12-17: "You got really emotional today,” [Supervisor] Steel responded, with a laugh

✅ As Hospitals Get ‘Bombarded’ With Covid Patients, OC Health Director Pleads With Public 

Dr. Clayton Chau issued an emotional appeal for the public to wear masks and avoid gatherings. 

—Voice of OC 

     …“The emergency rooms have no capacity to triage people as quick as they can. We have people who are waiting to be seen when they get to the emergency room,” he added, noting his staff are deploying field hospital beds to local hospitals that requested them. 

     “Every day we break the record of the number of people who have [been] infected. So I’m pleading with the community: Please. Please. Do not gather. And make sure you follow the public health guidance.”…. 

     “The wearing [of] masks, the staying physically separate from people – that is the only thing that still works to stop the spread of the virus. Let’s make that very very clear. There’s no argument on the other side of it,” Chau said. 

     “We are now surpassing 16 million people infected, and over 300,000 people who died from this virus [in this country]. Okay? That is a fact. That number is not fake,” he added, raising his voice. 

     “And the reason why we have an increase in cases is because people have been gathering and not following public health guidance. Period. Let’s make that very clear. There’s no argument on that.”…. 

     “I apologize, I didn’t mean to raise my voice,” Chau said. 

     “You got really emotional today,” [Supervisor Michelle] Steel responded, with a laugh. “But you know, I understand that – that we are all very much concerned about this virus.” 

     “I know that you are working around the clock, and it has been a yeoman’s effort,” [Supervisor Don] Wagner told Chau.

     “I want to thank you for it. And I will also say for the public, I know you hear the voices of those who come here [to speak]. I know you hear the voices of the patients. And I know you hear the voices of the medical professionals…I thank you for your continued efforts.” 

     Wagner later said that while he supports Sheriff Don Barnes in not enforcing mask mandates, he’s also for the sheriff backing up businesses that do require masks. 

     “If you’re not going to wear a mask in a business that requires one, go down the street and find somebody else. Or better, put on the darned mask,” Wagner said…. 

✅ OC Sees Largest Single Day Hospitalization Increase as County Health Officials Build Field Hospitals

Coronavirus hospitalizations have been steadily climbing since November started, straining hospitals and their staff. 

—Voice of OC  

✅ More Southern California kids are killing themselves during coronavirus pandemic 

—OC Reg 

✅ California sets new daily record of 379 virus deaths -- California health authorities reported Thursday a record 379 coronavirus deaths and more than 52,000 new confirmed cases. The staggering new figures mean California has seen more than 1,000 deaths in the last five days and nearly 106,000 confirmed cases in just two days. John Antczak and Amy Taxin Associated Press -- 12/17/20 

✅ O.C. hospitals told not to divert ambulances despite influx of COVID-19 patients -- The order — the first of its kind in the region — went into effect at 7 p.m. Tuesday after 20 of the county’s 25 emergency medical centers became so overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients that they began diverting ambulances to other facilities in Orange County. As a result, ambulances were having difficulty finding a hospital that would take patients. Ruben Vives, Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/17/20 

✅ High-Poverty Neighborhoods Bear the Brunt of COVID’s Scourge -- Over the course of the pandemic, COVID-19 infections have battered high-poverty neighborhoods in California on a staggeringly different scale than more affluent areas, a trend that underscores the heightened risks for low-wage workers as the state endures a deadly late-autumn surge. Phillip Reese Capital Public Radio -- 12/17/20 

✅ Christmas singalong organized by Kirk Cameron draws hundreds of mostly maskless people — and criticism -- Summoned by the actor Kirk Cameron, hundreds of maskless people belted out Christmas carols in a Thousand Oaks parking lot Sunday night in a protest against coronavirus restrictions. Faith E. Pinho in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/17/20 

✅ Trump administration cuts off $200 million for California health care over abortions -- The Trump administration said Wednesday that it would withhold $200 million in federal health care funding from California because the state requires that insurance providers cover abortions, escalating a highly politicized battle just weeks before President Trump leaves office. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/17/20 

