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/iStock_socialdistanceclassroom_082520_01_newsletter.jpg?resize=600%2C400&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-132994" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/iStock_socialdistanceclassroom_082520_01_newsletter.jpg?w=600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/iStock_socialdistanceclassroom_082520_01_newsletter.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption>Image via iStock</figcaption></figure>



<p><a href="https://files.covid19.ca.gov/pdf/guidance-schools-cohort-FAQ.pdf">Students</a> with disabilities, those who are homeless, English language learners and students at risk of abuse or neglect can return to school in small groups for in-person learning — even in counties on the <a href="https://covid19.ca.gov/roadmap-counties/">state&#8217;s coronavirus watch list</a> — <a href="https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/small-groups-child-youth.aspx">under guidelines the state Department of Public Health released Tuesday</a>. Groups will be limited to 14 students and two supervising adults, and groups cannot mix with each other, according to the guidance. The news, which adds yet another wrinkle to <a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2020/08/gavin-newsom-administration-departures/">the state&#8217;s complex educational policies</a> amid the pandemic, comes as <a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2020/08/california-fire-news-2020/">more counties fall off the watch list</a> and edge closer to meeting the requirements for reopening campuses. Gov. Gavin Newsom is also <a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2020/08/california-fires-reopening-evictions-covid-gavin-newsom/">set to release new guidelines for reopening businesses</a> this week. </p>



<p><strong>2.</strong> <strong>Newsom endorses propositions for first time</strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="600" height="400" src="https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/08072019_LosAngeles_AW_37_newsletter.jpg?resize=600%2C400&#038;ssl=1" alt="Gov. Gavin Newsom attends a press conference at Public Counsel to announce $20 million in funding to provide renters and home-owners with free legal assistance in Los Angeles on August 7, 2019. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters" class="wp-image-132993" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/08072019_LosAngeles_AW_37_newsletter.jpg?w=600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/08072019_LosAngeles_AW_37_newsletter.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption>Newsom attends a press conference in Los Angeles on Aug. 7, 2019. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters</figcaption></figure>



<p>Newsom took a position Tuesday on four propositions, sharing for the first time his stance on some of the measures on <a href="https://calmatters.org/explainers/california-november-2020-ballot-propositions-final-list/">California&#8217;s November ballot</a> in a sign that campaign season is ramping up. The governor revealed his support for reinstating affirmative action policies in state colleges, universities and agencies (Prop. 16), restoring the right for parolees to vote (Prop. 17), and banning cash bail (Prop. 25) — as well as his opposition to rolling back certain criminal justice reforms (Prop. 20). </p>



<ul><li><strong>Newsom: </strong>&#8220;For years, California has proudly led the way on fundamental civil rights and criminal justice reform but &#8230; there&#8217;s more we must do to root out racial inequity and structural bias and to embrace proven reforms that work.&#8221;</li></ul>



<p>The governor remained mum on several high-profile and controversial ballot measures, including one that would raise property taxes for large businesses and funnel the funds to local governments and schools (Prop. 15), and one that would <a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2020/05/california-ab-5-labor-uber-lyft-ballot-measure/">allow Uber and Lyft drivers to remain independent contractors</a> with some additional benefits (Prop. 22). </p>



<p><strong>3.</strong> <strong>California settles with districts accused of discrimination</strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="600" height="400" src="https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/iStock_student_082520_01_newsletter.jpg?resize=600%2C400&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-133001" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/iStock_student_082520_01_newsletter.jpg?w=600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/iStock_student_082520_01_newsletter.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption>Image via iStock</figcaption></figure>



<p>Three California school districts discriminated against Black students and those with disabilities by punishing them more harshly than other students for similar actions, and will now embark on five-year corrective plans overseen by an independent monitor, <a href="https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-becerra-secures-settlements-barstow-and-oroville-school">according to settlements Attorney General Xavier Becerra released Tuesday</a>. The news comes as school districts across California <a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2020/06/kamala-harris-vice-president-contender-2020/">reconsider the presence of campus police</a> amid arguments that they disproportionately arrest and discipline students of color. </p>



<ul><li><strong>Becerra: </strong>&#8220;Our society is built on how we educate our children. When our schools use punishment discriminately, it has lasting consequences.&#8221; </li></ul>



<p>Key findings from the California Department of Justice&#8217;s investigations include:</p>



