Staying In The Orange

Good Morning, I’m Annica Colbert….it’s Friday, May 7th. >>>> Staying in the orange tier for...well, just staying. More on that next, but first... let’s do the headlines…. ###### After a budget review committee hearing, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria reversed himself and now says he’ll attempt to maintain library service hours. His original budget proposal would have cut service to five days a week. Councilwoman Vivian Moreno was an opponent of reducing library hours and says libraries play an essential role in providing safe and accessible education in underserved communities like those in her district. ########## A survey by the Public Policy Institute of California says one in five Californians are hesitant or reluctant to get a vaccine. Among ethnic groups, black Californians are the most reluctant to get vaccinated, with white Californians coming in second. Here’s Survey Director Dean Bonner. "one in three republicans report being hesitant in taking the vaccine. and so I think that's why you see some of that crossing over to the share of white Californians who are saying they would not get the vaccine anytime soon." Urban residents were among the most receptive to getting vaccinated. ######## The Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and Marine Corps Community Services say the 2021 Miramar Air Show is canceled. They made the announcement on thursday. They say the cancellation is due to continuing health risks due to COVID-19. The Miramar Air Show is the largest military air show in the world, and is among some of the biggest events in San Diego, drawing in half a million people every year. ######### From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need. Five months into San Diego’s vaccination drive and more than 3.4 million doses have been administered. KPBS reporter Melissa Mae tells us how San Diego County is making it even easier to get a COVID-19 vaccine. County-wide, 63 percent of eligible people have now gotten their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.. And 44 percent have gotten both doses. Supervisor Nathan Fletcher says the county has plenty of vaccines now, so a shift is being made to focus on convenience for San Diegans to get their vaccine. People can now book an appointment even further in advance. Nathan Fletcher/San Diego County Supervisor “Extending it 7 days out so folks can plan a little further in advance. We’re also shifting several of our sites to go until 8 PM.” Today, three vaccination sites extended their hours from 1-8 PM. The sites are in Oceanside, El Cajon and Chula Vista. Each clinic will administer Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to people with and without appointments. Another effort includes pop up sites in high traffic areas. Nathan Fletcher/San Diego County Supervisor “We are working with MTS for example on identifying frequently high visited areas.” San Diego County is also working with senior centers, the Elks lodge and faith based organizations. Nathan Fletcher/San Diego County Supervisor “We’re working with the council on American-Islamic relations, looking at large gatherings, numbers of folks around the end of Ramadan.” People may not even have to leave work to get vaccinated. Nathan Fletcher San Diego County Supervisor “We will have more information about partnerships for employers and businesses and way people can sign up to get on a list to have a pop up or drop in vaccine site brought to them. Supervisor Nora Vargas says vaccine efforts in some of the hardest-hit areas are paying off.. Nora Vargas San Diego County Supervisor “In 10 out of the 39 most impacted zip codes in San Diego County that were designated health equity zip codes, over 50% of the population now has at least one dose.” While the county is making progress on vaccines, officials still don’t expect to move out of the orange tier before the tier system is retired next month. They say that’s because of a low COVID-19 testing rate. And that was KPBS’ Melissa Mae. ########## Scripps Health starts day six of their battle with a crippling cyber attack, and so far there’s no end in sight. Meanwhile, some appointments and operations are still being delayed. KPBS Health reporter Matt Hoffman spoke with a woman who is having to put her healthcare on hold.. “To have this pushed back indefinitely has been really stressful for me” Scripps ranch resident Allison Weisman is one of the many patients impacted by the ongoing cyber attack at Scripps health-- “Being in limbo is very very stressful “ Weisman’s sister recently found out she had cancer.. And she had a breast biopsy scheduled for earlier this week that’s been postponed-- with no idea when she’ll be able to see a doctor-- Allison Weisman, Scripps Health patient My sister was just diagnosed with breast cancer and my mother passed away of breast cancer so it’s very important for me to get some results Scripps Health officials have been tight lipped about the malware attack that was first reported over the weekend.. Their most recent update said a cybersecurity firm has been contracted to assist in restoring critical services.. After finding malware on computer networks. Since Saturday the Scripps Health website and other online systems have been dark.. Forcing appointments and other critical operations to be put on hold. I’m up about every hour during the night checking their website to see if it’s up and running checking the app i called multiples times a day so it’s very stressful Many frustrated patients are taking to social media, asking if any personal data has been compromised, and when they’ll be able to rebook appointments-- if it’s only going to be a week or a few days I can hang on but it’s the not knowing and that’s the big frustration with me Scripps has not been