Contra Costa Health Services Pauses Use of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine

To ensure that every dose of COVID-19 vaccine provided in our county is safe for patients, Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) will today temporarily pause its use of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine while federal regulatory agencies examine new information about a possible, rare side effect that can cause blood clots. 

CCHS is closely following guidance issued this morning by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding this vaccine. CCHS continues to administer the other vaccines approved for emergency use in the U.S., from Pfizer and Moderna. 

Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine is a very small part of Contra Costa’s vaccine allocation from the state and federal governments and CCHS does not anticipate cancelling any of its vaccination appointments at this time. 

Patients with vaccination appointments through CCHS should attend at their scheduled time. 

CCHS is not aware of any reported cases of adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccine in the county that were inconsistent with those documented during the extensive clinical trials conducted to ensure the safety of all vaccines used in the U.S. 

The risk of an adverse reaction for people who received Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine more than a month ago is extremely low, according to the CDC. 

People who received this vaccine more recently should contact a healthcare provider immediately if they develop symptoms such as severe headaches, severe abdominal pain, severe leg pain or shortness of breath – these symptoms are different than the usual, minor reactions that some people may experience in the day or two following their vaccination. 

The FDA has not received any reports of similar side effects associated with the use of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. 

CCHS will update the public at cchealth.org/coronavirus as more information becomes available about this developing situation.

Weekly unemployment claims in California increased by 301.27% compared to the same week in 2019 – WalletHub

California is struggling to recover from new unemployment claims, with last week’s claims higher than at the start of 2020, according to WalletHub’s updated rankings for the States Whose Unemployment Claims Are Recovering the Quickest, along with accompanying videos and audio files. 

Key Stats:

• Weekly unemployment claims in California increased by 301.27% compared to the same week in 2019. This was the 20th biggest increase in the U.S.
   
• Weekly unemployment claims in California increased by 295.88% compared to the start of 2020. This was the 13th biggest increase in the U.S.
   
• Weekly unemployment claims in California decreased by 84.18% compared to the same week last year. This was the 15th smallest decrease in the U.S.

To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-unemployment-claims/72730/

Election calendar crunch – Census data is late

From CalMatters

California election officials are running out of time.

Let’s work backwards through the process: 

• Before the state holds its primary election in 2022, it has to give candidates the opportunity to file to run;
• Before that, it has to create district maps so that those candidates know who and what they’ll actually be running to represent;
• And beforethose maps can be finalized, the public has to be given an opportunity to weigh in;
• But first the state has to get population data from the most recent Census count.

And there’s the rub: California’s next primary election is set for June 7, 2022 and the 2020 Census data — that first step — is really, really late, partly due to the pandemic.

California can expect some preliminary information to trickle in later this month. That will let us know, for example, whether we as a state are due to lose at least one of 53 congressional seats, as is widely expected. 

But the more granular data needed to start mapmaking won’t arrive until around August. The data wizards hired by the state will need another month to clean it up and, among other details, figure out where to place the prison inmates. 

That means the state’s independent commission tasked with drawing California’s congressional and legislative maps won’t get the information they need until September — at the earliest. Nor will local elections officials, who carve up the turf for city council and water district races.

• Matt Rexroad, a political consultant: Based on the current schedule “there’s no way they can do a June primary.”
• Fredy Ceja, California Citizens Redistricting Commission: “If we’re still looking at a December deadline for candidate filing, that’s not going to happen.”

So what will happen? No one knows yet. Delaying the primary would require an act by the Legislature and no one has announced plans to do that. But there’s widespread agreement among redistricting experts that something has to give. 

And lest we forget, Gov. Gavin Newsom will likely facea recall election later this year. Meanwhile, nine county registrars have announced that they’re retiring since November.

• Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation: “It is a perfect storm…Just about every election official in the state is freaking out about this.“
• Cathy Darling-Allen, Shasta County registrar: “I think I need an election fairy.”

