California COVID-19 Relief Grants- Final Round Opens Today: The final round of the State of California's COVID-19 Relief Grant Program opens today and will close on Tuesday, May 4th. Don't wait to apply, as this will be the final round of the program. New applications are welcome and grant award amounts are expected to be between $5,000 - $25,000. For more information and to apply, visit www.CAreliefgrant.com.
Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) opens on May 3, 2021 9:00 am PST: In preparation, the SBA recommends qualifying applicants familiarize themselves with the application process in advance to ensure a smooth and efficient application experience, specifically by:
- Registering for an account in advance at sba.gov starting Friday, April 30, 2021, at 6 a.m. PST.
- Reviewing the official guidance, including program guide, frequently asked questions, and application sample.
- Preparing the required documentation.
- Working with a point-of-sale vendor or visiting sba.gov to submit an application when the application portal opens. [Note: If an applicant is working with a point-of-sale vendor, they do not need to register beforehand on the site.]
- Attending a live virtual training webinar: Thursday May 6 | 10:00am - 11:00 am PST Join Here; Tuesday May 11 | 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm PST Register Here; Thursday May 13 | 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm PST Register Here ; Friday May 14 | 9:00 am - 10:00 am PST Register Here
Mask Recomendations Change: From the New York Times: President Biden and federal officials announced that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks outdoors in most situations. These include when walking, running, hiking or biking alone, or with members of their household; or if they attend small outdoor gatherings. Beginning today, gathering with a group of friends, in a park, going for a picnic,” Biden said, addressing reporters outside the White House, “as long as you are vaccinated and outdoors, you can do it without wearing a mask.”
The guidance, however, stopped short of saying Americans can shed their masks altogether. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were still reasons to be cautious because of high caseloads in some parts of the country and the risk of still transmitting the virus after vaccination.
The agency also maintained that adults should continue to wear masks and social distance:
- In large public spaces, like outdoor performances or sports events, indoor shopping malls and movie theaters, or when the space is crowded.
- Where the vaccination and health status of others are unknown, like a social gathering where you don’t know everyone’s status.
Adults should still avoid medium and large gatherings and poorly ventilated spaces. And everyone should still wear a mask when doing almost anything indoors that involves contact with people who are not members of your household.
The Numbers: On Friday, Pasadena reported two new cases of Coronavirus and two additional fatalities. To date, there have been 346 deaths and 11, 224 cases in Pasadena. LA County reported 687 new cases and 41 fatalities opn Friday.
Health Officer Orders: From LA County Public Health revised Health Officer Order (HOO): Reopening Safer at Work and in the Community For Control of COVID-19, dated April 29, 2021, effective as of 12:01 AM on Friday, April 30, 2021; and the Protocol for Social Distancing: Appendix A Effective as of 12:01am on Friday, April 30, 2021 4/30/2021: • Cleaning requirements have been updated to reflect updated CDC cleaning guidance. • Includes updated language related to screening of fully vaccinated employees. • Updated paid sick language. • Allows onsite food and drink consumption in designated dining areas with safety modifications. The HOO, protocols and other pertinent information and resources can be found on the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health COVID-19 webpage. Thank you for your ongoing efforts to protect the health and well-being of Los Angeles County residents.
Pasadena Health Orders can be found here: https://www.cityofpasadena.net/covid-19/.
Vaccines: ChapCAre is offering vaccines at three sites. Downlaod the flyer here:
The City of Pasadena also hosts vaccine clinics: here is a schedule of first dose onlyModerna clinic opportunities in the community. Pre-registration can be conducted on myturn.ca.gov, and we will accept on-site registration. All vaccines are on a first come, first served basis.
|
Date |
Time Open to Public |
Location |
|
Tuesday, May 04, 2021 |
9:30a-12p |
Villa Parke 363 E. Villa St (greenspace next to Farmers Market) |
|
Monday, May 10, 2021 |
3:30-5p |
Pasadena Church 404 E. Washington Blvd (might switch to Johnson & Johnson, TBD next week) |
|
Thursday, May 13, 2021 |
9:30a-3:30p |
Renaissance Plaza, 2nd floor community room 649 N Fair Oaks Ave |
|
Tuesday, May 25, 2021 |
9:30-11:30a |
Villa Parke 363 E. Villa St (greenspace next to Farmers Market) |
|
Tuesday, June 01, 2021 |
9:30a-12p |
Villa Parke 363 E. Villa St (greenspace next to Farmers Market) |
Here is a schedule of first dose onlyModerna clinic opportunities in the community. These clinics are available for registration in advance from MyTurn.ca.gov. There is no on-site registration available.
|
Date |
Time Open to Public |
Location |
|
Wednesday, April 28, 2021 |
3:30-5:30pm |
First AME Church 1700 N Raymond Ave |
|
Tuesday, May 04, 2021 |
2:30-4:00pm |
Pasadena Public Health Department (PPHD), 2nd floor immunization clinic 1845 N. Fair Oaks Ave |
Here is a schedule of Johnson & Johnson vaccine clinic opportunities in the community. This clinic is available for registration in advance from MyTurn.ca.gov. There is no on-site registration available.
