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To help protect your health and reduce the potential spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), Omnitrans has decided to make temporary adjustments to our bus boarding procedures.

EFFECTIVE SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2020 – SUNDAY, APRIL 5, 2020:

• Customers must board and exit the bus using the REAR DOOR.
• Customers with mobility devices will continue to board and exit through the front door.
• NO FARES will be collected on Omnitrans buses.

As always, we advise you to do your part to protect yourself and those around you and follow recommended preventative actions, listed here. We will continue our precautionary, enhanced cleaning and disinfecting of buses and facilities.
We thank you for riding Omnitrans and understand your need for essential transportation during this time. For the latest information, please text OMNI19 to 333-777, follow us on social media @Omnitrans on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or call us at 1-800-966-6428 during regular office hours.

Covered California Expands Special Enrollment and  Medi-Cal Seeks Waivers to Encourage Coverage

• Effective immediately, anyone uninsured and eligible to enroll in health care coverage through Covered California can sign up through the end of June.
• The Department of Health Care Services announces new steps to help those eligible for Medi-Cal sign up easily and get immediate coverage.
   
• The moves come amid widespread disruption in the lives and livelihoods of Californians as public health officials seek to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
  
• All medically necessary screening and testing for COVID-19 are free of charge, and all health plans available through Medi-Cal and Covered California offer telehealth options.
• These actions build on increased state subsidies and the implementation of a state penalty, both of which took effect in January 2020. 

SACRAMENTO, CA — As the state of California is taking action on many fronts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, Covered California and the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) joined together to make sure that those losing employment would have a ready path to coverage —  whether through Medi-Cal or the plans offered through Covered California.

Effective Friday, March 20, Covered California opened the health insurance exchange to any eligible uninsured individuals who need health care coverage amid the COVID-19 national emergency. Anyone who meets Covered California’s eligibility requirements, which are similar to those in place during the annual open-enrollment period, can sign up for coverage through June 30.

“We want to get as many people covered as possible to ensure they have access to the health care they need,” said Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California. “Having more people insured is the right thing to do, and this action builds on our efforts to leave no one behind in California.”

People who sign up through Covered California will have access to private health insurance plans with monthly premiums that may be lowered due to federal and new state financial help that became effective in 2020. After selecting a plan, their coverage would begin on the first of the following month —  meaning individuals losing job-based coverage will not face a gap in coverage.

In addition, consumers who sign up through CoveredCA.com may find out that they are eligible for no-cost or low-cost coverage through Medi-Cal, which they can enroll in online. Those eligible for Medi-Cal can have coverage that is immediately effective. 

California has put a 90-day hold on Medi-Cal renewal reviews, ensuring those already enrolled can continue their coverage and freeing up resources to quickly process the expected new enrollments. DHCS also is seeking expanded authority to expedite enrollment for seniors and other vulnerable populations, expand the use of telehealth, and take other steps to make care easier to access.

“The extraordinary challenges posed by COVID-19 demand an equally extraordinary response, and the Medi-Cal and Covered California systems are stepping up to meet the need for health coverage and ease access to services,” said Dr. Bradley P. Gilbert, Director of the Department of Health Care Services.

DHCS oversees Medi-Cal, California’s version of Medicaid, which provides coverage for about 13 million Californians.

The California Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) and the California Department of Insurance will provide guidance to health plans on the special-enrollment period, which will also include off-exchange health plans. This will ensure consumers enrolling in the entire individual market in California will have access to coverage during the pandemic emergency.

“We are working together to protect the health and safety of Californians during this pandemic,” said DMHC Director Shelley Rouillard. “This includes making sure that Californians are able to access health care coverage. Opening a special-enrollment period due to COVID-19 offers new coverage options to Californians when they need it most.”

All Covered California and Medi-Cal Plans Offering Telehealth Options

All health plans offered through Covered California and by Medi-Cal provide telehealth options for enrollees, giving individuals the ability to connect with a health care professional by phone or video without having to personally visit a doctor’s office or hospital. 

All medically necessary screening and testing for COVID-19 is free of charge. This includes telehealth or doctor’s office visits as well as network emergency room or urgent care visits when necessary for the purpose of screening and testing for COVID-19. In addition, Medi-Cal covers costs associated with COVID-19 in both its managed care plans and with fee for service providers. Covered California health plans will help cover costs that arise from any required treatment or hospitalization.

“A core part of our mission is improving access to high-quality health care, and that has never been more important than it is right now in California,” Lee said.

