School Reopening

2020 just keeps getting better. As many as 2 million Californians experienced one-hour blackouts on Friday and Saturday nights as the state triggered rolling power outages for the first time in nearly two decades amid a record-breaking heat wave. The sky-high temperatures, paired with gusty winds and dry conditions, exacerbated fires across the state, contributed […]

Gov. Gavin Newsom is losing more top aides — including Anthony Williams, his main liaison with the state Legislature — as his administration struggles to control the coronavirus pandemic and rebuild a crumbling economy. The news of Williams’ departure and that of two other administration staff comes days after the Sunday resignation of the director […]

Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, August 4. Newsom guardedly optimistic For the first time in a long while, California has some good coronavirus news. The state’s positive case rate declined by 7%, hospitalizations by 10% and intensive-care admissions by 5% over the past two weeks, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday. One month ago, California’s positive […]

California’s plans to allow schools to reopen raises questions and concerns; teachers’ union outlines five criteria to safely reopen for in-person classes.

Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, July 23. Sent 17 million masks to other states California is burning through 46 million masks a month even as hospital systems and frontline workers face shortages, leading Gov. Gavin Newsom to ink another multimillion-dollar mask contract with plans to strike an even larger deal in the next few months. […]

Education for at least 90% of the state will have to be held online. Schools cannot reopen unless their county's coronavirus infections and hospitalizations are stable.

Good morning, California. It’s Wednesday, July 15. What happens if districts defy state? Orange County isn’t making things easy for Gov. Gavin Newsom. The county’s board of education recommended Monday that students return to school without face masks or physical distancing, contradicting guidelines from the state Department of Education and testing Newsom’s avowed commitment to […]

Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, July 14. Bars, indoor dining, gyms, churches to close Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday ordered massive swaths of California’s economy to close back down, largely reverting the state to where it was in March, as a surge in coronavirus patients pushes rural hospitals to the brink. Newsom directed all 58 […]

Will California's public schools, with 6 million students, reopen after shutting down due to the COVID-19 pandemic? Or will stay-at-home classes continue?

Schools across the state aren’t sure they can come up with procedures — and the money to implement them — to keep kids safe before class is scheduled to begin this fall.