Coronavirus

California continues to favor large counties for relief funds at the expense of rural Californians, and we are fed up.

Under the new state guidelines, people ages 16 to 64 with chronic, high-risk conditions and disabilities will join older Californians, food workers and educators. But not until March 15.

The California State Department of Public Health has for the first time during the pandemic published public-facing data about which schools in the state have reopened for physical instruction. The maps show a clear difference between rural areas in the state and the most populous school districts, and private schools versus public schools.

California policymakers are abandoning vaccination plans to prioritize disabled people and others with high risk health conditions.

Good morning, California. It’s Friday, February 12. Note: Due to Presidents’ Day, the newsletter will pause until Tuesday. Trifecta of concerns California is slated to launch on Monday its new vaccine distribution system helmed by Blue Shield and Kaiser Permanente — one that will inherit longstanding concerns over supply, equity and speed. Here’s a closer […]

Former Clinton press secretary Dee Dee Myers explains why she’s focused on small businesses for California’s recovery, doesn’t fear Elon Musk leaving for Texas and plans to let employers decide whether workers should be vaccinated before going back to work. But when it comes to reopening schools, which has disproportionately sidelined working moms, the author of “Why Women Should Rule the World,” says that’s still being negotiated.

Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, February 11. Tough confirmation hearings Two Californians nominated for top positions in President Joe Biden’s administration could face tough confirmation hearings later this month, putting the Golden State’s pandemic response under a national microscope. Attorney General Xavier Becerra, tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, appears to […]

A Los Angeles network of 19 community clinics had a plan to administer thousands of vaccine doses each week. But state officials said they’d have to wait. Why? Hospitals were prioritized over clinics that serve Latino, low-income communities.

Good morning, California. It’s Wednesday, February 10. Local control likely preserved Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers are primed to unveil this week an elementary school reopening plan — one that seems likely to preserve the current model of local school districts negotiating agreements with teachers unions, raising questions as to whether the deal will […]

Missing kindergarten has always led to learning gaps. The pandemic has exacerbated the problem by creating a larger than normal cohort of kids that will need extra attention next school year.