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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – “Your food is delicious, you should be a chef!” “You should open your own restaurant!”

Have you dreamed of starting your own food enterprise or restaurant, but always found the barriers to entry too great?

Beginning Jan. 4, the Lake County Health Services Department’s Environmental Health Division will be accepting applications and issuing up to 10 permits for Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations.

MHKOs are small, home-based food service operations that can be the right fit for promising new chefs or people looking to try something different at a manageable level of risk:

· Maximums of 60 meals per week, 30 meals per day;

· No more than $50,000 worth of annual sales.

Lake is the second California county to implement this innovative program.

The pilot, which takes place from Jan. 4 to June 30, allows up to two permits per month, and a maximum of two per supervisorial district, so interested people should prepare now to participate.

“This is a very exciting chance for people in Lake County to fulfill a dream,” noted Eddie Crandell, District 3 supervisor and MHKO proponent. “Start up costs are an obstacle for many who have wonderful recipes they want to share with the world.”

“This program opens the door to a culinary gig economy, promoting business opportunity and resiliency in these turbulent times,” added District 2 Supervisor Bruno Sabatier, a key architect of Lake County’s local ordinance. “COVID-19 has greatly impacted traditional restaurants. I’m proud Lake County is at the forefront, and look forward to seeing this grow.”

Prior to obtaining an MHKO permit, approvals are needed. Food and environmental safety must be ensured, for example. Renters need permission from their landlord. Depending on the type of enterprise proposed, additional permits may be needed from the Lake County Community Development Department or relevant City Planning Department. In the cities, a business license is required.

More detail can be found in the county’s Ordinance No. 3999, passed Dec. 1.

Further resources will soon be available at http://www.lakecountyca.gov/Government/Directory/Environmental_Health.htm.

AB 626, the California Legislation enabling this program (effective Jan. 1, 2019), is viewable here.

If you review this information, and still have questions, call Environmental Health, at 707-263-1164.
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From the International Space Station’s orbit 269 miles above the Indian Ocean southwest of Australia, this nighttime photograph captures the aurora australis, or "southern lights." Russia's Soyuz MS-12 crew ship is in the foreground and Progress 72 resupply ship in the background. Credits: NASA.

NASA has approved two heliophysics missions to explore the Sun and the system that drives space weather near Earth.

Together, NASA’s contribution to the Extreme Ultraviolet High-Throughput Spectroscopic Telescope Epsilon Mission, or EUVST, and the Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer, or EZIE, will help us understand the Sun and Earth as an interconnected system.

Understanding the physics that drive the solar wind and solar explosions – including solar flares and coronal mass ejections – could one day help scientists predict these events, which can impact human technology and explorers in space.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, leads the Extreme Ultraviolet High-Throughput Spectroscopic Telescope, or EUVST, Epsilon Mission, also called Solar-C EUVST Mission, along with other international partners.

Targeted for launch in 2026, EUVST is a solar telescope that will study how the solar atmosphere releases solar wind and drives eruptions of solar material. These phenomena propagate out from the Sun and influence the space radiation environment throughout the solar system.

NASA’s hardware contributions to the mission include an intensified UV detector and support electronics, spectrograph components, a guide telescope, software and a slit-jaw imaging system to provide context for the spectrographic measurement.

The budget for NASA contributions to EUVST is $55 million. The principal investigator for the NASA contribution to EUVST is Harry Warren at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington.

The Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer, or EZIE, will study electric currents in Earth’s atmosphere linking aurora to the Earth’s magnetosphere – one piece of Earth’s complicated space weather system, which responds to solar activity and other factors.

The Auroral Electrojet, or AE, index is a common measure of geomagnetic activity levels, even though the details of the structure of these currents is not understood. EZIE will launch no earlier than June 2024. The total budget for the EZIE mission is $53.3 million.

The principal investigator for the mission is Jeng-Hwa “Sam” Yee at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland.

“We are very pleased to add these new missions to the growing fleet of satellites that are studying our Sun-Earth system using an amazing array of unprecedented observational tools,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “In addition to my enthusiasm at selecting a pioneering multi-point observatory focused on the auroral electrojets, I am particularly excited to follow up the success of the Yohkoh and Hinode solar science missions with another international collaboration with JAXA and other European partners on EUVST.”