Public Input Requested for the Update to Vision 2030 – Delta Protection Commission’s Strategic Plan

Comment period open through Friday, April 30

Vision 2030 is the Delta Protection Commission’s strategic plan. Adopted by a vote of the Commission in 2015, Commission staff and the Delta Protection Advisory Committee have been reviewing Vision 2030 strategic theme objectives over the past several months. Strategic theme objectives provide high-level direction to Delta Protection Commission staff about its work and form the basis of Commission work plans. 

Commission staff have proposed a series of revisions to the Vision 2030 strategic theme objectives are intended to address the following:

• Remove items that have been accomplished (examples include the Delta National Heritage Area designation and achieving permanent status for the Delta Levees Subventions Program)
• Adding new objectives to address challenges now deemed strategic (promoting agricultural uses that reduce or eliminate peat soil subsidence; Delta-region broadband deficiencies; Delta waterway channel dredging; Commission collaboration on social science research)
• Revising or removing objectives that are no longer seen as strategic
• Editing changes to improve readability and comprehension

Commission staff seek input from interested Delta stakeholders about these proposed changes. Those wishing to provide comments are asked to review the proposed redline changes (Word Doc) to the existing Vision 2030 strategic theme objectives. Margin comments in the document provide the rationale for substantive changes.

Please submit comments no later than 5:00 PM on Friday, April 30 by emailing submit@delta.ca.gov. Questions about Vision 2030 and proposed changes may be sent to erik.vink@delta.ca.gov.

The Drought is Back. Some Parts of California Will Have it Far Worse Than Others.

From California City News

Drought conditions are returning to California, but the impacts will be highly variable across the state.

Dairy farms in Sonoma County and the Central Valley are already struggling. More than half of Sonoma is in a severe drought, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System. The rest of the county is under moderate drought. Residents could face mandatory conservation measures, the Argus-Courier reports.

Growers in the San Joaquin Valley are bracing for water delivery cuts. Shasta Lake is only 53% full, so the Bureau of Reclamation is cutting supplies to many farmers.

It’s a very different story in the Southland. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California “reports record amounts of reserves,” according to the LA Times.

“We’re not in any shortage,” Delon Kwan, assistant director of water resources for LA’s Department of Water and Power, told the paper.

Water use levels never quite rebounded after the 2012-2016 drought. That’s true everywhere. Statewide urban water use is down 16% from 2013.

Rural areas have also seen many improvements since the last dry spell, particularly in infrastructure. Experts are hopeful that, no matter how bad things get, they won’t be as bad they were several years ago. Let’s hope that holds true.

See also:

California reports third-driest year on record

Senate Leader Toni Atkins Tackles Drought Crisis

Before-and-After Photos of California Reservoirs Show Looming Drought

LAKE OROVILLE: An aerial view of the Bidwell Bar Bridge at Lake Oroville (left) at 83 percent of capacity or 104 percent of historical average in 2017, and in 2021 (right) at 53% of historical average and 41% of capacity.CA Dept. of Water Resources

California to Lift Most Coronavirus Restrictions on June 15 and Move Beyond Its Tier System

California will move away from its four-tier system for reopening June 15 and fully reopen its economy if certain conditions are met, marking a major pandemic milestone for the nation’s most populous state, the governor’s office announced Tuesday.

The state’s color-coded Blueprint for a Safer Economy has guided the state’s reopening process in each of its 58 counties during the pandemic. On Tuesday, a statement from the governor’s office said California will move away from the system and fully reopen if two conditions are met.

• If vaccine supply is sufficient for Californians 16 years and older who wish to be inoculated. 
• If hospitalization rates are stable and low .

We can now begin planning for our lives post-pandemic.

Gov. Gavin Newsom

“We’ll be getting rid of the blueprint as you know it today,” Gov. Newsom said.

Most capacity limits will be lifted, although large-scale indoor events, such as conventions, will be allowed only with testing or vaccination verification requirements, state health officials said. The two-month advance notice should give people enough time to schedule their first vaccination dose, wait the recommended three to four weeks for a second shot and get through the two-week period for the vaccines to fully kick in, Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly said.