✅ How counseling aims to help CSU freshmen graduate in four years -- Right out of high school and not sure where the advising office is, let alone how to register for classes, freshmen need special care at California’s big public universities. Without it, they are at higher risk of not making it back for a second year. Larry Gordon EdSource -- 12/17/20 

✅ ‘We want them infected’: Trump appointee demanded ‘herd immunity’ strategy, emails reveal -- A top Trump appointee repeatedly urged top health officials to adopt a "herd immunity" approach to Covid-19 and allow millions of Americans to be infected by the virus, according to internal emails obtained by a House watchdog and shared with Politico. Dan Diamond Politico -- 12/17/20 

✅ Lopez: California’s ‘climate damn emergency’ can’t be ignored -- In California, 2020 would have gone down as an apocalyptic year even without COVID. It was the year when it became impossible to ignore that climate change is here, it’s accelerating, and it’s dramatically altering California in myriad ways. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/16/20 

✅ Arellano: The year Orange County reminded us it’s still Orange County -- When it comes to Orange County and crazy, I always paraphrase Michael Corleone’s memorable quote about his involvement with organized crime in “The Godfather Part III”: Just when I thought we were out, we pull ourselves back in. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/16/20 

     ....Our gift to America this unfathomable year? A Murderers' Row of COVID-19 nitwits. 

     In the early days of the pandemic, cities and residents sought to keep coronavirus patients away from their paradises. In April, Supervisor Michelle Steel sent out a press release with a straight face that Orange County was “flattening the curve” on coronavirus cases and had kept hospitalization rates stable. A month later, both figures skyrocketed; right now, we’re even worse. 

     Next month, Steel will be sworn in as a member of Congress....

✅ Few Positives in Final Fall Enrollment Numbers 

Community colleges saw the largest enrollment declines this fall. Matriculation by first-time freshmen also fell sharply. 

—Inside Higher Ed 

✅ Fall’s Enrollment Decline Now Has a Final Tally. Here’s What’s Behind It. 

—CHE

Today's OC Covid numbers

12-16: Deaths rising so fast California must order more body bags

✅ Orange County ICU capacity remains dangerously low 

Orange County's intensive care capacity hung by a thread this week as nine-in-10 adult ICU beds were occupied and inundated emergency rooms redirected ambulance traffic elsewhere. 

—OC Reg 

✅ Fall Semester Was Not a Wash For All 

New national poll found students were satisfied over all with the quality of college classes this fall, with some discrepancies for those taking completely online classes. However, one-third of students considered discontinuing college during the pandemic. 

—Inside Higher Ed 

✅ Report: Liberty Gave Millions to Conservative Groups 

—Inside Higher Ed 

✅ Private Colleges Report Lost Revenue, Increased Expenses This Fall 

—Inside Higher Ed 

     Almost all private, nonprofit institutions responding to a survey reported losses in tuition and fees, room and board, and auxiliary services revenue amid the pandemic this fall, according to information released by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities…. 

✅ The Missing 4th R 

Rigor is conspicuously absent from the current discourse on educational innovation. 

—Inside Higher Ed 

✅ The Demographic Cliff: 5 Findings From New Projections of High-School Graduates 

—CHE 

✅ Ocasio-Cortez takes direct shot at Pelosi and Schumer 

The progressive star bluntly stated that “we need new leadership in the Democratic Party.” 

—Politico 

     Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez argued in a new interview that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer should no longer lead Democrats in Congress, and complained that the party had failed at grooming a “next generation” of younger lawmakers to succeed them…. 

     The remarks from the freshman congresswoman and superstar of the party’s left wing represented her most direct attack yet on Pelosi and Schumer, and come as Democrats are locked in a fierce debate over their broader message following a disappointing showing in 2020 congressional races across the country.

      Schumer, who is 70 years old, was reelected as leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus last month, and Pelosi is positioned to be reelected as speaker in January — all but ensuring the House Democratic Caucus will continue to be governed by the same octogenarian triumvirate that has occupied the party’s top three leadership roles for the past 14 years: the 80-year-old Pelosi, 81-year-old House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and 80-year-old House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.)….

