Where you need a mask after reopening + Is Newsom playing politics? + API call for equity
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
YOU STILL NEED A MASK
via Jeong Park
California’s workplace safety board late Wednesday walked back a vote it took just last week to relax COVID-19 rules on masks and social distance, instead choosing to leave in place standards from the peak of the pandemic that require employees to wear masks whenever they are less than six feet away from someone else.
That’s a conflict with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s June 15 target to fully reopen the economy. Neither his administration nor the federal government are calling for vaccinated people to wear masks indoors.
The standards board of the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, commonly called Cal-OSHA, will consider updating its rule again on June 17 to better align with the state and federal guidance on coronavirus vaccinations. Any update to the rule, if voted on by the board, will go into effect around June 28.
“Immediate action is also required to protect the public interest to avoid confusion regarding the requirements of the workplace safety standards, which would make both enforcement and compliance unduly difficult,” board staff said in a letter calling for Wednesday’s meeting.
Earlier Wednesday press call, Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly outlined a few places Californians will have to wear a mask after the reopening:
- Public transit (Airplanes, buses, taxis, subways, as well as hubs such as airports and bus terminals)
- Indoors in K-12 schools and childcare settings (For now. The state is monitoring the federal guidance, Ghaly said)
- Health care
- Correctional facilities and detention centers
- Homeless shelters, including cooling centers
The state’s updated guidance aligns with the federal recommendation, Ghaly said. Those who are not fully vaccinated will still be required to wear masks indoors in public settings.
Businesses can either ask their customers to self-attest their vaccination status, request proofs of immunization or require everyone to wear a mask, Ghaly said.
Ghaly defended the honor system for vaccination, saying all systems of verification are fraught with challenges.
SMART STRATEGY OR RECALL STUNT?
Via Lara Korte...
It’s been a good couple of months for Gov. Gavin Newsom. COVID-19 cases are down, vaccinations are up, and he has the pleasure of handing out cash to Californians, game-show style.
But the governor’s opponents are crying foul, saying that his actions are driven mostly by the burgeoning recall effort.
The idea that Newsom’s actions are motivated by the upcoming recall election is a common refrain among the Democratic governor’s critics. From Newsom’s proposed rebate checks for taxpayers to his decision to reopen the state June 15, at every turn they claim credit for his policies and press conferences, insisting he wouldn’t take those steps without a recall election on the horizon.
The reality, as The Bee’s Sophia Bollag reports, is somewhere in the middle, according to experts.
“The decisions he makes at least in part have to be informed by the political realities he’s in,” said Mindy Romero, founder of the Center for Inclusive Democracy at the University of Southern California. “On the other side, the pro-recall folks need to create a frame that essentially dismisses any positive actions done by the governor.”
API CAUCUS CALLS ON NEWSOM TO ADOPT EQUITY BUDGET
The California API Legislative Caucus has joined with more than 150 Asian American and Pacific Islander and ally organizations to call on Newsom to adopt the API equity budget: $210 million “that would make historic investments to address racial inequities that have long affected the AAPI community, as well as the surge of anti-Asian hate and violence over the past year,” according to a statement put out by the coalition.
Supporters say the API equity budget would bridge the gap of liguistically and culturally competent state services to AAPI Californians, protect AAPI communities by investing in programs that encourage neighborhood safety, and support low-wage industries which predominantly employ Asian women.
“Statements in support of the AAPI community are not enough. Gov. Newsom must back up his statements with tangible and urgent action. While the Governor’s office has proposed funding for UCLA Asian American Studies Center and for CalVIP, these efforts are mainly focused on violence intervention and gun safety prevention programs and exclude many of the demands of the API Legislative Caucus and AAPI community,” the statement said.
Advocates note that the AAPI community has faced substantial hate, particularly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Between March 19, 2020 and March 31, 2021, the group Stop AAPI Hate received more than 6,600 reports of hate incidents nationwide, including 2,640 incidents reported in California.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Can confirm on the shin splints. Can’t confirm if I have maintained those free throw skills…”
- Gov. Gavin Newsom, responding to a tweet from San Francisco Chronicle reporter Matthias Gafni about a 1985 athlete profile of Newsom.
Best of the Bee:
Caitlyn Jenner, once an ‘American hero,’ struggles to win support from California voters, via Lara Korte
California’s once-a-decade redrawing of congressional boundaries is underway, and the stakes are high with the state preparing to lose a congressional seat for the first time in its history, via Kim Bojórquez.
The California Association of Highway Patrolmen has reached an agreement with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration to undo the pay cuts patrol officers took last year, via Wes Venteicher.
California’s drought is accelerating the start of the 2021 wildfire season — and intensifying the pressure on PG&E Corp. to prevent more mega-fires of the sort that drove the state’s largest utility into bankruptcy, via Dale Kasler.