<ul><li><strong>At Barstow Unified School District, </strong>the rate of days of punishment for students reported for defiant behavior was 168% greater for Black students than white students.</li><li><strong>At Oroville City Elementary School District, </strong>Black students lost days of school due to suspension at a rate 18 times the state average, and middle school students with disabilities received nearly twice as many days as punishment as students without disabilities. </li><li><strong>At Oroville Union High School District, </strong>Black students were 56% more likely to be suspended than white students for the same types of behavior. </li></ul>



<p><strong>4. California coronavirus workers&#8217; comp claims soar</strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="600" height="400" src="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_healthcareworkers_AW_sized_04_newsletter.jpg?resize=600%2C400&#038;ssl=1" alt="A hospital employee enters Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland on August 24, 2020. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters" class="wp-image-132992" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_healthcareworkers_AW_sized_04_newsletter.jpg?w=600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_healthcareworkers_AW_sized_04_newsletter.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption>A hospital employee enters Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland on Aug. 24. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters</figcaption></figure>



<p>More than 35,000 Californians have filed COVID-19 workers&#8217; compensation claims since the pandemic began, translating to potentially more than $2 billion in costs for employers and their insurers, <a href="https://calmatters.org/?p=132934">CalMatters&#8217; Barbara Feder Ostrov reports</a>. Health care workers made up nearly 40% of all coronavirus-related claims, and Imperial County — which had the state&#8217;s highest case rate in June — saw the highest rate of claims. Meanwhile, lawmakers are currently considering several bills that would extend and expand Newsom&#8217;s executive order presuming essential workers who contracted COVID-19 were infected on the job. </p>



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<h2>CalMatters commentary</h2>



<p><strong><a href="https://calmatters.org/?p=132641">CalMatters columnist Dan Walters</a>: </strong>Unemployment benefits could be the difference between survival and homelessness for California&#8217;s more than 3 million jobless workers, but payments are jeopardized by tech snafus and politics.</p>



<p><strong>How to break COVID-19 cycle: </strong>More restrictions now mean more freedom later. Let&#8217;s not screw this one up, <a href="https://calmatters.org/commentary/my-turn/2020/08/when-it-comes-to-covid-19-dont-let-the-good-news-become-the-bad-news/">writes Jessica Levinson, a Loyola Law School professor</a>.</p>



<p><strong>Violating First Amendment rights: </strong>It&#8217;s offensive that police unions are singled out in calls to ban contributions to prosecutors&#8217; political campaigns, <a href="https://calmatters.org/commentary/reader-reactions/2020/08/proposal-to-prohibit-police-unions-from-contributing-to-da-campaigns-violates-our-first-amendment-rights/">argues Marshall McClain, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers Association</a>.</p>



<p><strong>Newsom must clarify Delta tunnel plan: </strong>This political culture of deferral, intended to finesse controversy, has only heightened mistrust and contention, <a href="https://calmatters.org/commentary/my-turn/2020/08/gov-newsom-must-clarify-his-delta-tunnel-plan/">writes Bruce Babbitt, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior</a>.</p>



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<h2>Other things worth your time</h2>



<p><strong>California&#8217;s emergency alert system</strong> <strong>experiences technical difficulties </strong>as wildfires rage. // <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-25/wildfires-continue-to-illuminate-holes-in-californias-emergency-alert-messaging">Los Angeles Times</a></p>



<p><strong>To manage wildfires, </strong>California looks to what tribes have known all along. // <a href="https://www.capradio.org/155426">CapRadio</a></p>



<p><strong>Animals saved by a rescue network </strong>forged by years of Bay Area wildfires. // <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/Rescue-network-forged-by-years-of-Bay-Area-15511834.php">San Francisco Chronicle</a></p>



<p><strong>Hundreds of protesters march in Los Angeles </strong>over police shooting in Wisconsin. // <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-25/protesters-marching-in-downtown-l-a-monday-night-decry-police-shootings">Los Angeles Times</a></p>



<p><strong>Tahoe&#8217;s new Gold Rush: </strong>Bay Area residents fleeing coronavirus push up home prices. // <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Tahoe-s-new-Gold-Rush-Bay-Area-residents-15511767.php">San Francisco Chronicle</a></p>



<p><strong>Tahoe ski resort Squaw Valley </strong>to change its &#8216;derogatory and offensive&#8217; name. // <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article245236525.html">Sacramento Bee</a></p>