New Ad Campaign to Get the Word Out

Covered California will be alerting the public about the new special enrollment period through television, radio and digital ads. Covered California is already running ads that highlight the new financial help that is available for the first time this year, the new state individual mandate penalty and ads that make the connection to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ability to get coverage.

Click here to listen to the radio ad currently airing that highlights what consumers can do in face of the COVID-19 epidemic .

Watch the new television ads focusing on the financial help and penalties in English and Spanish here.

New State Subsidies Help Californians Lower Their Health Care Costs

Californians who sign up for coverage may be able to benefit from a new state subsidy program that expanded the amount of financial help available to many people. The subsidies are already benefitting about 625,000 Covered California consumers. Roughly 576,000 lower-income consumers, who earn between 200 and 400 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL), are receiving an average of $608 per month, per household in federal tax credits and new state subsidies (which averages $23 per household). The financial assistance lowers the average household monthly premium from $881 per month to $272, a decrease of 70 percent.

In addition, nearly 32,000 middle-income consumers have already qualified for new state subsidies, with average state subsidy to eligible households is $504 per month, lowering their monthly premium by nearly half. 

Many of those eligible for the new middle-income state subsidies are an estimated 280,000 Californians who are likely eligible for new state or existing federal subsidies but kept their “off-exchange” coverage. They are also eligible to switch to Covered California and benefit from the financial help.  During this special enrollment period, Covered California, its health plans and certified agents will be reaching out to these Californians to let them know how they can save money on their premiums – which will help them keep their coverage in challenging financial times.

California’s Success in Expanding Coverage Strengthens Pandemic Response

The policies announced today build on the success of the Affordable Care Act in California. Since the law was signed 10 years ago, California’s uninsured rate has dropped to a record low of 7.2 percent thanks to the expansion of Medi-Cal and the creation of Covered California.

“California’s policy makers made important choices ten years ago to build the Covered California exchange and dramatically expand the state’s Medi-Cal program. Those choices —  as well as new efforts by Gov. Newsom and the Legislature to bolster financial support to buy coverage —  mean many millions of people have coverage today and can get it tomorrow for this critical moment in time,” Lee said. “Our goals now must be to make sure we meet the needs of those without insurance — whether they just lost their coverage or lost their income – while assuring those with coverage get the care they need, when then need it. The urgency of this public health crisis calls on all of us to do everything we can to help Californians.”

Staying Safe While Getting Help Enrolling

With the just announced order for Californians to stay home if they are not engaged in essential work or travel, Covered California is working with the more than 10,000 Certified Insurance Agents that help Californians sign up and understand their coverage options through phone-based service models.  

“We are in a different world right now, but social distance does not mean you cannot get personal help,” Lee said. “Our agents and staff are stepping up to help people by phone and support them to enroll online.” 

Consumers can easily find out if they are eligible Medi-Cal or other forms of financial help and see which plans are available in their area by using the CoveredCA.Com Shop and Compare Tool and entering their ZIP code, household income and the ages of those who need coverage.

Those interested in learning more about their coverage options can also:

• Visit www.CoveredCA.com.
• Get free and confidential assistance over the phone, in a variety of languages, from a certified enroller.
• Have a certified enroller call them and help them for free.
• Call Covered California at (800) 300-1506.

SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health today announced the most recent statistics on COVID-19. California now has 1,224 confirmed cases. For more information on COVID-19 and California’s response visit the California Department of Public Health website.

COVID-19 in California by the Numbers

Note: The following numbers reflect information received from local health jurisdictions as of 2 p.m. PDT March 20. More current numbers may be available from local health jurisdictions.

1,224 – Positive cases

23 – Deaths (including one non-California resident)

Ages of all confirmed positive cases:

• Age 0-17: 19 cases
• Age 18-64: 876 cases
• Age 65+: 321 cases
• Unknown: 8 cases

Cases not related to repatriation flights: 1,200

• 96 – Travel-related
• 122 – Person to person
• 325 – Community transmission
• 657 – Under investigation

24 – Positive cases related to federal repatriation flights

Testing in California

As of 2 p.m. PDT March 20, approximately 25,200 tests had been conducted in California. This includes the latest numbers California has received from commercial and private labs. At least 12,528 results have been received and another 12,700+ are pending. Twenty-two state and county health labs are currently testing.

In order to better focus public health resources on the changing needs of California communities, the state is no longer collecting information about California travelers returning from countries that have confirmed COVID-19 outbreaks. Community transmission of COVID-19 has been identified in California since late February, and since early March, most of the confirmed cases in the state were not related to travel outside of the United States.

