South County racism; an OC Covid-19 spike; other news

The latest data — a shocking spike
(orange line: 7-day average; that's the more relevant factoid)

In South OC’s Wealthy, Mostly White School District, Students of Color Tell Stories of Racism, Harassment and Inaction

Voice of OC

Formerly, Saddleback "Gaucho"

     At a high school tucked away in the hills of San Juan Capistrano, a grand staircase separates the upper level of the campus from the lower level.
     During the school year, Latino students usually fill the lunch tables downstairs, while mostly white students and others sit upstairs.
     San Juan Hills High School alum Olivia Fu — now a junior at Stanford University — remembers training to be a member of the school’s student leadership program, “Link Crew,” when a senior member, giving a tour of the campus, pointed to the tables near the bottom of the stairs and said “that’s where the beaners sit.”…. (continued)

Coronavirus: 5 bad signs California is heading the wrong direction

OC Register

Board of Supes Prez Michelle Steel

1. Soaring case counts 

. . . 

2. Record hospitalization numbers 

. . . 

3. Rising death projections 

. . . 

4. Troubling testing trends 

. . . 

5. Outbreaks at congregate living settings…. (see)

Newsom threatens California counties that defy coronavirus rules as cases spike

San Francisco Chronicle

Don Wagner

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom could withhold financial relief from local governments in the upcoming state budget if they do not follow guidelines that he says are necessary to tamp down the spike in coronavirus cases in California.
     The budget deal with legislative leaders announced this week ties $750 million in funding to replace lost tax revenue for county services, as well as $1.3 billion for counties and $500 million for cities from the federal bailout package, to local governments’ compliance with the stay-at-home order and other state requirements on the coronavirus response.
     Newsom, through his Department of Finance, could order state officials not to send local governments their portion of the money if they do not certify they are following the rules, which include a new mandate for Californians to wear masks nearly everywhere outside the home…..
     At a news conference Wednesday, the governor said that authority would give him leverage over those who “simply thumb their nose” at state guidelines. He did not specify how cities and counties would be expected to prove their compliance, though he added that he was trying to encourage good behavior rather than punish bad behavior.
. . .

     Since the state rolled out its requirement for face coverings last week, county sheriffs and local police chiefs from Orange County to Sacramento have announced that they do not plan to enforce the order. The mayor of Nevada City, in Nevada County, encouraged residents to defy the mandate to “prevent all of us from slipping down the nasty slope of tyranny.”
. . .
     On Wednesday, Newsom pleaded with the public to continue washing their hands, wearing face coverings and avoiding large crowds and intimate gatherings.
     “Consider others in your life and strangers. Love thy neighbors like yourself,” he said. “If you cannot practice physical distancing, then are you practicing love?”

Surge in coronavirus cases puts reopening of UC San Diego in doubt

San Diego Union-Tribune 

     A large and sudden increase in coronavirus infections across San Diego County has raised doubts about whether UC San Diego will be able to proceed with plans to welcome students back to campus for the fall quarter.
     The university had been expected to release its “Return to Learn” plan late last week. But the announcement has been delayed several times to give UCSD time to evaluate the surge in cases that are being reported regionally.
     On Wednesday county health officials announced a record 332 positive test results for COVID-19, three days after 310 became the new record. The number of COVID-19 related hospitalizations also has been growing.
     The surge surprised and alarmed UCSD officials, who have been planning to announce that it will reopen this fall, in part, by offering a COVID-19 test to all of its 65,000 students, faculty and staff. Such tests would be voluntary…. (continued)

Don Wagner and the pushback crowd

     You'll recall that, on June 18, Governor Gavin Newsom made face coverings mandatory for all Californians in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The action was taken in response to the failure of many Californians to wear face masks in public.

Guv Newsom

     Orange County in particular hasn't been real good about this whole Covid thing. For instance, for months, OC Supervisors Michelle Steel and (former SOCCCD Trustee) Don Wagner have pushed back against measures—promoted by the Governor and even some board colleagues—to respond to the crisis. 

Dr. Quick

     On May 23rd, faced with increasingly worrisome data, County Health Officer Nichole Quick issued an order requiring that people wear face masks when in public. That unleashed mega peevitude among the anti-maskers. The OC Sheriff declared he wouldn't enforce the mask order. The anti-maskers were pissed—the nerve of the woman to require non-spewage of Covid-19 droplets! Quick was soon pressured (death threats, demonstrations outside her home) to quit her job.
     The mask order was downgraded to a mere recommendation.