The EUVST mission addresses the recommendations of a July 2017 final report delivered by the multi-agency Next Generation Solar Physics Mission Science Objectives Team. EUVST will take comprehensive UV spectroscopy measurements of the solar atmosphere at the highest level of detail to date, which will allow scientists to tease out how different magnetic and plasma processes drive coronal heating and energy release.

“We’re excited to work with our international partners to answer some of our fundamental questions about the Sun,” said Nicky Fox, Heliophysics Division director at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “EUVST’s observations will complement our current missions to give us new insight into our star.”

EZIE is an investigation comprising a trio of CubeSats that will study the source of and changes in the auroral electrojet, an electric current circling through Earth’s atmosphere around 60-90 miles above the surface and extending into the Earth’s magnetosphere.

The interaction of the magnetosphere and the solar wind compresses the Sun-facing side of the magnetosphere and drags out the night-time side of the magnetosphere into what is called a “magnetotail.”

Auroral electrojets are generated by changes in the structure of the magnetotail. The same space weather phenomena that power the beautiful aurora can cause interference with radio and communication signals and utility grids on Earth’s surface, and damage to spacecraft in orbit.

“With these new missions, we’re expanding how we study the Sun, space, and Earth as an interconnected system,” said Peg Luce, deputy director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “EZIE’s use of instrument technology proven on Earth science CubeSat missions is just one example of how science and technology development at NASA go hand in hand across disciplines.”

Funding for these missions of opportunity comes from the Heliophysics Explorers Program, managed by the Explorers Program Office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

For more information about NASA’s Heliophysics Division, visit https://www.nasa.gov/sunearth.

For more information about Heliophysics missions of opportunity, visit https://explorers.gsfc.nasa.gov/missions.html.
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A newly formed partnership will focus on research related to California’s forests and their management as a way of preventing the wildfires that threaten them.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the University of California, Berkeley, Center for Fire Research and Outreach in December entered a memorandum of understanding to formalize an agreement to partner on research related to critical forest and fire issues.

Highlighted by the recent large and damaging wildfires plaguing the state, the program of research will leverage both agencies’ unique expertise and perspective to collaborate on defining key research topics, methods and paths for communicating results.

“Partnering with a strong research university like UC Berkeley will provide land managers critical scientific information about the effects of forest management activities in California,” said Chris Keithley, PhD, chief of the Fire and Resource Assessment Program for Cal Fire. “This type of research will help shape how and where fuels treatments are applied, and will help us identify the most effective methods for a particular community and forest type.”

As forests and wildfire regimes change in response to a warming climate, there is an increasing need to improve dissemination of research to promote science-based policies that address complex and changing forest management decisions.

Named the California Initiative for Research on Fire and Forests, or CIRFF, a few of the shared research priorities of this partnership include investigating how strategic placement of prescribed fire and other fuels reduction/forest health treatments affects wildfire hazard and suppression effectiveness, improving understanding on the efficacy of prescribed burning and other management actions, developing metrics to assess effectiveness of fuels and forest health treatments at the local and regional scales and creating new opportunities for exchange of scientific information related to wildfire.

“One of the exciting and novel aspects of this partnership is the collaborative nature of the science and outreach that will be conducted,” says Scott Stephens, a professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, and co-director at the Berkeley Center for Fire Research and Outreach. “Scientists from both organizations will be contributing data and expertise to address critical wildfire questions.”

With the 2020 historic wildfire season having just ended a few weeks ago, the efficacy of forest management, prescribed fire and other fuels treatment activities is generating a lot of interest from land managers and the public.

As a result of this partnership, new research will be better communicated to policy makers and land managers.
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-05) will host a webinar next week to share information on the aid available to businesses under the latest round of coronavirus relief that Congress passed in late December and which the president signed into law last weekend.

The webinar will take place at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5, via Zoom and also will be streamed on Thompson’s Facebook page.

This new relief bill included more than $300 billion for small businesses, including for the Paycheck Protection Program and other resources.

Thompson will host the webinar with representatives from the Small Business Administration, who will provide updates and answer questions about these resources.

There are 500 slots available on the webinar to participants, which will be offered on a first-come, first-serve basis. These slots are non-transferable.

If you would like to participate, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the following details: Your name, the name of your business, the best email to reach you and your phone number.

An email will be sent containing information on how to join this webinar shortly before it begins.

