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An Independent Weekly Newspaper Serving the Backcountry Communities of Julian, Cuyamaca, Santa Ysabel, Shelter Valley, Mt. Laguna, Ranchita, Canebreak, Sunshine Summit, Warner Springs and Wynola.
Julian News
PO Box 639 Julian, CA 92036
1985
Change Service requested
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The Newspaper of Record.
For the Community, by the Community.
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www.JulianNews.com
December 30, 2020 Volume 36 — Issue 22
Julian, CA.
ISSN 1937-8416
New California Laws That May Impact Your Life In 2021
Back Country Covid Cases as of December 26
Julian = 47 (+4) Ramona = 1,309 (+202) Ranchita = 9 (+1) Warner Springs = 31 (+1) Santa Ysabel = 28 (+5) Borrego Springs = 78 (+9) Descanso = 51(+8) Alpine = 665 (+75) Poway = 1,069 (+180) Lakeside = 1,418 (+ 228) Total Confirmed cases in Unincorporated San Diego County = 16,363 a total rise of 3,469. TESTING AVAILABLE If you believe you have symptoms please get tested. Most testing locations do not require an appointment. To find information on a testing location near you or call 2-11 (toll free) or on the web 211sandiego.org. The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency is reporting yet another record number of COVID-19 cases. A total of 19,314 new lab-confirmed cases have been added in the region since last weekend, bringing the total to 145,779 County wide. Cases of the novel coronavirus have sharply increased since Thanksgiving and with the Christmas and New Year holidays around the corner, County health officials are concerned that no immediate end to the rise in cases is in sight. “The best gift you can give your loved ones and our frontline healthcare workers this holiday season is the gift of health,” said Wilma J. Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. “I urge San Diegans to follow the public health orders, avoid gatherings and wear a facial covering whenever they leave their residence so we can get this virus under control.”
Hundreds of bills were signed into law in 2020. Here are a handful of them that may affect you the most. Californians will awake to a slew of new laws Jan. 1, affecting millions of California workers and families. The new laws tackle everything from how much time workers can take off to care for loved ones to how many members of minority communities a corporation must include on its board of directors, and the minimum steps a company must take to protect employees from the coronavirus pandemic. The new laws going into effect reflect the major headlines and challenges of 2020. They're born out of the pandemic and the need to protect workers and shield families. They attempt to tackle the wildfire threat that drove hundreds of thousands of Golden State residents from their homes in 2020. And they attempt to tackle racial inequality following a year after millions took to the streets to march for racial justice. It can be difficult to keep track of the new laws that will affect you, so we've gathered a handful of the laws likely to impact residents the most in the Golden State come 2021. Employee "Right To Know" Assembly Bill 685, which becomes law Jan. 1, will require employers to notify employees and the public of a potential workplace COVID-19 exposure within a day of the exposure. Companies must notify their workers in writing, inform them of their benefits and rights, and provide a comprehensive plan for disinfection. The company also has 48 hours to notify the local public health agency of a workplace outbreak. Employers who fail to do so risk major penalties. AB 685 authorizes Cal-OSHA to close workplaces that pose "an imminent hazard to employees" due to the coronavirus. Minority Board Representation After requiring publicly owned companies based in California to have at least one woman on the board of directors, the state is looking to further diversify corporate boards with Assembly Bill 979. By the end of 2021, publicly held California corporations must have at least one board member from an unrepresented community, selfidentifying as Black, African American, Hispanic, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, Native Hawaiian or Alaska Native, or gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. By the end of 2022, if the board has nine or more board seats, then at least three seats must go to members of minority communities, according to the new law. Companies that fail to come into compliance face a series of fines between $100,000 and $300,000. AB 979 is already facing legal challenges making their way through the courts. Family Rights Act Senate Bill 1383, which goes into effect Jan. 1, extends family leave protections to employees at smaller California businesses. It also increases the number of loved ones who qualify for protected family leave. Businesses that employ five or more workers will have to allow them to take family leave to care for grandparents, grandchildren and siblings in addition to spouse, a registered domestic partner, child or parent. Lastly, it provides leave related to active duty of an worker's spouse, registered
