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(Patch) If you are trying to get a handle on how to get vaccinated in Orange County, you are not alone. On Jan. 13, Cars lined up on the streets near Disneyland Resort of hopefuls awaiting their dose of coronavirus vaccine. As of Jan. 13, only those who fall in Phase 1A of the vaccination plan, and those 65-years-old or older, can register. Still, the application designed to handle the registry was not working as of 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. Orange County officials planned to open a guest parking area off Katella, transforming that into a coronavirus vaccination center—one of five planned for the county—to vaccinate up to 7,000 residents a day with the help of Othena, an application designed to manage the tiered vaccination process. As of Wednesday, the county is vaccinating those who fall into the tier 1A category and those over 65 with pre-existing medical conditions. They did not anticipate the new system —designed to handle the flow of vaccination traffic— to buckle under the interest, fears, and hopes of 3.2 million Orange County residents. After multiple reader's reports of a "confusing and difficult to navigate the system," Patch has learned that though the Othena App is not quite ready for business. Th...
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(CalChamber) Despite enjoying a record $34 billion budget surplus and prudent reserves from burgeoning but one-time tax revenues, California budget officials expect to see fiscal deficits in the next three years, state Finance Director Keely Martin Bosler told business leaders during a Jan. 12 California Chamber of Commerce webinar. These projections mean that it is critical to maintain funding reserves if the state wishes to preserve existing programs, and it means that the Legislature should not create new funding obligations, she explained. “We can’t afford additional ongoing spending at all,” Bosler cautioned. In fact, California’s strong financial foundation during this pandemic comes from years of building up reserves and paying down debts, she said. While the state saw more revenue than was expected and drops in the state’s gross domestic product (GDP) have largely recovered, 4 million Californians remain jobless and the COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing, she pointed out. Governor Gavin Newsom’s priority, Bosler said, is to respond to the pandemic and create the conditions necessary to accelerate economic and job recovery. Early Budget Action The next budget update will come in May, but Bosler identified a number of items that the Governor would like the Legislature to take immediate action on in the next couple of weeks: Safel...
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(Orange County Register) On the day the coronavirus death toll in California reached 30,000, Disneyland and other locations such as Dodger Stadium were established as vaccination super sites. Newly confirmed infections are rising at a dizzying rate of more than a quarter-million a week and during the weekend a record 1,163 deaths were reported – Orange County surpassed 2,000 reported deaths. Bereft of visitors for months because of the pandemic, Disneyland will soon see thousands of guests when it serves as one of Orange County’s five planned mass vaccination sites. County officials announced the deal Monday, Jan. 11, to use the theme park in its effort to ramp up inoculations as the number of Orange County residents hospitalized with the virus hovers above 2,200. “The Disneyland Resort, the largest employer in the heart of Orange County, has stepped up to host the county’s first Super POD (point-of-dispensing) site – undertaking a monumental task in our vaccination distribution process,” acting Board of Supervisors Chairman Andrew Do said in a news release. Supervisor Doug Chaffee, whose district includes Disneyland, said his constituents “have been highly impacted by COVID-19. These Super PODs are absolutely critical in stopping this deadly virus.” The county didn’t share details of exactly how or wher...
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(The Sacramento Bee) Californians struggling to get back to work during the coronavirus pandemic could get help from more than a billion dollars earmarked for job creation and workforce training in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new budget proposal. If approved, more than $750 million would go toward a so-called California Jobs Initiative that would provide a combination of tax credits, micro-grants, and loans aimed at boosting job creation. Newsom is also proposing $353 million for job training and apprenticeship programs, in sectors ranging from construction to cybersecurity. The money would come on top of $575 million in grants Newsom is asking the Legislature to be distributed immediately to small businesses to help them through the pandemic. The money comes as the state’s unemployment rate stands at 8.2%, lower than at the peak of the pandemic but higher than any other time since late 2013. California has lost more than 1.4 million jobs since February. “We’re not giving up on the economic development,” Newsom said at the press conference where he rolled out the proposal. “We’re not rolling over, giving up in terms of our dominance, in terms of our startup, innovation, entrepreneurialism, and world-class headquartered companies.” TAX CREDITS FOR BUSINESS The centerpiece of Newsom’s proposal is boosting the California Compete...
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