This article about the coronavirus red zone was originally published by the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit newsroom based in Washington, DC.” Reprinted by permission of The Center for Public Integrity.
A document prepared for the White House Coronavirus Task Force but not publicized suggests more than a dozen states should revert to more stringent protective measures, limiting social gatherings to 10 people or fewer, closing bars and gyms and asking residents to wear masks at all times.
The document, dated July 14 and obtained by the Center for Public Integrity, says 18 states are in the “red zone” for COVID-19 cases, meaning they had more than 100 new cases per 100,000 population last week.
Eleven states are in the “red zone” for test positivity, meaning more than 10 percent of diagnostic test results came back positive.
It includes county-level data and reflects the insistence of the Trump administration that states and counties should take the lead in responding to the coronavirus. The document has been shared within the federal government but does not appear to be posted publicly.
Dr. Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, said he thought the information and recommendations were mostly good.
“The fact that it’s not public makes no sense to me,” Jha said Thursday. “Why are we hiding this information from the American people? This should be published and updated every day.”
Dr. Deborah Birx, a leader of the task force, referenced an earlier version of what appears to be the same report — which she said was updated weekly and sent to governors — in a press conference July 8 in which Vice President Mike Pence urged local leaders to open schools in the fall.
She said Arizona, California, Florida and Texas were among the states the task force was monitoring carefully and that “a series of other states” were also in the red zone and should consider limiting gatherings.
It’s clear some states are not following the task force’s advice. For instance, the document recommends that Georgia, in the red zone for both cases and test positivity, “mandate statewide wearing of cloth face coverings outside the home.” But Gov. Brian Kemp signed an order Wednesday banning localities from requiring masks.
The 18 states that are included in the red zone for cases in the document are Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.
The 11 states that are in the red zone for test positivity are Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas and Washington.
In May, the World Health Organization recommended that governments make sure test positivity rates were at 5 percent or lower for 14 days before reopening. A COVID-19 tracker from Johns Hopkins University shows that 33 states were above that recommended positivity as of July 16.
“If the test positivity rate is above 10 percent, that means we’re not doing a good job mitigating the outbreak,” said Jessica Malaty Rivera, science communication lead at the COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer organization launched by journalists from The Atlantic.
“Ideally we want the test positivity rate to be below 3 percent, because that shows that we’re suppressing COVID-19.”
The White House and Kemp did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – New COVID-19 case data released by the county shows several continuing trends and a change in one key indicator, and no new case growth in the county’s main population center.
Lake County Public Health released the latest demographics on Tuesday. The information is updated weekly.
The demographics breakdowns are based on a count of 122 cases, the total on Tuesday. When the last set of demographics data was released on July 6, the county had 96 cases.
This recent round of data shows several continuing trends.
Those include that the largest number of cases are in the 18 to 49 age group, with 75; followed by the 50 to 64 group, 23; birth to 17, 13; and 65 and above, 11.
In a week-over-week comparison, 13 new cases were reported in the 18 to 49 age group, six in 50 to 64, two in birth to 17, and five in age 65 and older.
Cases continue to be primarily sourced to close contacts to a known case, 64, followed by under investigation, 30; out of county contact to a known case or travel, 17; other/unknown, five; presumed occupational contact, four; and congregate living situation, in this case, the county jail, two.
Since the previous demographic posting, nine cases have been attributed to close contacts, 15 more are listed as under investigation, two more were due to out of county contacts or travel, while the numbers for other/unknown, presumed occupational contact and congregate living situations have remained unchanged.
The county does not provide case information by community but instead by supervisorial district.
District 2, covering most of the city of Clearlake and areas east, had a total of 42 cases; 28 were in District 3, the Northshore and Lake Pillsbury; 23 were in District 5, the greater Kelseyville area as well as Cobb and Loch Lomond; 21 were in District 4, the greater Lakeport area; and eight were in District 1, the south county communities of Middletown, Hidden Valley, Anderson Springs, Lower Lake and portions of Clearlake.
A comparison with the previous week’s data shows that no new cases had been confirmed in District 2 between July 6 and 14, and two cases previously reported as “unknown” have been assigned to the respective districts.
The resulting increases in case numbers for the districts over the week are District 5, 11; District 3, seven; District 4, seven; District 1, three.
A key case indicator that has changed and contradicts state trends is the gender breakdown.
The majority of cases statewide have been in males, and Lake County’s trends have followed that until this latest data set, with females just edging males, 62 to 60 cases, respectively.
Public Health said the next set of data will be released on Tuesday, July 21.
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.
Freedom of the press is one of the foundations upon which America was born, but those freedoms are under attack in 2020.
Intentional attacks or detainments of reporters and members of the press in the United States in 2020 have increased significantly, particularly during the nationwide anti-racism protests, according to the US Press Freedom Tracker, the Freedom of the Press Foundation and the Committee to Protect Journalists.
