August 2020

Jamie Burson sits on the bed of her motel room in Farfield on August 4, 2020. Burson, who has been living between her car and motels since being evicted in April, says she feels unsafe at the motel and plans to move again later later today. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Housing

Exclusive: More than 1,600 Californians have been evicted during pandemic

A loophole in the state eviction moratorium forces hundreds from their homes after shelter-in-place orders. Without clear state orders, sheriff departments decide whether to evict.

By

Matt Levin

,

Nigel Duara

and

Erica Yee

• August 11, 2020

WhatMatters

Uber, Lyft lose first battle to CA

Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, August 11. But war rages on The California vs. Uber/Lyft war is far from over — but Big Tech lost the first battle. A San Francisco Superior Court judge issued a preliminary injunction Monday requiring the gig-economy companies to reclassify their drivers as full-fledged employees entitled to minimum wage, unemployment […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• August 11, 2020

Capitol

Amendment to clean-up bill for AB 5 needed to protect professional translators and interpreters

Assembly Bill 2257 falls short of fixing the problems with AB 5, threatening to impose red tape on professional interpreters like me.

By

Guest Commentary

• August 11, 2020

Commentary

How should California define student success in 2020?

Schools will look different this year, so educators should reset measures for student success to align with a set of more holistic outcomes.

By

Guest Commentary

• August 11, 2020

Reader Reactions

Allowing hemp CBD to be used in food, cosmetics would provide California with much needed revenue

Studies project a hemp CBD market for food and beverage at more than $2 billion next year; California is falling behind of this revenue train.

By

Guest Commentary

• August 11, 2020

CalMatters en Español

Opinión: Las escuelas no pueden reabrir sus puertas por sí solas; una crisis nacional requiere una respuesta nacional

Trabajando con expertos de la UC de San Diego, hemos establecido normas para reabrir las escuelas de manera segura. Pero no podemos hacerlo solos, y las medidas son costosas.

By

Guest Commentary

• August 10, 2020

Dr. Sonia Angell, Director of California Department of Public Health, at a press conference in the state capitol following the first COVID-19 death in California on March 4, 2020. Angell has just announced that she is resigning from her post. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Coronavirus

Amid pressures of pandemic, Newsom quickly accepts health officer’s resignation

Though Newsom wouldn’t cite the data glitch as the sole reason for Sunday’s resignation of Dr. Sonia Angell, director of the state Department of Public Health, the governor said it was appropriate for him to accept her resignation.

By

Ana B. Ibarra

• August 10, 2020

An inmate is moved after a session with a psychologist at the the mental health unit at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, June 9, 2014. Photo by Rich Pedroncelli, AP Photo

Justice

Overtime at California’s prisons swelled to almost half a billion dollars last year

Hybrid nurse-officers are being phased out statewide, but many earned six-figure salaries. One in Vacaville more than tripled his salary.

By

Raheem Hosseini

• August 10, 2020

The Oakmont of Varenna nursing home and assisted living facility in Santa Rosa on July 29, 2020. Oakmont Senior Living, the company responsible for Villa Capri and Varenna, has been accused by the state of abandoning around 100 residents the night of the Tubbs fire in 2017. Photo by Beth LaBerge, KQED

Environment

Disaster planning in nursing homes: The questions to ask your loved one’s facility

This guide is part of our “Older and overlooked” series on the danger wildfires pose to California’s older population, especially during COVID-19. Skip straight to: How to research a care home The questions experts recommend asking The coronavirus pandemic is a sudden, new threat to assisted living and skilled nursing homes — and those facilities […]

By

Molly Peterson

• August 10, 2020

Mark and Kathy Allen hold a photo of Mark's parents at their home in Sebastopol on July 29, 2020. Mark and Kathy evacuated Mark's mother and several other residents of the Villa Capri retirement community as the Tubbs Fire approached in October of 2017. The Oakmont of Varenna nursing home and assisted living facility in Santa Rosa on July 29, 2020. Photo by Beth LaBerge, KQED

Environment

Nursing homes weren’t ready for a pandemic. They’re not ready for wildfire, either

When the ominous beep of an emergency alert roused Mark and Kathy Allen out of bed in Sebastopol on Oct. 9, 2017, the Tubbs Fire was heading toward Santa Rosa. So the Allens did too. They knew the assisted living facility where Mark’s mother lived was in the path of fast-moving flames. They sped toward […]

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and

• August 10, 2020