Deaths rising so fast California must order more body bags -- Gov. Gavin Newsom offered a message of hope in his Tuesday press conference celebrating the arrival of the vaccine, but cautioned that the state has many dark and difficult months ahead amid the deadliest surge since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Kim Bojórquez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/16/20 

California expects 1 million more COVID-19 vaccine doses this month -- But that stream of vaccines, though welcome, will do little to dam the river of new infections that has flooded California in recent weeks. The supply remains limited and initially will be steered toward frontline healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/16/20

Today's numbers

12-14: Another new high in OC Covid cases; More push-back against Covid restrictions; Throwin' shade on Jill Biden's Ed.D.

✅ OC Sees Thousands of New Coronavirus Cases in Just a Few Days, Resistance to Shutdown Grows

Public health experts fear trends will worsen as hospitals are pushed to their limits. 

—Voice of OC 

✅ Coronavirus: O.C. Supervisor Don Wagner joins rally to reopen businesses 

—OC Reg 

✅ More Orange County restaurants decide to stay open, declaring their views on Instagram 

—OC Reg 

✅ Students Wait for More Aid 

Colleges say they have long ago spent all the CARES Act money to aid struggling students and they need more help now. 

—Inside Higher Ed 

✅ Essay on Dr. Jill Biden Prompts Uproar 

—Inside Higher Ed 

An essay published last week in The Wall Street Journal is prompting considerable criticism in academic circles. 

     The essay's views are outlined in its first paragraph: "Madame First Lady — Mrs. Biden — Jill — kiddo: a bit of advice on what may seem like a small but I think is a not unimportant matter. Any chance you might drop the 'Dr.' before your name? 'Dr. Jill Biden' sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic. Your degree is, I believe, an Ed.D., a doctor of education, earned at the University of Delaware through a dissertation with the unpromising title 'Student Retention at the Community College Level: Meeting Students’ Needs.' A wise man once said that no one should call himself 'Dr.' unless he has delivered a child. Think about it, Dr. Jill, and forthwith drop the doc."…. 

     The New York Times ran a story about the many women who saw the essay as "blatantly sexist and emblematic of the way many men question or disparage women’s credentials."…. 

     Paul A. Gigot, the editor of the Journal's opinion section, wrote today, “Why go to such lengths to highlight a single op-ed on a relatively minor issue?” He added, “My guess is that the Biden team concluded it was a chance to use the big gun of identity politics to send a message to critics as it prepares to take power. There’s nothing like playing the race or gender card to stifle criticism.”....

[As many of you know, I have occasionally suggested that the Ed.D. degree is worthless and even pernicious. Still, there's nothing female about the folly of Ed.D. degrees and other manifestations of sloppy and unscientific thinking in academia. It does appear that some of Ms. Biden's critics in this case are offensively sexist; such criticism I join with others in condemning.]

✅ Counties With Colleges Have More COVID-19 Deaths 

—Inside Higher Ed 

     A New York Times analysis has found that "as coronavirus deaths soar across the country, deaths in communities that are home to colleges have risen faster than the rest of the nation."....

✅ Congresswoman Sees Debt Cancellation as Racial Equity Issue

—Inside Higher Ed

     Amid a debate even among Democrats over whether and how much of the nation’s student debt should be canceled, progressive congresswoman Ayanna Pressley on Thursday said widespread forgiveness is needed to close the disparity in wealth based on race….

✅ That Op-Ed About Jill Biden Was Sexist. But the Real Problem Lies Deeper. 

—CHE

3,250 new cases — and the trend is not good

12-10: Like ‘talking to a brick wall’; Roaring '20s?

