San Francisco Supervisor Ronen On How Pandemic Is Affecting Bay Area's Undocumented

Last week Governor Gavin Newsom announced the State would give $500 in aid to undocumented individuals who will not be eligible for help from the Federal Government. But activists say this isn't enough. On April 20, activists and legislators called on Gov. Newsom to offer more support for undocumented workers. In this excerpt from that press conference, San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen talks about how the pandemic is affecting the undocumented community in the Bay Area.

(Image: California Gov. Gavin Newsom displays a bottle of hand sanitizer while saying the state would take action against price gouging because of the coronavirus, at a Capitol news conference in Sacramento, Calif., on Wednesday. Rich Pedroncelli / AP)

Coronavirus Resources

April 20, 2020

Tips for Spotting Fake News Stories — And Where to Find Sources You Can Trust

Anytime there’s a significant news event — like a global pandemic, for example — you can expect misinformation to spread across the Internet. “Fake news” means stories that contain fabricated information, or information that’s based on rumor, shoddy methodology or a partisan agenda. With the…
April 17, 2020

Recursos Alimentarios Durante COVID-19

La alimentacion es una gran prioridad para muchos durante esta pandemia de COVID-19- cómo mantener a su familia alimentada en medio de despidos del trabajo, preocupaciones sobre salidas para conseguir comestibles y la posibilidad de transmisión por medio de los alimentos, todo mientras se trata de…
April 14, 2020

COVID-19: Food Resources

Food is top of mind for many during the COVID-19 pandemic — how to keep your family fed amid layoffs, concerns about grocery outings and food transmission, all while trying to maintain social distance. If you’re struggling to put food on the table, have questions about food safety or need help…
April 10, 2020

COVID-19: Recursos Para Indocumentados y Sin Beneficios

English version available here. A medida que la pandemia de coronavirus da vuelta la economía de la nación y deja a muchos sin trabajo, los inmigrantes indocumentados son particularmente vulnerables. En esta página encontrará recursos para ayudar a los miembros de la comunidad indocumentados y que…
April 07, 2020

COVID-19: Resources for the Undocumented and Uninsured

As the coronavirus pandemic upends the nation’s economy and leaves many without work, undocumented immigrants are particularly vulnerable. On this page you’ll find resources to help undocumented community members and the uninsured. UndocuFund for Disaster Relief in Sonoma County The UndocuFund,…
April 03, 2020

COVID-19: Santa Clara County Resources

Santa Clara County’s Public Health Department is providing detailed information about COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospital capacity on several data dashboards available online. The county has also assembled a variety of COVID-19 resources, as listed below and found at sccphd.org/coronavirus. Food…
Apr 03, 2020

COVID-19: How to Help

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take lives and strain resources, you might be wondering how you can help. Perhaps the most important thing you…
Mar 31, 2020

Santa Rosa Police Department Mourns Loss of Detective

Updated March 31, 2020, 4:00 p.m. The Santa Rosa Police Department reported today that Detective Marylou Armer passed away from complications from…
Mar 31, 2020

Coronavirus Resources

The coronavirus pandemic has created new challenges for communities throughout the world. Whether you need help getting access to food, filing for…
Mar 30, 2020

COVID-19: Financial Resources for Sonoma County Residents

California and the nation have seen a surge in unemployment claims as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced companies to close their doors, leaving…
Mar 30, 2020

Help the Sonoma County Library Tell the Story of Life During COVID-19

The Sonoma County Library will be documenting life during the coronavirus pandemic with a special collection, and you’re invited to contribute. The…
Mar 29, 2020

California’s Shelter-In-Place Order, Explained

By Byrhonda Lyons, CalMatters As President Donald Trump considers easing national restrictions by Easter, Californians are into their first week of…
Mar 29, 2020

Santa Rosa Outlines COVID-19 Support for Homeless

The city of Santa Rosa says it’s following guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to protect people experiencing…
Mar 28, 2020

Los Angeles Will Mirror New York As Coronavirus Surges, Newsom and Garcetti Warn

By Judy Lin, Ben Christopher and Matt Levin, CalMatters Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti issued dire warnings Friday that the…
Mar 28, 2020

COVID-19: Sonoma County Resources for Seniors and Vulnerable Populations

On March 17, Sonoma County’s health officer issued an order for all residents to shelter in place to help slow the spread of COVID-19. The order…
Mar 27, 2020

Here’s What Happens to Science When California’s Researchers Shelter in Place

By Rachel Becker, CalMatters As California officials desperately try to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, Chris Miller is coaxing a sample of…