<p><strong>California legislators cut state workers&#8217; pay. </strong>Just five of 120 requested pay cuts for themselves. // <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/the-state-worker/article245201870.html">Sacramento Bee</a></p>



<p><strong>The California DMV is selling drivers&#8217; data </strong>to private investigators. // <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/dyzeza/california-dmv-data-private-investigators &nbsp;">Vice</a></p>



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<p><em>See you tomorrow.</em></p>



<p><em>Tips, insight or feedback? Email&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="mailto:emily@calmatters.org" target="_blank">emily@calmatters.org</a>.</em></p>



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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">132857</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Legislature needs an emergency hearing on vaccines – for COVID-19 and the flu</title>
		<link>https://calmatters.org/commentary/my-turn/2020/08/legislature-needs-an-emergency-hearing-on-vaccines-for-covid-19-and-the-flu/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest Commentary]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2020 12:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[My Turn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[anti-vaxxer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[covid-19]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[flu season]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[legislature]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vaccines]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://calmatters.org/?p=132839</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="300" height="188" src="https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaccine.jpg?fit=300%2C188&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="vaccine" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaccine.jpg?w=2121&amp;ssl=1 2121w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaccine.jpg?resize=300%2C188&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaccine.jpg?resize=1024%2C640&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaccine.jpg?resize=768%2C480&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaccine.jpg?resize=1536%2C960&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaccine.jpg?resize=2048%2C1280&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaccine.jpg?resize=1200%2C750&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaccine.jpg?resize=1568%2C980&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaccine.jpg?resize=706%2C441&amp;ssl=1 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>It’s critical that we encourage the early adoption of any successfully developed COVID-19 vaccine and promote the widespread use of the flu vaccine.]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="300" height="188" src="https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaccine.jpg?fit=300%2C188&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="vaccine" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaccine.jpg?w=2121&amp;ssl=1 2121w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaccine.jpg?resize=300%2C188&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaccine.jpg?resize=1024%2C640&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaccine.jpg?resize=768%2C480&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaccine.jpg?resize=1536%2C960&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaccine.jpg?resize=2048%2C1280&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaccine.jpg?resize=1200%2C750&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaccine.jpg?resize=1568%2C980&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaccine.jpg?resize=706%2C441&amp;ssl=1 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>		
		<div class="wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background calmatters-summary">
			<div class="wp-block-group__inner-container">
				
				<p class="has-small-font-size calmatters-summary-heading"><strong>In summary</strong></p>
				

				
				<p class="calmatters-summary-content">It’s critical that we encourage the early adoption of any successfully developed COVID-19 vaccine and promote the widespread use of the flu vaccine.</p>
				
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		</div>
		
		
<div class="wp-block-organic-profile-block"><div class="organic-profile-image" style="background-image:url(https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Kelly-Danielpour-.jpg)"><figure class="wp-image-132840"><img src="https://i1.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Kelly-Danielpour-.jpg?w=780&#038;ssl=1" alt="Profile Image" data-recalc-dims="1"/></figure></div><div class="organic-profile-content" style="text-align:center"><h3>By Kelly Danielpour and</h3><h5></h5><p class="organic-profile-bio"><em>Kelly Danielpour is a high school senior at Crossroads School in Santa Monica, VaxTeen@gmail.com. She&#8217;s the founder of VaxTeen and works as an intern for Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, researching California&#8217;s vaccine policy.</em></p><div class="organic-profile-social"></div></div></div>



<div class="wp-block-organic-profile-block"><div class="organic-profile-image" style="background-image:url(https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Dr.-Jeffery-Klausner.jpg)"><figure class="wp-image-109012"><img src="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Dr.-Jeffery-Klausner.jpg?w=780&#038;ssl=1" alt="Profile Image" data-recalc-dims="1"/></figure></div><div class="organic-profile-content" style="text-align:center"><h3>Jeffrey Klausner, Special to CalMatters</h3><h5></h5><p class="organic-profile-bio"><em>Dr. Jeffrey Klausner is a professor of Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is a former medical officer for the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, and a former deputy health officer at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, JDKlausner@mednet.ucla.edu.</em></p><div class="organic-profile-social"></div></div></div>



<p>As we attempt to mitigate the widespread effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, our legislators must address several urgent issues.&nbsp;</p>



<p>It’s critical that we encourage the early adoption of any successfully developed COVID-19 vaccine. We must promote the widespread use of the vaccines we already have – in particular, the flu vaccine, before this year&#8217;s flu season begins. And we need to curb growing vaccine hesitancy while putting systems in place to facilitate and manage the use of vaccines.</p>



