In my early twenties, I started a modest sandwich shop where I learned that even on good days, the margins are tight. The risk, sweat and stress that goes into starting, owning and operating a small business are so constant that one wonders what compels anyone to do it. The...
Frustrated Newsom Calls on Task Force to Fix Coronavirus Test Shortfall
California is finally making a dent in the backlog of tests for the novel coronavirus that, at peak, left 65,000 people waiting to find out if they were infected. But that still isn’t good enough, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a briefing Saturday where he announced a new effort to increase daily tests...
A Coronavirus Property Tax Delay? Californians Shouldn’t Count on It
The global pandemic notwithstanding, most California owners are still on the hook to pay their property taxes next week — thus far, the state isn’t granting any reprieves. Though both federal and state lawmakers postponed the deadline for income taxes through July 15, the statewide due date for homeowners and commercial real...
Fresno’s Doctor Shortage Just Cost the County 100 Coronavirus Emergency Hospital Beds
Fresno County has to give away 100 emergency field hospital beds intended to treat coronavirus patients because the Valley’s long-standing shortage of doctors means there aren’t enough medical professionals to monitor the patients. About 250 beds will be delivered to the county after state officials on Wednesday green light its...
Coronavirus Stretches California’s Special Ed System to the Brink
By Elizabeth Aguilera and Ricardo Cano, CalMatters In Modesto, Claire Lazaro is working full time while caring for her kids with autism. She worries about just how much progress her kids stand to lose now that they’re mostly without their critical hands-on services, such as her 11-year-old daughter’s one-on-one aide...
How to Get Past the Coronavirus Crisis Without Losing Your Mental Health
The world as we knew it a few weeks ago — remember handshakes? — is now upside down. The coronavirus has sickened untold numbers of us, claimed thousands of lives, and shaken almost every corner of society. Fear of the virus leaves us hyper-aware of every sniffle and cough, of...
California’s Shelter-In-Place Order, Explained
By Byrhonda Lyons, CalMatters As President Donald Trump considers easing national restrictions by Easter, Californians are into their first week of an official shelter-in-place directive to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered Californians to stay home except for essential services, leading many to wonder: What’s essential? That’s...
Fresno Is Sicker and Has a Doctor Shortage. So Coronavirus Poses a Huge Threat, Experts Warn.
The central San Joaquin Valley for years has struggled to attract medical doctors, with physician-to-resident ratios well below what medical experts say is needed for adequate healthcare. That was before the coronavirus pandemic. Now the rapid spread of COVID-19 may well expose the Fresno area to even greater risk if...
Where California Stands With Coronavirus Testing Right Now
Coronavirus testing has been plagued by confusion, delays and chaos, with the number of available, usable tests far outstripped by the need. The situation, health care providers and experts say, has impaired their ability to know how many people have the virus — but a significantly larger number, they suspect,...
What You Need to Know About California’s Lockdown of Seniors and the Chronically Ill
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday called for seniors and people with chronic conditions to isolate themselves during the coronavirus pandemic, raising questions about the state’s capacity to ensure delivery of food, medicine and services to some of its most vulnerable residents. Newsom pledged that his office would address specific...