|
Date |
Time Open to Public |
Location |
|
Monday, May 3, 2021 |
3:30-5p |
Pasadena Church 404 E Washington Blvd |
Here is a schedule of first dose Pfizer vaccine clinic opportunities open to 16 and 17 year olds and their families. Contact Citizen Service Center at 626-744-7311 for advanced registration.
|
Date |
Time Open to Public |
Location |
|
Thursday, April 29, 2021 |
10a-3:30pm |
Victory Park (parking lot) 2725 Paloma St |
|
Friday, May 7, 2021 |
1-3:30pm |
John Muir High School (outside next to auditorium) 1905 Lincoln Ave |
From the LA Times: 1st-dose vaccine appointments fall 50% in L.A. Health officials worry county won’t achieve goal of administering 95% of weekly supply. By Colleen Shalby and Luke Monet.
Appointments for the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine have decreased by about 50% in Los Angeles County, alarming public health officials who call it a worrisome trend that reflects the slowdown in vaccination rates across the state and country.
The slowing demand probably means that, for the first time, the county will not reach its goal of administering 95% of its weekly supply, officials said. That follows the announcement from officials earlier this week that about 18% of county residents who got an initial dose have missed their second-dose appointments.
The drop in demand has prompted the county to allow for more walk-ins at vaccination sites, rather than requiring appointments. That flexibility will be allowed through next week, and is likely to extend.
Despite slowing demand, millions of people remain unvaccinated in the county. Only about 45% of residents have been partially vaccinated, according to a Times analysis, and more than 30% have been fully inoculated. To date, more than 7.2 million doses — including 2.6 million second shots — have been administered in the county.
Statewide, nearly 30 million doses have been administered, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 48.2% of Californians to date have received at least one vaccine dose and 29.9% are considered fully vaccinated.
Following months of vaccine demand that exceeded supply, interest has plateaued in recent weeks throughout the state after eligibility expanded to all residents 16 and older. Health experts and officials have attributed the drop to a variety of reasons, including access issues and ongoing hesitancy about the vaccine.
While transmission, hospitalizations and deaths related to COVID-19 remain low throughout the state and in L.A. County, health experts have said ongoing vaccinations continue to be key in the fight against the virus. But a vaccination rate of 100% is unlikely, experts have said, and getting the remainder of unvaccinated eligible residents to get a shot could take some time. That, combined with children who are not yet eligible for a shot, is a substantial amount of the population, experts have said.
Even as demand declines, vaccine supply is expected to continue increasing. California is poised to receive almost 90,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week as U.S. officials resume supplies of the single-shot COVID-19 vaccine.
The expected allocation of 87,800 doses would be the first direct federal shipment of J&J shots since the week of April 12 — when administration of the vaccine was temporarily halted while health officials investigated reports of a rare blood-clotting disorder among a handful of recipients.
Federal health agencies lifted the pause after 10 days last Friday, clearing the way for the shots to resume.
Along with Johnson & Johnson, California is slated to receive roughly 1.15 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 857,200 doses of the Moderna vaccine next week.
The Economy: Powered by consumers and fueled by government aid, the U.S. economy is achieving a remarkably fast recovery from the recession that ripped through the nation last year on the heels of the coronavirus and cost tens of millions of Americans their jobs andbusinesses.
The economy grew last quarter at a vigorous 6.4% annual rate, the government said Thursday, and expectations are that the current quarter will be even better. The number of people seeking unemployment aid — a rough reflection of layoffs — last week reached its lowest point since the pandemic struck. And the National Association of Realtors said Thursday that more Americans signed contracts to buy homes in March, reflecting a strong housing market as summer approaches.
Economists say that widespread vaccinations and declining viral cases, the reopening of more businesses, a huge infusion of federal aid and healthy job gains should help sustain steady growth. For 2021 as a whole, they expect the economy to expand around 7%, which would mark the fastest calendar- year growth since 1984.
As American consumers have stepped up their spending in recent months, they have consumed physical goods far more than they have services, like haircuts, airline tickets and restaurant meals: Spending on goodsaccelerated at an annual pace of nearly 24% last quarter; services spending rose at a rate below 5%.
But now, that disparity will likely shift as more restaurants and entertainment venues reopen and people look to spend more on experiences and less on tangible items. On Friday, for example, Disneyland will reopen, with limitedcapacity, to California residents.
Powered by consumers and fueled by government aid, the U.S. economy is achieving a remarkably fast recovery from the recession that ripped through the nation last year on the heels of the coronavirus and cost tens of millions of Americans their jobs and businesses.
The economy grew last quarter at a vigorous 6.4% annual rate, the government said Thursday, and expectations are that the current quarterwill be even better. The number of people seeking unemployment aid — a rough reflection of layoffs — last week reached its lowest point since thepandemic struck. And the National Association of Realtors said Thursday that more Americans signed contracts to buy homes in March, reflecting a strong housing market as summer approaches.
