California News – 5-11-2021

K Buenavista — Wed, 12 May 2021 16:59:42 +0000

California Governor declares drought emergency in most counties

California Gov. Gavin Newsom extended a drought emergency declaration to cover 41 of the state’s 58 counties on Monday
Newsom and other officials are concerned California could experience a repeat of the catastrophic 2020 wildfire season
Newsom proposed Monday a $5.1 billion package to cover an immediate drought response and long-term water resilience investments to address the crisis
Newsom’s new order covers 30% of California’s population, or almost 40 million people, across areas including the Sacramento and San Joaquin river watersheds, the Tulare Lake basin region and the Klamath region

If Los Angeles County continues to administer 400,000 COVID-19 vaccine shots a week, it will likely reach herd immunity among adults and older teenagers by mid- to late-July
To reach herd immunity, a community must have enough people who have either been inoculated or have natural immunity to protect the rest of the population against the coronavirus
In Los Angeles County, more than 3 million people have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
California has recovered from the surge in cases over the fall and winter, with the state now seeing its lowest hospitalization rate since the beginning of the pandemic

The California Highway Patrol is investigating a series of incidents in which vehicles were damaged by a BB or pellet gun on the 91 Freeway in Riverside County, with three reported less than 30 minutes apart on Monday morning
The first report came just before 10:40 p.m. Sunday, when CHP units responded to an In-N-Out in the 7400 block of Indiana Street to help a motorist whose car window had been shattered while he drove on the 91
No injuries were reported in any of the four incidents, and no formal suspect description was provided
CHP is urging any witnesses to step forward and call them at 951-637-8000

Cindy Marten, superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District, will be the nation’s next deputy education secretary
As deputy secretary, Marten will effectively be the chief operating officer for the U.S. Department of Education at a time when the nation’s schools are helping students recover from the academic and mental health impacts of the pandemic and of months-long school closures
Marten will work with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, the former Connecticut chief of schools, who was confirmed at the beginning of March by a vote of 64-33
Some U.S. senators also questioned whether Marten was fit for the job, expressing concern about her slow reopening of schools during the pandemic and her lack of experience with higher education
This drew concerns from local parents and community members, who have been critical of her leadership of the district, including the district’s student discipline racial disparities and handling of school sexual assaults and other issues

K Buenavista — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 22:51:38 +0000

Riverside County plans on using the money for homeless shelters and to assist struggling businesses
The spending plan is divided into 6 segments highlighted below
$54 million earmarked for struggling businesses
$50 million earmarked for help and housing for homeless
$48 million earmarked for Riverside County’s COVID response
$45 million earmarked for infrastructure
$22 million earmarked for replacing lost revenue
$20 million earmarked for non-profit organizations