<p>The convergence of this fall&#8217;s flu season with a second wave of COVID-19 infections could be disastrous. Since influenza and COVID-19 have similar symptoms, people will likely misattribute them and clog health care systems. Patients will need to be tested for both viruses, placing a strain on personnel and supplies.&nbsp;</p>



<p>If the flu season is severe with a high rate of hospitalization, combined with COVID-19, this could quickly overburden hospitals. Although the flu vaccine does not provide 100% protection, it reduces symptoms and the likelihood of hospitalization. We need to vaccinate all eligible Californians against the flu now.</p>



<p>During the coronavirus pandemic, childhood vaccination rates have fallen dramatically in California, nationally and globally, fueling concerns of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This <a href="https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR20-090.aspx">April</a>, vaccine doses given to California children fell by more than 40% compared to the previous year. Parents have avoided doctor&#8217;s offices, fearing COVID-19 exposure, but the risk is low with the numerous precautions in place. We could soon be facing outbreaks of measles and chickenpox alongside COVID-19.</p>



<p>This backlog of missed vaccinations only heightens the urgency of improving California’s immunization registries. These databases keep track of vaccinations and will play a key part in children catching up on vaccinations, as well as the uptake of an eventual COVID-19 vaccine.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In California, many providers are required to input all vaccination information, but there are large gaps in reporting, and registries aren’t sufficiently accessible to parents and those who have been vaccinated. Exacerbating the concern, vaccines against COVID-19 will likely <a href="https://www.cell.com/immunity/pdf/S1074-7613(20)30120-5.pdf">require two doses</a> given about a month apart and come in several types.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Without a thorough centralized system keeping track of who got what vaccine and when, vaccine distribution will become chaotic. Improved registries would also allow us to identify and target areas where vaccination compliance is lacking. To navigate COVID-19’s impacts, California’s immunization registries require legislators’ immediate attention.</p>



<p>Further compounding the unnecessary toll of preventable illnesses in California are the low rates of human papillomavirus vaccination, which continue to result in increased cancer cases and significant costs to the state. A <a href="https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/hpv-vaccination-rates-cancers-california-20-year-olds">recent UCLA study</a> suggested that if 99.5% of California&#8217;s population were fully vaccinated against HPV, approximately 74% of HPV-related cancer cases – and the huge associated economic burdens on the health care system – would be averted. It’s time for the state Legislature to require HPV vaccination for all young Californians as a condition of school entry.</p>



<p>All of these concerns are tied to the overarching problem of growing vaccine hesitancy, something that threatens all Californians’ health. This has been furthered by the widespread distribution of vaccine misinformation, which has been allowed to grow and fester unchecked.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In addition to witnessing outbreaks of once-eliminated diseases due to under-vaccinated communities, we’re facing the alarming prospect that a significant portion of the population would refuse a COVID-19 vaccination. There’s a high likelihood that this would prevent us from attaining the level of herd immunity necessary to stem transmission and allow the disease’s devastating toll to continue to mount.</p>



<p>We urgently need new legislation that would support science-based community education to counteract the pernicious effects of the anti-vaccine movement and research to identify sources of vaccine hesitancy.</p>



<p>Our state leaders need to act decisively to protect the health of all Californians. As the current pandemic has shown us, vaccinations are crucial both in saving lives and averting economic catastrophe. With the flu season fast approaching, along with a possible second wave of COVID-19 infections, and hopefully a COVID-19 vaccine, there’s no time to waste. Legislators need to convene an emergency hearing on vaccines and methods of assuring their equitable use now.</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center">_____</p>