During recent protests, reporters have been hit by rubber bullets, struck with batons, sprayed with tear gas, and detained, all while performing their critical role of documenting and informing the public of current events.
State Sen. Mike McGuire introduced SB 629, which will enhance and extend access and protections to members of the media who are attending demonstrations in order to gather vital information.
“Members of the press risk their personal health and safety each time they attend protests or rallies to get the public the information they need and deserve. Rubber bullets, tear gas, and even detainment cannot be the new norm for an essential pillar of our nation’s democracy. California must lead the way to ensure the right of the press and the First Amendment are protected and held to the highest standard,” Sen. McGuire said. “SB 629 – The Press Freedom Act – will help ensure journalists can perform these critical roles while being protected under the law from any law enforcement officer intentionally assaulting, obstructing or interfering with their duties while they are gathering the news.”
SB 629 will ensure that journalists are protected as they attend demonstrations, marches, protests, and rallies. It will prohibit law enforcement officers from obstructing, detaining, assaulting or otherwise preventing the press from fulfilling their constitutional mandate in reporting on these events by making it a misdemeanor for any peace officer to do so.
Recent police action demonstrates that these statutory protections are critical to ensure our democratic system has access to newsworthy information to inform the discussion on the crucial issues that California and the nation face.
During protests throughout California in May, numerous reporters were injured during incidents with law enforcement.
For example, a reporter for KCRW, a Santa Monica NPR affiliate, was reporting at Beverly Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue when she was hit by a rubber bullet. She was holding her press badge above her head at the time.
A Buzzfeed News reporter was detained by the Santa Monica Police while documenting a protest.
A KPIX CBS affiliate reporter was detained by law enforcement while reporting on protests in Oakland.
A San Diego Union-Tribune reporter was shot with pepper balls while he was documenting protests in La Mesa.
While California law allows reporters and members of the press to enter natural disaster emergency areas for the purpose of gathering information, these protections do not expressly extend to protests. SB 629 provides these protections.
The legislation is supported by the California News Publishers Association, The California Broadcasters Association, California Black Media, Impremedia, Ethnic Media Services and the First Amendment Coalition.
The legislation is co-authored by Senators Hertzberg, Hill, Wiener, Gonzalez, Portantino and Skinner and Assemblymember Wicks.
SB 629 will be heard in the Assembly Public Safety Committee in the coming weeks.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – How does the Lake County Library operate? What services does it offer? What would you like to know about the library?
A new library service, “Zoom with the Director,” will offer the public the chance to meet on Zoom with Library Director Christopher Veach on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 12:30 p.m.
“Come learn about library services, ask your questions about the library, and share your suggestions,” said Veach.
Veach will also highlight a different library service in a short presentation each month.
To register for Zoom with the Director, call Christopher Veach at 707-263-8816 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
The library’s website gives information about library programs, services and policies.
To speak to a library employee, call 707-263-8817.
Jan Cook is a library technician for the Lake County Library.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Animal Control has three dogs available for adoption this week.
The following dogs are ready for adoption or foster.
‘Bella’
“Bella” is a female American Bully mix.
She has a short beige and tan coat.
She is dog No. 3537.
‘Lady’
“Lady” is a female German Shepherd mix.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 3683.
‘Wilbur’
“Wilbur” is a male American Bully mix with a short gray and white coat.
He is dog No. 3999.
Clearlake Animal Control’s shelter is located at 6820 Old Highway 53, off Airport Road.
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.
Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or at 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.
California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly has announced new plans for COVID-19 testing in California, including updated testing guidance, new requirements for health plans to cover testing, and the new co-chairs of the state’s COVID-19 Testing Task Force.
“Testing is a critical tool that helps us diagnose and treat those who become infected by COVID-19. Testing also helps us understand how COVID-19 moves through our communities so we can identify areas where transmission is occurring. Today we are redoubling our commitment to ensure testing remains a top priority for California,” Dr. Ghaly said Tuesday.
“Our testing capacity has increased exponentially in recent months. At the same time, new national supply chain challenges and large volumes of specimens sent to commercial laboratories have resulted in growing delays in processing times,” Ghaly said.
“Consequently, it is critical we continue to be deliberate and creative about testing. We must do this so that testing is readily available and affordable to those who need it, especially those communities experiencing the worst impacts of COVID-19 and those who are at the highest risk. Testing is a responsibility of our entire healthcare delivery system. Clinics, doctors, and other care sites should provide convenient testing to their patients who need a test,” Ghaly added.
The new plans Ghaly announced include the following.
Testing prioritization
The California Department of Public Health released updated testing guidance that focuses on testing hospitalized individuals with signs or symptoms of COVID-19 and people being tested as part of the investigation and management of outbreaks, including contact tracing.
