Add Lisa Smittcamp to the list of local law enforcers who plan to ignore a statewide curfew order set to go into place Saturday night. The Fresno County District Attorney joins Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims and other regional sheriffs in saying they will not enforce the curfew. "The Order...
Fresno State COVID-19 Lab Will Speed County’s Pandemic Response
Local COVID-19 infections could be confirmed in as little as 24 hours when a new testing lab at Fresno State comes on line in the days ahead. The state-licensed lab, housed at the university's Jordan Agricultural Research Center, can test between 40-60 specimens a day. It will analyze samples collected elsewhere,...
City of Fresno Follows Suit on Event Cancellations Due to Coronavirus
Following guidelines established by the state and many other cities around California, the city of Fresno recommended cancellations of any gathering of 25o or more people in wake of fears of the coronavirus. "We’re taking sensible and reasonable steps to keep our community safe and informed," Mayor Lee Brand said...
California Should Make Clear There Is a Right to Housing, Not Simply Shelter
There are two ways to tackle California’s greatest public safety, public health and humanitarian crisis: homelessness. One way is to marshal resources, build programs, replicate successes, and say, with some justification, that we have helped a lot of people, even if the overall situation isn’t much better. The other way...
Late on Licensing Your Dog? Fresno County Cuts You a Break.
Dog owners who live in unincorporated parts of Fresno County are catching a break: County officials are waiving penalties for those who haven't licensed their pooches. Under state law, owners are required to secure a license for a dog within 30 days of ownership. Anyone found owning an unlicensed dog...
Walters: Can We Protect Kids From Becoming Zombies?
We’ve all seen children, often very young children, hunched over from heavy book backpacks, shuffling along sidewalks just an hour or two after sunrise on their way to school. They look like zombies, and that’s because California’s public schools often begin their classes so early in the morning that many...
What’s Next in San Francisco? Perhaps a Ban on e-Cigarettes.
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco is trying to crack down on electronic cigarettes that critics say aggressively target kids, with an official on Tuesday proposing what's believed to be the first U.S. ban on their sale until the federal government regulates vaping products. City Attorney Dennis Herrera said San Francisco,...
My Turn: Here’s How to Avert California’s Next Health Care Crisis
California has never been shy about taking bold steps to tackle the most pressing issues affecting our nearly 40 million residents—from efforts protecting and expanding health care coverage to paving the way for more affordable health services. Now we must turn our attention to the next big health care challenge: a growing shortage of...
Appeals Court Tells EPA to Ban Harmful Ag Pesticide
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court has ruled that the Trump administration endangered public health by keeping a widely used pesticide on the market despite extensive scientific evidence that even tiny levels of exposure can harm babies' brains. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on Thursday...
Feel the Burn? STDs at All-Time High in California.
LOS ANGELES — The number of cases of sexually transmitted diseases in California reached a record high last year and officials are particularly concerned by a spike in stillbirths due to congenital syphilis, state health authorities said Monday. More than 300,000 cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were reported in...