<p><em>Dr. Jeffrey Klausner has also written about </em><a href="https://calmatters.org/commentary/my-turn/2020/06/its-time-to-end-the-state-of-emergency-over-covid-19/"><em>ending the state of emergency over COVID-19</em></a><em>,&nbsp; </em><a href="https://calmatters.org/commentary/its-time-to-reconsider-californias-shelter-at-home-policy/"><em>California’s shelter-at-home-policy</em></a><em> and the </em><a href="https://calmatters.org/commentary/california-faces-a-sexually-transmitted-disease-crisis-why-arent-we-confronting-it/"><em>sexually transmitted disease crisis</em></a><em>.&nbsp;</em></p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">132839</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>California COVID-19 workers’ comp claims soar</title>
		<link>https://calmatters.org/health/2020/08/california-coronavirus-workers-comp-claims/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Barbara Feder Ostrov]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2020 12:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Labor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[California coronavirus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[california workers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coronavirus labor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[covid-19]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[covid-19 california]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[covid-19 outbreak]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[death benefits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[essential workers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health care worker california]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Los Angeles County]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[los angeles county department of public health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mask requirement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[medical benefits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[San Bernardino County]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social distancing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[workers comp]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Workers Compensation]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://calmatters.org/?p=132934</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="300" height="200" src="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_healthcareworkers_AW_sized_04.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="A hospital employee enters Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland on August 24, 2020. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_healthcareworkers_AW_sized_04.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_healthcareworkers_AW_sized_04.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_healthcareworkers_AW_sized_04.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_healthcareworkers_AW_sized_04.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_healthcareworkers_AW_sized_04.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_healthcareworkers_AW_sized_04.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_healthcareworkers_AW_sized_04.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_healthcareworkers_AW_sized_04.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>Health care workers make up nearly 40 percent of those seeking wage and medical benefits from the program.]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="300" height="200" src="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_healthcareworkers_AW_sized_04.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="A hospital employee enters Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland on August 24, 2020. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_healthcareworkers_AW_sized_04.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_healthcareworkers_AW_sized_04.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_healthcareworkers_AW_sized_04.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_healthcareworkers_AW_sized_04.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_healthcareworkers_AW_sized_04.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_healthcareworkers_AW_sized_04.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_healthcareworkers_AW_sized_04.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/082420_healthcareworkers_AW_sized_04.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>		
		<div class="wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background calmatters-summary">
			<div class="wp-block-group__inner-container">
				
				<p class="has-small-font-size calmatters-summary-heading"><strong>In summary</strong></p>
				

				
				<p class="calmatters-summary-content">Health care workers make up nearly 40 percent of those seeking wage and medical benefits from the program.</p>
				
			</div>
		</div>
		
		
<p>Early in the pandemic, José Guzman said he asked his managers at the Farmer John meat packing plant in Vernon, just south of Los Angeles, for a mask and hand sanitizer.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“They said they were not responsible. They could not give us masks because they had no masks,” said Guzman, a 61-year-old from San Bernardino who commuted 60 miles to the plant where he worked as a meat-trimmer. “There was no social distancing – I could reach out and touch my fellow worker with my hand. They didn’t do the right thing at the beginning, so that’s why so many people got infected.”</p>



<p>Guzman is among the <a href="http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/locations.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">266 workers</a> infected in a COVID-19 outbreak at the plant, as of Aug. 24, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. While his employer has publicly defended its safety practices,&nbsp;Guzman filed a COVID-19 workers’ compensation claim as soon as he was able—one of more than 35,000 Californians to do so since the pandemic began.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Workers’ compensation claims for COVID-19 have spiked dramatically in the past two months, from about 4,700 in May to about 10,900 in June and more than 11,600 in July, according to data from the California Department of Industrial Relations, which oversees the program.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Those claims could mean more than $2 billion in costs for employers and their insurers, according to projections by the California Workers’&nbsp;Compensation Institute, although workers’ comp claims unrelated to COVID-19 <a href="https://calmatters.org/economy/labor/2020/06/covid-workers-comp-compensation-claims-california-lockdown/">fell</a> as the economy contracted.&nbsp;</p>



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</div></figure>



<p>California employers are required by law to pay for workers’ compensation coverage, which provides wage and medical benefits to injured workers and death benefits to the families of those killed on the job.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The families of at least 140 workers applied for death benefits, according to <a href="https://www.cwci.org/CV19claims.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">data</a> collected by the institute.</p>



<p>Health care workers comprised nearly 40 percent of all COVID-19 claims, while public safety and other government workers, retail employees and manufacturing workers collectively made up another 30 percent of claims.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>Imperial County had the highest rate of COVID-19&nbsp;workers’&nbsp;comp&nbsp;claims. The rural county along the Mexican border in June reported the state’s highest rate of COVID-19 cases and <a href="https://calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2020/07/imperial-county-covid-coronavirus-icu-beds/">had to transport patients</a> from its overwhelmed hospitals to other counties.&nbsp;</p>