✅ California congressman: Talking to anti-mask lawmakers like ‘talking to a brick wall’ -- California Rep. Ami Bera complained Wednesday that many of his fellow members of Congress still do not wear masks inside the Capitol, and compared efforts to convince them to cover their faces to “talking to a brick wall.” Quint Forgey Politico -- 12/10/20 

✅ Cal State announces plans for fall 2021 reopening of its 23 campuses -- Six days before its application window closes, the California State University system serving nearly half a million students has announced a plan for all 23 of its campuses to reopen next fall after more than a year of virtual instruction amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Nina Agrawal in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/10/20 

✅ Get ready for another roaring ’20s, UCLA economic forecast predicts -- UCLA economists issued an optimistic forecast Wednesday, predicting the U.S. economy will experience “a gloomy COVID winter and an exuberant vaccine spring,” followed by robust growth for some years. Margot Roosevelt in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/9/20 

✅ Low-Income Community College Students Most Likely to Cancel Plans 

The pandemic is widening equity gaps as more low-income students and students of color leave higher ed. 

—Inside Higher Ed 

✅ New Analysis of Faculty Pay, Representation 

—Inside Higher Ed 

     Women and people of color make less money and have less job security than their white, male counterparts in academe, according to a new “snapshot” analysis of federal data from 2018 by the American Association of University Professors. “That these data sets predate the advent of COVID-19 is cause for true alarm and also a clear call to action,” Rana Jaleel, assistant professor of gender, sexuality and women’s studies at the University of California, Davis, and chair of the AAUP’s Committee on Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies, said in a statement…. 

✅ Report: Fewer High School Students Went Straight to College 

—Inside Higher Ed 

     The COVID-19 pandemic doesn't seem to have affected high school graduation rates. But it appears to have impacted how many of those graduates went straight to college. 

     New data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center show that nearly 22 percent fewer students from the Class of 2020 went to college immediately after high school this fall compared to the Class of 2019, according to a news release from the center. The overall immediate college enrollment rate fell from 35.3 percent to 27.7 percent, a drop that is 10 times greater than the decline between 2018 and 2019…. 

✅ Moody's Sees Negative Outlook for Community Colleges 

—Inside Higher Ed 

     Community colleges are expected to take financial and enrollment hits through 2021. Moody's Investors Services announced its 2021 outlook for the sector is negative, as is its outlook for four-year public and private institutions. 

✅ Food Insecurity Among Students Continues During Pandemic 

—Inside Higher Ed 

     Nearly one-third of students said they have experienced food insecurity since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey report from Chegg.org, the research and advocacy arm of the course materials and services company Chegg. About the same number of students also said hunger has “impacted their ability to study,” and more than half of students have accessed an off-campus food bank at least once, the survey found…. 

✅ The Real Covid-19 Enrollment Crisis: Fewer Low-Income Students Went Straight to College 

—CHE 

✅ ‘A Tremendous Amount of Fear’: Will Major Cuts Threaten Research Universities’ Work? 

Public flagship universities are bracing for a grim 2021. 

—CHE

11-12: Undergraduate-Enrollment Picture Worsens; most Republicans think the election wasn't fair; Investigating Trump after all this

✅The Biden Presidency and International Education 

     It's been a hard four years for supporters of international education. Experts expect a reset in international education policies under Biden, but caution that damage to the once-welcoming image of the United States can't be easily erased. 

—Inside Higher Ed 

✅Enrollment Still Down 

Undergraduate enrollment is still down across higher education, according to the latest National Student Clearinghouse report. Black and Hispanic enrollment in community colleges is still down more than white and Asian enrollment. 

—Inside Higher Ed 

✅Undergraduate-Enrollment Picture Worsens as Pandemic Drags On 

—CHE 

✅Biden Draws on Colleges to Aid in Transition 

—Inside Higher Ed 

     President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team is drawing significantly the nation’s colleges and universities to prepare to take the reins of government on Jan. 20. 

     Of the nearly 600 mostly volunteers announced by Biden’s transition team to serve on agency review teams to help coordinate the transition from the Trump administration, nearly 80 are professors…. 

✅The Pandemic May Have Changed International Recruiting Forever 

New tactics started as emergency measures, but could be a lasting way to keep enrollments up. 

—CHE 

✅Cheating-detection companies made millions during the pandemic. Now students are fighting back. 