The testing guidance also prioritizes individuals who have COVID-19 symptoms and individuals without symptoms who fall into high-risk categories, including people who live and work in nursing homes, homeless shelters and prisons, healthcare workers, and patients in hospitals.
The new guidance will ensure that Californians who most need tests get them even if there are limited supplies.
New Testing Task Force co-chairs and goals
Two new co-chairs will lead California’s Testing Task Force, the state’s private-public partnership that has taken the lead role in expanding both the collection and processing of specimens for COVID-19 testing.
Leading the task force starting immediately are Dr. Gilbert Chavez, founding chief of the California Department of Public Health’s Center for Infectious Diseases, and Dr. Bechara Choucair, senior vice president and chief health officer for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc.
Chavez, the state’s former epidemiologist who has led the response to disease outbreak and emerging health threats, is coming out of retirement to help lead the task force.
Dr. Choucair oversees Kaiser’s efforts focused on addressing the social health of its 12.4 million members and the 68 million people who live in the communities it serves.
The task force, which was launched in April, created testing locations where there were none, expanded laboratory capability and helped build a testing supply pipeline, scaling up from just 2,000 tests per day to more than 100,000 tests per day.
Under the leadership of Chavez and Choucair, the task force will recommend testing priorities, continue to create equitable access to testing and support for state-operated community testing sites, and review options to lower overall testing costs.
Health plan coverage of testing
To help ensure that testing is widely available to all Californians, the state is working collaboratively with health insurers to provide reimbursement for testing and with private providers to create additional in-office testing capacity.
With more providers performing tests in the office rather than referring patients to labs or testing sites, the state would have more resources to focus on underserved and high-risk populations.
The state is preparing to file emergency regulations that will classify COVID-19 testing as medically necessary urgent care for essential health workers and people with symptoms of or possible exposure to COVID-19.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The city of Clearlake is challenging the Lake County Civil Grand Jury’s conclusions in its recently released report regarding the city’s dispute with the county over the lack of tax-defaulted land sales.
The matter is scheduled to also be taken up as a discussion item at the council’s Thursday evening meeting.
In his memo to the city council on the item, City Manager Alan Flora said the grand jury’s June 29 report is requiring the city respond to its findings within 90 days, however, he added, “after review of the report it is apparent that a more swift response is warranted due to the many inaccuracies in the report.”
He said city staff is working with Mayor Russ Cremer and Vice Mayor Dirk Slooten on a response that the council will be able to review on Thursday.
Last year, the city began to ask the county to consider more frequent tax sales, pointing to thousands of tax-defaulted properties and millions of dollars of uncollected taxes.
In November, the city followed up by sending letters to agencies including the Board of Supervisors, California State Controller, California State Treasurer, California Board of Equalization and the California Attorney General’s Office asking for an investigation into the process and the performance of Lake County Treasurer-Tax Collector Barbara Ringen.
The city also had asked the Lake County Civil Grand Jury in November to consider the matter.
The city reported that the grand jury initially responded in December, saying that it had “long been fully aware of the situation in the Lake County Treasurer/Tax Collector’s Office.”
The grand jury referenced its 2017 report, which had two findings – that the county has not held a tax sale since 2013 and that the then-proposed 2017 sale only included 3 percent of eligible properties.
The 2016-17 report included one recommendation, which was that “The County conduct a tax lien sale on an annual basis including properties form the cities of Clearlake and Lakeport.”
The grand jury at that time summarized the problems created from a lack of tax sales as primarily a strain on local revenues, less community investment, deterioration and blight, and a hampering of municipalities in providing services due to decreased revenues.
Since then, two tax sales have been held – in June 2017 and June 2018, according to county records. No tax sale was held in 2019 and this year’s sale was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Those two tax sales in 2017 and 2018 are the only ones Ringen has held since taking office in 2013.
City seeks grand jury investigation
In January, Flora reported to the council that he had been in contact with the grand jury and it had indicated it was considering another investigation.
Earlier this year, the city also threatened the county with legal action if Ringen’s office didn’t make additional efforts to hold more sales.
In its report, which can be seen here, the grand jury outlines its investigation beginning on page 90.
“It is in the best interest of the entire county to bring clarity to the situation and a realistic look at the facts,” the grand jury report said.
The city of Clearlake, however, said the report didn’t do that. In a statement released in response to the report, the city said the report had “multiple conflicts with previous findings from the Grand Jury,” and it faulted the report for using data that contains “errors and misrepresentations.”
The grand jury said the facts and figures about tax default properties aren’t accurate and came from “a singular secondary source” that wasn’t properly vetted. That source isn’t named.
“The city would like the public to understand that in spite of what is reported by the Grand Jury we believe the information provided to the city is accurate and representative of the problem surrounding tax delinquent and defaulted property throughout Lake County,” said Cremer in a statement issued by the city.