How People Can Protect Themselves
Every person has a role to play. Protecting yourself and your family comes down to common sense: 

·                  Staying home except for essential activities.

·                  Washing hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds.

·                  Avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.

·                  Cover a cough or sneeze with your sleeve, or disposable tissue. Wash your hands afterward.

·                  Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.

·                  Staying away from work, school or other people if you become sick with respiratory symptoms like fever and cough.

·                  Practicing social distancing.

·                  Following guidance from public health officials.

What to Do if You Think You’re Sick
Call ahead: If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough or shortness of breath) and may have had contact with a person with COVID-19, or recently traveled to countries with apparent community spread, call your health care provider before seeking medical care so that appropriate precautions can be taken.

California continues to issue guidance on preparing and protecting California from COVID-19. Consolidated guidance is available at www.cdph.ca.gov/covid19guidance.

More information about what Californians can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is available at www.covid19.ca.gov.

In compliance with the office closure health order issued by Riverside County public health officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser, the Department of Waste Resources headquarters office will close to the public starting Wednesday, March 18. However, we remain operational and accessible via email and telephone communications.

While in-person office visits will be discontinued, requests for clearances relating to building permits (Form B/C/D) and recycling/trash enclosure plans are still able to be submitted via email. Also, staff is available to answer questions relating to composting/recycling, waste approval, and other services. All inquiries should be directed to WasteWebSupport@rivco.org and will be routed to the specific division for a response. If you prefer to speak with staff by phone for assistance, call (951) 486-3200.

This directive applies only to the headquarters office, as all active landfills remain operational during standard business hours. Additionally, waste recycle parks at active landfills remain open, as current procedures are in line with proper social distancing guidelines. However, as a best practice, beginning March 25, 2020, the Department will limit landfill transactions to credit/debit transactions only (no cash). 

Approximately 11,393 vote-by-mail ballots will be mailed to voters starting today, March 16, for the City of Rancho Mirage general municipal mail ballot election on April 14. To be counted, completed ballots must be received at the Registrar of Voters office no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day, or be postmarked on or before Election Day and received no later than three days after Election Day.

Vote-by-mail ballots can be returned through the postal service or deposited in vote-by-mail drop-off boxes located at the Rancho Mirage City Clerk’s office or the Registrar of Voters office.

Early voting at the Registrar of Voters office begins today, Mach. 16, and continues Monday through Friday (excluding county holidays), from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The April 14 election encompasses all of the City of Rancho Mirage and is not a countywide election.  It is also an all-mail ballot election, so there will be no established polling places. If you have any questions about your eligibility to vote, please contact the registrar’s office at (951) 486-7200.

Administrative buildings to close to the public starting March 17

Although classes are not in session from March 16-20 due to COVID-19 pandemic, San Bernardino City Unified Schools continue feeding and caring for children.

To support working families with no other childcare options during the week of March 16-20, all SBCUSD elementary schools are offering free, emergency childcare for enrolled students up to age 11.  Childcare will be provided to District students from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  Enrolled students can receive childcare at the school closest to them, even if that is not the school they regularly attend.  Parents and guardians are asked to complete an emergency information card on the first day the student receives child care and must sign in and sign out students daily.

All children ages 18 and younger will receive free breakfast and lunch only March 16-20 and will not be asked to provide a student ID number or other identification.  Meals will be served during the following times:

Elementary Schools
Breakfast- 8:20 to 8:50 a.m.
Lunch- 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Middle Schools and High Schools
Breakfast- 7:00 to 7:25 a.m.
Lunch- 10:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The San Bernardino City Unified School District is doing its best to abide by social distancing guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control while also looking out for the best interests of students and employees.

Effective Tuesday, March 17, all District administrative buildings are closed to the public through April 6.  Anyone who has a need that must be addressed this week, should call the office they wish to visit and schedule an appointment.  Only authorized personnel and students receiving emergency childcare and meals can enter an SBCUSD school site.

Facts and circumstances are rapidly changing and families are encouraged to visit www.sbcusd.com/readysbcusd regularly or call the information hotline at (909) 888-KIDS (5437).

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- The San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder-Clerk will be closing its offices to the public and will be providing services exclusively via mail, email or phone, effective Wednesday, March 18th until further notice. This is a precautionary measure being taken to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

“I encourage San Bernardino County residents to visit our website and utilize the many services offered via mail, email and phone,” said San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder Bob Dutton. “While our offices will not be open to the public, regular department operations will continue to ensure customer service requests are processed.”

