In CA: Why are the state and counties paying for thousands of empty motel rooms?
About half of the hotel and motel rooms secured to house homeless people during the coronavirus remain empty. And five counties can't start reopening, including Tulare County. Cities are closing streets and offering loans to support small businesses, while shoppers are slow to try curbside pickup.
I'm Erin Rode, the housing reporter for the Ventura County Star, filling in today for Arlene Martinez.
But first, adults over 65 were the first group told to isolate during the coronavirus outbreak, and they might stay isolated even as younger people start returning to work. Now, some older adults are pushing back on the idea that they should stay isolated solely because of their age.
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Over 7,700 vacant hotel rooms
About half of the 15,000 hotel and motel rooms leased by the state to house vulnerable homeless individuals during the coronavirus outbreak remain vacant, according to a review of state records by the Los Angeles Times.
The rooms were secured through Project Roomkey, a statewide program launched by Gov. Gavin Newsom over a month ago. So far, 7,919 hotel rooms are occupied and 7,700 are vacant.
In some cities, NIMBY protesters have pushed back against plans to house homeless people in local motels. In San Dimas, a Motel 6 owner pulled out of Project Roomkey after about 100 residents protested in front of the motel, with signs saying, literally, "No Room Here."
Similar local opposition has occurred across Southern California, and Newsom says this pushback is slowing efforts to protect homeless people from the virus. But counties say the challenge is more logistical, caused by the difficulty of preparing rooms for occupancy and finding staff for the motels.
In addition to protecting homeless residents, there's money on the line. FEMA will reimburse the state and counties 75 percent of the cost of leasing rooms and providing services, but only if the rooms are occupied.
The road to reopening
On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced new reopening criteria that will allow 53 of the state's 58 counties to begin relaxing some coronavirus restrictions.
One of the five unlucky counties is Tulare County, which has the state's second-highest death rate (after Los Angeles County). Many of the cases are attributed to an outbreak at a nursing home, which the county's chairman says the county shouldn't be punished for.
"Why are the Tulare County public (and) Tulare County businesses being held hostage because of one corporation's bad actors? I don't think that's fair," said chairman Peter Vander Poel.
In Ventura County, there are a lot of unknowns about who's getting tested for COVID-19. Some tests are missing valuable information on city of residence that could help experts determine whether communities have access to testing, and the percent of positive cases in each city.
Business in the coronavirus era
Palm Desert and Buena Park became the latest California cities to start small business funding programs. Palm Desert will spend $1 million on an interest-free loan assistance program, while Buena Park is offering $10,000 grants to 51 businesses.
Ventura approved a proposal to allow stores and restaurants to expand into streets. The plan will close part of the city's Main Street and encourage social distancing by allowing businesses to spread out more. Long Beach is considering a similar initiative.
Bay Area retailers reopened for curbside pickup on Monday, but shoppers didn't rush back. Most shoppers stayed home, and foot traffic was slow in San Francisco.
Will colleges keep online learning in the fall?
The state's 115 community colleges will most likely continue with online learning in the fall, according to chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley. Last week, the California State University chancellor announced that system's classes will also be primarily online in fall 2020, and the University of California system is expected to make a decision next month.
Meanwhile, some private colleges in Southern California are planning to reopen for in-person classes.
Also in the news...
No-parking signs, cones and a longer walk to the trailhead didn't stop crowds who wanted to hike a trail in the Los Padres National Forest over the weekend. The popular hiking trail has seen large crowds over the past few weeks, which officials tried to stop with limited parking and increased patrols. It didn't work, and determined hikers walked on the road, parked in no-parking areas, and some had their vehicles towed.
And, based on the number of people at the trailhead, officials say there was no way hikers could practice social distancing.
"It seems like we've lost a certain amount of civility," said Los Padres spokesman Andrew Madsen. On Tuesday, the Forest Service announced it plans to temporarily close the trail.
While most sports fans are still waiting for their sport to return, there was some good news this week for.... vintage car racing fans. The Vintage Auto Racing Association held the first publicly sanctioned race since the start of the coronavirus outbreak in Buttonwillow over the weekend.
A party in Hollywood Hills on Saturday night that violated social distancing guidelines ended when a party-goer went to the hospital with a self-inflicted gunshot wound that was not life-threatening. About 100 guests attended the party, which was held at a house rented through Airbnb.
And, a neighborhood mariachi concert
One silver lining of stay-at-home orders: neighborhood concerts. One of my neighbors sets up giant speakers and sings opera for at least three hours every Saturday.
Neighborhoods in the Eastern Coachella Valley received a different musical serenade over the weekend when a mariachi band performed while walking through neighborhoods to entertain those at home during the coronavirus pandemic.
In California is a roundup of news from across USA TODAY Network newsrooms. Also contributing: San Francisco Chronicle, CalMatters, LAist, The Orange County Register, Los Angeles Times, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus, reopening businesses, online learning: Tues news