He said the data for delinquent and defaulted properties within the city of Clearlake was provided directly to the city by the Tax Collector’s Office on Aug. 2, 2019. He said the county provided complete data on the delinquent and defaulted properties throughout Lake County on Jan. 13.
“We have no reason to doubt the accuracy of the data provided by the county, however, if there is conflicting information within the county database related to tax-delinquent or defaulted properties, we would request that data be provided to the city,” Cremer said.
The grand jury went on to say that the city’s targeting of Ringen as “negligent,” “willfully failing to perform official functions,” and breaching breached fiduciary responsibilities “was inappropriate, lacked any real understanding of the on-going realities of management of that official’s office, and was made without any direct face-to-face contact to try to generate such understanding in the generation of such accusations.”
The report also addressed the Teeter Plan, designed in 1949 to allow counties to cover property tax payment delinquencies through existing fund reserves or short-term borrowing.
In addition, the grand jury referred to the “floated concept of a lawsuit to try to attain certain specific goals.”
“As of this writing, no formal action has been filed with the court. This concept has been advanced to the local media and into social media only. It has made a notable uptick in commentary – and concern – on both platforms. The basis of the concept is ~1,000 city of Clearlake properties to be put on the auction block by November or face the lawsuit. This goal is virtually impossible to achieve and would have limited effect,” the report said.
The report goes on to state, “The Grand Jury believes the elected officials in the City of Clearlake, after being presented with a concept, entered into this with the correct intentions of maximizing the potential funding available for their city. However, the incorrect numbers cited to them and the exaggerated effects of certain programs and possibilities created a belief in financial possibilities that could not, with proper vetting and understanding, be supported. A clearer understanding of the facts can allow them to refocus their talents and efforts into areas that can produce more tangible results across a wide swath of government responsibilities for the citizens that elected them.”
Among its findings, the grand jury found “a sizable ‘backlog’ of property tax default parcels for a number of years,” with that backlog stable at about 4,200 properties for some time but now growing at about 325 parcels a year; higher priority projects have been put ahead of the processing of default properties; and it would take two completely dedicated staff members to handle the year-to-year growth of the number of default parcels and reduce the backlog.
The report’s findings also claim that “Data was transferred from a staff position inside of the County Administration Office to a staff position inside of the City of Clearlake that was not properly vetted for accuracy, applicability to the over-riding issue, and not passed by the appropriate elected official ultimately responsible for that data.”
The grand jury report further states that “a group of elected city officials issued written ‘claims’ against a county-wide elected official and distributed these claims to multiple governmental groups (both inside of Lake County and in Sacramento.) It occurred that there was a ‘leakage’ of these claims to the local press and social media without performing a reasonable set of fact checking nor any sourcing of second and third party independent corroboration of the data and the assumptions upon which those claims were based.”
Regarding the vague allegations about “leakage” to the local press, the grand jury offered no evidence to back that claim.
In its recommendations, the grand jury said the County Administrative Office should “review and enact enhanced controls over data dissemination to departments not normally utilizing such data and to any non-county public or private entities,” and that two dedicated and trained staff members should be added to the Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office to focus exclusively on the tax default auction process.
It also recommended that “All elected city officials and elected county officials should exercise extreme prudence in making disparaging claims (be they in public or to other governmental agencies) against the performance or motivations of any other elected official. If such claims are to be made, multiple/independent verifications of information/data supporting such claims should be fully explored.”
The grand jury concluded by suggesting a regular meeting between city and county officials. “The purpose of this meeting will be to bring matters of mutual concern to light and explore proactive and cooperative means of addressing these concerns.”
City disputes findings
Cremer said it was frustrating that the grand jury was not precise in discussing the sourcing of data the city has been relying on for its analysis, “which contrary to their statements was received directly from the county.”
He called it “increasingly perplexing” that the grand jury decided to eliminate properties without access, utilities, etc. from being included on its “tax default” list.
“No detailed information is provided on what methodology was used for this determination. The City understands that there are many ‘paper parcels’ in Lake County that have little value and may be difficult to sell, however, this does not remove the property owner’s obligation to pay taxes on the property, nor does it remove the County Tax Collector’s obligation to offer them at auction if considered in tax default status,” said Cremer.
“We are relying on accurate county data in determining the scope of the problem and working with the county on a mutually beneficial path forward,” said Slooten. “However, the grand jury’s report lacks any discussion around the statutory responsibility of the tax collector to sell tax defaulted properties within certain timelines.”
Slooten said it is one of the key responsibilities of the grand jury to determine if official duties are being lawfully carried out. “Accordingly, the data provided to the city reflect that 4,243 properties countywide have not met the obligation to be offered for sale consistent with state law.”
