California’s public schools, physically closed since mid-March and strapped for cash, are coming out of a frying pan and into a financial fire. The fire comes in the form of a $6.5 billion cut to schools’ main source of funding as well as other reductions in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised budget...
California Cracks Down on Rogue Bars
California bars are on a highball hijinx alert. The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is proposing emergency powers to shut down bars and restaurants if they disobey the state’s public health order by serving mojitos and manhattans to patrons in an establishment. Not only could the alcohol cops suspend licenses, the owners...
Exclusive: California Wires Mask Dealer Half a Billion Dollars, Then Claws It Back
On March 26, as the coronavirus pandemic was mounting and governors across America scrambled to secure medical supplies, the state of California wired almost a half-billion dollars to a company that had been in business for just three days. The recipient: Blue Flame Medical LLC, a Delaware-based company headed by...
California Public Transit Faces Existential Crisis With COVID-19
California’s public transit agencies deliver a vital service every day, and especially during times of emergency — providing critical mobility options for millions of frontline healthcare, public safety, grocery, and restaurant workers fulfilling essential roles during the COVID-19 pandemic. But public transit faces an existential crisis over the coming months:...
Billions in COVID Aid Will Go to Farms. But Farmers Say It’s Not Enough.
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...
Why State Water Contractors Sued Over Restrictions on Water Deliveries
For more than a decade, the State Water Contractors have heavily invested in scientific research to learn more about the Bay-Delta ecosystem and the endangered species that call it home. Much of this investment worked to resolve lingering questions surrounding permits issued in 2008 and 2009 for the long-term operation...
It’s Time to Review AB 5 If Policymakers Really Want to Restart California’s Economy
“Bring Back Borello!” will never work as a rallying cry, but it might be a timely agenda item for California legislators to seriously consider when the coronavirus coast is clear for them to return to Sacramento. In the meantime, the April 30 second anniversary of the state Supreme Court’s Dynamex decision and the Assembly...
Cue the Debunking: Two Bakersfield Doctors Go Viral With Dubious COVID Test Conclusions
They dressed in scrubs. They sounded scientific. And last week’s message from two Bakersfield doctors was exactly what many stuck-at-home Americans wanted to hear: COVID-19 is no worse than influenza, its death rates are low and we should all go back to work and school. Drs. Dan Erickson and Artin...
Borgeas: Reopening Needs a Path Forward. Here Are 5 Precise Steps.
The economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic has been devastating, and California must continue to act decisively to help mitigate the damage. As a California state senator representing the 8th Senate District, I have learned heartbreaking stories from employees and business owners who are seeing their dreams and investments dismantled....
Coronavirus Could Force Private Medical Practices to Close or Sell
In a matter of weeks, Dr. William Goral, a private practice ear, nose and throat specialist in San Bernardino County, will be out of business. His small, solo clinic, which has served patients throughout the Inland Empire for 30 years, postponed about 80% of patient visits due to coronavirus restrictions....