March 8, 2021
Volume 3 • Issue 4
The Bay Area Review
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HIGH SCHOOL DANCE TEAM MAKES NORTHERN CALIFORNIA HISTORY
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For the first time in Northern California and school history, the Presentation High School Varsity dance team was awarded the 2021 National Grand Champion award, the highest prize at the Contest of Champions Nationals competition on March 6. Normally,
the 13-member varsity and 12-member junior varsity dance teams travel to Orlando, Florida to compete. Due to COVID-19, however, the contest was 100% virtual this year. All teams performed at home in accordance with school and community safety guidelines and entered
their routines into the competition via video. The Presentation dance team has traveled to the annual Contest of Champions for the past 15 years. Over 150 groups and 100 soloists from all over the country performed this year and the broadcast of the
competition took place March 1-5, followed by an awards show on the 6th where winners were announced. This award represents a stellar team achievement because it’s calculated based on the number of overall awards/points received by the group.
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A Big thank you to Holly Elkins, President of Presentation High School and Sarah Fugate, Dance Team Coach!!
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Dance and Triumph
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“Given the pandemic, this is even more incredible because our restrictions in Santa Clara County were much tighter than for teams in other parts of the country,” said Sara Fugate, Presentation High School Dance Director. This is the first time a Northern California school was awarded the Grand Nationals Champion, she added. Presentation students have been attending classes via Zoom since March 2020.
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As part of their extracurricular athletics, the dance team was able to practice on campus three times a week. Divided into cohorts, they maintained a 6-foot distance and wore masks at all times. This contactless practice meant no choreographed lifts or partnering. Mandatory outside practice was another challenge. “We danced in our school’s courtyard, in our school’s parking lot, on our school’s turf field – we were everywhere we normally don’t practice and on
surfaces that aren’t made for dance,” said Fugate. Not only was COVID-19 challenging, there were also other setbacks including poor air quality last fall due to the wildfires, and more recently practicing in frigid temperatures. Through it all, the team not only prevailed, but danced its way to the pinnacle. Fugate isn’t surprised. “This team is such a talented group, I believed in them from the beginning. With their work ethic, I knew they could achieve anything
they set out to do,” she said. Team officer Michelle Ledezma, 17, of San Jose, has been a member of the Pres dance team since her freshman year. Her final season – and senior year – isn’t what she expected. Being at home on Zoom all day has impacted her mental health, she said, but the chance to come together, grow close and dance with her teammates has been especially meaningful. “Watching the taped competition, we saw other teams performing
inside, coming in close contact, doing partner work. The day we filmed [our entry], we had to battle for a piece of the turf field while an elementary school team played Lacrosse nearby,” she recalled with a laugh. “Going through so much, this win is like the cherry on top.” “It would be an amazing feat in a normal year, but in the midst of a pandemic? These girls are over the top incredible. We are so proud of them,” said Holly Elkins, president of Presentation High School.