<p><a href="https://covid19.ca.gov/essential-workforce/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Essential workers</a> like Guzman have extra protections because of an <a href="https://calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2020/05/california-essential-workers-compensation-executive-order/">executive order</a>&nbsp;Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in May. The order presumes <a href="https://covid19.ca.gov/essential-workforce/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">these workers</a> who contracted COVID-19 were infected on the job, and puts the burden on employers to prove otherwise.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Still, even essential workers can see their claims denied. The order allows employers to present evidence rebutting employees’ claims. Workers are covered by the order if they tested positive after March 19, when the state issued its first stay-at-home order, and if they worked at their employer’s place of business within 14 days of being diagnosed. Some workers may have been infected earlier, worked from home, or could not access tests that, especially earlier in the pandemic, were in short supply.&nbsp;</p>



<p>About 28 percent of all (not just essential worker) COVID-19 claims filed were denied in May, but that denial rate dropped to 20 percent in July and is on track to decline to nearly 10 percent in August, according to state data.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-pullquote" style="border-color:#F4BB32"><blockquote><p>Health care workers comprised nearly 40 percent of all COVID-19 claims, while public safety and other government workers, retail employees and manufacturing workers collectively made up another 30 percent of claims.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p></blockquote></figure>



<p>Alex Swedlow, president of the California Workers’ Compensation Institute, said the number of claims filed and the denial rate will change because employees can file weeks or months after their injuries. Employers have 30 days to dispute a worker’s claim under the executive order.&nbsp;</p>



<p>State lawmakers are considering measures that would make more permanent the protections offered by the governor’s executive order, which expired in July.&nbsp;</p>



<p>One bill, <a href="http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB664" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AB 644</a>, would extend workers compensation protections to first responders and some health care workers if they are infected with COVID-19 or any other disease that results in a statewide public health emergency declaration. A related bill, <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB196" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AB 196</a>, covers essential workers not covered by AB 644. Another measure, <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB1159#:~:text=SB%201159%2C%20as%20amended%2C%20Hill,in%20the%20course%20of%20employment." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AB 1159</a>, would cover public safety and health care workers infected with COVID-19 through July 2024. The bills are pending.</p>



<p>Guzman was hospitalized for two weeks starting in mid-April, returning home with supplemental oxygen to relieve his lingering pneumonia. He said he unknowingly infected his wife. His doctor has not yet cleared him to return to work.&nbsp;</p>



<p>A representative for Virginia-based Smithfield Foods, which owns the meat processing plant, did not comment for this story. But the company maintains it has protected workers by providing testing and access to masks and hand sanitizers &#8220;as quickly as the CDC guidance was issued and supplies became available,&#8221; according to a <a href="https://www.smithfieldfoods.com/pdf/statements/Senators_Warren_and_Booker_063020.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">letter</a> it sent in late June, responding to criticism from two U.S. senators about its handling of the pandemic.</p>



<p>After recovering at home, José Guzman now feels better, but he said his doctor told him some of his symptoms, like coughing and shortness of breath, could linger for months.</p>



<p>“I don’t know how this is going to end, if I feel worse or if the symptoms I’m feeling right now are not going to let me work full duty,” Guzman said, concerned that he might have to apply for temporary or even permanent disability. “I want to be protected. I’ve got a family. I’m already 61, so it’s not going to be easy for me if I’m not able to do my work (at) full duty.”</p>


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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">132934</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Ban on flavored tobacco – a half-hearted approach to protect youth – will hurt convenience store owners</title>
		<link>https://calmatters.org/commentary/my-turn/2020/08/ban-on-flavored-tobacco-a-half-hearted-approach-to-protect-youth-will-hurt-convenience-store-owners/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest Commentary]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2020 12:25:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[California Legislature]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[My Turn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[flavored tobacco]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Senate bill]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tobacco ban]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vaping]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://calmatters.org/?p=132617</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="300" height="123" src="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaping.jpg?fit=300%2C123&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="vaping" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaping.jpg?w=1597&amp;ssl=1 1597w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaping.jpg?resize=300%2C123&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaping.jpg?resize=1024%2C421&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaping.jpg?resize=768%2C315&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaping.jpg?resize=1536%2C631&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaping.jpg?resize=1200%2C493&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaping.jpg?resize=1568%2C644&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaping.jpg?resize=706%2C290&amp;ssl=1 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>There’s no doubt we need to address the rise in youth vaping, but ban on flavored tobacco will impact small businesses.]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="300" height="123" src="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaping.jpg?fit=300%2C123&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="vaping" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaping.jpg?w=1597&amp;ssl=1 1597w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaping.jpg?resize=300%2C123&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaping.jpg?resize=1024%2C421&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaping.jpg?resize=768%2C315&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaping.jpg?resize=1536%2C631&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaping.jpg?resize=1200%2C493&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaping.jpg?resize=1568%2C644&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/vaping.jpg?resize=706%2C290&amp;ssl=1 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>		
		<div class="wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background calmatters-summary">
			<div class="wp-block-group__inner-container">
				