Read More > at NBC Los Angeles

Contra Costa Moving into the Orange Tier

Starting Wednesday, April 7, several business sectors and community services can reopen or expand capacity: 

• Amusement parks: Overall park capacity and indoor capacity will be limited to 25%, including indoor dining. 
  
• Bars: Outdoors with modifications; no meals required to be served
• Breweries, Distilleries, and Wineries: Indoors at 25% maximum capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer; no meals required to be served 
• Family entertainment centers: Indoors for naturally distanced activities like bowling, escape rooms, and billiards; 25% maximum capacity 
• Gyms, fitness centers and studios (including at hotels): 25% maximum capacity and indoor pools are permitted; Indoor hot tubs, saunas, and steam rooms continue to be closed
• Movie Theaters: 50% maximum capacity or 200 people, whichever is fewer encouraged 
• Outdoor sports and live performances with fans/attendees: Up to 33% and with advanced reservations only. Concession sales will be primarily in-seat (no concourse sales). Designated indoor seated dining area capacity will be limited to 25%. Attendance will be limited to in-state spectators and guests must attest their reserved seats are only for one household. 
• Places of worship: 50% maximum capacity
• Restaurants: 50% maximum capacity or 200 people, whichever is fewer
• Retail: Open indoors with modifications and food courts permitted with indoor dining restrictions 

 Contra Costa County must remain in the Orange Tier for at least three weeks before moving into the next, less restrictive yellow tier.

More wild recall rules

From CalMatters

CalMatters

Candidates seeking to run against Newsom in a likely recall election later this year could have as little as 24 hours to enter the race — just another quirk of California’s unique recall rules, which could also cause Newsom to lose his job even if he garners more support than the top candidate to replace him. Under California law, replacement candidates would likely have to file their paperwork no later than 59 days before the election — which must itself be scheduled 60 to 80 days after the secretary of state certifies the recall measure, the Los Angeles Times reports. Should Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis decide to schedule the election 60 days after certification, that would give candidates just one day to file — potentially limiting the number of challengers Newsom will face.

Another wild card: whether high-dollar initiatives expected to go before voters in November 2022 end up on the recall ballot instead. It appears likely a referendum to overturn a flavored tobacco ban Newsom signed into law last year will go on the recall ballot, while the timing of three other initiatives — including one to legalize sports betting in tribal casinos — is more uncertain. The implications are massive for interest groups supporting and opposing the initiatives: Not only do special elections typically see different voters turn out than regular elections, but the campaigns will also take place much earlier than expected.

Fighting Invasive Aquatic Species in the Delta

California State Parks’ Division of Boating & Waterways recently started herbicide treatments to help control several invasive aquatic plants species found in the Delta. These plants are known to form dense mats of vegetation, creating safety hazards for boaters, obstructing navigation channels, marinas, and irrigation systems.

Invasive species include water hyacinth, South American spongeplant, Uruguay water primrose, Alligator weed, Brazilian waterweed, curlyleaf pondweed, Eurasian watermilfoil, hornwort (aka coontail), and fanwort. Aquatic invasive plants have no known natural controls. All herbicides used in the program are registered for aquatic use with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.

To report sightings of invasive species, subscribe for program updates, or for more information regarding the control program, connect with DBW online, via email, or by phone by calling (888) 326-2822.

California’s unemployment insurance debt is mounting

From CalMatters

California’s unemployment rate fell to a pandemic low of 8.5% in February, the Employment Development Department announced Friday — even as its jobless benefits fund sank deeper into the red, imperiling economic recovery.

The Golden State recovered nearly 91% of the jobs it lost in December and January, with leisure and hospitality gaining 102,200 jobs as restaurants and hotels reopened. But its unemployment rate, which is still more than double what it was in February 2020, is the third-highest in the country. And the state has borrowed a staggering 40% of the $53 billion the federal government has loaned to cash-strapped states and territories to pay jobless benefits. California’s unemployment insurance debt amounts to $21.2 billion — a deficit EDD officials expect to hit $48 billion by the end of the year.

