EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

July 2, 2020 (San Diego) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media.  This week's round-up stories include: 

LOCAL

• County, advocacy group partner to reduce racial disparities in child welfare system (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Seven-Hour Border Backup Opens Up a Can of COVID Worms, Chief Says (Calexico Chronicle)
• Riverside County's ICU beds are 99% occupied. Hospitals moving into surge plan, official says (Desert Sun)
• Police shoot man in downtown San Diego (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• California cracks down on scofflaw businesses, delays reopenings as coronavirus surges (Los Angeles Times)
• Supervisor Fletcher, Assemblywoman Gonzalez, enter 14-day quarantine (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• SDPD: Investigation Into Controversial Plainclothes Arrest Will Remain Secret (KPBS)

STATE

• 7 more weeks of unemployment in California’s budget plan (Sacramento Bee)
• Here’s how Gov. Newsom plans to enforce his latest coronavirus order (L.A. Daily News)
• Gavin Newsom orders 19 California counties to shut down indoor dining, bars again (Sacramento Bee)
• 'Shocking, Heartbreaking' Coronavirus Outbreak In Calif. Prison Alarms Health Experts (NPR)
• California cities begin embracing cannabis in desperate search for cash (Politico)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

LOCAL

County, advocacy group partner to reduce racial disparities in child welfare system (San Diego Union-Tribune)

The percentage of Black children in the region’s child welfare system is almost four times their percentage of the general population, according to San Diego County statistics. A new partnership announced Wednesday aims to change that.

Seven-Hour Border Backup Opens Up a Can of COVID Worms, Chief Says (Calexico Chronicle)

Calexico officials are keeping their fingers crossed that a repeat of the seven-hour, miles-long delay in all directions that gridlocked southbound border traffic June 26 won’t be a regular weekend occurrence moving forward, but the police chief fears it might be and says to avoid it is going to be up to “all of us.”

Riverside County's ICU beds are 99% occupied. Hospitals moving into surge plan, official says (Desert Sun)

Hospital bed and intensive care unit capacity could soon become a concern in the Inland Empire, where coronavirus cases continue to rise in two Southern California counties with the second- and fifth-highest number of cases reported in the state. Across all hospitals in Riverside County, intensive care beds are 99% occupied as of Sunday…

Police shoot man in downtown San Diego (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Police officers shot and wounded a man who they say pointed a gun at them in downtown San Diego Saturday evening, San Diego police said…Police said the 25-year-old man, who they described as Hispanic, was a suspect in a robbery that occurred on June 21.

California cracks down on scofflaw businesses, delays reopenings as coronavirus surges (Los Angeles Times)

 In San Diego County, the health department on Friday ordered an Escondido restaurant to close immediately, saying its proprietor refused to follow public health directives imposed to prevent coronavirus outbreaks.

Supervisor Fletcher, Assemblywoman Gonzalez, enter 14-day quarantine (San Diego Union-Tribune)

COVID-19 numbers continued to surge in San Diego County Thursday as county Supervisor Nathan Fletcher and his wife, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, announced they will self-quarantine for two weeks after coming into close contact with someone who tested positive.

SDPD: Investigation Into Controversial Plainclothes Arrest Will Remain Secret (KPBS)

The arrest of a Black Lives Matter protester, captured on video, prompted calls for an investigation. But SDPD says the results will likely remain secret, because of state law regarding personnel.

STATE

7 more weeks of unemployment in California’s budget plan (Sacramento Bee)

Millions of unemployed Californians could wind up with more weeks of jobless benefits as part of the budget deal Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders reached this week.

Here’s how Gov. Newsom plans to enforce his latest coronavirus order (L.A. Daily News)

 At Norco’s The Cowgirl Cafe, owner Karen Hendrickson was prepared to test the governor. By Wednesday afternoon, she had already contacted her attorney and was preparing to stay open for indoor dining, despite the state order.

Gavin Newsom orders 19 California counties to shut down indoor dining, bars again (Sacramento Bee)

In a major rollback, California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday called on 19 counties, including Sacramento and Los Angeles, to shut down restaurants for indoor dining before the Fourth of July weekend.  Newsom also called on those counties to shut down indoor family entertainment venues including movie theaters, bowling alleys and arcades…indoor wineries and bars will also have to shut down in those counties. (San Diego is not on the list, but all neighboring counties are included.)

'Shocking, Heartbreaking' Coronavirus Outbreak In Calif. Prison Alarms Health Experts (NPR)

Doctors warn that a fast-moving outbreak at San Quentin, California's oldest prison, may hurt the wider community and health care system.

California cities begin embracing cannabis in desperate search for cash (Politico)

California local governments scrambling to find tax revenues during the coronavirus pandemic are turning toward an industry they had considered taboo until now: cannabis.