COVID-19 Reopening Roundup: Alcatraz Opening Up For Recreational Use; Churches Sue To Reopen Doors; Stanford Changes Fall Plans
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The tsunami of news about the coronavirus outbreak, reopenings and school classes starting can be overwhelming. To help you navigate through what you need to know here's a news roundup of the top coronavirus and reopening-related stories from the last 24 hours.
Walnut Creek Businesses Get Welcome Boost from City Program
WALNUT CREEK -- Calicraft Brewing Co. founder Blaine Landberg didn't expect much support from Walnut Creek officials when he proposed reopening his taproom in the Shadelands neighborhood before the pandemic had subsided. "I was expecting a bunch of red tape," Landberg said. Instead, the two-month old Walnut Creek Rebound program helped him stay solvent. In consultation with the Downtown Business Association, the Chamber of Commerce and other local groups, city officials launched Rebound in June to help restaurants and small businesses weather the pandemic by moving outside. The program offers restaurants and retailers the opportunity to expand their footprints into blocked-off street parking spaces and private, open-air parking lots and do business outdoors while the state's ban on indoor dining is in effect. Read More
Marin County Parents Petition School Districts To Request Waiver From State To Reopen
TIBURON -- Marin County will start accepting waiver applications Friday for elementary schools looking to reopen for in-person learning, even as many teachers continue to resist the idea. There has been a strong push by a group of vocal North Bay parents who are doing everything to make their case to reopen schools safely. It's been almost a month since Governor Newsom made the announcement about closing schools, but state officials only updated state waiver guidelines last week. "There's been tremendous frustration trying to find a clear answer on what the waiver process is," said Chelsea Schlunt. Parents launched a website called ReopenMarinSchools.com which features links to sign and share petitions and to easily contact local officials who have a large say in giving the green light. Read More
More Churches Sue to Challenge COVID-19 Restrictions
SACRAMENTO -- Churches in California and Minnesota, backed by a conservative legal group, filed lawsuits this week against the governors of their states challenging restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak that they contend are violations of religious liberty. They're the latest in a long series of legal challenges, many of them in California, pitting clerics and houses of worship who believe they should be exempt from certain restrictions on public gatherings against governors who insist the measures are needed to rein in the pandemic. Most of the suits have been rebuffed; some have succeeded. In Minnesota, a lawsuit was filed Thursday in federal court challenging Gov. Tim Walz's executive orders requiring 6-foot social distancing and the wearing of face masks at worship services. Read More
Fresno County School That Opened Classrooms Ordered to Close
FRESNO -- Fresno County ordered a private school to close Thursday after it reopened classrooms in violation of a state health order aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Fresno County issued a health order against Immanuel Schools in Reedley, ordering it to close its classrooms until the county is removed from a state monitoring list for two weeks. Violating the order could lead to fines of up to $1,000 per violation per day. The order requests the county sheriff and local police chiefs to enforce the order. News reports showed students gathered in groups at the school for the first day of the new school year without practicing social distancing or wearing masks. Read More
Alcatraz Opening Up For Recreational Use Next Week
SAN FRANCISCO -- The National Park Service said Thursday that it intends to resume recreational access to Alcatraz Island following new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and state and local public health officials. The Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), which controls the island, announced Thursday it will restore ferry operations to the island, access to interior sections of the island like Building 64 and the warden's house, and outdoor areas like Eagle Plaza and the recreation yard. The GGNRA closed operations at many of its parks in March due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. People on the Alcatraz trail system will also be required to proceed in one direction to promote physical distancing. The GGNRA scheduled the changes to begin Monday. Read More
Tahoe Residents Fed Up With Tourists, Trash-Littered Beaches; Protest Planned
