California coronavirus updates: The latest on the pandemic

Gov. Gavin Newsom, left, talks with Roshaun Davis, owner of Display California, about the locally made items he sells at his store in Sacramento on May 5, 2020. Newsom visited the store and discussed his plan for the gradual reopening of California businesses. Photo by Rich Pedroncelli, AP Photo/Pool

California Divide

Are California businesses getting a fair share of coronavirus loans?

California businesses have received $66.6 billion in federal Paycheck Protection Program loans so far, about 13% of the nation’s total, according to federal loan data. Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state’s businesses didn’t receive a proportional share of the federal money in the first round, but that it is now “punching above its weight” in […]

By

Nigel Duara

• May 5, 2020

Education

How coronavirus has changed grading policies

Grading policies at California public schools have changed as a result of the coronavirus. How they've changed depends on the district.

By

Ricardo Cano

• May 5, 2020

Endocrinologist Dr. Ray Samoa at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte on April 25, 2020. Samoa, who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, just recently returned to his family home after being in an extended quarantine. Photo by Nancy Pastor for CalMatters

California Divide

Track us better: Overlooked Pacific Islanders hit hard by coronavirus

For two weeks in March, Dr. Raynald Samoa fought to move air through his lungs. After recovering from COVID-19, the Los Angeles-based diabetes specialist posted videos on Facebook urging others to stay home. His posts resonated with California’s small but tight-knit Pacific Islander community as questions and stories flooded his inbox. One family described the […]

By

Jackie Botts

• May 5, 2020

Health

California readies army of coronavirus detectives

California gears up to train thousands of coronavirus detectives amid plans to re-open the state.

By

Rachel Becker

• May 4, 2020

An empty parking lot in front of TJ Maxx at The Veranda shopping center in Concord on March 19, 2020. One third of the centers businesses have been forced to close temporarily due to the shelter in place order in Contra Costa and surrounding counties. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Coronavirus

Newsom: State can begin gradual reopening Friday

Health officials say the coronavirus is controlled enough to allow retail and manufacturing businesses to partially reopen.

By

Matt Levin

• May 4, 2020

A sign promoting a national suspension of rent, mortgage and utility payments hands from a home in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco on April 18, 2020. More than a month after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a stay at home order in light of coronavirus concerns and with no clear end in sight, many Californians are wondering how they will afford rent going forward. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for Calmatters

Housing

What will California do about the rent?

Landlords, renter groups and state lawmakers grapple with who should pay as missed rents pile up in wake of the coronavirus.

By

Matt Levin

• May 4, 2020

California Divide

People in poor areas of L.A. are infected and dying at twice the rate of wealthier neighborhoods

Dalia was working in a clothing factory in South Los Angeles for about five months when the COVID-19 outbreak hit in mid-March. The workload got heavy when the factory started receiving orders to make face masks. Dalia, who was in charge of trimming the masks, sometimes would take extra work home. Like many other undocumented […]

By

Jacqueline Garcia

• May 4, 2020

California Divide

Billions in coronavirus aid will go to farms. But farmers say it’s not enough to keep them afloat

Ryan Indart says he may have to kill off some of the sheep at his east Clovis ranch this fall. With restaurants shuttered amid the coronavirus pandemic, he has no market for his animals. When a new flock arrives in October, he won’t have enough space in his pasture if his current flock is still […]

By

Manuela Tobias

• May 2, 2020

A woman holds up a sign as California Highway Patrol officers push back against protesters at a Capitol "Reopen California" anti-Newsom protest amid the coronavirus pandemic. Many participants did not wear protective masks or follow social distancing guidelines. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Politics

As protesters demand “Reopen California!” here’s whom Newsom can’t afford to alienate

Angry demonstrators, many unmasked, crammed toward the state Capitol demanding Gov. Gavin Newsom loosen or lift restrictions designed to contain the coronavirus pandemic. The bigger risk for Newsom: Losing buy-in from local officials to make his edicts relevant up and down this diverse state.

By

Laurel Rosenhall

• May 1, 2020

Events

Watch: The food supply chain breakdown

The coronavirus has forced the entire world into disarray, but the food industry in particular. With restaurants closing or reshaping business models around slimmed-down take-out menus, the dominoes are starting to fall for the farmers who suddenly have nowhere to take their food. And, at the same time, as more people find themselves out of […]

By

CalMatters Staff

• May 1, 2020