In California: Newsom says all Californians expected to be eligible for vaccine by May 1
I’m Winston Gieseke, philanthropy and special sections editor for The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, wishing you a very safe and happy weekend. But first, here are some of the latest headlines from the Golden State.
In California brings you top Golden State stories and commentary from across the USA TODAY Network and beyond. Get it free, straight to your inbox.
Governor: Vaccines for everyone by May 1
(Photo: Getty Images)
This just in: Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday he expects to make every Californian eligible for the vaccine by May 1 now that supplies are ramping up.
When vaccines first became available in limited form in December, California followed federal recommendations and allowed vaccinations only for health care workers, the elderly and those in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
Since then, Newsom has opened up eligibility to all people 65 and older as well as teachers, child care workers, farm and food workers, and emergency personnel. This week he added people with certain disabilities and underlying health conditions.
California’s vaccination costs rise amid changes to Blue Shield oversight
In other vaccination news: The Los Angeles Times reports that the anticipated cost of administering COVID-19 vaccines in California is now $1.3 billion, nearly four times the figure bandied about two months ago.
This new figure was made public Thursday as the Golden State rolled back plans to centralize the delivery of doses under a program run by Blue Shield of California.
According to a letter sent to California counties this week by the California Government Operations Agency, the state plans to give some decision-making powers back to local public health officials. This will require Blue Shield to consult with a county before making recommendations about how many doses the area needs.
The letter also outlined another change: Rather than restrict a county’s ability to provide vaccines to local clinics and healthcare providers, relying on Blue Shield to make decisions, counties can now use their discretion to distribute portions of its vaccine allotment to other providers. This is subject to approval from the state.
The Newsom administration said Thursday it will cost $151 million to create and administer the statewide vaccine network, with most of that sum going to information technology support. The state has also signed a two-month, $13 million contract with McKinsey & Co., a management consulting firm, to assist the insurance company and the state with the vaccine delivery system.
All told, between 2020 and 2022, California will spend more than $15 billion battling COVID-19, as estimated by the governor’s administration, most of which will be reimbursed by the federal government. That’s $2 billion more than the governor estimated would be needed just two months ago, with much of the increase due to the state’s new vaccine distribution system, according to the Department of Finance.
COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7. found in Kern County
COVID-19 variants (Photo: Nathan Archer/Tallahassee Democrat)
One case of the B.1.1.7. strain of the coronavirus has been detected in Kern County, according to a news release Thursday from Kern County Public Health.
Currently there is no indication that the vaccines or monoclonal antibody treatments are less effective on the B.1.1.7 variant; however, there is evidence that this variant may be more severe.
The variant strain was first detected in the United Kingdom and has since spread to more than 200 countries. As of March 11, 265 cases of the B.1.1.7. variant have been detected in California.
Kern County Public Health encourages residents to keep taking steps that will limit transmission of the virus. This includes:
- Wearing a mask when leaving home
- Keeping physical distance of at least 6 feet apart
- Washing hands for 20 seconds
- Getting the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you are eligible.
For more information about variants in California, click here.
California to allow cheerleaders at football games after all
Banning cheerleaders cheer during the CIF-SS Division 5A semifinal game against Cathedral City in Cathedral City, Calif., on February 21, 2020. (Photo: Taya Gray/The Desert Sun)
Holy switcheroo, Batman! On Tuesday, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) said cheerleaders were not allowed to cheer on the sidelines at football games, a decision that took return-to-play leaders by surprise.
Imagine their surprise on Friday when the state changed its mind. “Sideline cheer is considered comparable to competitive cheer as a moderate-contact sport and should follow all requirements of other outdoor moderate-contact sports,” a spokesperson for CDPH said via email.
Friday’s change, as reported by Associated Press, will “reclassify sideline cheer from a supporting group to a recreational sport, subject to the same rules as outdoor competitive cheer, which is a red-tier sport in the state’s recreational sports guidelines.”
The guidelines for other groups, including band members, have not changed.
No more OHVs on California’s only drive-on beach
The move to ban off-highway vehicles from Oceano Dunes was made in part to protect endangered animals, like the snowy plover. (Photo: pixnio.com)
When Oceano Dunes state park, near San Luis Obispo, was shut down last spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic, an endangered shore bird, the snowy plover, decided to expand its nesting area.
This would normally be good news. However, when the Coastal Commission discovered that the park’s employees were actively attempting to discourage the birds from building new nests, it ordered the employees to stop, and the state park agency agreed to ban vehicles on the beach through October 2020.
Prior to this, the beach had allowed street vehicles as well as all-terrain cycles and other off-highway vehicles to drive along the eight-mile stretch of beach. This is the Golden State’s only beach that still allows vehicles.
But that changed Thursday night when, during a 12-hour meeting, 10 California Coastal commissioners unanimously voted to phase out off-highway vehicles by 2024, according to The Mercury News.
“The fundamental question that has been in play for 40 years and really grappling with directly … is there is existing large swathes of environmentally sensitive habitat where historically we have allowed an intense use, including this particular vehicle recreational use, for many, many years and absolute failure over those decades to deal with that fundamental threshold question as to whether or not that was lawful,” said Commissioner Steve Padilla, as reported by the San Luis Obispo Tribune.
The state parks agency, meanwhile, has long opposed the banning of vehicles on the beach, citing economic disruption and the agency’s mandate to provide recreational opportunities accessible to all.
New EDD delays could result in 2.4M Californians waiting weeks for unemployment benefits
Notices from the California Employment Development Department. (Photo: Al Franco/The Desert Sun)
Another day, another issue with the Employment Development Department. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that approximately 2.4 million Golden State residents who are self-employed or on a federal extension plan will have to wait weeks in order to receive newly extended jobless benefits.
The EDD has struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic to handle an overwhelming number of unemployment claims.
However, last week’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, signed by President Joe Biden, allows for an additional $300 per week to be added to unemployment benefits until Labor Day. However, the EDD said it will require additional time for the new guidelines to be implemented, offering up April 10 and April 30 as target dates for two different categories.
While the EDD previously said most people’s benefits would continue without gaps in coverage, the agency now says continuity only applies to those on regular unemployment for a period of less than 12 months as well as those on FED-ED, the Federal-State Extended Duration program.
The rest of Californians — approximately 2.4 million of them — will need to wait until the agency can implement the new guidelines. Once that happens, those people will retroactively receive any benefits they were entitled to, according to the EDD.
“California is working to launch these new programs as quickly as possible,” EDD said in a press release.
In California is a roundup of news from across USA Today network newsrooms. Also contributing: Los Angeles Times, The Mercury News, San Francisco Chronicle. We’ll be back in your inbox next week with the latest headlines.
As the philanthropy and special sections editor at The Desert Sun, Winston Gieseke writes about nonprofits, fundraising and people who give back in the Coachella Valley. Reach him at [email protected].
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