School closures / Statewide shutdowns / Winter storm approachingSchool closures
If you’re a parent of public school students in San Francisco, Berkeley, or West Contra Costa County, you know by now that beginning on Monday, schools will be shut down for the next three weeks. It’s been a difficult decision for district administrators who realize this will not only provide a disruption to students’ education, but also to families that need to figure out how to deal with child care.
Statewide shutdowns
Other notable shutdowns we can tell you about: Disneyland is closing its doors for the rest of the month — it’s the first time that’s happened since 9/11/2001. That decision came hours after Governor Gavin Newsom warned he would likely extend his directive banning all nonessential gatherings of more than 250 people into April. Also, 13 of the state's professional sports teams had their seasons suspended. And economists predicted the virus would halt California's record-breaking economic expansion as some companies have already begun to lay off workers.
Winter storm approaching
In other news, a late-winter storm is drenching much of Southern California as a low-pressure system draws subtropical moisture into the region. The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings yesterday for parts of San Diego and Riverside counties and posted flash flood watches elsewhere. The next weather system is expected to bring rain and snow to Northern California this weekend. California needs all the rain and snow it can get. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report shows more than 48 percent of California now in moderate drought and another 30 percent is abnormally dry.
