Coronavirus Roundup: Fort Bragg Tells Visitors To Stay Home; Newsom Delivers Grim Budget Cuts Warning
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The tsunami of news about the current coronavirus outbreak and now the shelter-in-place can be overwhelming. To help you navigate through what you need to know -- KPIX.com/KPIX 5 News/CBSN Bay Area -- will be publishing a news roundup each morning of the top coronavirus-related stories from the last 24 hours so you can start your day with the latest updated developments.
Good News -- Neighbors Helping Neighbors
COVID-19 Shelter In Place Gives Rise To 'Quran-Teaming' And 'Double Bubble'
SAN FRANCISCO -- The coronavirus outbreak has introduced many new terms into our daily vocabulary. Take 'quran-teaming' and 'double bubble' for sheltering in place families as examples. 'Quran-teaming' is loosely defined as a group of people you choose to live with during the pandemic. Two months into sheltering in place, some families are thinking about a similar strategy to make things work. Working parents are calling it the 'Double Bubble'. It's two families sheltering in their own homes, but are now starting to relax some of the restrictions. Read More
For Uplifting Stories Of Neighbors Helping Neighbors Visit Our Better Together Section
Coronavirus And Budgets
Newsom Proposes Cuts For State Worker Pay, Schools, Health Care In Grim COVID-19 Budget Revision
SACRAMENTO -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom painted a grim financial picture for the state Thursday as he presented a revised budget that reflected unprecedented unemployment, a massive decline in revenue and a proposed cut in pay for state workers. The governor said the May budget revision reflected a 22.3 percent decline in revenue since January. The new revision draws on a $133.9 billion general fund and a $203.3 billion overall budget with a projected deficit of $54.3 billion. Newsom confirmed that the revised budget included a proposed 10 percent pay cut to all state employees and less funding for the coming fiscal year for K-12 schools and community colleges than he envisioned in January. Read More
San Francisco Facing $1.7B Budget Deficit Over Next 2 1/2 Years</b.
SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco is facing a $1.7 billion deficit over the next two and a half years without even considering emergency response spending on the coronavirus, the mayor's office announced Wednesday. The deficit is the result of the pandemic and the emergency response spending will likely increase the deficit beyond $1.7 billion. City officials said they must close a shortfall of $250 million this year. The projected shortfall over the following two years is $1.5 billion. That amount could increase if residents continue to be exposed to the virus and a slow recovery from the pandemic begins after late 2020. Read More
Coronavirus And Feinstein
Feinstein Faces Scrutiny Over Husband's Biotech Stock Transactions Amid COVID-19 Market Freefall
SAN FRANCISCO -- In the wake of the stock market collapse spurred by the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein has had to answer questions about stock trades involving her husband just prior to the market tanking. A spokesman for Senator Feinstein informed KPIX 5 that in April, she voluntarily spoke with law enforcement about her investment banker husband's stock trades, as well as providing additional documents. Word of the scrutiny surfaces as North Carolina Senator Richard Burr stepped down as the chairman of the Senate's Intelligence Committee amid an FBI investigation into his stock trades. Read More
Coronacvirus And Medicine
Army Of Contact-Tracing Workers Being Recruited To Help Combat Coronavirus Pandemic
SAN FRANCISCO -- Experts say contact tracing is going to play a critical role in fighting the coronavirus. It's been practiced for decades, used to fight SARS, Ebola and AIDS, but never on as big a scale. Technology is sure to play an ever-growing role in contact tracing. But for COVID-19, it's starting off the old fashioned way, person to person and boots on the ground. When the pandemic made Robin Fletcher's sales job grind to a halt, she jumped at an opportunity to use her people skills for something more meaningful."We really need to think about on a deeper level what I am capable to do, it's going to call us to adapt," said Fletcher. Read More
Coronavirus Reopening
Sonoma County Awakens To Eased COVID-19 Business Restrictions
SANTA ROSA -- At the stroke of midnight Sonoma businesses began to awaken from months of a forced shutdown because of the coronavirus outbreak, but the reopening process has not been without debate between some county supervisors and the public health officer. The point of contention has been over what businesses should reopen and how soon they should be allowed to do it. "We always put public health at the top but I believe we can open up a bit more broadly and still be safe," said Board Of Supervisors Chair Susan Gorin. Read More
Bay Area Pastors Rally Against COVID-19 Church Closure, Insist They'll Reopen By End Of May
OAKLAND -- Representatives for churches across the state of California -- including the Bay Area -- united on Thursday to rally, calling on Governor Gavin Newsom to allow them to reopen their doors. The group of pastors, priests and church leaders held a press conference at Oakland's Acts Full Gospel Church on Thursday afternoon and said even if they don't have Newsom's blessing, they will reopen on May 31st. The pastors and their organizations represent hundreds of churches up and down California. "We'll have the bathrooms, and the pews, and everything all sanitized for the next service. And we'll do that [after each service]. We also will provide gloves and masks for all the people that come," said Bishop Bob Jackson, the leader of Acts Full Gospel. Read More