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march 8, 2021
A Step Forward
San Jose Mayor Announces Resilience Corps Jobs Program in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic “Proposal focuses on jobs program primarily for young adults residing in high-poverty and high-unemployment neighborhoods” SAN JOSÉ, CA - Yesterday, San José Mayor Sam Liccardo was joined by council colleagues and community partners to announce the proposal to create a new Resilience Corps. High pandemic-induced unemployment rates disproportionately afflict high-poverty neighborhoods. The Resilience Corps will create more than 500 jobs primarily––but not exclusively––for young adults focusing on five critical tasks of community resilience: pandemic response, environmental resilience, overcoming the learning loss of struggling students, economic recovery, and disaster preparedness. “Among the many crises wrought by the events of the last year, an entire generation of young adults have grappled with dimming life prospects under the crushing weight of poverty and extended unemployment, at a rate double that of the rest of our workforce,” said Mayor Sam Liccardo. “These same young people have the energy and talent to help us tackle many of our greatest
challenges--from the pandemic to climate change to widening gaps in educational and economic outcomes. In the Resilience Corps, need meets opportunity.” The Resilience Corps seeks to support unemployed and underemployed young adults through living-wage employment and work experience opportunities. San Jose has many potential jobs doing critically important work to create a more climate-smart and resilient future for our city; allowing these youth to get paychecks into pockets while hugely benefitting our community at large. The Resilience Corps builds on San Jose’s role as a pilot city for Governor Newsom’s Climate Action Corps, working through a network of non-profits and city departments that can put primarily––but not exclusively––young adults to work immediately––at tasks requiring only modest training–– to bolster the community’s resilience to two of our most urgent crises, climate change, and the pandemic. Mem-
bers of the Resilience Corps would receive a living wage with health insurance, with employment-focused on San Jose residents living in high-poverty census tracts, regardless of immigration status or citizenship. Mayor Liccardo also led a bipartisan coalition of nearly two dozen mayors from across the country to advocate for federal and state funding for Resilience Corps in every city. San Jose will be the first city nationally to launch, and the coalitions of mayors urge that federal support will enable others to follow. At the local level, extensive input was collected from community organizations across a variety
of sectors about potential employment opportunities through Resilience Corps, such as: Save the Bay, Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful, Hunger At Home, Mexican Heritage Plaza, Gardner Health, Innovate Public Schools, and San Jose Conservation Corps. Speakers at today’s press conference included community partners Jessica Paz-Cedillos, Executive Director of the School of Arts and Culture at MHP, Reymundo Espinoza, CEO of Gardner Health, Patricia
Medina, San Jose Parent, Innovative Schools, as well as Vice Mayor Chappie Jones (D-1), and Councilmembers Magdalena Carrasco (D5), Matt Mahan (D-10). The Budget Message proposal will be considered by the City Council on March 16, 2021. Funding will include a
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Public Education
Reopening California Schools Safely The California Legislature has been working with health experts, school employees, teachers, and local education partners in an effort to figure out the best way for kids to get back to school safely. As more and more counties see lower case rates and hospitalizations, we now have the opportunity to launch the safe reopening of schools statewide. Yesterday’s passage of AB 86 provides $6.6 billion in funding and incentives to give local school districts the tools and resources needed to begin in-person instruc-
tion and address learning loss. AB 86 does not force local districts to open schools if they are not comfortable with it, but does provide guidelines and funding as an incentive for school administrators to get teachers and children back into the classrooms. Please visit https:// schools.covid19.ca.gov/ for more information on: School reopening statuses near you Details of the California’s Safe Schools for All Plan How staff and parents
can give feedback pertaining to their school’s reopening plans, and more Thank you to our teachers and school employees for their continued dedication to our students and their well-being, and a safe reopening plan for our schools. Sincerely, Ash Kalra Assemblymember, 27th District Website: https://a27.asmdc.org
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march 8, 2021
Unhoused Individuals Facing Danger During Bay Area Storm Get Aid and Refuge from Homefirst Services
With another Bay Area storm on the way, unhoused folks all over Santa Clara County are bracing for impact to stay warm, dry and safe. HomeFirst Services of Santa Clara County is providing critical outreach and refuge for the most vulnerable in our community. In association with the City of San Jose, the nonprofit outreach contractor has shifted into overdrive since the historic storm, inviting unhoused folks to come in from the cold. HomeFirst Services outreach team’s routine weekday check-ins have drastically increased, frequenting encampments and previously known locations where unhoused people reside, every day of the storm. “There are very real dangers in everyday living unsheltered from the elements, but when
Mother Nature presents freezing temperatures, unyielding wind and rain, the dangers become even greater on a population that is already vulnerable,” said CEO Andrea Urton. “We are so proud of our outreach teams who show up to do wellness checks and to encourage moving inside to a shelter or at least to higher ground.” Three outreach teams, comprised of HomeFirst Services staff including case managers, have been working nonstop to invite unhoused folks to come with them to one of the agency’s emergency shelters from their encampments or single sleeping sites exposed to the rain and cold – especially those near waterways that are now near, or historically have been in danger of flooding. For those unable or unwilling to come into a shelter, outreach teams
