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It wasn’t just you: Too many people really were outside this weekend.
Normally, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a news conference on Monday, “it would light up my heart,” to see tens of thousands of people enjoying California’s beaches on a gorgeous day.
But Mr. Newsom said that while the impulse to get outdoors was understandable, “we can’t see what we saw this weekend.”
So, he said, the state would enact what he described as “soft closures” of state parks: Their parking lots would be closed, but the parks themselves wouldn’t be blocked off completely.
“I don’t want to close big, beautiful open spaces,” Mr. Newsom said. “But we want you to go outside with intention.”
[Here’s the latest on the outbreak in California.]
He directed Californians to check online (here) to see which parks would be (sort of) closed. Officials in the Bay Area, the Los Angeles area and in San Diego took similar steps.
The shift was an example of the kind of logistical, and emotional, whiplash that has characterized what officials warn are still the early days of California’s stay-at-home order.
[Read more about how the marijuana industry is considered “essential business” in some states.]
But without extraordinary restrictions, as my colleagues have reported, projections of the virus’s spread are dire.
Mr. Newsom described efforts to get a billion gloves and 500 million N95 masks for health care and emergency workers, who have said such protective equipment is in desperately short supply. He emphasized the state’s mass purchasing power as a kind of nation unto itself.
Still, he acknowledged that the state’s testing capacity “pales in comparison,” to South Korea’s, where experts have pointed to early, widespread testing and contact tracing as major factors in managing the country’s coronavirus outbreak.
[Read more about California’s scramble to ramp up testing and get more equipment.]
What to know about the census
Earlier this month, preparations were in full swing to send canvassers into some of California’s hardest to reach communities, where farm and food processing plant workers live, often in close quarters with other families struggling to afford housing.
Their goal? Make sure that everyone — documented, undocumented, citizen or not — is counted in the 2020 census.
That, of course, was before the coronavirus pandemic took hold, upending life across the country.
Last week, the U.S. Census Bureau said it was suspending its field operations in the critical weeks leading up to Census Day, April 1, and delaying other key deadlines in an effort to keep its workers safe.
For community leaders like Lety Valencia, who is co-director of organizing for the nonprofit Faith in the Valley, the coronavirus outbreak was a new hurdle that seemed almost tailor-made to disrupt an already daunting undertaking, thanks to widespread fear over a question about citizenship on the survey.
“More than anything, we want people to know the census is safe and necessary,” Ms. Valencia told me. “When we have an accurate count, resources are coming into the communities that need it most.”
[Read more about what’s at stake in the census for Californians.]
Faith in the Valley is one of the community organizations drafted by the state to help spread the word to California’s nearly 40 million residents to fill out the survey.
Early this year, the state began its $187 million campaign to ensure an accurate count. The effort includes television ads and mapping of hard-to-count communities.
The census is being taken primarily online, so much of the state’s work has focused on letting people know that’s an option.
But Emilio Vaca, the deputy director of outreach for the state’s 2020 census office, said in a statement that the virus had prompted shifts to virtual phone banks.
The roughly 80 canvassers Ms. Valencia was working with were among those set to be dispatched for in-person work in communities that may lack reliable internet access.
And the canvassers were chosen specifically because they’d be trusted messengers — the kind of people who’d be able to persuade their neighbors, colleagues and fellow congregants to complete the survey.
That means people who best fit that bill are often uninsured and older, which makes them more likely to suffer severely if they’re infected with the coronavirus, Ms. Valencia said. And sending them into dense neighborhoods, without enough hand sanitizer and without masks, could result in devastating outbreaks among workers who don’t get paid sick time.
“We already don’t have enough doctors in the Central Valley,” she said. “So add this in and it’s just going to create chaos.”
Still, said Jim Grant, the director of social justice ministry for the Diocese of Fresno, the work must continue — even if in-person events where church leaders might have talked to congregants aren’t possible.
The Central Valley suffers from “bad air, very bad water,” Mr. Grant said. Its children don’t have access to the same level of education as in wealthier parts of the state.
“There is every reason that we need every single person,” Mr. Grant told me, “especially those that would normally not be included in what is the face of the Central Valley.”
If you or someone in your household hasn’t already filled out the survey, go to my2020census.gov, where you can also learn more about how to respond. (It’s technically mandatory, and you still have plenty of time.)
Here’s what else to read today
We often link to sites that limit access for nonsubscribers. We appreciate your reading Times coverage, but we also encourage you to support local news if you can.
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Bigots have blamed Chinese-Americans for the coronavirus, and President Trump for days insisted upon calling it the “Chinese virus.” Now, Asian-Americans are facing racist attacks. Many say they’re terrified of what’s ahead. [The New York Times]
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Pacific Gas & Electric has agreed to plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with the deadly Camp Fire, which led to the deaths of 85 people. [The New York Times]
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California has billions of dollars socked away for a fiscal “rainy day.” But two economic hurricanes could wipe that out. [The Sacramento Bee]
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One silver (or green) lining in all this? Traffic and pollution have plummeted. Look at how pollution over Los Angeles has disappeared. [The New York Times]
Help us learn about the crisis
The Times is hoping to hear from residents of states, counties, cities or towns that have implemented a stay-at-home order. Have you witnessed people or businesses being penalized for violating the mandate? Please email [email protected]. A reporter may contact you.
And Finally …
Mary Susan Sams of Santa Rosa sent us this photo of her feline colleague, Laurence, helping her schedule remote psychotherapy appointments.
Named after a friend who ran an animal rescue, Laurence was himself rescued from a feral colony.
“He transitioned beautifully from feral creature to pampered house cat and more recently to co-worker,” Dr. Sams said in an email.
She said she and her clients have also made the important transition to video and phone calls, even as they navigate a difficult and uncertain time: “I look forward to getting back to my office for face-to-face sessions, but this is working fine for now.”
California Today goes live at 6:30 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: [email protected]. Were you forwarded this email? Sign up for California Today here and read every edition online here.
Jill Cowan grew up in Orange County, graduated from U.C. Berkeley and has reported all over the state, including the Bay Area, Bakersfield and Los Angeles — but she always wants to see more. Follow along here or on Twitter, @jillcowan.
California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from U.C. Berkeley.