domestic partner, child, or parent. Gender Wage Gap Senate Bill 973, which goes into effect Jan. 1, might not seem to have an immediate effect upon workers, but California lawmakers believe it will help tackle the historic gender wage gap in the state in the long run. The law requires certain California companies that have 100 or more employees to report employee pay data to the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing annually. The wage data is intended to help officials identify potentially discriminatory wage patterns. The law would require employers to report their number of employees by race, ethnicity and sex within a series of job categories. That data could then be parsed for discriminatory patterns. While the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing would keep the reports confidential, employees suing for discrimination may be able to access the reports for legal filings. Slavery Reparations Assembly Bill 3121 establishes a state task force to study and come up with proposals for providing reparations to the descendants of slaves. The law, an attempt at racial reckoning in the state, will require the task force to meet by June. It will be comprised of appointees by the governor and state Senate leader. The task force will study the history of slavery in California and its impact on the descendants of those slaves across generations. It will have the power to hold hearings and compel testimony and evidence. From there, the task force will be expected to put forth solutions for redressing that impact. While it's unknown what the task force will recommend for reparations, this law could have a major economic impact on the state as well as the lives of families affected by slavery. Expunged Records For Inmate Firefighters In a year when catastrophic wildfires charred millions of acres across the state and stretched firefighting crews to the breaking point, California passed Assembly Bill 2147. The law will allow inmates who work in prison fire camps a chance to have their records expunged upon release. The law is designed to reward their service by making it easier for them to find employment upon release especially among the ranks of professional firefighters at a time when California proved to be woefully short. The bill's authors contend it could be key in protecting residents in this era of catastrophic wildfires. "Inmates who have stood on the frontlines, battling historic fires should not be denied the right to later become a professional firefighter," Newsom said upon signing the law.
Motorists Beware: 4 New Calif. Roadway Safety Laws Coming In 2021.
When you hit the road in 2021, be prepared for new laws aimed at helping to keep motorists in the Golden State safer. As with any new year, a new wave of laws will start taking effect on Jan. 1. Some of them won't affect many, some of them will affect all. And some of them will affect a specific group of people, like motorists. From ensuring a good Samaritan can't be punished for rescuing a small child from a hot car, to cracking down on distracted drivers, the CHP will
be enforcing some important new laws in 2021. The California Highway Patrol shared the following list and descriptions of roadway safety bills that they wished to highlight as 2020 comes to an end: * Unattended children in motor vehicles (AB 2717, Chau): Exempts a person from civil or criminal liability for trespassing or damaging a vehicle when rescuing a child who is 6 years old or younger and who is in immediate danger from heat, cold, lack of ventilation, or other dangerous circumstances. The law takes effect January 1, 2021. * "Move Over, Slow Down" amendments (AB 2285, Transportation Committee): Extends the provisions of the "Move Over, Slow Down" law currently in place on freeways to also apply to local streets and roads so drivers approaching a stationary emergency vehicle displaying emergency lights, including tow trucks and Caltrans vehicles, must now move to another lane when possible, or slow to a reasonable speed on all highways, not just freeways. The law is effective January 1, 2021. * License points for distracted driving (AB 47, Daly; 2019): Using a cell phone in a handheld manner while driving is currently punishable by a fine. Beginning July 1, 2021, violating the handsfree law for a second time within 36 months of a prior conviction for the same offense will result in a point being added to a driver's record. This applies to the violations of talking or texting while driving (except for handsfree use) and to any use of these devices while driving by a person under 18 years of age. * Emergency vehicles (SB 909, Dodd): Allows authorized emergency vehicles to use a "Hi-Lo" warning sound. This distinctive sound, different than a siren, would be used to notify the public of an immediate need to evacuate an area in an emergency. The CHP is currently developing regulations to standardize the Hi-Lo warning sound statewide. Until the regulations are adopted, law enforcement agencies can use the Hi-Lo warning sound by obtaining a permit from the CHP. The law went into effect September 29, 2020.