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE -- South Lake Tahoe residents fed up with the trash-littered beaches and the constant stream of tourists flowing into Lake Tahoe despite the pandemic plan to protest this weekend to demand officials do more to handle the influx of visitors. Josh Lease, a 20-year resident, tells the Tahoe Daily Tribune he wrote a Facebook post last week to vent about city officials not properly handling tourism and the traffic issues that come with it. "Tahoe is being thrashed," Lease said. He said he wrote the post to see if others shared his frustrations and found out many people do. Now, protests are planned for Friday afternoon and Sunday morning at five locations — Truckee, Tahoe City, Meyers, Incline Village and Kings Beach. Read More
Stanford Undergrads Disinvited From Living on Campus this Fall
PALO ALTO -- Stanford University's undergraduate students learned Thursday they will not be allowed to live on campus this fall, despite previous statements to the contrary from the school. Stanford University president Marc Tessier-Lavigne announced the policy reversal in a letter sent to students Thursday afternoon. "I am writing to let you know that, with great regret, we have made the decision to alter the provisional plans we had announced in June for undergraduate education during the coming autumn quarter," Tessier-Lavigne wrote. "We will not be able to invite first-year, sophomore and new transfer undergraduate cohorts to be in residence on campus for the autumn quarter, as we had hoped." In the letter, Tessier-Lavigne explained the change was due to spiking COVID-19 cases in California and the state's guidance for higher institutions, which requires severe restrictions on in-person instruction, including no indoor classes. Read More
'So Grateful' - Concord Waiter Stunned To Receive $1,000 Tip In Venmo Challenge
CONCORD -- A waiter in Concord received some much needed help this week when customer tipped him $1,000, thanks to a challenge on social media. Peter Murray, a server at Lucille's Smokehouse received the generous gratuity this week from Brian Murphy, who took part in a Venmo challenge on TikTok. In a video of the encounter, stunned patrons voiced their disbelief when Murphy handed the server the cash tip. The challenge involves users asking their followers to send them money to their Venmo account, amounts as low as 50 cents. When the user reaches a certain amount, in this case $1,000, they give it to a server. "It's helped a lot, now I don't have to worry about paying rent next month, so I have that set. And then I can put some money aside." Murray told KPIX 5's Juliette Goodrich. Read More
Touchless Crosswalk Control Unveiled In Santa Clara County
SAN JOSE -- New, touch-free crosswalk devices were being installed in Santa Clara County Thursday, aimed at protecting pedestrians in this era of COVID-19. For pedestrians used to using their finger under their shirt to press the button, or the lean-in with the hip method, or the tried-and-true elbow method, simply waving the hand in front of the control may be the new way to go. Santa Clara County Roads and Airports engineer Ananth Prasad designed the sensors, which use existing infrared technology. They are no more expensive than the push-button controls, and swapping out the old ones takes no extra time. The State of California fast-tracked the approval process and now the county is on track to replace all its crosswalk buttons. Read More
West Coast Conference Postpones Fall Sports Competition Due To COVID
SAN BRUNO -- Officials with the West Coast Conference announced Thursday that all fall sports competition would be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "With the health and safety of student-athletes and everyone connected with the West Coast Conference guiding all discussions, the WCC has postponed all conference fall competition," read the announcement posted on WCC Sports website. The cancellation will affect athletes in fall sports at four Bay Area WCC colleges: the University of San Francisco, Saint Mary's College, University of the Pacific and Santa Clara University. The statement said that the decision was made by the WCC Presidents' Council after discussions and consultations over the past several weeks with the 10 respective WCC school athletic directors and Commissioner Gloria Nevarez. Read More
San Francisco DA Seeks Injunction Against DoorDash To Immediately Classify Workers As Employees
SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin announced Wednesday that he has asked San Francisco Superior Court to order food delivery app DoorDash to immediately classify its workers as employees instead of independent contractors. The move comes after San Francisco Judge Ethan Schulman ordered Uber and Lyft in a separate lawsuit on Monday to classify their drivers as employees. Delivery and ride-hailing companies like Uber, Lyft and DoorDash have faced several lawsuits since Assembly Bill 5 took effect in January. The law requires companies apply specific criteria to determine whether their workers are employees or independent contractors. If the workers meet the criteria for employees, the company must pay minimum wage and overtime, provide paid sick leave as required by law, pay for unemployment insurance, and meet other requirements. <bRead More