Cremer said the city intends to provide a detailed response to the grand jury report. He said that, through its website, the city will provide the public access to the raw data that was provided to the city from the county and further relied upon by the city in its analysis.
“This is not an issue that was conjured by the city, we believe it warrants more resources and commitment from both the tax collector and the Board of Supervisors in order to successfully solve this problem,” Cremer said.
He added, “The city of Clearlake has been and remains committed to actively participating in a real solution to Lake County’s tax default quagmire, the county just needs to take it more seriously.”
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.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday chose to continue meetings that allow for limited in-person participation by the public despite an increase in COVID-19 cases, while the county’s two cities plan to continue to do business virtually because of health concerns.
On June 30, after a three-month suspension of in-person board meetings, the supervisors returned to a remodeled board chambers to begin a “hybrid” version of its meetings.
The public can still watch online or participate via Zoom, however, small numbers of individuals are allowed to come into the chambers to give public comment or view the proceedings.
The chambers now include plexiglass cubicles around each of the fives supervisors’ seats on the dais and around staff seating area, with the seating in the audience removed and replaced by a maximum of 25 chairs that adhere to social distancing requirements.
Last week, the county also implemented a new eComment platform to take public comments.
On June 30, Lake County’s confirmed COVID-19 cases totaled 60. On Tuesday, they reached 122. In the weeks since, Lake County Public Health has also reported the first death of a county resident attributed to COVID-19.
Board Chair Moke Simon had asked last week that a discussion of the meeting procedures be placed on the Tuesday agenda.
He suggested that, in light of the rising cases, the meetings should be closed again to in-person participation out of concern that they had opened up too early.
Simon and Supervisor Tina Scott were not in the board chambers for the meeting, but both participated from their homes via Zoom.
On the dais in the chambers were Rob Brown, who was not wearing a mask because he said he can’t, and EJ Crandell and Bruno Sabatier, both of whom were masked. All of them were separated by the plexiglass dividers.
Simon said he wanted to be proactive instead of reactive, and citing the recent rise in COVID-19 numbers he suggested closing the meetings and reviewing the situation in 30 days.
Sabatier noted that the July 7 meeting and Tuesday’s meeting both had about half a dozen people in the audience, with a good-sized crowd still participating online. He said some people don’t have access to watch on the Internet.
“If it’s not safe for us, it’s not safe for our employees,” said Sabatier, noting that if it’s not safe for in-person meetings, they should go all the way and say no one should be there.
He said he thought the hybrid model is working fine.
Simon said his concern was that they can’t control where people who come into the meetings have been.
Brown said people should do whatever they’re comfortable with and leave the meetings in their current form as an option.
“I feel safe here,” he said, adding that not all employees have the opportunity to work at home.
Scott had previously attended one of the hybrid meetings in person but returned to participating from home.
“It was difficult for me to be in there and watch a screen across the room,” Scott said.
Like Brown and Sabatier, she felt the meeting format is working and that they can continue to monitor how they are working.
Crandell said he was good with either continuing the meetings or taking Simon’s suggestion.
The only public comment came from Lakeport resident Michael Green.
“This is just very unfortunate,” said Green, criticizing the board for “terrible messaging” and noncompliance with the health order, with half of them masked.
Green suggested they’re broadcasting noncompliance with state orders in their meetings while conceivably putting themselves at risk.
“You’re supposed to provide a safe meeting space and enforce social distancing and you can’t even enforce social distancing on the dais,” he said.
Neither Simon nor any of the other supervisors offered a motion, as the consensus was to continue the hybrid meetings.
City councils to continue virtual meetings
While the supervisors have allowed the public to be in the board chambers for meetings, the city councils of Clearlake and Lakeport are continuing to only allow public participation virtually because of health concerns.
The Clearlake City Council’s members have primarily been in the council chambers for meetings, with council members and staff sitting several feet apart and the chambers closed to the public.
The city has a new Open Town Hall page on its website so community members can submit comments and meetings are broadcast on the PEG TV Youtube page.
City Manager Alan Flora had reported previously that there were plans to begin allowing for limited public access to City Hall for the meetings beginning this week.
However, he told Lake County News on Tuesday, “We are going to walk back having the public at our meetings starting Thursday. We did notice a couple of appeal hearings and so we will be allowing them to come into the meeting after a screening process and with masking, social distancing etc. Otherwise we will be continuing with the remote public input process utilized over the past several months.”
The Lakeport City Council has not met in the chambers but continues to meet via the GoToMeeting platform, with the public allowed to call in or ask comments virtually.
City Manager Margaret Silveira said Tuesday that format will continue.
“We are not planning on having in-person attendance for the public at this time. We have discussed having in-person for the council members, which can be seated with social distancing. We are awaiting the arrival of technical equipment to make that possible,” Silveira said.