Some described intense stress as remote proctors watched them take tests, worrying they would be labeled as cheats. Others said they had urinated at their desks for fear that leaving for the bathroom would hurt their chances of a post-graduation career. 

—WashPo  

✅The Right Way to Investigate Trump Once He Leaves Office 

The Department of Justice can appoint a special counsel. It will help keep politics out of holding Trump accountable. 

—Politico 

     On January 20, 2021, Donald Trump will no longer be the President of the United States. Later that year, he may become the first former president to face a criminal indictment. Trump is reportedly worried about being arrested, and he should be. 

✅‘A grand scheme’: Trump’s election defiance consumes GOP 

Many party officials are suggesting to the rank and file that the election was stolen or that the outcome stands to be reversed. 

—Politico

     …A majority of Republicans, according to new polling, are convinced the election wasn’t fair. Party officials are attacking one another for failing a litmus test of defending Trump’s interests. Lawmakers in Congress and states across the country are rushing to the cause…. 

✅California joins most of U.S. in ‘uncontrolled’ coronavirus spread -- The rampant spread of the coronavirus across the U.S. has now engulfed California — which until recently had stood apart from the majority of states by keeping transmission in check. Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/12/20 

✅Skelton: Expanding vote by mail in California was a success. Let’s do it permanently -- The pandemic produced one good thing: mail ballots for every California voter. And regardless of our fired president’s nonsensical claims, they were cast without a scent of fraud. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/12/20 

✅Donald Trump Is Purging the Defense Department to Elevate His Most Fervent Supporters 

The lame duck president is getting his revenge on the national security state. 

—Mother Jones 

     …Policy chief James Anderson, intelligence head Joseph Kernan, and Esper’s chief of staff Jen Stewart are all gone, replaced by true believers with a history of echoing Trump’s most conspiratorial views on Russian election interference and the Deep State. The sudden nature of the departures was reflected in a terse Pentagon statement, which said Kernan’s exit had been “planned for several months,” but said nothing of Anderson or Stewart’s reasons for resigning….

✅Biden’s Policy Agenda Rests Heavily on Senate Outcome -- President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s transition team is preparing multiple sets of policy proposals for the economy, health care, climate change and other domestic issues, including the ambitious agenda Mr. Biden laid out in his winning campaign, while acknowledging it may have to be pared back in recognition of divided government. Jim Tankersley in the New York Times$ -- 11/12/20 

✅A winter surge in COVID-19 cases seems inevitable. Can we stop it? -- Temperatures are dropping, nights are growing longer, the holidays are nearing, and the science is clear: The pandemic is far from over. A long, dark winter awaits. Deborah Netburn in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/11/20

11-11: Colleges Have Shed a Tenth of Their Employees Since the Pandemic Began; Trump's legal fights: "all noise"

✅Walters: Orange County’s stubborn conservative streak -- Ronald Reagan chose Mile Square Park, in the heart of Orange County, for a Labor Day rally in 1984 to kick off his final push for a second term as president. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 11/11/20 

     With Donald Trump seeking another term, this year’s election appeared to be another opportunity for Democrats to expand their Orange County presence, and in a sense they did. Orange County again voted Democratic for president and two Republican state senators, John Moorlach and Ling Ling Chang, were ousted by Democratic challengers. 

     However, two Democrats who had won previously Republican congressional seats in 2016, Gil Cisneros and Harley Rouda, lost them after serving just one term. And in other ways, this year’s election indicated that Orange County is still, relative to other coastal counties, fairly conservative. 

     Joe Biden walloped Trump by a nearly 2-to-1 landslide in California, but in Orange County, based on the unofficial returns, Biden’s margin was much narrower, just 10 percentage points…. 

     Clearly, Orange County is no longer the impregnable Republican fortress it was in 1984, but neither is it as blue as Democrats have hoped. One could say that it’s purple with a stubborn streak of conservatism that sets it apart from the rest of coastal California. 