“Know that I will continue working to bring relief back to our district to help us respond to and recover from the pandemic,” Thompson said.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – Here’s a great way to fulfill your New Year’s resolution to read more books – sign up for the Lake County Library’s Winter Reading Challenge which starts Jan. 5 and ends March 20.

January is a perfect time to catch up on all those great books you’ve been eager to read by challenging yourself to read more through the library this winter.

Everyone can participate – babies, toddlers, children, teens and adults are all welcome in the challenge. If your children don’t read on their own yet, you can still sign them up and read with them. If you don’t have a library card, it’s easy to get one by bringing your photo ID to your nearest library branch.

Once sign ups start on Jan. 5 you can register on our special Winter Reading Challenge website and at any time during the program.

Just head to the library website at http://library.lakecountyca.gov and click Winter Reading Challenge. Create an account for yourself and your family, register for the program that's right for you, and let the fun begin.

Once you’re signed up you can start reading books and logging your reading online to get points. You get points by logging your reading. Library staff can also log points over the phone or at your local branch.

When you log books, each book is worth 40 points. When you log pages, each page read is worth 1 point.

As you get more points you unlock digital badges, games, and activities. At 1,000 points you complete the reading log and the Friends of the Library will donate a book to the library. The book will have your name inside commemorating your achievement and you will be the first person to check it out.

March 20 is the last day to log points on your account.

You can also read eBooks or listen to audiobooks to participate. The library offers an array of digital eBooks and audiobooks through Hoopla, Overdrive and Enki, all accessible with your Lake County Library card.

For more information about the Winter Reading Challenge can be found at http://library.lakecountyca.gov under Events.

The Lake County Library is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LakeCountyLibrary.

Jan Cook is a library technician for the Lake County Library.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County’s Public Health officer reported that several hundred local health care workers have now been vaccinated against COVID-19 as the vaccine rollout continues.

Dr. Gary Pace said Wednesday that COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise in Lake County.

“The hospitals are full, but fortunately, not yet overwhelmed,” he said.

On Wednesday, the county’s caseload totaled 1,819, with 1,568 recovered cases and 23 deaths, according to Public Health.

Public Health said 12 people are hospitalized, bringing total hospitalizations during the pandemic to 102.

“With the Christmas holidays behind us, and with New Year’s already here, now is the riskiest time for transmission; people are indoors, and many are gathering more than is advised,” said Pace. “The more precautions we take over the coming days, the less impact we will see in the next few weeks.”

Distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine began two weeks ago. Pace said the Health Department has so far received about 1,300 doses of vaccine, “and we are getting it out as fast as we can.”

Pace said Public Health is following the California Community Vaccine Advisory Committee priorities.

Those guidelines give priority to Phase 1a, which includes health care providers, first responders and staff at skilled nursing facilities.

He said the goal is to keep hospital staff, nursing home staff and medical first responders “healthy and able to work during the surge that we are in.”

Pace said more than 600 people in that group have been vaccinated so far.

Both local hospitals – Sutter Lakeside and Adventist Health Clear Lake – as well as emergency medical services and all three skilled nursing facilities have immunized most staff interested in getting the vaccine, and Pace said second doses will be administered in a few weeks.

Also in the first tier are In-Home Supportive Services workers serving multiple homes, Public Health field staff, primary care clinics, jail medical staff and some of the congregate living facilities such as skilled nursing facilities. Pace said some individuals in these groups have started getting immunized, and plans to expand to cover all who are interested should launch next week.

He said staff at other medical facilities – like specialty clinics, laboratory workers, dental clinics, and pharmacy staff – will be contacted in the next few weeks with plans, depending on how much vaccine the health department is able to obtain.

Pace said guidelines for the next tier, “Phase 1b,” are under development.

“Phase 1b” will include essential workers – such as teachers, law enforcement, farmworkers, food service and public transit – along with people older than 74 and those with chronic illnesses. Guidelines on how to prioritize this group are expected shortly.

“Precisely when and where ‘Phase 1b’ groups will receive the vaccine will become known as we see what supply is available, and how the state is guiding us to use it,” said Pace. “We will likely be setting up special vaccine clinics – with volunteer staff and our consistent partners, the EMS teams – and also work with pharmacies, clinics and hospitals.”

Pace added, “These next few weeks will likely be very challenging. Please take extra steps to be careful, but don’t lose hope. Things will almost certainly be better in a few months, and I think we can see the possibility of a more normal life in the spring and summer.”