All services, with the exception of the issuance of marriage licenses and performance of marriage ceremonies, will remain available and processed by mail, email or phone. Marriage services will be discontinued until further notice.

Additional information, including necessary forms and processes, can be accessed online by residents by visiting the Assessor-Recorder-Clerk’s website: http://www.sbcounty.gov/ARC/Main/About/ServicesAvailable.aspx or by calling: 1 (877) 885-7654.

Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County invites you to
BAG HUNGER

When You Shop at Macy’s San Bernardino and Macy’s Victoria Gardens Now through March 31, 2020

Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County (CAPSBC) is excited to be selected by Macy’s San Bernardino and Macy’s Victoria Gardens as the nonprofit beneficiary of their 2020 Bag Hunger campaign.

Every March through our Bag Hunger campaign, each Macy’s store chooses a local food bank to donate time and money to. We’re proud to be a part of this annual campaign and hope that you can help by donating your extra change when you shop.

Here’s how 2020 Bag Hunger works:

When you shop at Macy’s San Bernardino or Macy’s Victoria Gardens now through March 31, 2020, you will have an opportunity when you check out to round up your purchase to help Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County. You can round up your purchase to the nearest dollar, up to $0.99 cents.

We know you love to shop at Macy’s!….and you will be helping your fellow community members in need this month.

Macy’s San Bernardino

Inland Center Mall, 400 Inland Center Dr., San Bernardino, CA 92408

Macy’s Victoria Gardens

7855 Kew Ave, Rancho Cucamonga, CA

To learn more about Macy’s efforts to end hunger, click here

Public Health Officer also orders social gatherings canceled of 10 or more

Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser today announced the first two deaths associated with coronavirus (COVID-19). Both deaths occurred among patients in the Coachella Valley.

“Our thoughts are with the families of the two patients,” said Kaiser. “Sadly, these outcomes are expected as we face a serious challenge and continue to make the necessary decisions to protect the health of the community.”

In addition, Kaiser today revised his previous order restricting public gatherings from 250 people or greater to no more than 10.

Kaiser’s new health order restricts mass gatherings of 10 people or more, and orders that gatherings with fewer than 10 people must have enough available room to maintain six feet of space between attendees. This is known as social distancing. There are limited exemptions to the 10-person rule, including healthcare facilities, grocery stores, daycare centers and restaurants serving take-out.

“My condolences and prayers are with the families who lost loved ones,” said Riverside County Board Chair and Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. “More so now than ever before, we must practice social distancing to flatten the curve. We will be consistently working for the benefit of our communities in these tough times that are before us.”

Kaiser has also ordered the closure of all Riverside County schools from elementary to college. He also has recommended that senior citizens and those with underlying health conditions in the Coachella Valley avoid any non-essential travel. The orders have impacted religious services, weddings, sporting events and classrooms countywide.

Riverside County officials have expanded testing and the county’s public health lab is now operational, meaning local officials will not have to send testing samples to the state lab in Northern California or neighboring San Bernardino County.

“Unfortunately, the number of cases are going to keep going up for awhile,” Kaiser said. “But we’re taking steps to keep us ahead of the curve and getting people taken care of as quickly as we can. If everyone does their part we’ll get through this together.”

Residents are urged to visit www.rivcoph.org/coronavirus for updated information. They can also find information on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/countyriversidedepartmentofpublichealth) and on Twitter @rivcodoc.

By Nigel Duara and Jackie Botts, CalMatters

Six utilities serving more than 21 million Californians have announced that they will not shut off customers’ power for non-payment as the coronavirus continues to disrupt daily life.

Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric and Pacific Power are taking the step until further notice. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which is the nation’s largest municipal utility, will not shut off power or water for non-paying customers until at least the end of March, and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District made the same announcement for its power customers.

Utilities usually protect customers who are struggling to pay bills only during major natural disasters.

“We’re trying to reduce the burdens people have,” said Pacific Power spokesman Tom Gauntt, whose company serves customers in Northern California, Oregon and Washington. “We do a similar thing during a big ice storm.”  

A seventh utility, Liberty Utilities, which serves about 50,000 electricity customers near Lake Tahoe, is considering a moratorium across the 14 states it serves, said Liberty western region spokesperson Alison Vai, but hadn’t made a final decision on Friday. 

California also has dozens of other municipally-owned electric utilities, including Pasadena, Anaheim, Riverside and Glendale.

