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....
‘What Is the State Hiding?’ ACLU Pushes for More Details on Coronavirus Cases, Testing
California has more than 41,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 but understanding precisely who has been tested and treated remains shrouded in mystery — and is key to ensuring equal access, according to advocacy groups seeking more transparency from the Newsom administration. The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California wrote Gov....
California Farmworkers Need Protection During Coronavirus Crisis; Here’s a Relief Package to Help
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the White House is reportedly working behind the scenes to reduce wages for farmworkers. According to a recent National Public Radio report, the Trump administration claims that cutting wages for farmworkers will help agricultural businesses struggling during the current crisis. This is exactly the...
Harder Than Shutting Down: How Does Newsom Reopen California?
Restless Californians are letting Gov. Gavin Newsom know they’re over his statewide order to stay home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. At noisy street demonstrations and in polite letters from government officials, they’re saying: Let us start getting back to normal. Other local leaders — still concerned about...
Shortage on a Stick: More Swabs on the Way, but That Won’t Solve California Test Gap
For all the talk of ventilators and new-fangled serological tests, it’s the shortage of glorified Q-tips that has brought California, the world’s fifth largest economy, to its knees. But that may be about to change. Fresh off a phone call with President Trump, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that the...
Your Next Boss Could Be an Undocumented Immigrant; Growing Number of Business Founders Lack Legal Status
At Immigrants Rising, the Bay-Area nonprofit where I’m director of Research and Entrepreneurship, the early-stage entrepreneurs we support resemble a lot of other ambitious, millennial CEOs. One of our Mexican founders built a digital platform teaching teenagers virtual reality. A Colombian founder is building an app for hiring coders. And...