Update on testing services

Pace gave updates on COVID-19 testing services in the county.

He said drive-thru COVID-19 testing will be available from Verily from Jan. 4 to 7.

Testing will take place in Clearlake from 9 a.m. to noon on Monday, Jan. 4, and Tuesday, Jan. 5.

In Lakeport, testing will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Jan. 6, and Thursday, Jan. 7.

Register at https://www.projectbaseline.com/study/covid-19/ or call the Public Health Department at 707-263-8174.

Beginning Friday, Jan. 8, OptumServe’s new indoor testing sites will open.

In Lakeport, testing will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays, at the Silveira Community Center, 500 N. Main St.

In Lower Lake, testing will be offered from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at the Lower Lake Town Hall, 16195 Main St.

Pace said both OptumServe sites will test children. Any insurance is accepted; if you have no insurance, there is no cost. You can make an appointment at https://lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 888-634-1123. Walk-ins are also welcome.

Additionally, Rite Aid in Clearlake is providing drive-thru testing, with appointments made through Project Baseline.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Animal Control has a big selection of dogs ready to start the new year in new homes.

The following dogs are ready for adoption or foster.

“Bella.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Bella’

“Bella” is a female Siberian Husky mix.

She has a long red and white coat.

She is dog No. 4428.

“Ben.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Ben’

“Ben” is a male American Pit Bull terrier mix.

He has a short brindle coat.

He is dog No. 4454.

“Breeze.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Breeze’

“Breeze” is a female American Pit Bull Terrier mix.

She has been spayed.

She is dog No. 4445.

“Brownie.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Brownie’

“Brownie” is a male Chihuahua with a short black and tan coat.

He is dog No. 4431.

“Bruce.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Bruce’

“Bruce” is a male American Staffordshire Terrier mix puppy.

He has a short smooth yellow coat.

He is dog No. 4383.

“Bumble.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Bumble’

“Bumble” is a male Siberian Husky with a gray and black coat.

He is dog No. 4452.

“Jerry.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Jerry’

“Jerry” is a male American Pit Bull terrier with a short brindle coat.

He is dog No. 4455.

“Rudolph.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Rudolph’

“Rudolph” is a male shepherd mix.

He has a short tan and black coat.

He is dog No. 4436.

“Tinsle.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Tinsle’

“Tinsle” is a female American Pit Bull Terrier mix puppy.

She has a short brindle and brown coat.

She is dog No. 4433.

“Toby.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Toby’

“Toby” is a male boxer mix.

He has a short tan and white coat.

He is dog No. 4389.

“Yule.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Yule’

“Yule” is a husky of undetermined gender with a black and white coat.

Yule is dog No. 4432.

Call the Clearlake Animal Control shelter at 707-273-9440, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to inquire about adoptions and schedule a visit to the shelter.

Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The National Weather Service is predicting rain for much of 2021’s first week in Lake County.

The forecast predicts a partly cloudy New Year’s Day, starting off with patchy fog in the morning with light winds.

Those conditions will give way to chances of showers and calm winds on Friday night. Temperatures will range from daytime highs in the low 50s to the high 40s at night, with less than a tenth of an inch of rain expected.

Chances of rain will continue through Saturday and Sunday. For Sunday, the largest rainfall amount is anticipated; between daytime and nighttime storms, close to an inch of rain could fall over Lake County.

The forecast calls for Saturday and Sunday to have light winds and the same temperature range as on Friday.

The forecast also predicts showers from Monday through Thursday, with temperatures midweek dropping into the high 40s during the day and the mid-30s at night.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With California advising residents to stay home as much as possible, avoid gatherings, and not travel significant distances to reverse the unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases, New Year’s Eve 2020 may look noticeably different than years past.

One thing that will look familiar: The California Highway Patrol will be out removing impaired drivers from the road and assisting those in need.

“Heading into the new year, the mission of the CHP is unchanged to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security,” CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray said. “Together, with the public’s commitment to safe and sober driving, our officers will continue to work to make California’s roadways safe for all who use them.”

This year more than ever, the safest New Year’s Eve is one spent at home.

To encourage safe travel for those who are on the road, the CHP will enact a maximum enforcement period, or MEP, starting at 6:01 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 31, continuing through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 3.

To help bolster its holiday traffic safety effort, the CHP will partner with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and the Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota state patrols in a Western States Traffic Safety Coalition for the “Drive High, get a DUI,” campaign.