forthcoming with information Weisman has been looking into getting treatment at UC San Diego health, but she’d have to pay out of pocket for that- Maybe come over to them but because i’ve already had an MRI and all the films and those are not accessible I’d have to go back to square one She’s not the only one.. UCSD Health officials are reporting an increase in patients coming to their facilities, especially emergency rooms.. A sharp healthcare spokesperson said they were also seeing increased emergency room visits as Scripps health is on bypass.. Neither Scripps nor County officials would confirm that.. A county spokesman described it as a dynamic situation. I just think that scripps really needs to let people know let their patients know what’s going on and not leaving us in limbo The state health department says they are closely monitoring the impacted hospitals.. Saying they are operational and caring for patients using emergency protocols. There is no indication of when the cyber attack will be resolved.. The FBI says it is aware of the incident -- and said they take cyber crimes and their impact to communities seriously. And that was KPBS’ Matt Hoffman ###### Republican John Cox is running as a Republican candidate to unseat Governor Gavin Newsom in a recall election. He claimed this week Governor Gavin Newsom has “just let tens of thousands of inmates out of jail.” And CapRadio’s PolitiFact California reporter Chris Nichols spoke with anchor Randol White about that and other claims in this week’s Can You Handle The Truth segment. ANCHOR: Chris, remind us, who is John Cox? And what was going on when he made this claim? CHRIS: Cox is a San Diego County businessman. He ran and lost to Newsom back in the 2018 governor’s race. And he made this statement about inmates during a kick-off event for his campaign in the recall election. More memorable than anything he said is the ‘live 1,000 pound Kodiak bear’ that Cox brought to the event. But even so ... here is the statement that caught our attention: 01Cox: “[Newsom] just let 76,000 inmates out of jail with almost no warning. Many of those are going to commit other crimes. I mean, what are we going to do, then I want my daughter to feel safe. I want everybody to feel safe." (:14) ANCHOR: 76,000 inmates -- Did Cox get this right? CHRIS: No, he really did not. In fact, we found that Cox distorted things. Here’s what actually happened: Late last week, the state corrections agency expanded a ‘good behavior program’ for inmates -- and Cox was right that there wasn’t much public notice on this. But no one was let out of prison. The change makes 76,000 inmates eligible for somewhat shorter sentences. They can reduce their time by one-third. Before this change, they could reduce it, but by a smaller amount. But they’ll need to demonstrate good behavior and in some cases complete a rehabilitation program. ANCHOR: When might inmates be released early through this change? CHRIS: A state prisons spokesperson told us it could be months or years before anyone is released through this change. ANCHOR: How did PolitiFact California rate this claim? CHRIS: We rated this claim False. ANCHOR: Finally, Chris, Governor Newsom made a claim about how much the recall election could cost. Let’s listen to what he said. 01Newsom: “Now is not the time to waste hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars on a recall effort that is nothing more than a partisan power grab.” (:10) ANCHOR: Hundreds of millions of dollars. Did the governor get his numbers right? CHRIS: It looks like he did. I spoke with Donna Johnston about this. She is the Sutter County registrar. She’s also president of the California Association of Clerks and Election officials. And her group has been crunching the numbers on the potential cost of the recall election. Right now, if counties have to follow social distancing rules required in last fall’s election, Johnston’s group says the recall could cost 400 million dollars. Here she is on Newsom’s claim: 01Donna: “Yes, it is a correct figure. Especially if we’re falling under the same protocols and mandates as November.” (:06) It’s not clear what rules will be in place this fall. But Johston says elections are expensive. Everything from labor and training, to printing all the ballots, paying for all the postage … really adds up. So, the governor’s statement is a prediction. But he is on the right track. That was CapRadio’s PolitiFact California reporter Chris Nichols speaking with anchor Randol White. Full versions of all fact checks are at CapRadio-Dot-Org-Slash-PolitiFact. ########## Coming up.... The TCM classic film festival is live and more accessible than before. We’ll have a look at it with KPBS Film critic Beth Accomando, as well as our weekend preview. All arts next, just after the break. The pandemic has really not been all that great for the movie world by any means, but there is one silver lining -- more access to film festivals from around the world. Last night kicked off the TCM classic Film Festival, and KPBS Film Critic Beth Accomando says it has not only great hollywood flicks, but also supplemental material to put them into context. And that was KPBS Film critic Beth Accomando. TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL runs THROUGH SUNDAY ON BOTH THE TURNER CLASSIC MOVIE CHANNEL AND HBO MAX. And if you’re looking for some local arts, we also have KPBS Arts editor and producer Julia Dixon-Evans here with her top three picks for the weekend. That’s it for the podcast today. Be sure to catch KPBS Midday Edition At Noon on KPBS radio, or check out the Midday podcast. You can also watch KPBS Evening Edition at 5 O’clock on KPBS Television, and as always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Annica Colbert. Thanks for listening and have a great day.