Economists say that widespread vaccinations and declining viral cases, the reopening of more businesses, a huge infusion of federal aid and healthy job gains should help sustain steady growth. For 2021 as a whole, they expect the economy to expand around 7%, which would mark the fastest calendar-year growth since 1984.
“We are seeing all the engines of the economy rev up,” said Gregory Daco, chief economist at Oxford Economics. “We have an improving health environment, fiscal stimulus remains abundant and we are starting to see rebounding employment.” The speed of the rebounding economy has been particularly striking given the scope of damage the pandemic inflicted on it beginning in March of last year. With businesses all but shut down, the economy contracted at a record annual pace of 31% in the April-June quarter of last year before rebounding sharply in the subsequent months.
Unemployment claims fluctuate in California, U.S.: Unemployment claims in California rose last week, marking two straight weeks of increases, but they remain well below the benchmark of 100,000, the government reported Thursday. California workers filed 75,500 initial claims for unemployment during the week ending April 24, up 2,600 claims fromthe previous week, U.S. Labor Department data shows.
Nationwide, workers filed 556,000 initial claims last week, down 13,000 from the prior week. Nearly 3.7 million people were receiving traditional state unemployment benefits the week of April 17. Including a federal program designed to ease economic pain from the health crisis, 16.6 million people were receiving some type of jobless aid the week of April 4-10.
“Layoffs are elevated but are gradually easing, consistent with an economy that is reopening,” said Rubeela Farooqi, chief U.S. economist at Hgh Frequency Economics. “We expect further declines in filings as businesses move closer towards normal capacity which will boost job growth over coming months.”
Rates to remain near zero
The Federal Reserve is keeping its ultra- low interest rate policies in place, a sign that it wants to see more evidence of a strengthening economic recovery before it would consider easing its support. In a statement Wednesday, the Fed expressed a brighter outlook, saying the economy has improved along with the job market. And though the policymakers noted that inflation has risen, they ascribed the increase to temporary factors.
The Fed also signaled its belief that the pandemic’s threat to the economy has diminished, a significant point, given Chair Jerome Powell’s long-stated view that the recovery depends on the virus being brought under control. In March, the Fed had cautioned that the virus posed “considerable risks to the economic outlook.” On Wednesday, it said only that “risks to the economic outlook remain” because of the pandemic.
The central bank left its benchmark short-termrate near zero, where it has been since the pandemic erupted nearly a year ago, to help keep loan rates down to encourage borrowing and spending. It also said in a statement after its latest policy meeting that it would keep buying $120 billion in bonds each month to try to keep longer-term borrowing rates low.
From The Wall Street Journal: Orders for long-lasting goods resumed growth in March as the U.S. recovery stoked manufacturing demand that has been building since last fall.
New orders for durable goods—products designed to last at least three years, such as computers and machinery— increased 0.5% in March from February to a seasonally adjusted $256.3 billion, the Commerce Department said Monday.
Orders have increased 10 out of the past 11 months. Low business and retail inventories have translated to increased demand for manufacturers for much of the past year. But supply-chain issues continue to constrain production and delay some shipments.
President Joe Biden is poised to announce a $1.8tn plan to expand America’s social safety net, which will be funded by hefty tax increases on the wealthiest households, senior administration officials said. The proposal, spanning a decade and covering areas such as child care, paid leave, education and healthcare, marks the third leg of the US president’s multitrillion-dollar economic agenda. It is expected to be the focus of his first speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night on the eve of his 100th day in office.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order Tuesday to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour for federal contractors, providing a pay bump to hundreds of thousands of workers. Biden administration officials said that the higher wages would lead to greater worker productivity, offsetting any additional costs to taxpayers. “This executive order will promote economy and efficiency in federal contracting, providing value for taxpayers by enhancing worker productivity and generating higherquality work by boosting workers’ health, morale, and effort,” the White House said in a statement.
The officials could not provide an exact figure on how many workers for federal contractors would receive a raise, only that it would be hundreds of thousands. There are an estimated 5 million contract workers in the federal government, according to a posting last year for the Brookings Institution by Paul Light, a public policy professor at New York University. The increase could be dramatic for workers who earn the current minimum of $10.95 an hour. Those workers would receive a 37% pay hike, though the increase would be rolled out gradually, according to the terms of the order.
From the Wall Street Journal: In March 2021, almost 1.5 million fewer moms of school-aged children were actively working than in February 2020, according to Misty Heggeness, principal economist and senior adviser at the Census Bureau. During the depths of last year’s economic crisis, Bureau of Labor Statistics data show, women’s participation in the workforce fell to levels not seen since the mid-1980s.
Many mothers and fathers alike have said that the pandemic’s effect on their lives has helped them feel closer to their children. But it has also affected their careers: Although men’s labor-force participation also fell to record lows last spring, women as a group have had more difficulty rebounding. A Wall Street Journal analysis of Census Bureau data shows that mothers are re-entering the labor force—defined as people 16 and older who are working or actively looking for work— more slowly than fathers.
Factors including access to child care, a lack of attractive jobs, the demands of home and virtual schooling, and health concerns are likely affecting mothers’ employment. The participation rates of women with kids under age 5 have fluctuated the most, Census Bureau data show.