North Coast Communities Tell Bay Area Daytrippers to Stay Home
FORT BRAGG -- It's hard to blame anyone for wanting to get out of the Bay Area for a day amid the ongoing stay-at-home order. While people are supposed to be staying put, some are getting out to places like Fort Bragg and that is creating a rift among North Coast locals. "They're trickling in," said Roger Larson, owner of the Cleone Grocery near Fort Bragg. "There's been out-of-towners coming in and I noticed it the past week." Despite efforts to keep crowds out, day-trippers came rolling up the coast last weekend, leaving Fort Bragg residents with mixed emotions. "Well it's kind of split down the middle," said Hawk Stever regarding opinions in and around Fort Bragg. Read More
San Francisco Issues City-Specific Guidelines For Retail Curbside Pickup
SAN FRANCISCO -- Officials in San Francisco on Thursday issued detailed guidelines that retail stores eligible to reopen on May 18 will need to follow in order to operate within specific coronavirus restrictions. Mayor London Breed made her initial announcement about San Francisco's retail businesses reopening on Wednesday. At first, the city was expected to allow just florists, bookstores, cosmetics stores and a few others to reopen on Monday for pickup and delivery services. During her Wednesday coronavirus briefing, Breed announced she was expanding that order to any retail store that has direct access to the street. Read More
Oakland Bans Vending, Food Trucks In City Parks Through May 31
OAKLAND -- Officials in Oakland announced Thursday that the city would restrict vending in parks -- including food trucks -- through the end of May to encourage physical distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. The city made the announcement in a press release issued Thursday afternoon, stating that the ban on vending in parks would begin on May 15 and run through May 31. The ban extends to food trucks, which will not be allowed to operate in or adjacent to parks in Oakland. The new measures were intended to reduce the concentration of people in areas of city parks. The announcement noted that the parking lots at all Oakland parks would also remain closed through the end of the month. Read More
Sonoma County Amends Shelter-In-Place Order, Allows Additional Business Reopenings
SANTA ROSA -- Sonoma County will allow additional businesses to reopen with new changes to the county's shelter-in-place order, beginning on Friday. On Thursday, county Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase amended the shelter order to become effective at 12:01 a.m. on Friday. Retail sales by curbside pickup, delivery, or shipping are allowed from shopping malls, strip malls, and outlets. All storefront and indoor mall access would remain closed to the public. Read More
Fremont Police: Elon Musk Honoring Deal With Health Officials; Tesla Assembly Plant Not At Full Operation
FREMONT -- Fremont police inspectors have conducted a site visit at Tesla's assembly facility to make sure automaker Elon Musk was honoring the conditions of his agreement with local health officials to be able reopen the massive plant to full operation on Monday.
Despite a nearly full employee parking lot, the inspectors found that operations inside sprawling facility had not been ratcheted up to full capacity as had been reported. "We conducted a site visit yesterday," Fremont police said in an email to KPIX 5. "We had full access of the facility...We did note that they are definitely not back to full operations, as is being reported by numerous media outlets." Read More
Palo Alto Issues Face Coverings Requirement
PALO ALTO -- Palo Alto residents are now required to wear face coverings in public following a City Council decision Monday and an emergency order by the city manager, city officials said. The order went into effect at noon Wednesday and was the result of a unanimous decision by the council. Face coverings must be worn anytime a resident is outside the home except when engaging in outdoor recreation. Even then residents must stay six feet from others. Read More
Coronavirus And Sports
Bearded Warriors Coach Steve Kerr Gives A Shout Out To Essential Workers
SAN FRANCISCO -- Looking like he's spent time on a deserted island with Tom Hanks, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr took time Wednesday night to give a shout out to essential workers in the San Francisco Bay Area during a social media chat with South Bay Congressman Ro Khanna. Kerr's youthful look while he guided the Warriors to five straight NBA Finals appearances and three titles has disappeared during his months of being shelter-at-home like millions of other Bay Area residents. He joined Khanna in an Instagram live chat looking more than Tom Hanks after months of being stranded on a deserted Pacific island in the movie "Cast Away." Kerr's hair was a bit unkempt and his bearded was mostly gray. Read More
San Jose Earthquakes May Resume Coronavirus-Delayed Season At Disney World Under MLS Proposal
