California to loosen some mandates — and rethink school mask rules

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California appears to be on the brink of what could be one of its most dramatic shifts in COVID policy since the pandemic began nearly two years ago: changing school masking rules.

State health officials announced Monday that they are working with “education, public health and community leaders to update masking requirements at schools to adapt to changing conditions and ensure the safety of kids, teachers and staff.”

The move — which came the same day three Democratic-led states unveiled plans to end statewide school mask mandates as soon as the end of this month — follows a 65% decline in California’s test positivity rate from the peak of the omicron surge that derailed much of the state’s workforce and forced many schools to temporarily close.

It also follows Gov. Gavin Newsom’s repeated hints at a forthcoming “endemic strategy” for dealing with COVID, of which the state seemed to reveal several points Monday:

• California’s statewide indoor mask mandate for vaccinated residents will expire after Feb. 15, though stricter local rules — including in jurisdictions such as Los Angeles and San Francisco — will remain in place unless otherwise lifted.
• The state will also loosen its definition of indoor and outdoor mega-events after Feb. 15, effectively reducing the number of events required to implement strict vaccine-or-testing rules.
• Rules tightening testing requirements for nursing home visitors expired at 11:59 p.m. on Monday.

And that’s not all: “Additional adjustments to the state’s policies” will be announced “in the coming week,” state health officials said.

The about-face is the latest indication that California is facing a critical juncture in its COVID response: As Newsom and state lawmakers head into an election year with Californians divided on the state’s pandemic strategy, big, controversial decisions loom — including whether to create stricter vaccine mandates for children and require proof of COVID inoculation to enter almost all public places.

• Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, director of the California Department of Public Health: “With things moving in the right direction, we are making responsible modifications to COVID-19 prevention measures, while also continuing to develop a longer-term action plan for the state.”

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The coronavirus bottom line: As of Sunday, California had 8,079,771 confirmed cases (+0.9% from previous day) and 80,539 deaths (+0.6% from previous day), according to state data. CalMatters is also tracking coronavirus hospitalizations by county.

California has administered 70,183,793 vaccine doses, and 73.5% of eligible Californians are fully vaccinated.

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Other stories you should know

1. COVID emergency bills head to Newsom

Even as California moves to loosen some coronavirus restrictions, state lawmakers on Monday sent to Newsom’s desk a bundle of bills to ramp up the state’s pandemic response.

• One reinstates a policy requiring large employers to offer workers as much as two weeks paid time off for COVID-related sick leave — though, as CalMatters’ Grace Gedye reports, the program doesn’t cover at least 1 in 4 California workers.
• Lawmakers also approved Newsom’s request for $1.9 billion in emergency COVID funding — revised upward from the $1.4 billion he asked for in January — though Republicans decried what they characterized as the administration’s lack of transparency and oversight.

Assemblymember Vince Fong, a Bakersfield Republican and vice-chair of the Assembly Budget Committee: “This bill spends nearly another $2 billion on COVID response without providing sufficient justification, including several no-bid contracts which a number of us have asked questions about. … There must be measurable outcomes to assess the effectiveness of the state’s spending of taxpayer monies.”

According to the Newsom administration, here’s how the money will be allocated:

• $1.6 billion for the California Department of Public Health for contact tracing, hospital surge response, vaccine distribution and administration, and testing support.
• $205.5 million for the state prison system, mostly to expand testing.
• $100 million for the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to procure personal protective equipment.

In other Newsom administration news: The governor on Monday appointed Office of Digital Innovation Director Amy Tong to replace Yolanda Richardson — the administration’s so-called “vaccine czar” who announced her resignation Thursday — as Government Operations Agency Secretary. He also named Toks Omishakin, director of the California Department of Transportation, as Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency.

2. Dahle to launch gubernatorial bid

From CalMatters political reporter Alexei Koseff: Who will be the Republican Party’s standard-bearer in California’s 2022 gubernatorial race — a potentially quixotic quest to take out Newsom just a year after he handily defeated a recall attempt? 

Today, state Sen. Brian Dahle is set to become the first prominent Republican to enter the race when he formally launches his gubernatorial campaign at a kickoff event in Redding. Dahle, a longtime state lawmaker and farmer from rural Lassen County, is set to term out of the Legislature in 2024. 

It’s not yet clear which, if any, challengers Dahle might face within his own party. Larry Elder, the radio shock jock who led the field of replacement candidates in the recall election, has already taken a pass. Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and real estate developer John Cox, who couldn’t quite scrounge up a million votes between them last year, are both still weighing another run.

3. CA housing market gets tighter

Five of the nation’s six cities with the least amount of available affordable homes for middle-class residents — those making between $75,000 and $100,000 per year — are in California, according to a Monday report from the National Association of Realtors. Nationwide, the amount of available affordable homes for that salary range dropped by more than 400,000 from December 2019 to December 2021 as the pandemic helped spur record-high housing prices and record-low availability.

Here’s a closer look at the six metro areas with the least amount of homes for sale for those earning between $75,000 and $100,000:

• San Jose: 1 home listing available for every 3,528 households.
• Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura: 1 listing per 1,385 households.
• San Diego: 1 listing per 1,138 households.
• Los Angeles: 1 listing per 1,025 households.
• Seattle: 1 listing per 830 households.
• San Francisco-Oakland: 1 listing per 723 households.

The report also found that it’s becoming increasingly difficult for Black Americans to achieve homeownership, noting that in cities such as San Francisco white families are twice as likely to be able to afford buying a house than Black families.

• Realtor.com Chief Economist Danielle Hale: “Due to the reductions in inventory over the last few years, today’s buyers in large tech markets can actually afford a smaller number of homes than they could two years ago, despite an uptick in wages.”

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CalMatters commentary

CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: Cities are trying to thwart California’s push for more housing.

Why single-payer health care failed: There is no clearer example of legislation in recent memory that uses a sledgehammer where a scalpel is more appropriate, writes Roger Niello, a small-business owner and former state assemblymember.

California is stiffing older adults: We don’t want any more stinking plans that end up in a slush pile. Budgets and legislation dictating mandated actions are needed immediately, argues Dev Berger, a retired health policy consultant and planner.

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