Science & Health News

May 25, 2020

We Need a Culturally Responsive Approach to COVID-19

Commentary by Ana Lugo, founder, Equity First Consulting Cultural responsiveness is the ability to learn from, relate respectfully to, effectively adapt to, and serve all peoples and cultures.[1] Let us be clear. The systems and institutions designed to serve the public are not culturally…
May 20, 2020

Despair Among Immigrants: With Phone Lines Swamped, State Pandemic Aid Is Out Of Reach

By Araceli Martinez Ortega, La Opinión For two days, thousands of undocumented immigrants in California have been unable to reach the non-profit organizations that distribute $500 in aid from the state’s new disaster relief fund. “I feel disappointed. I’ve been calling since yesterday and nobody…
May 20, 2020

California COVID-19 Tracker Gives County-By-County Look at Cases, Deaths

As COVID-19 continues to spread across the nation, understanding the pandemic’s effect on your local area can be difficult. That’s why four public media organizations have collaborated to create the California COVID-19 Tracker — a data dashboard that provides a localized look at COVID-19-related…
May 19, 2020

Sonoma County Submits Plan to State for Reopening More Businesses, Including Outdoor Bar, Restaurant Patios

Sonoma County’s health officer has submitted a plan to the state asking for approval to move further into Stage Two of reopening the local economy, including allowing outdoor bar and restaurant patios to open. The request follows the California Department of Public Health’s announcement Monday of a…
May 14, 2020

Sonoma County Further Loosens Restrictions on Parks Access

Sonoma County announced a broader opening of parks on Tuesday, May 12. County residents can now drive to and use inland parks, which were previously only open to foot and bicycle traffic. Coastal parks and beaches are open for residents who live nearby during limited hours. Those close to beaches…
May 09, 2020

COVID Bailout Cash Goes to Big Players That Have Paid Millions to Settle Allegations of Wrongdoing

By Rachana Pradhan and Fred Schulte, Kaiser Health News May 9, 2020 The Trump administration has sent hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic-related bailouts to health care providers with checkered histories, including a Florida-based cancer center that agreed to pay a $100 million criminal…
May 08, 2020

Sonoma County Offers Expanded Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing for Vulnerable Individuals

Additional groups of high-risk and vulnerable people will now be able to get tested for COVID-19 at Sonoma County’s drive-thru testing site at the…
May 05, 2020

Sonoma County Allows Some Businesses to Reopen

Sonoma County has loosened some of the restrictions of its shelter-in-place order, allowing some businesses, including construction, landscaping,…
May 01, 2020

Someone Will Contract the Virus Here:” Meet Homeless Californians Trying to Survive a Pandemic

By Byrhonda Lyons, CalMatters The vast majority of people who were unhoused in California before coronavirus swept across the state are exactly where…
Apr 27, 2020

Coronavirus Could Force Private Practices To Close Or Sell — Raising Costs

By Kristen Hwang for CalMatters In a matter of weeks, Dr. William Goral, a private practice ear, nose and throat specialist in San Bernardino County,…
Apr 24, 2020

Coronavirus Detectives: Here’s How Counties Try to Track Everyone Exposed

By Rachel Becker, CalMatters By the time public health officer Bela Matyas learned that the novel coronavirus was spreading in Solano County, the…
Apr 24, 2020

CHP Says It Will Stop Issuing Permits for Protests on State Property

We provide daily coronavirus updates on KRCB radio 91. Tune in at 9 a.m. and 6:44 p.m. for the latest local news. Here's our update for Thursday,…
Apr 24, 2020

Shortage On A Stick: More Swabs On The Way, But That Won’t Solve California Test Gap

By Ben Christopher, CalMatters For all the talk of ventilators and new-fangled serological tests, it’s the shortage of glorified Q-tips that has…
Apr 23, 2020

Sonoma County Begins Drive-Thru Testing For Health Care Workers

By Adia White, Northern California Public Media April 23, 2020 On Saturday, April 25, The Sonoma County Department of Health Services Disease Control…
Apr 21, 2020

Over a Million California Students Still Lack Access to Remote Learning

By Elizabeth Aguilera, CalMatters More than a month since officials closed schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic, California officials said a two-week…
Apr 21, 2020

Not Enough Patients: Health Clinics Struggle to Stay Open

By Erica Hellerstein, The Mercury News Community health clinics that serve some of the region’s most vulnerable residents are struggling with how to…
Apr 21, 2020

