Also: the state’s economy; and virtual tourism.
 | | A women arriving to prepare meals to hand out to children at the Y.W.C.A. in San Fernando.Lucy Nicholson/Reuters |
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On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state would loosen its restrictions and allow some businesses to reopen, with modifications — including book, clothing, music and sporting goods stores, as well as florists in time for Mother’s Day beginning this Friday. |
“This is an optimistic day,” he said. “We see a little bit of sunshine on the horizon.” |
And amid growing resistance to the state directives, Mr. Newsom laid out a process in which counties could reopen more quickly than the state order allows, as long as their plans to do so meet certain criteria. |
Regions that have stricter directives, like the Bay Area, can still keep those in place, he said. |
It is, Mr. Newsom admitted, a bit complex. |
Which businesses will be able to open? |
Mr. Newsom said the kinds of retailers listed above — basically, stores that were not deemed essential — can reopen, but with curbside pickup. Some manufacturers that supply those kinds of stores can also reopen, as long as workers can keep their distance. The governor said he and public health officials would lay out required modifications in more detail later this week. |
Restaurants and bars will still be closed to diners. So will shopping malls and offices. |
How would some counties be able to reopen more quickly than other counties in the state? |
Dr. Sonia Angell, the state’s head of public health, said that county elected and public health officials will be able to submit their own “readiness plans” for keeping residents safe and preventing the spread of the virus. |
Dr. Angell highlighted stable or decreasing hospitalization and intensive care numbers as among the priorities, as well as access to testing and protective gear. |
On Monday afternoon, state officials released a “report card” to help determine whether counties are ready to reopen. |
Mr. Newsom said that, in any case, “Dr. Angell will have the ultimate authority to make sure those provisions are met.” |
Many Orange County beaches are still closed. But on Monday, the governor said that city-run beaches in San Clemente and Laguna Beach would be able to reopen with some restrictions. |
Similarly, Laguna Beach is set to reopen beaches on weekday mornings for exercise, not for lounging. |
“They put together an outstanding plan to begin to reopen,” Mr. Newsom said. “And that’s the spirit of the moment.” |
So are things settled with local elected officials? |
There is outstanding legal action related to the Orange County beach closures, including a lawsuit filed on Monday by an individual Newport Beach city councilman that his lawyer said was built on a memo by the U.S. attorney general, William P. Barr, directing staff to watch for state directives that could be violating civil liberties, The Register reported. |
And according to The Press-Enterprise, there was tension between Riverside County leaders, who are set to vote on whether to rescind public health orders today, and City Council members who on Monday sent a letter urging the county’s board of supervisors to wait until the end of the week. |
Still, The Sacramento Bee reported that Yuba and Sutter Counties, which allowed businesses to reopen on Monday in defiance of the state’s order, could be models of ways forward. |
Here’s what else we’re following |
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 | | Tents lined a Los Angeles street in April. California has failed for decades to tackle some of the biggest issues surrounding inequality.Etienne Laurent/EPA, via Shutterstock |
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- Housing for the homeless. Criminal justice reform. Addressing the digital divide. They’re all priorities of progressive Californians that have been propelled by the coronavirus crisis. Now, there are questions about if it’ll last. [The New York Times]
- Los Angeles schools will start fall classes on Aug. 18 — whether or not campuses are open. [The Los Angeles Times]
- Two energy trading firms were accused of deploying a complex scheme to illegally drive up gas prices over years after an explosion at a refinery in Torrance. [The Sacramento Bee]
- An anonymous donor gave employees at a hospital in Santa Cruz $1 million for bonuses. [The Associated Press]
- In the city’s latest expansion of Covid-19 testing, San Francisco leaders said anyone who has to leave home for work can be tested at no cost, regardless of their symptoms. [The San Francisco Chronicle]
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If you missed it, the city on Friday started free testing for all residents and staff in its 21 skilled nursing facilities. [KRON4] |
- Almost half of growers in Monterey County reported financial losses related to the pandemic. Demand has shifted from restaurants, direct to homes, where it turns out we eat more fruit, but fewer vegetables. [The Californian]
- Juul, the e-cigarette maker, is moving its headquarters from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. The company hopes to repair its relationship with regulators and is restructuring more broadly, including by cutting roughly a third of its work force. [The Wall Street Journal]
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 | | From left, Cedric Berry, Orson Van Gay, Derrell Acon, Bernard Holcomb and Nathan Granner in "The Central Park Five," by Anthony Davis, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for music.Long Beach Opera, via Associated Press |
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Here are all the winning pieces, including two from The Los Angeles Times. [The New York Times] |
- To mark the start of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, nonprofits have started a campaign to raise money for groups serving Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities. [The Sacramento Bee]
- An 11-year-old in Berkeley told a state official the math was wrong on a social-distancing sign. [Berkeleyside]
- A 5-year-old boy was pulled over in Utah. He told a trooper that he had left home for California with $3 in his wallet. His goal? Buy a Lamborghini. [BuzzFeed News]
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 | | Yang Eui-ji of the NC Dinos in action against the Lotte Giants during a Korea Baseball Organization exhibition match. The season-opening game will be broadcast on ESPN. Jeon Heon-Kyun/EPA, via Shutterstock |
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Perhaps you’ve tried your hand at cooking a new cuisine. Maybe you’ve run out of juicy updates for your friends at Zoom happy hours. (It happens!) |
It may be the time, according to The Times’s Travel desk, to try out an Airbnb online experience. They also take place on Zoom, but with local guides who can probably show you a bit more of the world than your college roommate’s little balcony, again — no matter how picturesque the view. |
Instead, for around $10 per person, you can peek into the life of a shark scientist in South Africa, get a private astrology reading or even take a “walking” tour of Prague, led by a “plague doctor,” complete with one of those unsettling beaked masks, if you feel like getting a jump on Halloween. |
Jill Cowan grew up in Orange County, went to school at U.C. Berkeley and has reported all over the state, including the Bay Area, Bakersfield and Los Angeles — but she always wants to see more. Follow along here or on Twitter. |
California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from U.C. Berkeley. |
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