Likely picking up the tab: California businesses, which pay taxes financing the state’s unemployment insurance fund. They’re already paying a 15% emergency surcharge due to the fund’s insolvency, and many say higher unemployment taxes will make it harder for them to recover and rehire workers, CalMatters’ Lauren Hepler reports.

• Lance Hastings, CEO of the California Manufacturers and Technology Association: “These are just nails in the coffin that concern me greatly.”

Economists say the time is ripe to overhaul California’s unemployment insurance fund, which is the most unstable in the nation. Although paying jobless claims has been one of California’s most pervasive challenges amid the pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom has largely avoided mentioning the issue apart from forming and disbanding an EDD “strike team” last year. Critics noted the unemployment agency was conspicuously absent in his State of the State speech earlier this month.

But problems remain rampant. The department’s backlog has topped 1 million claims for eight straight weeks, though EDD said on Friday that 86% of the logjam is due to jobless Californians not certifying their eligibility as required. But the department’s own website has hindered certification, and EDD acknowledged in a Friday report to the state Legislature that hundreds of thousands of certified claims are still “pending Department resolution.”

EDD also answered just 10.5% of the 2.5 million calls it received from March 13 to 20, according to a dashboard the agency published Friday. Those 2.5 million calls came from about 311,000 unique callers — indicating that each person called EDD about eight times in an attempt to get through.

55 Years and Up

1. Register with the State of California at: myturn.ca.gov to be notified when you are eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccination.

2. Make an appointment with Contra Costa County:
Vaccine Appointments for Residents 55+Click here to request an appointment
Vacunación para los Residentes de 55+ Años de EdadFormulario en línea

3. Make an appointment at a partner site:
Healthcare systems, pharmacies and other providers have different eligibility requirements for COVID-19 vaccinations. You can find information about each of these providers by scrolling down on the CCHS Vaccine page: coronavirus.cchealth.org/get-vaccinated

• Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS)
• Contra Costa Regional Medical Center
• CVS
• John Muir Health
• Kaiser Permanente
• La Clinica
• LifeLong Medical
• MyTurn (State of California)
• Oakland-Alameda Coliseum (FEMA and Cal OES)
• OptumServe
• Rite Aid
• Sutter Health
• Walgreens

Federal law prohibits employers and others from requiring vaccination with a Covid-19 vaccine distributed under an EUA

Ever since the Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization for two new vaccines, employers, schools, and other organizations are grappling with whether to require Covid-19 vaccination.

While organizations are certainly free to encourage their employees, students, and other members to be vaccinated, federal law provides that, at least until the vaccine is licensed, individuals must have the option to accept or decline to be vaccinated.

Knowing what an organization can or cannot do with respect to Covid-19 vaccines can help them keep their employees, students, and members safe and also save the them from costly and time-consuming litigation.

The same section of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that authorizes the FDA to grant emergency use authorization also requires the secretary of Health and Human Services to “ensure that individuals to whom the product is administered are informed … of the option to accept or refuse administration of the product.”

Likewise, the FDA’s guidance on emergency use authorization of medical products requires the FDA to “ensure that recipients are informed to the extent practicable given the applicable circumstances … That they have the option to accept or refuse the EUA product …”

In the same vein, when Dr. Amanda Cohn, the executive secretary of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, was asked if Covid-19 vaccination can be required, she responded that under an EUA, “vaccines are not allowed to be mandatory. So, early in this vaccination phase, individuals will have to be consented and they won’t be able to be mandatory.” Cohn later affirmed that this prohibition on requiring the vaccines applies to organizations, including hospitals.

Read More > Here

As a point of reference I have received my 2 Pfizer shots

County Extends Vaccine Eligibility to 50 and Older

Thanks to an increase in supply of COVID-19 vaccines, Contra Costa County today is extending vaccine eligibility to anyone who is 50 and older and lives or works in the county, regardless of whether they have an underlying health condition.

The move comes as the county has begun receiving additional vaccine from the federal government for its federally-qualified health centers. This federal allocation is in addition to the vaccine the county gets from the state each week.

