Bay Area

California Cities, Counties Push New Vaccine Rules as COVID Cases Spike

Cities across California, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Long Beach have instituted weekly testing or proof of vaccination requirements for their employees.

Published

4 years ago

August 19, 2021

Isabelle Price

black teenager wearing protective mask against covid-19 with a smile on his face shows the vaccine brand, isolated on white background

Hospital workers in Los Angeles and other parts of the state have been working around the clock to contain the coronavirus Delta variant and treat patients infected by it.

According to statistics from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, the county’s positivity rate has steadily increased since the middle of June. Over the past two weeks, new cases, mostly involving the Delta variant, have jumped by more than 200%, according to the California Department of Public Health. Los Angeles County has seen the highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the state since the pandemic began in 2020.

Dr. Jerry Abraham, an African American physician who is director of Vaccines at the Kedran Community Health Center in South Los Angeles, says the Delta variant is a lot more infectious than previous strains of the coronavirus. Abraham says he has also seen an increase in requests for testing and vaccines over the last month.

One person can infect 8 to 10 people, he said.

To arrest what could become a widespread outbreak of the deadly virus, authorities in California at the local, county and state level are beginning to institute new regulations to prevent another statewide shutdown.

Already facing criticisms and pushback from some members of state workers unions and other opponents for aggressive actions he has taken in his fight against COVID-19, Gov. Gavin Newsom remained firm and announced last week that California school employees must be vaccinated against the virus. If not, they must take a weekly test to prove they are negative. The order affects all 1,037 public school districts and private schools as well.

“We think this is a sustainable way to keep our schools open and to address the No. 1 anxiety that parents like myself have for young children,” Newsom said at a press conference. “That is knowing that the schools are doing everything in their power to keep our kids safe.”

Late last month, Newsom also announced that all state and health care employees and people who work in congregate settings public health experts deem high-risk are required to be vaccinated. That order was the first state-issued mandate of its kind in the country.

“We are now dealing with a pandemic of the unvaccinated, and it’s going to take renewed efforts to protect Californians from the dangerous Delta variant,” Newsom said at the time. “As the state’s largest employer, we are leading by example and requiring all state and health care workers to show proof of vaccination or be tested regularly, and we are encouraging local governments and businesses to do the same.”

According to CDC figures, COVID-19 cases have been steadily rising over the last 30 days due to the Delta variant surge. The Delta strain was first identified in India in 2020 and showed up in America in March. The coronavirus develops new strains as it interacts with new host bodies, unvaccinated people, and develops stronger versions. As a result, the CDC recently reversed its stance and recommended Americans wear masks indoors.

Cities across California, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Long Beach have instituted weekly testing or proof of vaccination requirements for their employees.

San Diego County has instituted a similar policy.

A growing number of bars and restaurants in Los Angeles and the Bay Area are requiring proof of vaccination before patrons can enter them.

Some large California companies have followed suit implementing vaccination mandates of their own. Among the first ones to take the step are Facebook, Netflix, Google, Lyft, Uber and Disney Co.

President Joe Biden has recently issued a policy that requires all federal workers and contractors to show proof of vaccination or undergo regular testing.

Yet, across the country, including some parts of California, people are aggressively protesting vaccination and mask mandates. This weekend in Los Angeles one person was hospitalized in serious condition after pro-vaccine and anti-vaccine protesters clashed during dueling rallies at City Hall in downtown Los Angeles.

In California, roughly 51% of residents are fully vaccinated. Another 10% have received at least one vaccine.

Back in south Los Angeles, Abraham told California Black Media that unvaccinated people are being hospitalized and dying while vaccinated people who get infected are showing mild symptoms.

“Vaccines are the best line of defense,” he said

Abraham’s recommendations for protecting against the coronavirus include wearing masks, social distancing, increased sanitation, limiting exposure and staying home when sick.

According to Abraham, the CDPH recommends that medical professionals prepare for giving out a third booster shot. There are expectations that 5- to 11-year-olds will be eligible for vaccination in the fall.

However, Abraham said ,at this stage he’s not sure if we’re ever going to fully defeat the coronavirus. He said it might go into remission, much like chickenpox, a disease he hasn’t dealt with in almost 20 years.

He remains hopeful but said there’s more fighting to do to get rid of the Delta variant.

Isabelle Price

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Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

Published

2 days ago

May 25, 2025

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

Chevron Richmond Installs Baker Hughes Flare.IQ, Real-time Flare Monitoring, Control and Reduction System

While the sight of flaring can cause concern in the community, flares are essential safety systems that burn pollutants to prevent them from being released directly into the atmosphere. They activate during startup and shut-down of facility units or during upsets or equipment malfunctions. The typical flare stack is about 200 feet high so that vapors are well above street levels.