Predicting a Pandemic’s Path: What Models Can and Can’t Do

By Barbara Feder Ostrov, CalMatters Every day, while we’re all stuck at home, politicians and health officials and news anchors point to graphics…
Apr 20, 2020

Tips for Spotting Fake News Stories — And Where to Find Sources You Can Trust

Anytime there’s a significant news event — like a global pandemic, for example — you can expect misinformation to spread across the Internet. “Fake…

NorCal News

May 28, 2020

'InformaGente' - Health Dispatches to Latinx Communities

A new organization called Listos California, in partnership with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA), today launched "InformaGente," a new online conversation series which seeks to support a culture of emergency readiness…
May 28, 2020

Two Members of H.S. Class of 2020 Animate Call for Unity

Kyle Trefny and Julian Jordan are graduating from the public arts high school Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts. To mark their graduation into this uncertain world, they created an animated short. They describe the project in their own words: [Share your own graduation celebration by June…
May 27, 2020

You Asked, We Answered: Your Questions About Reopening Hair Salons, Youth Sports And How Often To Get Tested

We put the call out for your questions related to the coronavirus pandemic, and you’ve asked about the reopening of additional business, youth sports, testing and more. Here are a few answers to some of those recent question submissions. We answer more each Tuesday night during our virtual…
May 26, 2020

Kaiser Disputes Health Professionals' Concerns on PPE

In a press conference on May 19, and again on Northern California Public Media's May 26 Town Hall, members of the group H-PEACE (Health Professionals for Equality and Community Empowerment) stated that not all health workers in Sonoma County are being protected by state of the art personal…
May 26, 2020

Big Cuts Could Hit Little Californians: $1 Billion in Preschool and Child Care Dollars at Risk

By Elizabeth Aguilera, CalMatters Even the littlest Californians have not been spared in the governor’s big proposal to cut a budget decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ambitious plans to expand free preschool for low-income children and increase state support for child care now…
May 25, 2020

County Hiring Contact Tracers; Extra Pay for Being Bilingual

Sonoma County health officer Dr. Sundari Mase has long said that testing, tracing and isolation are at the core of the county's reopening strategy. Now, the county is seeking to hire contact tracers to keep up with the expected demand. The county's job website lists two openings for Community…
May 25, 2020

We Need a Culturally Responsive Approach to COVID-19

Commentary by Ana Lugo, founder, Equity First Consulting Cultural responsiveness is the ability to learn from, relate respectfully to, effectively…
May 20, 2020

You Asked, We Answered: Your Questions About COVID-19 Hospitalizations, Senior Outings, and Visiting The Dentist

We put the call out for your questions related to the coronavirus pandemic, and you’ve had plenty. We've received questions about how many people are…
May 20, 2020

Pandemic Food Stamps Offer Up to $365 Per Child

By Jacqueline García, La Opinión Families with children who qualify for free or reduced-price meals at their schools — regardless of immigration…
May 20, 2020

Es Así Como un Déficit de 54.3 Mil Millones de Dólares Le Afectaría a Los Californianos

Por Judy Lin, CalMatters Hello! We’re publishing more of our work in Spanish to better serve our diverse state. Make sure to click here to read the…
May 19, 2020

Rep. Jared Huffman: $3 Trillion Bill is 'Opening Bid'

Representative Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) returned to Northern California after voting Friday on the House of Representatives' $3 trillion…
May 18, 2020

Housing, Homelessness Funds Mostly Spared in Proposed Budget cuts

By Matt Levin, CalMatters With a forecasted deficit of near-record proportions and an economy in freefall, homelessness and low-income housing…
May 18, 2020

Financial Help for California’s Undocumented Immigrants Starts Monday

By Jacqueline García, La Opinión California’s undocumented immigrants can begin applying Monday for disaster relief payments of up to $1,000 per…
May 15, 2020

Sonoma County Voters Can Now Track Their Mail-In Ballot With New Program

Sonoma County voters can now sign up for a program to track their vote-by-mail ballot from the time it’s mailed to when it’s counted. The “Where’s My…
May 14, 2020

Watching for Signs of Child Sexual Abuse During Pandemic

In an interview for the podcast Public Health on Call, from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Dr. Elizabeth Letourneau, director…
May 14, 2020

Virus Will Not Extinguish Wildfire Protection, Newsom Says

By Julie Cart, CalMatters California’s preparations to battle wildfires this year will not be slowed by the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newson…

Northern California
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