				<p class="has-small-font-size calmatters-summary-heading"><strong>In summary</strong></p>
				

				
				<p class="calmatters-summary-content">There’s no doubt we need to address the rise in youth vaping, but ban on flavored tobacco will impact small businesses.</p>
				
			</div>
		</div>
		
		
<div class="wp-block-organic-profile-block"><div class="organic-profile-image" style="background-image:url(https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Julian-Canete.jpg)"><figure class="wp-image-132618"><img src="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Julian-Canete.jpg?w=780&#038;ssl=1" alt="Profile Image" data-recalc-dims="1"/></figure></div><div class="organic-profile-content" style="text-align:center"><h3>By Julian Canete, Special to CalMatters</h3><h5></h5><p class="organic-profile-bio"><em>Julian Canete is the president and CEO of the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, canetej@cahcc.com.</em></p><div class="organic-profile-social"></div></div></div>



<p>After enjoying economic growth for 10 years and record low unemployment, small businesses are feeling a disproportionate brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. After California’s initial stay-in-place order and closure of non-essential businesses, the economic consequences have severely impacted nearly 4 million small businesses in the state.</p>



<p>Even efforts by state legislators to address the state’s pandemic-caused budget deficit, too many of the policies aimed to close the gap will severely burden small businesses. That list includes <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB793">Senate Bill 793</a>, introduced by state Sen. Jerry Hill, a Democrat from San Mateo, a <a href="https://calmatters.org/health/2020/02/flavored-vaping-ban-california-refusing-tobacco-cannabis-legislature/">ban on the sale of all flavored tobacco</a> products, which will profoundly impact California’s 12,000 convenience stores.</p>



<p>Even during years of economic growth, many small businesses operated on relatively tight margins, leaving them poorly positioned for a financial setback from COVID-19. Yet, the state budget attempts to squeeze even more out of battered businesses, including $4.4 billion in <a href="https://apnews.com/567bdaba2f74076b1fdcd603f18757ec">tax increases</a>. They will also feel the downward pressure of a gas tax <a href="https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/california-gas-tax-increase-takes-effect-today/2389172/">increase</a> that will increase distribution and production costs, and for those selling gas, they will likely see a decrease of customers at the pump. To top it all off, these businesses are also feeling the impact of new minimum wage, family leave and other mandates and environmental regulations.&nbsp;</p>



<p>For convenience stores, SB 793 presents an even greater risk. The threat of a sales ban on flavored tobacco products, which includes menthol, coupled with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to enact a second wave of shutdowns could spell disaster. With individuals encouraged to again stay home and businesses unable to open, this potential ban on a high revenue generator – flavored tobacco products – could spell the end for many of small businesses and the thousands of jobs they provide.</p>



<p>What’s worse is this ban penalizes otherwise law-abiding, compliant business owners. According to FDA data, California’s statewide compliance rate of selling tobacco to legal age adults was 95%, 97% in Sacramento. Yet, lawmakers seem to trust the internet over hard-working men and women who would do anything to keep their business open and profiting.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The most recent analysis by the Mackinac Center <a href="https://www.mackinac.org/analysis-cigarette-smuggling-still-a-problem-about-to-get-much-worse">found</a> almost 50% of the cigarettes consumed were smuggled in, or acquired through tax avoidance or evasion. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/severe-lung-disease.html">found</a> the strange string of vaping deaths in 2019 was caused by products illegally obtained on the black market, not from regulated products sold in stores.</p>



<p>If lawmakers want to curb youth vaping – their stated goal of this legislation – putting more faith in illegal, predatory online vendors over vigilant store owners and their trained employees does the exact opposite: it puts children at risk.</p>



<p>The National Federation of Independent Business July jobs report <a href="https://www.nfib.com/content/news/california/comment-on-todays-depressing-jobs-report-3/">shows</a> the small business labor market has continued to weaken. Firms reduced employment by 0.28 workers per firm in June, weaker than the decrease of 0.17 workers per firm in May. These figures are not likely to improve as data was collected well before the recent renewal of state-imposed business shutdowns. And with the money provided by the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program loans essentially used up, coupled with the unknown length of shutdowns, who knows how long convenient stores can weather the storm.</p>