A week ago, Contra Costa expanded eligibility to ages 16-64 and older with qualifying underlying health conditions. Today’s announcement removes any health-related qualifiers for those between the ages of 50-64.

“We look forward to the coming months when we can do away with vaccine eligibility, when anyone and everyone is eligible,” said Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors Chair Diane Burgis. “More and more doses of vaccine are coming into the county each week and we expect that trend to continue.”

To date, more than 336,000 county residents have received at least one dose of vaccine, including 96% of those age 75 and older. The county will further expand eligibility to others when vaccine supply increases more.

“COVID does not affect everyone the same,” said Dr. Chris Farnitano, the County’s health officer. “Older people are more likely to suffer severe disease. Nearly all of the COVID deaths in Contra Costa have been among people over the age of 50. We are making good progress vaccinating those in the groups already eligible and will now continue to prioritize more of the most vulnerable groups in our community.”

More than 235,000 county residents are between the ages of 50-64.”We are fortunate to have three highly effective vaccines right now,” Dr. Farnitano said. “All the health officers in the Bay Area strongly recommend getting whatever vaccine you can to protect yourself, your loved ones and our community.”

Eligible residents may request a vaccine appointment through the county by filling out an online form or by calling 833-829-2626.

Caltrans 2020-2024 Strategic Plan

The Strategic Plan is a culmination of over a year of work and input gathered from many sources inside Caltrans and out. The undertaking was made more challenging in the past year with a deadly pandemic, economic uncertainty and social upheaval.

But despite the difficulties we’ve faced, I believe we’ve crafted a Plan that, as our mission statement states, will “provide a safe and reliable transportation network that serves all people and respects the environment.”

The Strategic Plan recognizes that, to be a successful transportation agency today and in the coming years, Caltrans must push past its traditional role as primarily an infrastructure organization and begin to function as an organization centered around people. We must be aware of the impact we have had upon the communities we serve, and work to repair relations and address past injustices. We must take into account the environment we all share. It is our obligation to construct and maintain a travel network for all users, whether they walk, bike, skate, or use public transit to get to their destinations, and foremost, make sure they get to and from their destinations safely.

We are committing to six goals through 2024 in support of these responsibilities. At the top of our list is Safety First. Within the Strategic Plan, we also outline our coordinated strategies to achieve success in the critical areas of Equity and Livability, Climate Action, Multimodal Transportation Network, Stewardship and Efficiency, and Cultivating Excellence.

The Strategic Plan

 

Go Hug a Vaccinated Person Right Now

Since the first COVID vaccines were authorized and started going into people’s arms, there’s been a maddening debate about what being vaccinated against the coronavirus would allow people to do. Thanks to confusing coverage — and equally confusing public-health guidance — about vaccine efficacy, herd-immunity thresholds, and the risk of COVID variants, people could be forgiven for assuming that getting vaccinated was not the life-changing opportunity it may have seemed it would be six months ago. Except it is.

The vaccines work — even better than anybody dared to hope. The pace of vaccinations in the U.S. continues to rise. And in light of the new guidelines the CDC released Monday, it should now be abundantly clear to everyone that vaccination doesn’t just provide protection against the coronavirus but marks the beginning of the end to the one of the most personally damaging effects of the pandemic: isolation.

The CDC now confirms that, yes, fully vaccinated people can gather indoors, mask free, with other fully vaccinated people — and with unvaccinated people from another household, provided none of those people is at high risk of severe illness from COVID. That means that vaccinated seniors can safely see their kids and grandkids again, with all the hugs, kisses, and cheek-pinching they want. And it’s not just about grandparents. Vaccinated people and other people can be together again, without Zoom backgrounds, and sit on the same sofa and shut off the risk calculators in their brain while they do. Plenty of vaccinated people have already been doing this, but now it’s CDC-approved. Now it’s expected, normal behavior.

Read More in the

MTC-led Bay Area Pedestrian-Bicycle Safety Group Holds First Meeting

The MTC-led Vision Zero Working Group recently met for the first time to exchange ideas on how to make the Bay Area a safer place for pedestrians, bicyclists and others.