encourage moving their tents to higher ground, to better and safer locations. The organization has a long history of providing emergency services throughout Santa Clara County as well as long- established Cold Weather Shelters and warming locations. “HomeFirst has extensive experience in serving those who are rendered homeless by adverse weather conditions – most notably following the 2017 Coyote Creek Flood that displaced 14,000. Hundreds of homeless individuals and families saw their tents and encampments float away and over 500 homes were evacuated leaving hundreds of families homeless as
Public Safety
well. HomeFirst teams operated the City of San Jose emergency shelter at the Seven Trees Community Center for more than five weeks.” The organization with continue its efforts during the next several days of rain and cold weather, aiming to ensure those at risk will be as safe as possible. About HomeFirst Services HomeFirst™ Services is a leading provider of services, shelter, and housing opportunities to the homeless and those at risk of homelessness in Santa Clara County. The organization serves
more than 5,000 adults, veterans, families, and youth each year currently at twelve locations, including the Boccardo Reception Center, the county’s largest homeless services center. With 40 years of experience, they’ve learned that everyone has the potential to get housed and stay housed. HomeFirst Services is relentlessly focused on eliminating barriers to housing and creating stability for everyone they serve. https://www.homefirstscc.org
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County News
Santa Clara County Moves into Red Tier, Urges Continued Caution Effective March 3, 2021, Santa Clara County entered the Red Tier of the State’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. The County has also lifted local activity-specific health directives. All activities are still subject to the State’s State’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, the State’s industry-specific guidance, and the County’s Risk Reduction Health Order. Business, organizations, and entities must also comply with the County Health Officer’s Mandatory Directive on Capacity Limitations and Mandatory Directive on Case Reporting By K-12 Schools, Youth Athletic Programs, and Other Youth Programs. The following changes went into effect in Santa Clara County on Wednesday, March 3rd: All activities authorized under the State’s Red Tier, including indoor dining, can resume in accordance with State capacity limits and safety protocols, including: Indoor dining at max-
imum 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer; Retail stores at maximum 50% capacity; Gyms and fitness centers at maximum 10% capacity; Movie theaters at maximum 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer; and Zoos, museums, and aquariums at 25% maximum indoor capacity. Sector and activity-specific local directives will no longer be in effect. The Mandatory Directive on Travel will no longer be in effect. Even though certain activities are allowed to resume, the County Health Officer urges businesses, organizations, and entities to proceed with caution. COVID-19 is still a major risk in the community, and it is important that everyone take measures to reduce the risk of transmission. Although the activity-specific directives are no longer mandatory, the County Health Officer strongly recom-
mends that businesses continue to follow the directives to protect workers, customers, and the public. As a reminder, the County Risk Reduction Health Order still requires that all businesses, organizations, and entities mandate the use of face coverings while indoors, implement a Social Distancing Protocol, maximize telework, and immediately report cases to the Public Health Department. COVID-19 Cases in Santa Clara County This past week, the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department reported 57 more individuals in the county who contracted COVID-19 have lost their lives. This brings the total number of COVID-19 deaths in the county to 1,822. As of Friday, March 5th, the total case count had reached 111,460, and the 7 day rolling average of new cases (based on specimen collection date) was at 217 cases
per day. As of Friday, there were 171 COVID positive patients hospitalized in Santa Clara County (down from 205 the prior week and 253 the week before that). Of these hospitalizations, 59 were in the ICU. COVID positive patients now occupy 17% of all ICU beds, and 18% of beds are currently available. These ICU bed capacity numbers already factor in surge beds that are staffed. More data can be found through the Public Health Department’s Data Dashboards. Vaccine data from the California Department of Public Health’s California Immunization Registry (CAIR2) now show that 59.5% of county residents age 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine, with 328,342 total residents now partially or fully vaccinated. These data reflect strong progress towards the County’s goal of vacci-
nating at least 85% of residents age 16 or older by August 1, 2021. The data also continue to reflect the ongoing need to focus vaccination efforts on ensuring equitable access for those at greatest risk of serious illness and death, and those at greatest risk of exposure to COVID-19. The State of California has established phases and tiers for when different populations are eligible to receive vaccine. Information on who will be eligible next is available on the State of California’s vaccination website. As a reminder, starting on February 28th, healthcare providers across Santa Clara County expanded access to COVID-19 vaccination to county residents who work in education and childcare, emergency services, and the food and agriculture industries. The latest updates on vaccine eligibility and how to schedule an appointment are available on the County’s website at sccfreevax.org
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Black Lawmakers Back Gov. Newsom’s $6.6 Billion Schools Reopening Plan Bo Tefu | California Black Media Black officials and health advocates across the state have thrown their support behind Gov. Gavin Newsom’s equity-informed plan for safely reopening California’s schools and economy.
