LOOKOUT PM: The latest on county COVID testing & what the new laws portend

By Mark Conley

Source: Lookout Santa Cruz

Happy New Year, everyone.

I hope you are as unready to take on 2022 with a full head of steam as I am. Something about this frigid air that insists on invading our little coastal paradise, I think.

That and perhaps the COVID cloud that sits atop us yet again in the month of January. Hang in there, everyone. This too shall pass if we’re as smart about it as we can be — and patient.

To your first crop of 2022 Lookout PM headlines ...

The new state laws going into effect — and their impact on Santa Cruz County

What’s new in 2022: As of Jan. 1, a number of new state laws went into effect, including those that affect minimum wage and controlled burns. Lookout takes a closer look at a handful of them to assess how they might affect Santa Cruz County residents. More from Grace Stetson and Hillary Ojeda here.

County ramps up testing options as demand surges, return to school imminent

Medical assistant Jackie Diaz performs a COVID test at the Inspire Diagnostics site at Cabrillo College.

COVID testing update: Facilities in Santa Cruz and Watsonville are expanding hours and a mobile testing site is returning to Mountain Community Resources in Felton amid the ongoing Omicron surge. Go here for all the details.

➤ HOW SAFE ARE INDOOR GYMS? Experts say everyone should be wearing a mask, and many recommend vaccine verification requirements. But even with both of those, there are risks. More from LA Times here.

➤ The latest information on vaccine availability in Santa Cruz County

Theranos verdict won’t stop investors from pouring cash into next big fraud

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was found guilty of multiple charges in January 2022.

LA Times analysis: Michael Hiltzik says the lesson of Theranos and the conviction of Elizabeth Holmes is that even big-name investors can be fooled. And will continue to be. Read his analysis here.

With the California Legislature back in session, here’s what to expect in 2022

A mask on the sculpture of a bear outside of Gov. Gavin Newsom's Capitol office

What we know: As the Legislature reconvened Monday, Californians can expect lawmakers to continue focusing on housing and climate, plus COVID-19, healthcare and how to spend another budget surplus. More from CalMatters here.

With homicides down, San Francisco confronts a crime wave unusual among U.S. cities

A busy Saturday morning on San Francisco's Embarcadero.

Theft running rampant: Unlike nearly every other big U.S. city, San Francisco did not see a significant uptick in homicides during the pandemic. Instead, it has found itself in the grip of a different sort of crime wave. More from the Times here.

As COVID case rates explode, L.A. schools also under siege

Schools struggle to adapt: With Omicron spreading with unprecedented speed, Los Angeles County is tightening coronavirus safety rules as schools reopen this week in hopes of slowing outbreaks. The move comes at a perilous moment, with coronavirus infections surpassing previous highs. More from Times here.

➤ ATTENDANCE SWITCH? California lawmakers may stop tying K-12 schools’ funding to daily attendance (Times)

More from here & elsewhere

➤ Hockey fan awarded $10,000 scholarship after spotting man’s cancerous mole at NHL game (NBC News)
➤ These phrases have been ‘banished’ in 2022. Are you using them? (USA Today)
➤ Aoife Beary, student who survived 2015 Berkeley balcony collapse, dies at 27 (SF Gate)
➤ More than 7,000 flights canceled or delayed Monday as winter storm slams East Coast (USA Today)
➤ Extremist groups battered by Jan. 6 fallout resurface in their own backyards (NBC News)
➤ #VeryAsian hashtag goes viral after racist criticism of Korean American news anchor (NBC News)

That’s it for this first Monday night of 2022. Let’s do it again on the first Tuesday.

Mark Conley
Deputy Managing Editor