     Soon thereafter the shit commenced hitting the fan, Coronavirus-wise. The state-wide numbers started looking bad and many citizens defied safety recommendations, leading to Newsom's action six days ago. More locally, the Covid data are worrisome. The latest report (Covid-19) indicates that 26 Orange Countians died from Covid-19 yesterday—a new high, I believe. The number of cases keeps going up and up. 
     As far as responding to Covid-19 is concerned, OC now looks pretty bad compared to some neighboring counties.
     That's because it's been fucking up.

* * *

     As you know, Don Wagner is the Supervisor of the County's 3rd district—my district.

     If you go to Don’s government page (https://d3.ocgov.com), you’ll see this:

     As you can see, Don has chosen to provide Covid-19 info on his opening page, which is sensible. 

     I draw your attention to the “Covid-19 Resources” graphic that appears at the bottom of his page. 

     Golly, no mention of mask-wearing! 

     How come?

     I looked at the pages of the other OC Supervisors. Most refer to the Covid-19 crisis, though none provides the graphic Don has chosen.

     Supervisor Andrew Do’s page provides a prominent link to “Coronavirus Updates,” and, in particular, to a timeline of board actions re Covid-19. It’s pretty helpful. Check it out: update.

     For some reason, Superivor Michelle Steel’s page does not draw attention to the Covid crisis at all. What's up with that?

Wagner

     As you know, she's board president.

     Supervisor Doug Chaffee’s page has a link to Covid updates. I see that the “infographic” that the link yields provides basic info about Covid-19 but, despite the Governor’s recent action, the graphic does not mention the need for mask-wearing. 

     Odd that.

     Supervisor Lisa Bartlet‘s page provides a gizmo that scrolls through various items, including “Covid-19 updates.” Clicking on the latter led me to “OC Health Officer's Orders & Recommendations,” which includes “Wear a Cloth Face-Covering“ as the 4th order. 

     Excellent.
     But no mask talk from Wagner. Or Steel.

* * *

     It's pretty clear that many tens of thousands of Americans have died unnecessarily thanks to President Trump's foot-dragging re the Coronavirus crisis. 

     That's bad, real bad. Right? And Trump shows no signs of wising up. On the contrary! Americans should be fully cooperating with the familiar guidelines, but many seem confused or clueless. Trump's actions and statements are one obvious reason for that. So, many more will die, unnecessarily. It's a tragic leadership vacuum—or maybe an unprecedented "misleadership."

Steel

     Meanwhile, here in OC, some substantial number of Orange Countians have died—and will die—thanks to the efforts of Wagner, Steel, and the whole "pushback" crowd. —I mean, Dr. Quick was doing the right thing and for the right reasons. And, for her trouble, the pushback Supes got rid of her and undid her orders.
     Golly.
     It will be interesting to see how our County "leaders" respond to our new self-perception of abject FUBARitude.

See also: 

• OC’s Lack of Enforcement on Coronavirus Masks Could Block OC From State Bailout Money (Voice of OC)
• 26 new deaths, 354 new cases in Orange County as of June 24 (OC Reg)
• Coronavirus Live Updates: U.S. Cases Near Record Level as Virus Surges in South and West (New York Times) (Below:)

….More than two months after the United States recorded its worst day of new infections since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the nation reached another grim milestone on Wednesday as it reported 36,880 new cases.
     The number of infections indicated that the country was not only failing to contain the coronavirus, but also that the caseload was worsening — a path at odds with many other nations that have seen steady declines after an earlier peak. Cases in the United States had been on a downward trajectory after the previous high of 36,739 cases on April 24, but they have roared back in recent weeks.
. . .
     The tally of new cases, based on a New York Times database, showed that the outbreak was stronger than ever even as the United States continued to reopen its economy. The elevated numbers are a result of worsening conditions across much of the country, as well as increased testing — but testing alone does not explain the surge….
. . .
     On Wednesday it was as if the country had found itself back in March — at the start of the pandemic, in the early days of the lockdown, when masks were in short supply and when the death toll was skyrocketing.
     Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said that the state had recorded more than 7,000 new cases over the previous day.
. . .
     The World Health Organization warned on Wednesday that if governments and communities in the Americas are not able to stop the spread of the virus through surveillance, isolation of cases and quarantine of contacts, there may be a need to impose — or reimpose — general lockdowns….

