Good morning.
In recent weeks, the reaction of coronavirus in California seems to be accelerating its origins from national model to chaotic shrinkage, as the state emerged as the center of the pandemic.
The opening of the state resolves in a confusing patchwork of restrictions that differ province by province. Observers have criticized the lack of caution about a predictable rise in the Central Valley, where low-wage workers in largely Latino communities are vulnerable as they continue to report on their essential jobs.
And a week ago, officials said that a technical issue with his disease data tracking system called into question what Gov. Gavin Newsom initially said there was an encouraging – if slight – downward trend in skyrocketing cases.
The glitch, according to the state, caused nearly 300,000 records to disappear from the system, although it was unclear how many of those were coronavirus cases and how exactly it affected them.
[Track California’s coronavirus cases by county.]
Later on Sunday night, Dr. Sonia Angell, the state’s director of public health, abruptly resigned.
On Monday, in his first virtual news conference of the week, Mr. Newsom would not answer repeated questions about whether Dr. Angell was asked to resign over her department of data problems, although he and Dr. Mark Ghaly, the Secretary of State for Health and Human Services, both said the department’s leadership was changing.
“She wrote a letter of resignation and I accept her resignation,” Mr Newsom said. “We are all responsible in our respective roles for what happens below us.”
In a statement on Sunday evening, Mr Newsom thanked Drs. Angell for her work to “help support our public health system during this global pandemic, while never losing sight of the importance of health care.”
Dr Ghaly, who has been a regular contributor to the mayor’s Covid-19 information, also emphasized Drs. Angell on Equal Health.
“She has worked unsafe for all Californians,” he said in a statement.
In her letter of resignation, Dr. Angell – who, early in the pandemic, spoke about the state’s efforts to identify differences in the toll of the pandemic on Latinos and Black communities in particular – did not say why they departed, immediately effective.
“Since January, when we received word of repatriation flights arriving from Wuhan, China, our department has been front and center in what has become an entire government’s response of unusual proportions to Covid-19,” she said. in an email to her staff. “None of our staff has been unmoved by the changes that have taken place. Not in our professional life or in our personal life. ”
Dr. Angell added that she was proud to have served the first Latina in the role, which she held for less than a year. She drew the remark, “In solidarity.”
State officials said Sandra Shewry, a veteran public health official, would be appointed acting director of the department, while Dr. Erica Pan would take over the role of acting public health officer.
[Read about how public health officials have faced death threats in the pandemic.]
The governor vowed Monday to quickly examine what he described as the state’s outdated information technology systems, which he blamed not only for the testing data snuff, but also for a sharp backlog of unemployment claims.
“We are not just going to use this as an episodic issue – Band-Aid this,” he said. “It took us decades to get to this place, but we are now responsible.”
State officials said the data traffic did not affect a number of hospitalizations that have been on the decline.
However, it is worth remembering the extent of the pandemic in the state: By Monday, California had 10,378 deaths related to the virus, third in the nation after New York and New Jersey, according to The Times’ database .
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Read more about the response to the state pandemic:
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Here’s one more detailed explanation of the data glitches. [The Los Angeles Times]
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If cases have spiked, Californians are dealing with “emotional whiplash.” Here is a review. [The New York Times]
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How can California control Covid-19? It will not be possible, explained one expert, until we figure out how to protect the most vulnerable. [The New York Times]
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En how should the state dig itself out of a sudden $ 54 billion deficit? Democrats are divided. [CalMatters]
Here is something else to know today
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“We pay taxes, we work hard and we do not want to endanger that.” In California, the imperiled census is particularly risky in especially Latino communities. Lawyers are still working to get the word out. [The New York Times]
Read more about how the pandemic disrupted what would already be an uphill climb for the California census. [The New York Times]
And here’s what would happen if California lost a House seat after the census. [The New York Times]
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Joe Biden is reported set to announce his vice presidency. Two Californians are among the top candidates. [The New York Times]
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A swarm of earthquakes under the Salton Sea raised concerns that it might increase the chances of a much larger event on the San Andreas debt. [The Los Angeles Times]
Although the seismologist Lucy Jones wrote on Twitter that she did not cut her vacation short.
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The San Diego Police Department has used a 102-year-old city law that eliminates “seductive language” people to ticket for their speech. One man said he was arrested for singing rap lyrics when he walked to his car after almost 2 hours [Voice of San Diego]
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Sacramento County has spent most of its federal funding for coronavirus delivery – $ 104 million of the $ 148 million the province has already spent – salaries and benefits paid to the sheriff’s department. [The Sacramento Bee]
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When the Apple Fire broke out this month, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians was caught on its perimeter. Mar the fire department of the tribe played a critical role when fighting the blaze. [The Desert Sun]
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Animal hospitals seem to have some personal hospitals struggling to do: patients feel comfortable seeking routine care. And now veterans’ offices are a rare economic bright spot in the U.S. health care system. [The New York Times]
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Instead of revisiting the food and atmosphere, the critic is Brad A. Johnson will assess how well Orange County restaurants follow Covid-19 safety protocols. So far, the efforts have not been good. [The Orange County Register]
And finally…
So, my colleagues have discovered some of the stories you may not know.
Jenny Medina wrote this obituary about Jovita Idár, a writer, editor, teacher, and activist at a newspaper in Laredo, Texas, who fought fiercely for Mexican Americans’ and women’s rights.
And Idár looked to California women, who gave women the right to vote in 1911, as examples.
California Today goes live at 6:30 p.m. Pacific Ocean of the Week. Tell us what you want to see: [email protected]. Did you forward this email? Sign up here for California Today.
Jill Cowan grew up in Orange County, went to school at UC Berkeley and has reported all over the state, including the Bay Area, Bakersfield and Los Angeles – but she always wants to see more. Follow here or on Twitter, @jillcowan.
California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from UC Berkeley.