“I think it’s a good thing that the utilities realize that we are in a public health care crisis with the coronavirus pandemic. It is appropriate to make sure that people aren’t disconnected in the middle of it,” said Mark Toney, executive director of the consumer advocacy organization Utility Reform Network, based in San Francisco. “A lot of people are going to not get paid, can’t go to work, can’t collect a salary.” 

In 2017, PG&E, Edison, SDG&E and the Southern California Gas Co. shut off power to about 886,000 households, affecting more than 2.5 million people, according to a report from the Utility Reform Network. These power disconnections are most common in California’s North Coast, Central Valley, the Inland Empire and parts of Los Angeles. Zip codes with large Latino populations are disproportionately affected, according to the report.

SoCal Edison shut off power about nine times for every 100 customers in 2016, while PG&E did so about six times per 100 customers. SDG&E’s rate was three shutoffs per 100 customers, and for SDG&E it was two, according to the Utility Reform Network report. And about 1 percent to 2 percent of Pacific Power’s customers have their power shut off during a typical year, Gaunt said.

Power usage could be altered by the pandemic in unexpected ways, said Wes Jones, communications manager for San Diego Electric & Gas. People who are self-quarantining or self-isolating will likely use more power than if they went to a job. Schools are closing across the state, meaning kids could be spending more time at home, too. 

It all will likely add up to higher power bills for California customers. 

The decision to stop disconnecting customers who can’t pay bills represents a distinct change from how utilities responded to the slower-moving Great Recession, when economic disconnections nearly tripled between 2007 and 2009, according to a 2017 report from the California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates privately owned utility companies. Only after the Commission intervened in 2009 did the companies stop shutting off power to customers who were late on their bills.

“I think they’re having a new relationship with their customers in acknowledging that just being punitive is not the answer,” said Commissioner Martha Guzman Aceves. “And that really helping their customers stay in a home with power will only help them revive economically. And that it’s in their interest to keep these customers healthy.”

The Federal Communications Commission on Friday asked Internet and cable providers to hold off on non-payment shutoffs, to not charge late fees and to open wireless hotspots for no charge until May 13, 60 days after the request. Most major telecom providers have agreed, according to a memo by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. 

The same day the California Broadband Council moved to “formally request that providers offer free Internet services until the end of April due to the State’s pandemic emergency,” said Alice Scott-Rowe, communications deputy director for the California Department of Technology. 

About 26 percent of California households lack a broadband subscription at home, according to a Public Policy Institute of California analysis of 2017 survey data from the Census Bureau. Those without broadband will find it nearly impossible to telecommute to work or attend classes online as more workplaces and schools shut down, said Guzman Aceves.

New York and New Jersey both announced Friday that no utility will be permitted to shut off power, heat or water during the states’ emergencies. But there is no statewide edict in California.

As the coronavirus threat spreads, six California legislators have asked Gov. Gavin Newsom for a host of measures aimed at assisting low-income state residents and those facing eviction. Their letter asked for a stay on all evictions and foreclosures, along with a statewide pause on any utility shutoff and a postponement of any adversarial hearing before a housing authority for recipients of housing assistance. 

Twelve Democratic members of Congress have asked for a national moratorium on water shutoffs, citing a survey of 73 utility companies across the country that found that utilities cut water service to at least 1.4 million people in 2016, disproportionately affecting low-income and minority communities. 

ProPublica found that though large water districts in Washington state have vowed not to shut off service for non-payment, smaller towns have made no such assurances, only saying they’ll be flexible regarding bill payment. 

In the last two years, at least two states have declared moratoria on shutoffs for non-payment, both of them weather-related. In Arizona, a woman died of heat-related causes in 2018. The following summer, the state forbade utilities regulated by the Arizona Corporation Commission from shutting off customer power during the state’s brutal summers. 

Wisconsin did something similar: In 2019, the state legislature passed a bill that prevents utility companies from shutting off electricity or heat from Nov. 1 to April 15. 

Guzman Aceves said it’s hard to predict how big of an economic impact the moratorium will have on utilities’ bottom line. 

“The real question is what kind of economic downturn is this virus going to cause and if we’re able to rebound? And that’s going to determine how many people are just not going to be able to pay their bills,” Guzman Aceves said. 

“I’d like to think that this is something (the utilities) can weather. I have no idea what this virus is capable of.”

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Jackie Botts and Nigel Duara are reporters with CalMatters. This article is part of The California Divide, a collaboration among newsrooms examining income inequity and economic survival in California.