✅Colleges Have Shed a Tenth of Their Employees Since the Pandemic Began 

—CHE 

✅Pandemic Hits Higher Ed Employment Hard 

—Inside Higher Ed 

     Nearly every state lost higher education jobs during the pandemic, according to a report from the Pew Charitable Trusts published Tuesday. The education sector is among the hardest hit by the pandemic. 

✅Biden’s Victory Has Elated International Students. But the Road to Lasting Reform Is Long. 

—CHE

✅UCLA, UC Irvine nurses rally over COVID exposure, staff shortages -- Registered nurses employed by UCLA rallied Tuesday to demand that medical workers be informed when they’ve been exposed to COVID-19 and be properly tested — the way UCLA athletes are tested. At the same time, nurses working at UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange held a rally to alert the public to what they consider insufficient staffing at the facility. The item is in the Orange County Register -- 11/11/20 

✅In liberal California, election shows Prop. 13 tax revolt is alive and well -- With the failure of Proposition 15, the $140 million campaign to hike property taxes on businesses across the state finally comes to a close. Now begins a new statewide competition to explain what the results really mean. Ben Christopher CalMatters -- 11/11/20 

✅First openly gay justice confirmed to serve on the California Supreme Court -- Martin Jenkins, appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, won unanimous confirmation Tuesday to the California Supreme Court, becoming its first openly gay member and the fifth Black justice in the court’s history. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/11/20 

Schiele and his wife died in the
flu pandemic, 1918. He was 28.

✅Biden, planning his administration, says GOP leaders ignoring his win are ‘intimidated’ by Trump -- President-elect Joe Biden said Tuesday he is hoping to name several Cabinet-level nominees before Thanksgiving and downplayed the difficulties that his team is having amid a lack of cooperation by President Trump in the transfer of power. Annie Linskey in the Washington Post$ -- 11/11/20 

✅Fighting Election Results, Trump Employs a New Weapon: The Government -- President Trump, facing the prospect of leaving the White House in defeat in just 70 days, is harnessing the power of the federal government to resist the results of an election that he lost, something that no sitting president has done in American history. Peter Baker and Lara Jakes in the New York Times$ -- 11/11/20 

✅‘It’s all noise’: The reality behind Trump’s legal fight -- The court fight over election results, which has yielded few results, is as much about pleasing the base as it is about making coherent legal arguments. Anita Kumar Politico -- 11/11/20 

✅In liberal California, Black Lives Matter protests in some towns meet with ‘scary’ backlash -- Pastor Nelson Rabell-González knew that “livable, lovable Lodi,” as locals call it, had a problem when men carrying a noose and baseball bats with American flags attached shouted racial slurs at him in September as he helped lead a peaceful protest in this San Joaquin Valley town. Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/10/20

OC Covid numbers: heading up

11-9: The educated, liberal, & female strongly agree: "The humanities should be an important part of every American’s education"; BIDEN: “Please, I implore you, wear a mask.”

✅Survey on American Attitudes on the Humanities 

—Inside Higher Ed 

    Just over half (56 percent) of Americans agree strongly with the statement that “the humanities should be an important part of every American’s education,” while 38 percent “somewhat agreed” with the statement, according to a new survey of 5,015 American adults from the Humanities Indicators Project of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. 

     The survey found differences in attitudes across educational levels, political ideologies and gender. While 68 percent of college graduates strongly agree that the humanities should be an important part of every American’s education, just 47 percent of people without a college degree do. Liberals (70 percent) are more likely than conservatives (48 percent) to strongly agree the humanities are important. Women (60 percent) are also more likely than men (52 percent) to see the humanities as being an important part of every American’s education….  

✅Biden's Victory Could Be Transformative 

President-elect has vowed to spend much more. The vice president-elect is an HBCU graduate and supporter. The next first lady is a community college instructor. 

—Inside Higher Ed 

✅Expert Analysis: Youth Voter Turnout Increased 

—Inside Higher Ed 

     Researchers estimate that youth voter turnout increased by at least five percentage points from the 2016 to 2020 presidential elections. 