<p>There’s no doubt we need to address the rise in youth vaping. But to water down the problem and propose a unilateral flavored tobacco ban as the solution is at best a half-hearted approach. Convenience store owners have proven to be responsible sellers – they are not the problem. It’s not too late for legislators to go back to the drawing board and, with input from the small business community, find a comprehensive solution to tackle a community problem without putting key members of the community out of business.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">132617</post-id>	</item>
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		<title>CSU Long Beach should protect tribal land and use it as a teaching tool</title>
		<link>https://calmatters.org/commentary/reader-reactions/2020/08/csu-long-beach-should-protect-tribal-land-and-use-it-as-a-teaching-tool/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest Commentary]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2020 12:20:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Higher Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reader Reactions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[american indian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[California State University]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Long Beach]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Native American]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sacred land]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tribal lands]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://calmatters.org/?p=132627</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="300" height="179" src="https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CSU-Long-Beach-campus.jpg?fit=300%2C179&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CSU-Long-Beach-campus.jpg?w=2122&amp;ssl=1 2122w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CSU-Long-Beach-campus.jpg?resize=300%2C179&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CSU-Long-Beach-campus.jpg?resize=1024%2C609&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CSU-Long-Beach-campus.jpg?resize=768%2C457&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CSU-Long-Beach-campus.jpg?resize=1536%2C914&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CSU-Long-Beach-campus.jpg?resize=2048%2C1219&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CSU-Long-Beach-campus.jpg?resize=1200%2C714&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CSU-Long-Beach-campus.jpg?resize=1568%2C933&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CSU-Long-Beach-campus.jpg?resize=706%2C420&amp;ssl=1 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>If there is an American Indian Studies department at UC Long Beach, it could utilize this land for classes, writing and cultural inclusiveness.]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="300" height="179" src="https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CSU-Long-Beach-campus.jpg?fit=300%2C179&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CSU-Long-Beach-campus.jpg?w=2122&amp;ssl=1 2122w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CSU-Long-Beach-campus.jpg?resize=300%2C179&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CSU-Long-Beach-campus.jpg?resize=1024%2C609&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CSU-Long-Beach-campus.jpg?resize=768%2C457&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CSU-Long-Beach-campus.jpg?resize=1536%2C914&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CSU-Long-Beach-campus.jpg?resize=2048%2C1219&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CSU-Long-Beach-campus.jpg?resize=1200%2C714&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CSU-Long-Beach-campus.jpg?resize=1568%2C933&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i2.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CSU-Long-Beach-campus.jpg?resize=706%2C420&amp;ssl=1 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>		
		<div class="wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background calmatters-summary">
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				<p class="has-small-font-size calmatters-summary-heading"><strong>In summary</strong></p>
				

				
				<p class="calmatters-summary-content">If there is an American Indian Studies department at UC Long Beach, it could utilize this land for classes, writing and cultural inclusiveness.</p>
				
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<div class="wp-block-organic-profile-block"><div class="organic-profile-content" style="text-align:center"><h3>By Stephanie Hessen, Yucca Valley</h3><h5></h5><p class="organic-profile-bio"></p><div class="organic-profile-social"></div></div></div>



<p>Re “<a href="https://calmatters.org/commentary/my-turn/2020/08/native-american-sacred-land-on-csu-long-beach-campus-should-be-permanently-protected/">Native American sacred land on CSU Long Beach campus should be permanently protected</a>”; Commentary, Aug. 14, 2020</p>



<p>Wouldn&#8217;t you think that a university in Southern California would covet the amazing opportunity to keep and protect tribal land and teach students as well as the community about native cultures, traditions, horticulture and more?&nbsp;</p>



<p>Is there not an American Indian Studies department at the University of California, Long Beach, that can utilize this land for classes, writing, cultural inclusiveness or literature courses that can bring in Native Americans speakers. Wouldn&#8217;t students interested in Native American cultural foods love to plant a garden and create indigenous recipes from plants grown on that piece of sacred earth?&nbsp;</p>



<p>It seems as if CSU Long Beach wants to capitalize on mini malls and coffee shops without thinking about education and community.&nbsp; That is not the kind of college I support and neither should you.</p>
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