promise if we want to truly be a California for all.”
Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena), chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, said the vaccine equity plan addresses the injustices and health disparities in the communities most affected by the pandemic.
The state has set aside 40 % of its vaccine doses for distribution in communities the most impacted by the coronavirus, as part of its Blueprint for a Safer Economy initiative. Last week, Gov. Newsom signed a $6.6 billion bill to accelerate the safe reopening of schools and expand student support statewide. An additional $30 million was administered to 180 community organizations that will prioritize underserved populations disproportionately affected by the pandemic through outreach programs and healthcare resources.
“The virus has magnified the systemic and structural racism our communities have experienced in the criminal justice, education, and health care systems for generations,” Sen. Bradford said. “We are first in line for infection and death but last when it comes to the vaccine. Black Californians need to be included in practice and not just in a
Rhonda Smith, executive director of the California Black Health Network, said many low-income individuals in underserved communities seek health care services at community health care centers. State officials funding local community health centers addresses the challenge of limited supplies and resources for vaccine distribution, said Smith.
The plan includes an increased education budget, as well as vaccine distribution protocols informed by data to minimize the threat of COVID-19 spread.
“Working with trusted resources providers and community partners is important. They are key influencers in our communities where there are concerns and hesitancy about the vaccine,” Smith said. Racial disparities in the healthcare system have contributed to the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus on the African American population, said Smith, emphasizing that chronic diseases and underlying health issues have put African Americans at greater risk of being infected with the coronavirus.
A Step Forward The state’s goal is to administer two million vaccine doses for communities that were the most affected by the coronavirus. State officials also updated protocols and metrics – such as effective testing locations, contact tracing, and quarantine procedures – to reduce the spread of the coronavirus while maximizing vaccine efficacy. Once authorities successfully vaccinate two million people in the hardest hit communities in the state, which represents about 25 % of eligible Californians, the governor’s office will readjust its “Blueprint for a Safer Economy,” a color-coded, fourtiered system California currently uses to tighten or loosen restrictions county by county. The tiers will be updated
to allow for somewhat higher case rates. The purple (widespread) tier will shift from greater than 7 cases per 100,000 to greater than 10 cases per 100,000; and the Red (Substantial) tier will be widened to 4-10 cases per 100,000. Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager (D-Los Angeles), vice-chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, said the vaccine equity plan helps close the privilege gap between the “haves and the have-nots.”