With the focus of the New Year’s operation to identify and remove impaired drivers from the road, the CHP will ensure a contingent of its 579 drug recognition evaluators are available to perform evaluations.

At least three people were killed in crashes in California during the previous New Year’s MEP. During that 30-hour traffic safety effort, the CHP made 491 arrests for driving under the influence.

For daily MEP updates and other valuable traffic safety-related information, follow @CHP_HQ on Twitter.
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Dennis‌ ‌Fordham.‌ ‌Courtesy‌ ‌photo.‌ ‌

A representative payee is a person or an organization appointed by the Social Security Administration, or SSA, to receive and manage Social Security income or Supplemental Security Income payments on behalf of a beneficiary whom the SSA has determined cannot manage their own income or who is susceptible to undue influence.

Representative payees are appointed by the SSA based on an application. Usually the representative is the beneficiary’s family member or friend, but it can be an organization. The SSA gives preference to the beneficiary's nomination.

The representative payee should be someone who is involved with the beneficiary’s current personal needs. The same person who serves as the beneficiary’s agent under a power of attorney, or as trustee of the beneficiary’s special needs trust, may also become the representative payee, upon SSA’s certification.

On its website, the SSA says that, “[a] payee’s main duties are to use the benefits to pay for the current and future needs of the beneficiary, and properly save any benefits not needed to meet current needs. A payee must also keep records of expenses. When we request a report, a payee must provide an accounting to us of how he or she used or saved the benefits.”

Once appointed, the representative payee should open and manage a joint bank account as representative payee in the beneficiary’s name, meet regularly with the payee to determine all the beneficiary’s current needs are met, pay the beneficiary’s current expenses on a timely and regular basis, and make sure that the account does not exceed the applicable resource limit if the beneficiary receives SSI and/or Medi-Cal.

The SSA’s “A Guide For Representative Payee” is available online.

A representative payee may spend funds "only for the use and benefit of the beneficiary," after considering what the payee determines to be in, "the [beneficiary's] best interests." 20 CFR §404.2035(a); Program Operations Manual System [POMS] GN 00602.001(A)(1). That includes paying for, "cost[s] incurred in obtaining food, shelter, clothing, medical care, and personal comfort items." 20 Code of Federal Regulations §404.2040(a); POMS GN 00602.001–GN 00602.140.

The representative payee also has the following administrative/reporting duties, as listed on the SSA’s website: “Report any changes or events which could affect the beneficiary's eligibility for payments; Keep records of all payments received and how you spent and saved them; Provide all records of how payments are spent or saved to SSA upon request; Report to SSA any changes that would affect your performance or your continuing as payee; Complete reports accounting for your use of payments, as required.”

The representative payee, excluding spouses and parents who are payees, must report and account annually to the SSA for the use of the funds.

The SSA acts to deter, detect and handle any abuse of payee funds by a representative payee.

To that end, “[t]he Commissioner of Social Security may require a report at any time from any person receiving payments on behalf of another, if the Commissioner of Social Security has reason to believe that the person receiving such payments is misusing such payments.” 42 USC §405(j)(3)(D).

The SSA website tells payees that in addition to the annual report, “An SSA approved partner organization may conduct a review to determine if you have performed the following duties: Managed payments so the beneficiary(ies) have no unmet current needs; Accounted for all payments received and spent; Conserved any unspent payments in an appropriate manner; and Complied with representative payee accounting and reporting responsibilities.”

Beneficiaries who are dissatisfied with how much is spent on them are advised by the SSA to, “talk with [the] payee about how he or she spends [the beneficiary’s] money. [The] payee should show [the beneficiary] how much money [he or she] get[s] from Social Security or SSI and how much he or she spends on [the beneficiary’s] needs.” If abuse is suspected, then go to SSA’s website to report the matter to the Office Inspector General of the SSA.

Dennis A. Fordham, attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, Calif. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and 707-263-3235.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Monday, Jan. 4, Supervisors Bruno Sabatier and Eddie Crandell, representatives from the county of Lake, cities of Clearlake and Lakeport, and other business community stakeholders will convene the second meeting of the Lake County Small Business COVID-19 Recovery Team.

The meeting will take place beginning at 1 p.m. on Zoom; the Meeting ID is 910 3363 7729, passcodes is 069179; One tap mobile, +16699006833,,91033637729#,,,,*069179# US (San Jose).