A panel of about 40 Bay Area officials from cities, counties, transit agencies, universities and advocacy groups met virtually on Feb. 17 to begin identifying safety solutions that can be employed throughout the region.

MTC recently adopted a regional Safety/Vision Zero policy and began development of a Regional Integrated Safety Data System that will provide Bay Area cities and counties with a consistent source of data and tools for conducting safety analyses and informing their safety plans and projects.

More than 400 fatalities and 2,000 serious injuries occur on the Bay Area’s roads each year, a number that has grown 50% since 2010. As the population grows and total vehicle miles traveled increase, these numbers could rise if state, regional and local policies remain unchanged.

How to stop robocalls: Every way we know to prevent the annoying ringing

First published in c|net

Jason CiprianiFeb. 25, 2021 10:18 p.m. PT

Putting an end to robocalls isn’t something that’s going to happen overnight, but there are steps you can take to silence those annoying, and sometimes dangerous, calls.

The past week has been incredibly annoying. My phone has received countless calls, some of them with caller ID that shows a local business name. I answer each call only to hear a recording letting me know my car’s warranty has expired, or there’s a warrant for my arrest due to an issue with my Social Security number or that I owe the IRS money. My daughter’s phone has been receiving the same robocalls and she doesn’t even own a car, nor has she ever had a job that would lead her to owe the IRS money. It’s frustrating, and I can’t imagine how many more calls I would receive if I weren’t using some of the same tips and tricks outlined below. The scammers are persistent and constantly changing their methods. 

These calls are not only annoying but potentially dangerous should you fall for one of the scams. They’re designed to swindle you out of your hard-earned money. Thankfully, the government, wireless carriers and phone-makers are working on ways to eliminate the annoying and seemingly nonstop calls we all receive on a daily basis.

For example, all four major US carriers offer some level of free spam call blocking. At the end of 2019, then-President Trump signed into law the Traced Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation that gives government agencies and law enforcement more power to dismantle robocalls by targeting the perpetrators. 

Specifically, the Traced Act extends the statute of limitations for law enforcement to go after bad actors, increases penalties and requires phone companies to authenticate calls and determine if the phone number that is calling you is real. For its part, the FCC passed a proposal in 2019 that gives carriers permission to more aggressively block spam calls. 

Wireless carrier networks have started using SHAKEN/STIR technology to identify and block spam calls, not only on their own respective networks, but between phone providers as well. Apple even added a feature to iOS 13 that lets you prevent unknown callers from ever ringing your phone. Google has expanded the Call Screen feature to route suspected spam calls to Google Assistant before your phone even rings, and with the launch of Android 11 in late 2020, it expanded robocall identification and prevention features to extend outside of the default Android Phone app. 

It’s going to take time for the Traced Act to be put into effect across all agencies and phone providers, so don’t expect to see a dramatic decrease in unwanted calls overnight. 

Keep in mind, too, that not every automated solicitation is considered illegal. Calls from political campaigns, debt collectors and charities are all permissible. What’s not allowed are the calls from the fake IRS agents threatening you or the companies that claim you won a free vacation that you never signed up for.

While it isn’t possible to entirely keep robocalls from reaching your phone, there are some steps you can take to reduce the number of calls you receive. This article is periodically updated.

According to the FCC, there are some easy steps you can take to help reduce robocalls:

• Don’t answer calls from blocked or unknown numbers.
• Don’t answer calls from numbers you don’t recognize.
• Don’t assume an incoming call is really from a local number just because it looks like it is. 
• Don’t respond to any questions that can be answered with a “Yes.”
• If someone calls you and claims to be with XYZ company, hang up and call the company yourself. Use the company’s website to find an official number.
• If you do answer a call and hear a recording such as, “Hello, can you hear me?” just hang up.
• The same goes for a call where you’re asked to press a number before being connected to a representative.

When you answer a call and interact with the voice prompt or by pressing a number, it lets spammers know your number is real. They can then sell your number to another company or begin targeting your number more frequently.