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.
Jessica Heiges, University of California, Berkeley and Kate O'Neill, University of California, Berkeley
COVID-19 is changing how the U.S. disposes of waste. It is also threatening hard-fought victories that restricted or eliminated single-use disposable items, especially plastic, in cities and towns across the nation.
Our research group is analyzing how the pandemic has altered waste management strategies. Plastic-Free July, an annual campaign launched in 2011, is a good time to assess what has happened to single-use disposable plastics under COVID-19, and whether efforts to curb their use can get back on track.
From plans to pandemic
Over several decades leading up to 2020, many U.S. cities and states worked to reduce waste from single-use disposable objects such as straws, utensils, coffee cups, beverage bottles and plastic bags. Policies varied but included bans on Styrofoam, plastic bags and straws, along with taxes and fees on bottles and cups.
Social norms around plastic waste have evolved quickly in the past several years. Pre-COVID-19, “Bring your own” tote bags, mugs and other foodware had become part of daily life for many consumers. Innovative startups targeting reusable foodware niches include Vessel, which partners with cafes, enabling customers to rent stainless steel to-go mugs, and DishCraft, which picks up dirty dishes from dine-in restaurants and to-go food outlets, cleans them with high-tech equipment and returns them ready for reuse.
Just before COVID-19 lockdowns began in March 2020, the New Jersey senate adopted a bill that would have made the state the first to ban all single-use bags made of either paper or plastic. And U.S. Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico and U.S. Rep. Alan Lowenthal of California introduced the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act – the first federal measure limiting use of single-use disposable items.
COVID-19 shutdowns drastically changed all of this. In just a few weeks, plastic bags returned to grocery stores in states that had recently banned them. Even before lockdowns were official, restaurants and cafes started refusing personal reusables such as coffee mugs, reverting to plastic cups and lids, wrapped straws and condiment packets.
By late June, cities and states had temporarily suspended almost 50 single-use item reduction policies across the U.S. – mainly bans plastic bag bans. The pandemic also spurred demand for single-use personal protective equipment, such as masks and plastic gloves. These items soon began appearing in municipal solid waste streams and discarded on streets.
The plastic pandemic
With legislation restricting disposables suspended, many food vendors and grocery stores have shifted entirely to disposable bags, plates and cutlery. This switch has raised their operating costs and cut further into their already-low margins.
The recycling industry has weighed in on the impacts of more single-use bags and higher residential waste volumes. Waste industry workers, who have been uniformly declared essential, work in closed spaces with many other people, so even if surface transmission of coronavirus is not a serious risk, the pandemic has increased person-to-person transmission risks in the waste industry.
Hygiene: A red herring
The main rationale that states, cities and vendors have offered to justify switching from reusables back to disposables is hygiene. Plastic packaging, the argument goes, protects public health by keeping contents safe and sealed. Also, discarding items immediately after use protects consumers from infection.
This narrative handily dovetails with the plastics industry’s ongoing effort to slow or derail bans and restrictions. The industry has loudly supported turning the clock back toward single-use disposable products.
[The Conversation’s newsletter explains what’s going on with the coronavirus pandemic. Subscribe now.]
In a March 2020 letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Plastics Industry Association argued that single-use items were the “most sanitary” option for consumers. Industry representatives are actively lobbying against the Break Free From Plastics Act.
However, studies show that these products are not necessarily safer than reusable alternatives with respect to COVID-19. The virus survives as long on plastic as it does on other surfaces such as stainless steel. What’s more, studies currently cited by the plastics industry focus on other contaminants such as E.coli and listeria bacteria, not on coronaviruses.
Viewed more holistically, plastics generate pollutants upstream when their raw materials are extracted and plastic goods are manufactured and transported. After disposal – typically via landfills or incineration – they release pollutants that can seriously affect environmental and human health, including hazardous and endocrine disrupting chemicals.
All of these impacts are especially harmful to minority and marginalized populations, who are already more vulnerable to COVID-19. In our view, plastic goods are far from being the most hygienic or beneficial to public health, especially over the long term.
Building resilience
Crises like the COVID-19 pandemic make it hard to see the bigger picture. No longer having to remember reusable tote bags or coffee mugs can be a relief. But the quick return of single-use disposable products shows that recent restrictions are precarious, and that industries don’t cede profitable markets without a fight.
Waste reduction advocates, such as Upstream Solutions and #BreakFreeFromPlastic, are working to gather data, educate the public and prevent decision-making about plastics that is based on perception rather than scientific reasoning. On June 22, 115 health experts worldwide released a statement arguing that reusables are safe even under pandemic conditions.
Some governments are taking notice. In late June, California reinstated its statewide ban on single-use plastic bags and requirement for plastic bags to contain 40% recycled materials. Massachusetts quickly followed suit, lifting a temporary ban on reusable bags.