     An estimated 49 to 51 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds voted in the 2020 elections, and that figure could rise to between 53 and 56 percent as further votes are counted, according to an analysis from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University.

✅Biden implores Americans to wear masks amid vaccine progress -- Will Weissert, Philip Marcelo and Aamer Madhani Associated Press Alice Miranda Ollstein and Quint Forgey Politico -- 11/9/20

     “We could save tens of thousands of lives if everyone would just wear a mask for the next few months. Not Democratic or Republican lives, American lives,” Biden said. “Please, I implore you, wear a mask.”

✅Coronavirus surge in L.A. County coincides with more large gatherings -- As throngs of political partiers and protesters took to the streets over the weekend, California public health officials again raised red flags, warning that crowded gatherings threaten to exacerbate the spread of the coronavirus at a precarious point in the pandemic. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/9/20 

✅Affirmative action failed on California’s ballot — but colleges commit to diversity goals -- After California voters rejected a measure to repeal the state’s ban on affirmative action last week, higher education leaders reiterated a commitment to diversify their student population by providing outreach and support to Latino and under-represented students. Kim Bojórquez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/9/20

✅Californians eye Biden jobs after years of Trump attacks -- California is about to come in from the cold. After almost four years of President Donald Trump's taunts as a state that's "going to hell,'' California is poised to be powerhouse with a Biden administration. Carla Marinucci Politico -- 11/9/20 

✅University of California expands list of courses that meet math requirement for admission -- High school students planning to apply to the University of California now have a broader set of courses they can take to meet the math requirement for admission to the public university system. Sydney Johnson EdSource -- 11/9/20 

✅At least three people at a White House election party last week have tested positive, including Ben Carson.

—NYT

10-25: The country is "rounding the corner," Trump says; in fact, the White House has given up on controlling the spread of Covid

✅Coronavirus is surging in college towns. The worst spot? Texas 

—LA Times 

✅A Day-By-Day Guide to What Could Happen If This Election Goes Bad 

Election experts game out the chaos that could unfold in the minutes, hours and days after the last ballot is cast. 

—Politico Magazine 

✅‘We’re not going to control the pandemic’: White House chief’s comments undermine Trump’s message 

Mark Meadows acknowledged the situation is not easily handled, with nine days left in a presidential campaign dominated by the coronavirus. 

—Politico

     The Trump administration signaled on Sunday that it had given up on controlling the spread of the coronavirus, even as Covid-19 makes its second run through the White House, three in four Americans are concerned that they or someone they know will contract the disease, and millions of American families are suffering as negotiators struggle to clinch an elusive relief deal. 

     “We’re not going to control the pandemic,” White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.” “We are gonna control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigation areas.” 

     Yet President Donald Trump — who continues to insist that the country is “rounding the corner” despite a new surge in cases — is campaigning in New Hampshire and Maine on Sunday before returning to the White House to co-host a Halloween event with first lady Melania Trump. Vice President Mike Pence will also continue to campaign instead of quarantine, after a top staffer tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday….

SOCCCD: the Trustee races

The good old days

I swiped this graphic from my pals over on the Orange Juice Blog.
They've swiped plenty of mine!

     Today, I'm critiquing candidates' stated "priorities," which can be found here.

     AREA 1.

     Raghu Mathur's old pal Helen Locke says she wants to eliminate "nonessential courses."  

     Golly, I didn't know we had any of those.

     She also wants to move the district somewhere else to make more room for classes. That's desirable (to move it to the middle: say, El Toro Rd.), but the board has considered that idea and has decided it's too pricey. —Pay attention, lady.

     Carolyn Inmon, an old hand at community college politics, says she wants to "prioritize limited resources to keep dollars in the classroom." Sure. Plus she wants to "support the needs of lifelong learners." That's a perfectly decent hobby horse, I suppose.

     Mr. Waid wants to "streamline systems" to save money: all three campuses should use the same ones, he says. Plus he wants to "integrate career guidance into each semester of a student's plan." Sounds like he's not up on the "Guided Pathways" initiative. Clueless.

     Kaushal has submitted nada, it seems, so to hell with him.