When it first launched, Google’s Call Screen feature arguably went against the FCC’s advice by answering and interacting with the robocall on your behalf. However, Google added new features to Call Screen for its Pixel phone lineup. The feature can now detect robocalls and spam calls and block them for you. Google Assistant will interact with the caller, and if it determines that the call is legitimate, it will route the call to your phone.

Apple’s iOS 13, released last year, added the option to Silence Unknown Callers, which adds the option to route calls from numbers not found in your Contacts, Mail or Messages straight to voicemail. Any legitimate callers can leave a message. And that’s the rub: We often receive important calls from numbers we don’t store on our phones, so you could miss important calls this way. But if all else fails and you’re desperate to stop robocalls, this is a valid option.

If you find yourself receiving a lot of spam text messages, you can forward the message to the number 7726 (which spells “spam”). It won’t stop the number from texting you right away, but it will allow your carrier to look into where it came from and put an end to it.

Check with your provider

All four major wireless carriers offer some sort of call blocking feature. All have a free option and a premium tier. But let’s be honest, all robocall blocking services should be free. This shouldn’t be a way for carriers to make some money off of us. 

• AT&T’s Call Protect app is available for iOS and Android. The free version blocks spam and fraud calls and provides nuisance warnings labels and a personal block list, and you can block all unknown callers. Call Protect Plus runs $3.99 a month, with additional benefits of caller ID for unknown numbers, reverse number lookup and custom call controls. 
• Verizon’s Call Filter app is automatically enabled for Android users on a postpaid plan. The service offers spam detection, a spam filter, a call log for blocked or spam calls, the ability to allow calls from specific numbers (iOS only) and the option to report numbers for free. You can pay $2.99 a month (or $7.99 a month for three or more lines of service) for caller ID, spam lookup and a personal block and a spam risk meter. Call Filter is built into most Android devices out of the box (which you’ve probably been prompted about) but is also available in the App Store for iOS users.
• T-Mobile’s Scam Shield is free to all customers and includes multiple features designed to protect you from robocalls and sharing your personal information. Dial #662# from your phone to turn on Scam Block, or download the free Scam Shield app in your phone’s respective app store. With Scam Shield enabled, you’ll get full caller ID, scam reporting, scam blocking before your phone ever rings, and the option to mark numbers as favorites so they still ring your phone. 
• Sprint’s Call Screener is now free, thanks to T-Mobile. Eventually, Sprint customers will fully migrate over to T-Mobile’s system and be able to use the full Scan Shield product offering. Until then, you can download and use Call Screener Pro without the $2.99 a month fee. The service identifies and either labels or blocks suspected spam calls, and allows you to report numbers as spam. 

Use a different wireless carrier? I suggest calling its customer support or visiting its website to see if it offers a similar service. 

Use a third-party app

If your provider doesn’t offer an app or service to cut back on robocalls, or does but it’s too expensive, there are plenty of third-party apps available. You want to find an app that works on your device, offers automatic call blocking and spam alerts for suspicious calls and makes it easy to report a number if a call slips through.

Hiya is a free app I have used on Android and iOS for some time now with success. It’s from the same company that powers AT&T’s Call Protect app, as well as Samsung’s built-in call block and spam protection service. Samsung Galaxy owners can enable the built-in service in the Phone app under Settings > Caller ID and Spam Protection. Setup is painless, and it offers an easy way to report a number.

Nomorobo is the service that Verizon uses for its Fios users, but it also has a phone app. The service is free for VoIP users and costs $2 per month for mobile users. Additional services with similar capabilities include YouMail and RoboKiller.

The Firewall app is only available on the iPhone ($599 at Apple) and does a fantastic job of blocking calls. In the event you need to make a call that you’d rather not use your real phone number for, the $4-a-month subscription provides unlimited single-use fake phone numbers. 

Another option is to sign up for a free Google Voice phone number that you can use to sign up for things instead of giving out your real number — and once the robocalls start coming in on that Google Voice number, use the block feature. Just know that blocking calls may end up being a lot of work, as robocallers are constantly spoofing different phone numbers.