Yesterday: 26 Covid deaths in OC.
The trend is worrisome.

Trump wants to know what love is

'cuz folks mostly hate 'im

OC Covid: another new high (and low)

See: COVID-19 Case Counts and Testing Figures

Orange County reports another daily coronavirus case high

LA Times

Orange County reported its highest one-day total of new coronavirus cases for the second day in a row Sunday.

OC: huge jump in cases reported

Go here.

Meanwhile, testing (in OC) is way down:

The solid orange line represents the average number of tests over the past seven (7) days.

What's going on here?

It ain't good.

Coronavirus Mask Enforcement in OC Remains Unclear as Two Largest Cities Are Being Hit Hard

Voice of OC

     Orange County’s enforcement of the new state-mandated coronavirus mask order is unclear, as the virus continues to spread, especially in OC’s two biggest cities, Anaheim and Santa Ana. 

     On Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom rolled out a mandatory mask order for the entire state – fresh on the heels of a tense debate among Orange County supervisors about walking back local mask orders.

. . .

     [County Health Care Agency Director and interim Health Officer, Dr. Clayton] Chau … stood by the effectiveness of the masks at a Thursday press conference and addressed the anti-mask group that has been showing up at the Supervisors meetings to rail against masks during public comments. 

. . .

     “I believe in what science says.” [he said]

     Sheriff Don Barnes previously said he wouldn’t enforce the mask order as Orange County had its own order briefly, issued abruptly just before Memorial Day weekend by former Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick late last month as restaurants and shopping malls began reopening. 

     “We are not the mask police nor do I intend to be the mask police,” Barnes told Supervisors at the May 26 meeting. 

. . .

     [OC Health Officer Dr. Nichole] Quick faced a wave of pushback from County Supervisors and residents following her [mask] order. She abruptly resigned June 8, following threats from residents and at least one protest in front of her house. 

     Chau, a psychiatrist by training who heads up the OC Health Care Agency and was appointed as Acting Public Health Director by supervisors after Quick resigned, quickly walked the order back on June 11 despite his support for the science behind masking. 

     Supervisor Michelle Steel, who’s publicly questioned the science behind masks, announced earlier this week that Orange County’s virus numbers are better than neighboring counties. 

. . .

     Steel’s comments have turned out to be off the mark. 

     …R]ecent death and hospitalization rates in Orange County are actually worse than three out of the four neighboring counties.

     In recent days, OC consistently has seen higher hospitalization and death rates than San Bernardino, San Diego and Riverside counties. Orange County’s rates continue to climb faster than the surrounding counties.

. . .

     OC’s two largest cities, Anaheim and Santa Ana, continue to be hit hardest by the virus.

. . .

     “These two cities keep me up at night,” said Chau earlier this week at the press conference in response to Voice of OC questions about Anaheim and Santa Ana. “We have started the conversation with a group of community based organizations, with the city councils, with the school districts,” Chau said. “We just about two weeks ago started the conversation. We’re going to drill down into the number.” 

. . .

     And he expressed concern that the virus is hitting Latino and Black communities harder than other groups….

Gosh thanks, Don

Don Wagner

Orange County’s Coronavirus Death, Hospitalization Rates Now Higher than San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties

Voice of OC

     Orange County’s pace of hospitalizations and deaths from coronavirus have been consistently rising faster than its neighbors in recent weeks, and its rates have now overtaken three of the surrounding counties. 

     For the better part of the pandemic, which took hold locally in mid-March, Orange County’s deaths and hospitalizations for coronavirus were lower than all four of its surrounding counties on a per-resident basis. 

     But while other counties have seen hospitalizations and deaths rise more slowly or decrease, OC has jumped in recent weeks. For the last several days, Orange County’s rates have been higher than San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, as OC continues to climb. 

     OC’s pace of hospitalizations and deaths from coronavirus are now at their highest levels so far of the pandemic, with 83 people dying in the past two weeks and 364 people in the hospital as of Tuesday, according to data published by the California Department of Public Health. 

     “Covid cases are on the rise and we expected that when we reopened the economy,” county CEO Frank Kim told Voice of OC regarding the county overtaking most of its surrounding counties’ rates. 

     He noted that Dr. Nichole Quick, the county’s former health officer, repeatedly said cases would rise as the economy re-opened. 