     AREA 3.

     I guess old Babs was just too bright a star for anyone to challenge. 

     AREA 6.

     Two of Ryan Dack's priorities concern worries about Covid-19 safety, which is blatantly unRepublican and thus refreshing. Also, he wants to "expand SOCCCD's college affordability commitment to ensure no student is kept from an education due to financial burdens." Sounds pretty good. Let's do that.

     Meanwhile, incumbent James Wright offers standard blather plus this odd priority: "Address my values as a fiscal conservative and solving pandemic problems." I'm sorry, but that doesn't make much sense, addresswise. Besides, I have never yet known him to fail to refer to Saddleback College as though it were the entire district. We exist up here, dude! Get a frickin' clue.

     AREA 7.

     Exhibiting yet more cluelessness, Mr. Gawne wants to "complete the Advanced Technology Park in Tustin." As near as I can tell, after all these years, nobody knows what completing it would even be. He offers some blather about "improving certificate programs." Do they need improving? How so?

     He also wants to "Focus on meeting future challenges to the higher education business model due to changing demographics and fiscal realities." OK, that's seriously bullshitty bullshit.

     Mr. Entezampour submitted nothing, prioritywise, which is distinctly unpromising.

     Mr. Tim Jemal, the incumbent, offers some sharp and focused priorities. There's his usual focus on "business partnerships," but ones that "lead to jobs...." —A nice touch. He wants to "Ensure Saddleback College & Irvine Valley College Remain the top Colleges in the State." Sounds good. Love how he blows off ATEP. I guess he's been there. There's no coffee.

     He falters a bit, however, with his 3rd priority: "Balanced Budgets, Precious use of Tax Dollars, Transparency and No New Taxes." Precious use of tax dollars? That's confused. And the "no new taxes" line is just pandering to knuckledraggers. Still, I'll give 'im a B+. I've always liked him. I'm hopin' he isn't one of the dolts who kept giving Glenn Roquemore a contract, despite endless indications that Rocky was (and is) a blithering idiot and shit-weasel.

See also:

• SOCCCD trustee candidates, August 18
• Mathur crony Helen Locke running for Lang’s [vacated] trustee seat, August 15

8-9: a collective shrug

✅Walters: Another version of ‘ethnic studies’ -- A year ago, the California Department of Education released a draft of guidelines for implementing “ethnic studies” in public high schools. It unleashed a torrent of controversy — for good reason. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 8/9/20

✅California Democrats divided over COVID-19 stimulus, millionaire tax to fund economic recovery -- How should California dig itself out of a $54 billion deficit? A divide between state lawmakers over how to generate revenue mirrors a national reckoning in Democratic politics. Lauren HeplerCalMatters -- 8/9/20

 

✅The lost days of summer: How Trump fell short in containing the virus -- As the White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows is responsible for coordinating the vast executive branch, including its coronavirus response. But in closed-door meetings, he has revealed his skepticism of the two physicians guiding the anti-pandemic effort, Deborah Birx and Anthony S. Fauci, routinely questioning their expertise, according to senior administration officials and other people briefed on the internal discussions. Philip Rucker, Yasmeen Abutaleb, Josh Dawsey and Robert Costa in the Washington Post$ -- 8/9/20

✅Rick Gates, Ex-Trump Aide and Mueller Witness, Is Publishing a Memoir
NYT

✅Even Asymptomatic People Carry the Coronavirus in High Amounts

NYT

✅At Least 1 Dead and 20 Wounded in Washington, D.C., Shooting

NYT

 

✅A president ignored: Trump’s outlandish claims increasingly met with a collective shrug

More than 3½ years into his term, President Trump often finds himself minimized, as many of his outrageous or groundless statements are briefly considered and then, just as quickly, dismissed.

Washington Post

✅‘Like Groundhog Day’: Republicans fret over Trump’s fading fortunes

Negotiations for coronavirus relief have fallen apart. Coronavirus deaths continues to rise. Several Trump allies acknowledged that if the election was held today, Trump would likely lose.

Politico