SAN JOSE -- Major League Soccer is looking at the possibility of resuming the season this summer with all teams, including the San Jose Earthquakes, playing in Orlando, Florida. Details of the plan are still under consideration, but the league's 26 teams and limited staff would likely be sheltered in a resort with games played without fans at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World, a person with knowledge of the plan told The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity Wednesday because the plan has not been formally announced. The proposal was first reported by the Washington Post. Read More
Coronavirus And Schools
Oakland Schools Seek $12.5M To Close Digital Divide In Coronavirus Remote Learning
OAKLAND -- The city of Oakland, Oakland Unified School District, Oakland Public Education Fund and the non-profit organization Tech Exchange announced a campaign Thursday to raise $12.5 million for computer and internet access to all students in Oakland. The fundraising campaign was spurred by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic forcing students to learn and participate in class while at home. At the outset of the pandemic, roughly half of the district's 50,000 students lacked internet access. The district has since loaned more than 18,000 Google Chromebooks from its school inventories to students across the city, but some 5,000 students and their families still lack proper internet access and computer technology. Read More
Most Peralta Community College Dist. Classes Going Online In Fall
OAKLAND -- Students at Laney College, Merritt College, the College of Alameda and Berkeley City College will be taking most of their classes remotely this fall, officials the Peralta Community College District said Wednesday. Disciplines that require face-to-face instruction will be offering in-person classes as long as it's safe to do so. School district staff members will be making changes to classrooms and labs to make instruction safe for students taking in-person classes in the fall. As the health emergency evolves, more information from the college district can be found at safe.peralta.edu. Read More
Coronavirus And Business
San Francisco's Largest Corporate Landlord Receives Federal COVID-19 Small Business Loan
SAN FRANCISCO -- The city's largest corporate landlord, Veritas Investments, admits it applied for and received a Paycheck Protection Program small business loan for $3.6 million. In a statement, Veritas defended its loan: "With our revenues deeply impacted and a lack of access to capital, we furloughed significant portions of our staff and implemented salary cuts across the board ... The PPP loan enables us to save the jobs of front line employees and is critical to our business operations." The company has fewer than 200 employees. The federal Paycheck Protection program or PPE is earmarked for small businesses, which it defines as companies with fewer than 500 workers. Read More
Surge In Meal Kit Demand Boosts Hiring At Blue Apron East Bay Fulfillment Center
RICHMOND -- Meal kit pioneer Blue Apron might be for sale but the company's future looks more promising now that it's been rediscovered by consumers stuck at home. Shares of Blue Apron are up nearly 25% this year, a rally fueled in large part by the company saying in February that it was evaluating "strategic options." That's seen as the equivalent of slapping a "For Sale" sign on your lawn. But February seems like eons ago. That was before many Americans were forced to shelter in place because of the Covid-19 pandemic. So instead of going out to eat or ordering takeout, more people are dusting off their kitchen supplies and cooking for themselves. Read More
Hayward Offering Rent Relief Grants For Residents At Risk Of Displacement
HAYWARD -- The city of Hayward announced Wednesday rent relief grants for residents impacted financially by the novel coronavirus pandemic and who are facing displacement are now available. Under the program, the city will provide one-time payments of up to $2,500 per household, in order "to bridge the gap between what tenants can afford and their actual rent," city officials said. Qualified residents include those with income below 50 percent of the area median income, or up to 80 percent of the area median income with rent equal to or greater than 30 percent of their income, according to city officials. Read More
Coronavirus And Cancellations
Organizers Cancel San Francisco's Popular Stern Grove Music Festival
SAN FRANCISCO -- A popular free summer concert season that annually draws thousands of music fans to San Francisco's Stern Grove park has been cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak, officials said. Stern Grove Festival Executive Director Bob Fiedler announced made the announcement Thursday that the today the cancellation of the event that was scheduled to take place on Sundays from June 14 through August 16, 2020. It marked the first time in the festival's long history that it has been canceled. Organizers issued a press release in addition to making an announcement through its social media accounts. Read More
Monterey Jazz Festival Rescheduled For 2021 Due To COVID-19
MONTEREY -- The Monterey Jazz Festival is the latest event to be postponed or canceled because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, with organizers announcing Thursday that the festival will not happen again until September 2021. The postponement is the first in the 62-year history of the festival. It had been scheduled for Sept. 25-27 of this year at the Monterey County Fairgrounds, but the new dates are now set for Sept. 24-26, 2021. People who already purchased tickets to the 2020 version can either donate the value of the ticket to support the continuation of the festival, transfer the ticket for use in 2021, or request a full refund by July 17, according to organizers. Read More
