Protesters Demand Justice For Killing Of Eric Salgado By Police In East Oakland / COVID-19 Infections Rising At San Quentin State Prison / California Red Flag Warnings In Effect / California Officials Release Pandemic Reopening Guidelines for Schools
Protesters Demand Justice For Killing Of Eric Salgado By Police In East Oakland
California Highway Patrol officers shot and killed a young man, Eric Salgado, during a traffic stop Saturday night. It happened in East Oakland near 96th and Cherry Streets. One of the 40 rounds fired hit his pregnant girlfriend in the stomach — at last report, she is in stable condition. The CHP alleges the victims were in a car stolen from a dealership. The shooting is being investigated by the Oakland Police Department, the Alameda County District Attorney, and the CHP. Three groups are organizing a march, for 3:30 p.m. today, near where Salgado died. They’re calling it “Justice for Eric Salgado; Justice for Us All.”
COVID-19 Infections Rising At San Quentin State Prison
COVID-19 has spread to San Quentin State Prison, where over a dozen people incarcerated have now been diagnosed with the virus.
San Quentin began reporting COVID-19 cases last week, and the number has been rising quickly. As of yesterday there were 14 cases reported.
Prisons are perfect incubators for the virus, and many facilities around California have seen outbreaks spiral quickly out of control. A prison in King’s County has confirmed over 800 cases, while another in Riverside County has nearly 1000.
One of these hot spots is a prison in San Bernardino County. The California Institute of Men recently transferred several prisoners to San Quentin. CIM, as it’s known, has over 475 active cases. The goal was to move healthy, but at-risk, people to a safe location.
But, despite passing initial health checks, four of those transfers have now tested positive for COVID-19, according to a department of corrections spokesperson.
Gavrilah Wells is an advocate for prison reform, and has friends who are incarcerated at San Quentin.
“I can’t believe that any health expert would approve this move. It should not be a death sentence to be stuck in a prison where you have no control over your environment.”
So far, 12 incarcerated people at California Institute of Men have died after testing positive for coronavirus, as well as two state prison employees.
California Red Flag Warnings In Effect
Windy, dry weather has raised fire danger in California.
The National Weather Service issued Red Flag Warnings for Los Angeles and Ventura counties and for the southern Sacramento and northern San Joaquin valleys.
Authorities say three structures were destroyed by a weekend fire in the Winters area of Solano County and six homes in Mariposa County were under evacuation orders due to a brush fire.
In northern LA County, water-dropping helicopters worked through the night to try to corral a brush fire in the hilly Castaic area.
The Red Flag Warnings are expected to last through the evening.
Most of the northern half of California is experiencing drought or abnormal dryness while the south remains free of those conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
California Officials Release Pandemic Reopening Guidelines for Schools
Summer may have just begun but parents and students around the Bay are already looking forward to returning to school and some sense of normal this fall. And it’s official, normal is going to be different.
On Friday, the California Department of Public Health released new guidelines for school districts as they prepare to reopen. And earlier today, the state’s Department of Education released its own guidebook that closely mirrors the public health recommendations.
Under the guidelines, students should have their temperatures taken every morning and teachers should wear face shields. Crowded classrooms should be replaced by desks spaced six feet apart and separated by partitions to limit face to face contact.
Students could also find themselves in the same classroom all day with the same teacher in order to minimize contact with others. And meals could be served in classrooms and not the cafeteria.
These are just a few of the recommendations that come as school districts face severe budget cuts, both locally and from the state. For its part, the state’s public health department will assist by providing face shields and masks for all teachers and students, thermometers, and a lot of hand sanitizer to every school.