     “As we reopen our economy, the positive cases will go up,” said Dr. Clayton Chau, director of the Orange County Health Care Agency and acting health officer, in a statement to Voice of OC Wednesday about the rising hospitalizations and deaths. 

     “To mitigate this,” Chau said he’s asking the community to limit the virus’ spread by, among other things, wearing face coverings when a 6-foot distance can’t be maintained from people outside of their household, unless it’s unsafe to wear a mask. 

. . . 

     Supervisor Don Wagner, who has called for a safe re-opening of the economy, said the rising hospitalization and death rates are concerning and encouraged residents to wear masks. 

     “That [the rates] are climbing is a concern. And it’s important that we get a handle on it,” Wagner told Voice of OC in an interview Wednesday. 

     To prevent the virus’ spread, Wagner said people should wear masks when they can’t maintain a 6-foot distance from people who don’t live in the same household. 

     People shouldn’t interpret the county’s pulling back of a mandatory mask order as a sign that masks aren’t recommended anymore, Wagner said. 

     “Masks do work. If you can’t maintain social distancing, wear a mask. If you are sick, wear a mask,” Wagner said. 

. . . 

     “We’re now re-opening the county. And in my own personal observation, I think people have misinterpreted that to mean that they could go back to a lifestyle consistent with what they had before the pandemic,” said Dr. Thomas Cesario, an infectious disease doctor in Orange County and former longtime dean of UC Irvine’s medical school. 

     “We know the virus is still here, and we know that the curve of the cases in California in general, is on the upswing,” he added. 

     “Social distancing and masks, which combined with quarantining and tracking, have really been quite effective. And if you look at places in the world that have been strict in complying with those, it really does work,” Cesario said.      

     “The science now is getting overwhelming” about the effectiveness of masks, he said, pointing to journal articles like one published last week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

. . . 

     Wagner, the county supervisor, said he hopes the re-opening of the economy is done safely, to prevent a surge in cases that could lead to a return to more restrictions. 

     “We’re headed towards a re-opening and opening more and more things. My hope is, and my expectation is, that [the county Health Care Agency] will keep a close eye on things. That, again, it will be done right, it will be done safely,” said Wagner, who has pressed county staff for clear answers on what thresholds would cause restrictions to be re-imposed. 

     “My real fear is that if there’s a second surge and we’ve got a mandatory [mask order] in place…we’ll have no fallback other than to shut things down again, and that would be a disaster,” he added. “I just don’t want to go to shutting down things again.”

OC Medical Association, Disease Experts Argue County Supervisors Should Have Kept Mask Order

Voice of OC

Dr. Nichole Quick

     Former Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick issued a mask order late last month as dine-in restaurants and shopping centers were reopening. But she faced blowback from Supervisors and residents on the order.  

     OC Health Care Agency Director, Dr. Clayton Chau, took over for Quick after she abruptly resigned following a series of threats, including one during a public meeting that Supervisor Michelle Steel deemed a death threat. 

      Chau walked the mandatory mask order back last Thursday and masks are now a strong recommendation. 

      The Orange County Medical Association condemned the County’s handling of the mask situation….

OC: a new high in reported cases of Covid-19

Coronavirus: Orange County reports a record high of 304 new cases and 4 new deaths as of June 14

OC Reg

     ...The California Department of Health reported that the positive test rate for Orange County has been 4% in the last 14 days out of 56,787 tests....

The Pandemic and Protests Have Exposed the Truth About California 

The Golden State is less exceptional and more like the rest of America than many would prefer to believe.

New York Times (Opinion); By Miriam Pawel

     …California, the novelist Wallace Stegner wrote, is like the rest of America, only more so. That truism has played out in recent days in scenes of triumph, anguish and incongruity, a mirror of the country seen through a distinctly California lens.
. . .
     “This is indeed where the future will be made,” [Stegner] wrote, with all “the noise, smog, greed, energy, frequent wrongheadedness and occasional greatness of spirit that are so American and so quintessentially Californian.”
. . .
     Alaysia Lyons, 19, ended her first-ever protest in tears, arrested by the Los Angeles police. Days later, she addressed more than 1,000 young people at a campus rally: “Me as a little girl would never expect this many people to come out. But you’re standing up for what you believe in, and I thank all of you.”
     In Oakland, another 19-year-old, Xavier Brown, home after his first year at college, used social media to organize a march that drew 15,000 people. He said, “We are disrupting the peace with our words.”
     The future of California’s exceptionalism is in their hands.