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The Bay Area Review • Online: www.thebayareareview.com
Covid Update
As California Reopens, Black Doctors Answer Nagging COVID Questions Tanu Henry | California Black Media Can COVID vaccines affect fertility? Were Black people used in the COVID vaccine research studies? Do you still need to get vaccinated if you’ve already had COVID-19? What is emergency use authorization? These are just four out of about 50 resurfacing questions a group of Black doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals answers in a video intended to penetrate clouds of misinformation about COVID-19 as it provides vital information that address lingering questions, still unanswered, that many people have about COVID-19. The video titled “A Conversation: Between Us, About Us,” is moderated by Palo Alto native, comedian and San Francisco resident W. Kamau Bell. The video is produced with
the support of a partnership between the Black Coalition Against COVID (BCAC), a national advocacy group, and the San Francisco-based Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a philanthropic non-profit focused on generating data and resources to equip policymakers and the general public with important health information. Berkeley-based Jacob Kornbluth Productions worked with KFF and BCAC to create the videos. California Health Care Foundation, the Commonwealth Fund and Sierra Health Foundation also contributed to funding the production and distribution of the video. “I was a part of the expert African American panel, which is a group of providers like myself – with doctors, nurses, community people, et
cetera. This is a group that was created through National Institutes of Health to review the various vaccine protocols for the different companies that were developing the vaccines,” said Orlando Harris, a public health researcher, during the introduction of the video featuring him. The healthcare professionals’ push to educate African Americans with the intention to reduce “vaccine hesitancy” is just one of many other similar campaigns around the country organized by civil rights organizations, government agencies, professional organizations, community groups, foundations and others. The information they are providing comes at a time when California
is taking major steps to relax social isolation guidelines, reopen large businesses like theme parks and restart in-person learning for children attending K-12 public schools. Last week, Gov. Newsom announced that the state is investing $6.6 billion into recovery efforts that include facilitating the safe reopening of schools. On Friday, Mark Ghaly, California Health and Human Services Secretary, said he believes as more Californians become vaccinated the safter it would be to change the state-issued guidance on restricted activities. Theme parks could reopen as soon as April 1, he said. “We feel like now is the appropriate time to begin to reintroduce these activities in some
fashion and, again, in a guarded way, in a slow and steady way, with the other protective factors of the blueprint all sort of wrapped around it,” Ghaly said during the news briefing. The medical professionals who participated in “Conversation” project say the information they share in the videos will facilitate discussions among family members and arm health workers with credible information they need to answer questions patients may have. “Taking off my hat as a clinician and a researcher, I have to go home and have conversations with my mom, with my dad, and my grandparents about the vaccine and why taking the vaccine is important,”
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We are thrilled to announce that the song “Godless Land,” written by Cathy Lemons & Kid Andersen, made the Finals in the blues category for the 2020 International Songwriting Competition! The song is from the album “Godless Land” on Vizztone. There were 28k entries for this well respected songwriting contest in 2020 with only 14 songs making it to the finals. Cathy Lemons also made the finals in 2018 for the song “The River” from the album “Blind Spot.” The Lucky Losers are interviewed by comedian and TV personality Michael Petit on Late Night New England. On the show they perform an original song “Catch Desire By The Tail.” Cathy Lemons & Phil Berkowitz talk about their plans for the future, their success with their album “Godless Land,” & the pandemic Website: www.theluckylosers.com.
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march 8, 2021
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Energy Futures
In Support of Statewide Initiatives, PG&E, SVCE, & SJCE Will Move Some Residential Customers in Santa Clara County to a Time-of-Use Rate Plan in June 2021 SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. (February 22, 2021) - As part of a multi-year, statewide energy policy to create a cleaner energy future for California, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE), and San José Clean Energy (SJCE) will move approximately 395,000 eligible residential electric customers currently on a tiered rate plan called E-1 to a Time-ofUse (TOU) rate plan in June 2021. On the Timeof-Use (Peak Pricing 4:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Every Day) rate plan, when customers use energy is as important as how much they use. Customers are encouraged to shift some energy use to times when rates are lower, demand is lower, and renewable resources, like solar and wind power, are most plentiful. The transition to this Time-of-Use rate plan will occur by geographical region and affect approximately 2.5 million customers
in PG&E’s service area in stages through 2022. Customers in Santa Clara County – except for the cities of Santa Clara and Palo Alto, who are served by municipal utilities – will receive a series of notifications by mail starting this month to allow them ample time to make a choice if they prefer another rate plan. “To ensure our customers are fully aware of the transition to the Time-of-Use rate and how the program works, we’re communicating this change more than 90 days ahead, and we’ll continue to share information before each regional transition takes place,” said Laurie Giammona, Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer for PG&E. “And, customers can choose the rate plan that best fits their needs and lives at any time.” All California investor-owned electric utilities are required to automatically transition
customers to the Timeof-Use rate plan to support a cleaner, healthier and more reliable energy grid. PG&E, SVCE, and SJCE do not profit from this change. Customers can choose an alternate Time-of-Use rate plan or another rate plan, including the Tiered rate plan, at any time. Customers enrolled in the Medical Baseline program will not be part of the automatic transition . “Collectively, our customers are expected to save more than $2 million on their electricity bills by transitioning to
The main difference with Time-of-Use rate plans is that when you use electricity is as important as how much you use. Time-of-Use rates,” said Lori Mitchell, Director of the City of San José Community Energy Department, which operates SJCE. “Not only will many customers save money, the shift in energy use to lower-priced times of the day will lead to a cleaner and more reliable energy grid, creating a healthier and more livable California for all.”
