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...
Imports of Medical Supplies Plummet as Demand in US Soars
The critical shortage of medical supplies across the U.S., including testing swabs, protective masks, surgical gowns and hand sanitizer, can be tied to a sudden drop in imports, mostly from China, The Associated Press has found. Trade data shows the decline in shipments started in mid-February after the spiraling coronavirus...
Kaiser Commits $130 Million to Train 10,000 for Medical Jobs
Kaiser Permanente and its labor partner are teaming up to create Futuro Health, a $130 million nonprofit to address California's healthcare worker shortage. Listen to this article: The partnership stems from the four-year contract reached last October between the healthcare provider and SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West. The idea is to...
Lawmakers Tackle a Severe Housing Shortage for Renters Who Have Federal Vouchers
By Manuela Tobias, The Fresno Bee and Jackie Botts, CalMatters As California struggles with a crisis in affordable housing, state lawmakers are trying to improve a severe shortage of housing available to renters who have federal Section 8 vouchers. The vouchers allow tenants to pay only 30% of their income...
Walters: Can California Crack Its Housing Nut?
The state Department of Finance reported this month that California, which has a stubborn and growing shortage of housing, added just 77,000 houses, apartments and condos in 2018. Actually, private and public housing developers drew permits for well over 100,000 units, and about that many were constructed. But a whopping...
Walters: Newsom Raises the Housing Bar on Himself
Gavin Newsom began his governorship this month by promising to confront what he described as California’s most important issue, an ever-increasing shortage of housing. “This is the issue,” Newsom said as he introduced his first state budget. California’s chronic housing shortfall, particularly for low- and moderate-income families, and its soaring costs...
Fresno's 911 System Has an Emergency Situation
Fresno has an emergency. Calling 911 isn’t the solution, but rather the problem itself. Nearly 1,000 calls a day come into Fresno’s 911 system. There are not enough dispatchers to handle them, leading to potentially life-threatening delays in getting through. Police Chief Jerry Dyer sounded the alarm during the city’s...