For the longer term, it is unclear how COVID-19 disruptions will affect consumerism and waste disposal practices. In our view, one important takeaway is that while mindful consumers are part of the solution to the plastics crisis, individuals cannot and should not carry the full burden.
We believe that at the local and federal levels, policymakers need to build cross-jurisdictional alliances, recognizing shared interests with the waste management industry and emerging businesses like Vessel and Dishcraft. To make progress on reducing plastic waste, advocates need to reinforce measures in place before the next crisis hits.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Public Health reported that Lake County’s COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise, while on Wednesday night the Mendocino County Health Department confirmed that county’s first death.
Of those 133 cases, 35 are active and 97 have recovered. Public Health has reported one death so far.
County Public Health departments were reporting a total of more than 352,000 cases and approximately 7,358 deaths statewide on Wednesday night.
Case totals for neighboring counties are Colusa, 140; Glenn, 190; Mendocino, 165; Napa, 561; Sonoma, 1979; and Yolo, 1023.
On Wednesday night, the Mendocino County Health Department reported that it was informed earlier in the day of that county’s first death caused by COVID-19.
George Chadwick, 80, Mendocino County’s 14th case who tested positive on May 15, died July 1 in a Marin County outpatient rehabilitation facility after being hospitalized at Adventist Health Ukiah Valley Hospital with COVID-19, officials said.
Chadwick’s family received the death certificate first and informed Mendocino County that COVID-19 is listed as a cause of death, with Mendocino County to request the death certificate from Marin County on Thursday morning.
On Wednesday night, the Mendocino County Health Department reported six COVID-19 patients are hospitalized – two at Adventist Health Mendocino Coast Hospital, three at Howard Memorial Hospital and one at Adventist Health Ukiah Hospital. Officials said they also are handling an outbreak of five residents and two employees at Sherwood Oaks Skilled Nursing home in Fort Bragg.
Lake County reports daily variance metrics
As of Wednesday, two Lake County patients were hospitalized, a number which has dropped this week. Total hospitalizations to date stand at 10, Public Health said.
Tests conducted so far total 5,635. Of those, 5,502 have tested negative and 133 positive.
The California Department of Public Health said Wednesday that 5,793,276 tests have been conducted in California. This represents an increase of 118,321 over the prior 24-hour reporting period.
Local health departments have reported 18,187 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 105 deaths statewide, officials said.
Based on daily variance metrics posted Wednesday, Lake County has had a case rate of 60.1 percent 100,000 for the previous 14 days, with a testing positivity rate of 4 percent, with daily testing averaging 147.6 tests.
Earlier this week, there were four patients hospitalized, which dropped to two, which accounts for a 50-percent decrease.
The county’s health care capacity shows that medical/surgical beds currently available total 22.9 percent, 25 percent of ICU beds are open, 75 percent of ventilators and only 50 percent of local hospitals have more than a 14-day suppl of the required personal protective equipment.days.
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.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – The Mendocino National Forest and officials around the region are honoring the memory of a longtime National Forest Service employee and former Glenn County supervisor who died last month.
“It is with a heavy heart that the Mendocino National Forest announces the loss of former Forest Aviation and Staff Officer Denton “Denny” Bungarz who passed away June 25, 2020,” Forest officials said in a statement.
Bungarz came to the Mendocino in 1978 and retired in December 1989. Altogether, he gave the USDA Forest Service 37 years of committed service.
His Forest Service career started in 1955 with a 10-month appointment at the Trinity National Forest. In 1958, he served as a prevention technician at the Hayden Flat Guard Station. He had ideas about becoming a smokejumper but never pursued that career. He graduated from Humboldt State in 1966 with a bachelor’s degree in forestry.
The next year, Bungarz and his family moved to the Plumas National Forest where he worked as a district resource advisory. He also became qualified as an air attack supervisor or (spotter) for the north region in addition to obtaining his personal pilot’s license.
From the Plumas, Bungarz’s career took him to the Los Padres National Forest in 1973 and he was promoted to the district ranger of the Santa Barbara District. He had a fond friendship with Ronald Reagan during his time on the Los Padres.
Then in 1978, he moved to the Mendocino National Forest where he served as the forest aviation and staff officer (now known as forest fire and aviation management officer).
While on the Mendocino, he was instrumental in introducing and developing the aerial ignition program, not only to the forest and the region, but also to the rest of the lower 48 states. Aerial ignitions (or helitorch) were first used on the Mendocino in 1979.
Bungarz took his leadership skills to a new level when he was selected as an incident commander for the California Team 4 Incident Management Team in 1987. He demonstrated his extensive incident management skills in the summers of 1987 (Siege of 87 fires) and 1988 on the Yellowstone Fire where he was one of many Type 1 Incident commanders.