“Shifting when customers use electricity, combined with our ongoing work to build more renewables and energy storage, will help California continue to lead the way to a cleaner energy future,” said Girish Balachandran, CEO of SVCE.
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The Bay Area Review • Online: www.thebayareareview.com
‘We’re born Indian and we die white’: California Indigenous fear COVID deaths undercounted
COVID-19 News
BY KATE CIMINI MARCH 2, 2021 For years, Betty Sigala spoke to her family about her death: she didn’t want to be put on a machine and she didn’t want to die alone. When she was admitted in June to the COVID-19 care ward at her local hospital, her family refused a ventilator. One of her grandsons convinced the nurses to ignore the no visitors rule and let him in. He set up an iPad so the family could speak with her, then held her hand as she died. Her granddaughter, Leticia Aguilar, 37, lit a fire for her that lasted four days and four nights, a tradition of their Pinoleville Pomo Nation. She cut her hair in mourning, and sang and gave offerings to help her grandmother on the yearlong journey she would take to her final resting place. As Aguilar arranged for her grandmother’s burial, Liz Sigala, Aguilar’s aunt and Betty Sigala’s daughter, was admitted to emergency room care. She couldn’t breathe, gasping for air when she tried to speak.
Eleven days after her mother’s death, Liz Sigala died from COVID-19. The family held a double burial. Aguilar lit the fire once again. Amid the ceremony and grieving, Aguilar made sure to fill out both death certificates, marking each of them “Native American.” She was proud she could do this last thing for them. “I’m so glad that we were able to have them counted,” she recalled nearly eight months later. “It meant a lot for us, as natives.” Aguilar, who lives in Sacramento, feared that if she let hospital staff fill out the form her family would be misclassified as Latino, white or even marked as “other.” Native American leaders across California said COVID-19 deaths are a shadow on their communities, yet state figures show few American Indian people have died here compared with other states. Leaders and experts fear their community’s deaths have been undercounted because of a long history of Native Americans being racially misclassified. And data shows
they may be correct. This unacceptable and damaging practice can bar native people from getting the help and resources they actually need, they said. California has the largest number of American Indians and Alaska Natives in the United States and the largest number of American Indians and Alaska Natives living in urban centers. They are often declared white, Latino or Black on official forms by uninformed hospital workers, according to community leaders and various studies. Sometimes they are simply listed as “other.”
Nearly 9,000 American Indians in California have been sickened by COVID-19 and 163 have died, according to the state public health authority. Native American leaders said those figures do not reflect the death and sickness they’ve seen invade their communities, both on and off reservation land. It also doesn’t reflect national data that shows Native Americans, who are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 because of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and hypertension, are dying at horrifying high rates.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows American Indians and Alaska Natives are the single group hardest-hit by the pandemic. They are diagnosed with COVID-19 at nearly twice the rate of white people, hospitalized almost four times as frequently, and die at a rate of two and a half times that of whites.
