By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy of Times of San Diego

April 20, 2020 (San Diego) – Over the weekend, hundreds of people held protests locally to call for reopening of parks, beaches and businesses shut down due to county and state health orders to prevent spread of COVID-19.   The protesters gathered in defiance of a county ban on all gatherings and failed even to provide social distancing or wear mask, putting themselves and anyone they come in contact with at risk of catching the highly contagious virus.

Today, the San Diego Sheriff and San Diego Police Department issued a statement which warns, “Although the protests were allowed to take place, we must not forget the public health orders were put in place to protect our communities from the spread of COVID-19. While no citations were issued at the protests, that does not mean prosecution will not be sought, especially to the organizers of these events.”

By Miriam Raftery

April 18, 2020 (Sacramento) --  With many businesses closed or having employees work at home, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has found that risks of losses are reduced. So on April 13, the Commissioner ordered insurance companies to issue refunds or credits within 120 days to policyholders adversely affected by COVID-19 including:

• Private passenger and commercial automobile insurance
• Workers’ compensation insurance
• Commercial liability insurance
• Commercial multiple peril insurance
• Medical malpractice insurance
• Any other lines of coverage where risks have dropped due to the pandemic.
  

By Ken Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Network

April 18, 2020 (San Diego) - Aaron Ruis of El Cajon manages an assisted-living facility for disabled adults, but Saturday in downtown San Diego he was managing crowd chants at a “freedom rally” to open the state’s economy.

Donations of money, non-perishable foods and personal protective equipment are needed for healthcare workers

By Miriam Raftery

April 17, 2020 (La Mesa) – Barry Jantz, CEO of Grossmont Healthcare District, and his family have launched a GoFundMe site on behalf of the Grossmont Hospital Foundation to help healthcare workers with an on-site food pantry and medical supplies. 

“As most of you know, the care team at our local hospital is working tirelessly during this global battle against COVID-19. Many of the healthcare workers are unable to go to the store and get items they need for their families, either because the items are gone from the shelves or they’re just exhausted by the end of their shift. On a daily basis, these amazing individuals are here doing their very best to help those in need,” a message from Barry, Colleen and Kayleigh Jantz states.

A contribution via this GoFundMe page will go to the non-profit Grossmont Hospital Foundation to provide Food Pantry items and/or much-needed hospital supplies to protect front-line caregivers during this crisis.  Donations are 100% tax deductible.

People can also donate non-perishable food items and personal protective equipment directly. Click here for details or to make a donation.

By Miriam Raftery

April 17, 2020 (San Diego) – Arts and cultural organizations across our region have been forced to shut down due to the COVID-19 crisis. That’s eliminated major revenue sources for everything from small community theater groups to large organizations such as art museums, the San Diego Symphony and the San Diego Opera. Many artists have been laid off and are struggling to make ends meet.

Yesterday, the San Diego Arts + Culture Challenge Fund launched with $1.25 million in aid to help arts and culture nonprofits and creative individuals across San Diego County. Grant guidelines and applications will be available in late April at sandiegoracc.org. Donations are sought to increase the fund. You can donate at sandiegoracc.org/challenge.

By Iris Neal

April 17, 2020 (La Mesa) -- Discussions of park closures and easing of parking restrictions were on the agenda at the La Mesa City Council’s meeting on Tuesday, April 14.

To maintain social distance, the city planned to stream its first ‘live’ meeting in more than a month on its website and via a Facebook Live feed, as well as simultaneously broadcast on government access channels. Sadly, things didn’t go as expected due to technical difficulties, but officials conducted business anyway.

By Miriam Raftery

April 11, 2020 (Jamul, CA)  -- Kymm Civetta and her husband, Andy, owners of NRG productions in Jamul, have provided bands and musical entertainment for celebrities including Jay Leno and Larry King, major charities and corporate events.  Now they are hosting free concerts online each Saturday night at 7 p.m. “out of the goodness of our hearts, to get everybody feeling connected, because there’s so much isolation and everybody’s feeling pretty sad,” she told ECM. 

You can view the concerts live tonight and every Saturday on Kymm Civettta's Facebook page  as well as on the NRG Productions Facebook page and YouTube channel at 7 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

Their first concert last weekend drew over 2,000 viewers.  Kymm says viewers called her to say how much they appreciated the musical entertainment.  “It’s become a very cool thing,” she says.

April 16, 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

• San Diego Arts + Culture Challenge Fund launching with $1.25 million to aid coronavirus-challenged nonprofits (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• ‘A war zone’: Tijuana hospitals overwhelmed by coronavirus patients  (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Man wearing surgical mask pulls gun on jogger on trail in Bonita (10 News)
• El Cajon center for adults with disabilities closed but plans to offer at-home programs (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Supes Put Moratorium On Evictions For Residents, Small Businesses (Patch)
• 10 Detainees Now Positive For COVID-19 At Otay Mesa Detention Center (KPBS)
• 3 Cited At Coronavirus 'Noise' Protest Outside ICE Facility (Patch)

STATE

• West Coast governors announce they will create joint plan for reopening economies (The Hill)
• California’s coronavirus death toll is way below New York’s. Here’s why (Los Angeles Times)
• New signs suggest coronavirus was in California far earlier than anyone knew (Los Angeles Times)
• Coronavirus outbreak at Lompoc prison worst in nation: 69 inmates, 25 staff infected (Los Angeles Times)
• California breaks grim coronavirus record: More than 100 deaths reported in one day (San Jose Mercury News)

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

East County News Service

Photo: Creative Commons via S.A.

April 16, 2020 — A coalition of national arts grantmakers, consisting of Academy of American Poets, Artadia, Creative Capital, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, MAP Fund, National YoungArts Foundation, and United States Artists, announces the launch of Artist Relief, which will provide rapid, unrestricted $5,000 relief grants to assist artists facing dire financial emergencies due to the impact of COVID-19; serve as an informational resource; and co-launch the COVID-19 Impact Survey for Artists and Creative Workers, designed by Research Partner Americans for the Arts, to better identify and address the needs of artists moving forward. 

Grant applications opened April 8 at artistrelief.org. The first round of funding closes April 23; several future rounds are also planned.

An unprecedented national, multidisciplinary partnership between seven arts grantmakers and a consortium of foundations, Artist Relief is an ambitious effort to support the country’s individual artists in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

By Mei Ling Nazar

 April 16, 2020 (San Diego) -- Nick Warner and his family of four are contributing their volunteer efforts to help healthcare workers on the front lines. Warner, who is a part of the Jesus Geeks Computer Services Ministry at the Rock Church in San Diego,  along with his wife Stephanie, and their children Ryley, 10, and Mason, 8, are utilizing their 3D printers to print face shields for local hospital staff that are in desperate need of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to guard them from the novel Coronavirus. 

By Miriam Raftery

April 16, 2020 (Sacramento) – Many undocumented workers are risking their lives serving others during the coronavirus pandemic, with jobs in healthcare, as caregivers, in the food industry, and more. Others have lost jobs due to shutdowns, but are not eligible for stimulus funds.  So yesterday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a $125 million disaster relief program for undocumented immigrant worker to help their families.