After retiring, Bungarz was hired to develop the National Wildfire Apprentice Program in 1990. The Forest Service assumed this program in 1997. He remained an integral part of this program and was invited to speak at some of the graduations including the one from which his soon-to-be stepdaughter Shilo Springstead graduated.
In addition to his illustrious Forest Service career, Bungarz made a huge mark within the community of Willows in Glenn County. He was elected to the Willows City Council, served on the Glenn County Board of Supervisors, was the co-founder of the Westside Domestic Violence Shelter and helped obtain funding through the Glenn County Rural Conservation District for needed projects in the community and within the Mendocino National Forest.
He is survived by his wife, Judi Bungarz; daughter, Joyce Trammel; son, Doug Bungarz; brothers, Bob and George Bungarz; four stepchildren; eight grandchildren; nine step-grandchildren; four step-great-grandchildren; and six great-great-grandchildren.
A celebration of life will be planned in the future. Any donations in the name of Denny Bungarz can be made to Willows Auxiliary, Wildland Firefighter Foundation or the National Museum of Forest Service History.
“The passing of Denton (Denny) Bungarz is a tremendous loss for the Forest Service and the community. He will be sorely missed,” the Mendocino National Forest concluded in its statement.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council is set this week to take up a proposal by a development firm to purchase a portion of the city’s former airport property.
The council will hold a closed session at 5 p.m. to discuss existing litigation against Pacific Gas and Electric Co., discuss the sale of a city-owned property as well as two potential cases of anticipated litigation before it meets virtually at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 16.
Because of the county’s shelter in place order, Clearlake City Hall remains closed to the public, however, the virtual meeting will be broadcast live on Lake County PEG TV’s YouTube Channel.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to City Clerk Melissa Swanson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . You can also visit the city’s new town hall site and submit written comments at https://www.opentownhall.com/portals/327/forum_home . Identify the subject you wish to comment on in your email’s subject line or in your town hall submission.
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments prior to 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 16.
Each public comment emailed to the city clerk will be read aloud by the mayor or a member of staff for up to three minutes or will be displayed on a screen. Public comment emails and town hall public comment submissions that are received after the beginning of the meeting will not be included in the record.
On Thursday the council will meet July’s adoptable dogs and present a certificate of appreciation to the Lakeshore Lions Club for the July 4 celebration.
On the agenda is a discussion regarding a proposed letter of intent between the city and King Management LLC, which is interested in purchasing a four-acre portion of the 27-acre city-owned airport property, located off of Highway 53.
City Manager Alan Flora’s report to the council explained that the two parcels the company wants to purchase are located at 6356 Armijo Ave. and 6393 James St.
“King Management is interested in expanding their portfolio of hotels into the Clearlake area,” Flora wrote.
Flora said city staff is working on a number of options and ideas related to the overall development of the airport property and they believe that the best path forward is to enter into a letter of intent, or LOI, while negotiations continue.
“King Management would like an executed LOI in a timely manner in order to obtain development incentives from a national hotel brand for the site,” Flora said. “This agreement would provide King Management a six-month window to perform due diligence and work though infrastructure and other planning items with the City. If adequate interest exists, the parties would negotiate a purchase and sale contract, or possibly a long-term lease agreement.”
In other business, the council will discuss and consider giving staff direction regarding the implementation of a residential rental housing registration and inspection program.
Thursday’s agenda includes several public hearings for abatement orders and to consider acceptance of the State Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act in the amount of $122,279, and a proposal to close multiple roads for 18 months in an effort to reduce illegal dumping.
The council also will discuss and consider an agreement with Hinderliter De Llamas and Associates for tax and fee administration solutions, including short term rental operations management and commercial hotel transient occupancy tax administration services; consider an amendment to the city’s employment agreement with Police Chief Andrew White; and consider a response to the Lake County Civil Grand Jury’s report on tax default auctions.
On the meeting's consent agenda – items that are not considered controversial and are usually adopted on a single vote – are warrant registers; consideration of continuation of declaration of local emergency issued on Oct. 9, 2017, and ratified by council action Oct. 12, 2017, in response to the Sulphur fire; consideration of continuation of declaration of local emergency issued on March 14, 2020, and ratified by council action March 19, 2020; minutes of the June meetings; minutes of the June 10, 2020, LC Vector Control District Board meeting; consideration of a memorandum of understanding with the Konocti Unified School District for a school resource officer authorize the city manager to execute the MOU with KUSD; award of a construction contract for the 2020 Double Chip Seal - South West Avenues Project to Pavement Coatings Co. in the amount of $98,650 and authorize the city manager; consideration of acceptance of the property located at 16034 26th Ave. and authorize the city manager to sign the certificate of acceptance; and notification of expiring committee appointments.
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.