None of the above solutions is perfect, and likely none of them will be until carriers integrate the technology required to check for caller ID spoofing, so right now you have to do some extra work to keep the number of robocalls you receive to a minimum. Between being cautious about calls from unknown numbers and using a service (paid or free), you can reduce the number of unwanted calls and spam you have to deal with.

And again, carriers have started using SHAKEN/STIR technology to verify callers, which should cut down on the number of robocalls we all receive. For those with an iPhone, learn where the setting is to block unknown callers, but remember using it could mean you miss calls from doctors’ offices and the like. And for those with a Pixel phone, Google’s Call Screen feature will surely help, and may even entertain you.

First published on July 13, 2018 at 10:20 a.m. PT.

2021’s Best & Worst States for Women – WalletHub Study

With March being Women’s History Month and women experiencing 55% of the net job losses since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2021’s Best & Worst States for Women, as well as accompanying videos.

To identify the most women-friendly states, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 26 key metrics. The data set ranges from median earnings for female workers to women’s preventive health care to the female homicide rate.

Woman-Friendliness of California (1=Best, 25=Avg.):

• 51^st – Median Earnings for Female Workers (Adjusted for Cost of Living)
• 49^th – Unemployment Rate for Women
• 29^th – Share of Women in Poverty
• 12^th – Share of Women-Owned Businesses
• 17^th – High School Graduation Rate for Women
• 42^nd – Share of Women Who Voted in 2016 Presidential Election
• 22^nd – Female Uninsured Rate
• 2^nd – Women’s Life Expectancy at Birth
• 11^th – Quality of Women’s Hospitals
• 14^th – Women’s Preventive Health Care

For the full report, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-states-for-women/10728

Celebrating PI day

Every March 14th, math lovers around the world celebrate Pi Day. Pi is the mathematical constant π (3.14), which is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. Another recent tradition added for Pi Day is to eat pie!

In celebration of Pi Day, and to help vulnerable seniors who are food insecure, Meals on Wheels Diablo Region will give a $10 gift certificate toward a pie, compliments of Raley’s Supermarkets, to anyone who makes a donation of $100 or more to MOW Diablo Region between March 1st and March 14th!

Donate Today

Who has the power to reopen California classrooms?

Increasingly exasperated that most public schools remain closed even as coronavirus cases plummet nearly a year into the pandemic, California parents are taking to the streets. They’re protesting in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley. They’re trying to recall school board members in San Francisco and San Ramon. They’re mounting billboards along freeways in Sonoma County and Sacramento demanding that the government #OpenSchoolsNow.

The campaign to recall Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has seized on the frustrations. Republicans hoping to replace him are staging campaign events outside shuttered schools and highlighting that California lags the rest of the nation when it comes to getting kids back in the classroom. Newsom’s political future may hinge, in part, on how much longer millions of children remain stuck on Zoom.

But the state’s education system is incredibly fragmented, with more than 1,000 school districts tasked with deciding — mostly through negotiations with their local labor unions — when and how to reopen. Those districts must follow laws crafted by a Legislature with close ties to organized labor, and signed by a governor who was elected with the support of the teachers’ union but now finds himself at odds with it over his objections to making vaccine access a requirement for reopening. 

Read More > at CalMatters

Newsom strikes school reopening deal with California lawmakers

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers struck a deal Sunday that would push school districts to open classrooms to the youngest students by the end of March while stopping short of new requirements regarding vaccines and collective bargaining.

The deal more closely aligns with what the governor originally proposed in December than what Democratic lawmakers detailed in a bill in February. It does not require schools to open but instead offers financial incentives for those that do, according to sources close to the deal who asked not to be named because it had not yet been made public.

Under the plan, once counties move into the red tier — with daily case rates below 7 per 100,000 residents — schools eligible for the grant funding must open to all elementary grades, plus at least one grade in middle and high school.

The deal speeds up the clock and more strictly ties the grants to in-person instruction than what the Legislature proposed. If schools do not open by the end of March, they will start to lose a percentage of money for each day they remain closed starting April 1.

Read More > at Politico