[Continued on Page 15]
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The Bay Area Review • Online: www.thebayareareview.com
Down Graded
Red Tier Indoor Dining and More Starting today -- March 3rd, 2021 -- our County is now in the State’s Red Tier which permits modified indoor dining and indoor gatherings. This is welcome news for our numerous businesses. The new relaxed restrictions are thanks to the continued progress in vaccinations and improving COVID-19 case rates and hospitalizations in Santa Clara County. The County’s previous Risk Reduction Order, which requires everyone to follow all State orders and guidance, maintain distance, and wear face coverings as much as possible, will remain in effect. The Order also requires all businesses and other entities to maximize telework, post a Social Distancing Protocol outlining specific COVID-19 safety plans, and promptly report any cases to the Public Health Department. All activities authorized under the State’s Red Tier, including indoor dining, can resume in accordance with State capacity limits and safety protocols, including: Indoor dining at max-
imum 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer; Retail stores at maximum 50% capacity; Gyms and fitness centers at maximum 10% capacity; Movie theaters at maximum 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer; Zoos, museums, and aquariums at 25% maximum indoor capacity. Sector and activity-specific local directives will no longer be in effect. The Mandatory Directive on Travel will no longer be in effect. Each year, the President of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors delivers a “State of the County Address,” which I delivered virtually on Monday, February 22nd during which I spoke to the effects of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic on our region’s collective health and economy. I expressed my desire for 2021 to be a year of healing and restoration of normalcy – the key to which is vaccinations. I explained the challenges of state and federal systems and policies that have
been restricting the funds and vaccines. As always, I expressed my gratitude for the healthcare workers who put the County’s collective health before their own. I called on our community to work together to create a thriving and healthy post-pandemic era and to get vaccinated as soon as eligible. The number one comment I hear from residents is, “I just want things to get back to normal.” I understand. Kids need classroom learning and activities, businesses need to operate, healthcare workers need relief. The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged our world like a destructive wildfire. We all want to return to some sort of normalcy in Santa Clara County. And you can help make it happen: Call your family members, neighbors and friends who are eligible to be vaccinated. Groups like older adults and non-English speakers may not be getting information quickly or are having trouble signing up. Simply call and ask them if they have been vaccinated or if they need help making an appointment. The sooner we all reach out to our
networks and increase the number of people vaccinated, the sooner we can help our community heal and return to some sense of normalcy. The County’s goal is to vaccinate at least 85 percent of residents age 16 or older by August. As of March 1, 2021, 355,252 people have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in our county, and 155,482 people have also received their second dose. Approximately half of county residents age 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine. We continue to focus on ensuring equitable access to vaccinations for the communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Gilroy is one of the most impacted communities in Santa Clara County, with more than 1 in 10 residents
having contracted the virus. We have opened vaccination sites in Gilroy and East San Jose and have also partnered with the SF 49ers to open the largest vaccination site in California to help address disparities and reach our goals. Please visit www.sccfreevax.org for information on how to get vaccinated.
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The Bay Area Review • Online: www.thebayareareview.com
march 8, 2021
“For me, this is a culminating event. This is historical trauma playing out in real time.”
People vs Data
- VIRGINIA HEDRICK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CONSORTIUM FOR URBAN INDIAN HEALTH
Acknowledging the problem doesn’t change the fact that the data is wrong, experts said. [Cont. From Page 15] As of December, 2,689 non-Hispanic American Indians had died from COVID-19, according to the CDC. However, many states do not separate out American Indians into their own category, which public health experts suggest has lowered the overall tally of native deaths in the U.S. In California, native people comprise .3% of all deaths and diagnoses of COVID-19, and account for about .5% of the total population, at about 330,000. The California Depart-
ment of Public Health said it has worked to decrease instances of racial misclassification in recent years, but conceded that officials may have misclassified American Indians in an attempt to prevent double-counting cases. Under state guidance, anyone who states they have American Indian heritage in combination with another race or ethnicity are counted as Hispanic/Latino or multiracial instead. “This approach is the national standard for reporting disease rates and has several advantages,” the health department wrote in a statement to The Salinas Californian.
“However, it also has limitations. Any classification system will not be able to capture the complexity and richness of racial identity.”
“The problem is in the data itself,” said Virginia Hedrick, executive director of the Consortium for Urban Indian Health, a California
nonprofit alliance of service providers dedicated to improving American Indian healthcare. “I don’t trust the state data. I haven’t ever. “For me, this is a culminating event. This is historical trauma playing out in real time.”