Published

1 week ago

May 19, 2025

Oakland Post

Image courtesy The Richmond Standard.

The Richmond Standard

Chevron Richmond recently installed flare.IQ, a real-time, automated system that will improve the facility’s flaring performance.

The technology, developed by Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business, uses sensors to monitor, reduce and control flaring in real time. It collects and assesses data on refinery processes, such as temperature, pressure, gas flow and gas composition, and adjusts accordingly to ensure flares burn more efficiently and cleanly, leading to fewer emissions.

“The cleaner the flare, the brighter the flame can look,” said Duy Nguyen, a Chevron Richmond flaring specialist. “If you see a brighter flame than usual on a flare, that actually means flare.IQ is operating as intended.”

“A key element in Baker Hughes’ emissions abatement portfolio, flare.IQ has a proven track record in optimizing flare operations and significantly reducing emissions,” said Colin Hehir, vice president of Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business. “By partnering with Chevron Richmond, one of the first operators in North America to adopt flare.IQ, we are looking forward to enhancing the plant’s flaring operations.”

The installation of flare.IQ is part of a broader and ongoing effort by Chevron Richmond to improve flare performance, particularly in response to increased events after the new, more efficient hydrogen plant was brought online in 2019.

Since then, the company has invested $25 million — and counting — into flare minimization. As part of the effort, a multidisciplinary refinery team was formed to find and implement ways to improve operational reliability and ultimately reduce flaring. Operators and other employees involved in management of flares and flare gas recovery systems undergo new training.

“It is important to me that the community knows we are working hard to lower emissions and improve our flaring performance,” Nguyen said.

Also evolving is the process by which community members are notified of flaring incidents. The Community Warning System (CWS), operated by Contra Costa County is an “all-hazard” public warning system.

Residents can opt-in to receive alerts via text, e-mail and landline. The CWS was recently expanded to enable residents to receive notifications for “Level 1” incidents, which are considered informational as they do not require any community action.

For more information related to these topics, check out the resources included on the Chevron Richmond, CAER and Contra Costa Health websites. Residents are also encouraged to follow @chevronrichmond and @RFDCAOnline on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), where additional information may be posted during an incident.

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Oakland Hosts Town Hall Addressing Lead Hazards in City Housing

According to the city, there are 22,000 households in need of services for lead issues, most in predominantly low-income or Black and Latino neighborhoods, but only 550 to 600 homes are addressed every year. The city is hoping to use part of the multimillion-dollar settlement to increase the number of households served each year.

Published

1 week ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Magaly Muñoz

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department hosted a town hall in the Fruitvale to discuss the efforts being undertaken to remove lead primarily found in housing in East and West Oakland.

In 2021, the city was awarded $14 million out of a $24 million legal settlement from a lawsuit against paint distributors for selling lead-based paint that has affected hundreds of families in Oakland and Alameda County. The funding is intended to be used for lead poisoning reduction and prevention services in paint only, not water or other sources as has been found recently in schools across the city.

The settlement can be used for developing or enhancing programs that abate lead-based paint, providing services to individuals, particularly exposed children, educating the public about hazards caused by lead paint, and covering attorney’s fees incurred in pursuing litigation.

Most of the homes affected were built prior to 1978, and 12,000 of these homes are considered to be at high risk for lead poisoning.

City councilmember Noel Gallo, who represents a few of the lead-affected Census tracts, said the majority of the poisoned kids and families are coming directly from neighborhoods like the Fruitvale.

“When you look at the [kids being admitted] at the children’s hospital, they’re coming from this community,” Gallo said at the town hall.

In order to eventually rid the highest impacted homes of lead poisoning, the city intends to create programs and activities such as lead-based paint inspections and assessments, full abatement designed to permanently eliminate lead-based paint, or partial abatement for repairs, painting, and specialized cleaning meant for temporary reduction of hazards.

In feedback for what the city could implement in their programming, residents in attendance of the event said they want more accessibility to resources, like blood testing, and information from officials about lead poisoning symptoms, hotlines for assistance, and updates on the reduction of lead in their communities.

Attendees also asked how they’d know where they are on the prioritization list and what would be done to address lead in the water found at several school sites in Oakland last year.

City staff said there will be a follow-up event to gather more community input for programming in August, with finalizations happening in the fall and a pilot launch in early 2026.