Next Chamber of Commerce Board Meetings (scheduled on Zoom) Thursday, January 21, 2021 - 6pm Thursday, February 18, 2021
Climate Action Plan Update Public Review Extended The County of San Diego (County) Planning & Development Services (PDS) is extending the public review period for the Climate Action Plan (CAP) Update Notice of Preparation and will now hold a public scoping meeting on January 28, 2021. This virtual meeting was moved from January 14, 2021 to allow more time to review the latest CAP documents and information, available at this link: CAP Update<https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/sustainability/ climateactionplan.html>. The County is preparing a Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (Supplemental EIR) for the CAP Update. The County is seeking input from the public and agencies on potential environmental impacts of the CAP, ways to mitigate those impacts, and alternatives that may lessen those impacts. The County is also seeking input on potential greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction strategies and measures to be included in the CAP. Comments on the Notice of Preparation will now be accepted for 57 days following the issuance of the first notice on December 10, 2020, and must be received no later than February 4, 2021. The County is providing 27 extra days. Information on how to comment and get involved is available on the website link above. The County will hold a virtual Notice of Preparation scoping meeting on January 28, 2021 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. This meeting will provide an overview of the CAP, potential environmental impacts of the CAP, and the CAP process and schedule. Please follow this link for instructions on how to participate in this virtual scoping meeting: CAP Update<https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/sustainability/ cap.html>. If you would like more information on the 2018 CAP and 2018 CAP Supplemental EIR (2018 CAP SEIR) please follow this link: 2018 CAP<https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/sustainability/ cap.html>. County of San Diego (County) Planning & Development Services will follow with another announcement on how to participate in the virtual scoping meeting. Please submit any questions to CAP@ sdcounty.ca.g
The Earliest Signs You Have COVID-19, According to Johns Hopkins As coronavirus continues to surge across the country, spotting COVID early can be crucial in treating the virus. But how can you know that you're dealing with coronavirus in the earliest days of infection? According to Johns Hopkins, there are certain telltale signs of COVID that tend to emerge sooner rather than later—five to be exact—and these could tip you off that it's time to lock down. Read on to find out what they are, and for more information on COVID symptoms, check out If Your Symptoms Appear in This Order, You May Have Severe COVID. Though the SARS-CoV-2 virus is notoriously unpredictable, doctors and researchers have begun to crack the code. By tracking when symptoms tend to appear over the course of infection, they now have a clearer picture of whether or not a patient may develop severe COVID. As Swapna Reddy, MD, a gastroenterologist at The Oregon Clinic explained to the Portland NBC News affiliate
KGW8, many severe COVID patients experience symptoms in a similar order (though not all, of course). Here is what you should be looking out for if you want to know if your symptoms could lead to a serious case. And for more tell-tale signs of coronavirus, check out If You Have These 2 Subtle Symptoms, There's a Good Chance You Have COVID. 1. According to Reddy, patients tend to present with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms first. These early GI symptoms can start with something as minor as loss of appetite. 2. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea Next, Reddy says, GI symptoms tend to get more severe, like nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. A November study published in the journal Abdominal Radiology showed that while up to half of COVID patients experience at least one gastrointestinal symptom, roughly 20 percent say their GI symptoms are the only symptoms. And for more on
your stomach pains, check out This Is How to Tell If Your Upset Stomach Is COVID, Doctors Say<https://bestlifeonline.com/ upset-stomach-covid/>. 3. Fever If your condition begins to improve, you may be fortunate enough to have a milder case of COVID that's ultimately limited to the GI tract. But, "when you have GI symptoms that then progress to high-fever … those sometimes can actually signify that you can get more moderate to severe disease," Reddy said. And for more factors that put you at risk of a bad case of the virus, check out If You Have This Blood Type, You're at a High Risk of Severe COVID<https://bestlifeonline. com/t ype -a- blood-severe covid/>. 4. Shortness of breath Reddy also pointed out that if your GI symptoms develop into respiratory symptoms, like shortness of breath, that could also be the sign of something more serious. "So, you want to pay attention to that and you continued on page 12
Wishing You All a Beautiful Holiday.
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