Helping position Lake County businesses to take advantage of relief funding opportunities that emerge is a matter of priority.

On Wednesday the application period began for the California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program, a $500 million funding opportunity offering grants of up to $25,000 for eligible businesses with annual revenues of $2.5 million or less.

This is not a first-come, first-served funding opportunity, but the application period ends Jan. 8 at 11:59 p.m.

The Small Business Development Center is offering daily 11 a.m. informational webinars through Jan. 4. Click here for the Zoom link.

Monday’s Small Business COVID Recovery Meeting agenda will also include discussion of advocacy opportunities to ensure Lake County businesses get an appropriate share of available state and federal relief funding, and the federal stimulus package, including a second round of Federal Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP2, funding.

Additional resources for businesses are available at:

· https://careliefgrant.com/ ;
· Rural Relief Small Business Grants (application period now open, closes Jan. 5, 11:59 p.m.);
· https://business.ca.gov/coronavirus-2019/ ; and
· https://www.sba.gov/page/coronavirus-covid-19-small-business-guidance-loan-resources .
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Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday released the State Safe Schools for All plan, California’s framework to support schools to continue operating safely in-person and to expand the number of schools safely resuming in-person instruction.

Informed by growing evidence of the decreased risks and increased benefits of in-person instruction – especially for our youngest students – Gov. Newsom is advancing a strategy that will help create safe learning environments for students and safe workplaces for educators and other school staff.

The plan was developed in partnership with the Legislature, and the governor will propose an early action package to ensure schools have the resources necessary to successfully implement key safety precautions and mitigation measures.

Components of the plan will be launched in the coming weeks.

“As a father of four, I know firsthand what parents, educators and pediatricians continue to say: in-person is the best setting to meet not only the learning needs, but the mental health and social-emotional needs of our kids,” said Newsom. “In the midst of this pandemic, my administration is focused on getting students back into the classroom in a way that leads with student and teacher health. By focusing on a phased approach with virus mitigation and prevention at the center, we can begin to return our kids to school to support learning needs and restore the benefits of in-person instruction. It’s especially important for our youngest kids, those with disabilities, those with limited access to technology at home and those who have struggled more than most with distance learning.”

The administration’s strategy focuses on ensuring implementation and building confidence by bringing back the youngest children (TK-2) and those who are most vulnerable first, then phasing in other grade levels through the spring. This phased-in return recognizes that younger children are at a lower risk of contracting and transmitting COVID-19.

At the same time, distance learning will remain an option for parents and students who choose it and for those whose health status does not allow them to return to school in the near term. Please find additional details about the rationale behind the plan here.

California’s Safe Schools for All framework to safe reopening of in-person instruction is built on four pillars:

Funding to support safe reopening: The budget will propose for immediate action in January, $2 billion to support safety measures – including testing, ventilation and PPE – for schools that have resumed in-person instruction or phasing in of in-person instruction by early spring.

Safety and mitigation measures for classrooms: To further ensure health and safety in the classroom, the Administration will support implementation of key health measures. This will include frequent testing for all students and staff, including weekly testing for communities with high rates of transmission; masks for all students and staff, including distribution of millions of surgical masks for school staff; improved coordination between school and health officials for contact tracing; and prioritization of school staff for vaccinations.

Hands-on oversight and assistance for schools: Dr. Naomi Bardach, a UCSF pediatrician and expert on school safety, will lead the Safe Schools for All Team, a cross-agency team composed of dedicated staff from CDPH, Cal/OSHA, and educational agencies. The team will provide hands-on support to help schools develop and implement their COVID-19 Safety Plans. These supports include school visits and walk-throughs as needed, webinars and training materials and ongoing technical assistance.

Transparency and accountability for families and staff: A state dashboard will enable all Californians to see their school’s reopening status, level of available funding and data on school outbreaks. Additionally, a web-based “hotline” will empower school staff and parents to report concerns to the Safe Schools for All Team, which will lead to escalating levels of intervention beginning with technical assistance and ending with legal enforcement.

Find additional details about the components of the plan here.

“These four pillars will serve as tools to safely guide our state’s return to in-person instruction and protect the health of students, educators and all school staff,” said CHHS Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly. “As a pediatrician and father, I know schools are the best place our kids can be and the positive impact in-person learning has on their overall health and well-being.”

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