California makes it easier to receive workers’ comp for coronavirus claims [Los Angeles Times]
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Wednesday that will make it easier for essential workers who contract COVID-19 to obtain workers’ compensations benefits in a win for labor unions that called for the change. The order streamlines workers’ compensation claims and establishes a rebuttable presumption that any essential workers infected with COVID-19 contracted the virus on the job, Newsom said. In effect, the change shifts the burden of proof that typically falls on workers and instead requires companies or insurers to prove that the employees didn’t get sick at work….Newsom’s change covers claims filed for 60 days from Wednesday’s announcement and is retroactive to claims filed as early as March 19. The new rules apply to workers who tested positive for COVID-19 within 14 days of performing work, or those who received a diagnosis within 14 days that was confirmed by a positive test no more than 30 days later. Employers have 30 days to rebut a claim.
Meatpacking industry hits grim milestone of 10,000 coronavirus cases linked to plants [USA Today]
The meatpacking industry hit a grim milestone this week when the number of coronavirus cases tied to outbreaks at its beleaguered plants passed 10,000, according to USA TODAY and Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting tracking. At least 170 plants in 29 states have had one or more workers test positive for the coronavirus. Some of those workers also have infected others, which is included in the count. At least 45 workers have died. The outbreaks have prompted at least 40 meat slaughtering and processing plant closures – lasting anywhere from one day to several weeks – since the start of the pandemic.
Skip the steak, buy the brisket: Consumers need to be flexible amid beef bottlenecks [Los Angeles Times]
…And if you still want prime cuts and can afford it, consider buying directly from a local butcher. That’s one message from California cattle ranchers and suppliers as the closure of big meat processing plants across the country creates a bottleneck for processed beef. As they work hard to get their animals to market, buyers can help steady the supply chain by branching out. “I always tell people, ‘Why don’t you want roasts?’” said Julie Morris, co-owner of T.O. Cattle Co. and Morris Grassfed in San Juan Bautista, which normally does brisk trade in steaks but has been overwhelmed by recent orders. “They are easy to cook. They are delicious. They feed a family. They leave leftovers.”
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-05-07/california-beef-meat-shortages-coronavirus
California doom: Staggering $54 billion budget deficit looms [Associated Press]
…After recording record low unemployment of 3.9% at the start of the year, the Newsom administration now predicts a jobless rate of 18% for the nation’s most populous state — 46% higher than the height of the Great Recession a decade ago…Meanwhile, lawmakers are already being asked to bail out the state’s essential industries. California hospitals say they have lost up to $14 billion by postponing elective surgeries and other procedures to make room for an anticipated surge of coronavirus cases that never happened. On Monday, the California Hospital Association asked lawmakers for more than $1 billion in aid.
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/California-doom-Staggering-54-billion-budget-15253687.php
Undercover sting leads to arrests for farm equipment theft [Marysville Appeal-Democrat]
Three Yuba City men were arrested on Tuesday in connection to the theft of farm equipment in Sutter County valued at well over $200,000. For the past several weeks, the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office and NET-5 agents have been investigating the thefts that have occurred in different areas of the county. Detectives initiated an undercover sting on Tuesday around 2:30 p.m., which ultimately led to the arrest of three suspects and the recovery of approximately $100,000 worth of farming equipment, according to the sheriff’s office.
Crops grown with oilfield water OK’d by water quality board [SJV Water]
Fruits and vegetables grown with recycled oilfield water in Kern County got a final stamp of approval last month, nearly five years after the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board began what it thought was going to be a three-month process investigating the water’s safety. Findings from numerous, wide-ranging studies commissioned by a Food Safety Advisory Panel assembled by the Water Quality board showed “no red flags” in crops grown with the water, according to Water Quality board chair Karl Longley….“The bottom line is, there is no significant increase in health hazards from consuming produce that’s treated versus untreated,” Longely said in reference to the different types of irrigation water used.
