As work dried up for mariachi bands, many musicians put themselves at risk for coronavirus transmission. Over 50 Mariachi musicians have died of COVID-19 in the past year.

By Jacqueline Garcia, Cal Matters

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters

Photo courtesy of Mariachi Nuevo Guadalajara

July 2, 2021 (San Diego) - Hundreds of mariachis come to Boyle Heights in Los Angeles from across the United States and Mexico, in search of work. They gather at Mariachi Plaza, a small park with a bandstand and kiosk that holds a special place in their hearts because it was donated by the Mexican State of Jalisco, the birthplace of this music. They wait for people to call or stop by to hire them.

By Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office

Photo:  Stock Photo. ivabalk / Pixabay

June 27, 2021 (San Diego) - The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency is looking for anybody that may have come into contact with a live bat that tested positive for rabies and was found at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on June 25, 2021.

“Parents are finding their children dead from fentanyl overdoses, boyfriends finding their girlfriends dead, and children are being put at risk by this alarming spike,” said DA Summer Stephan.

Source: San Diego District Attorney

June 21, 2021 (San Diego) -- The top law enforcement leaders in San Diego County are sounding the alarm about a concerning increase in overdose deaths related to fentanyl, especially among younger people. The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Department and Police Chiefs’ and Sheriff’s Association are pushing out the warning on social media in an effort to educate youth and parents that if the pill you’re taking didn’t come from a pharmacy, it could kill you.

In 2019, there were 151 fentanyl-related overdose deaths in San Diego County. According to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office, there were 461 fentanyl-related overdose deaths in San Diego County in 2020, triple the number from the year before. While still early, the projection for 2021 is 700 such overdose deaths. 

The District Attorney’s Office is part of the Narcotics Task Force Team 10, which responds to an average of 5 to 6 calls per week; most of them fatal overdoses and most involving a fentanyl-related overdose. The deaths are occurring in every part of the county and affecting every demographic. 

Keynote speaker is best-selling author, Emmy award-winning actor, director and producer Henry Winkler

East County News Service

June 18, 2021 (San Diego) -- Local nonprofit San Diego Oasis in collaboration with the County of San Diego’s Aging and Independence Services (AIS), Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) and Live Well San Diego, San Diego Oasis will host “Vital Aging 2021: Resilient and Ready!,” an online conference that will provide those 60 and older with information and resources related to aging. The online event will be held Thursday, June 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time.  This is a free virtual event.

June 14, 2021 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Organ transplant patients may benefit from third Covid-19 vaccine dose to boost antibodies, study suggests (CNN)
• Doctors using 3D printers to help babies with spina bifida who haven't even been born yet (10 News)
• Just 12 People Are Behind Most Vaccine Hoaxes On Social Media, Research Shows (NPR)
• CDC probes rare cases of heart inflammation in vaccinated teens, young adults (Washington Post)
• Sackler Family Empire Poised To Win Immunity From Opioid Lawsuits (NPR)
• Syria Bombs Hospitals. Now It Will Help Lead The World Health Organization (NPR)

SCIENCE & TECH

• What causes the Northern Lights? Scientists now know for sure (NPR)
• Major internet outage impacts websites and apps around the world (CNN)
• Tiny creature comes back to life after 24,000 years in Siberian deep freeze (Reuters)
• Trump’s blog failed, bigly. His next online venture won’t be any easier. (Politico)
• Should the police have facial recognition tech?  (QZ)
• Tech giants and tax havens targeted by historic G7 deal (Reuters)
• National Geographic Adds 5th Ocean to World Map (NBC San Diego)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

By Ben Christopher, CalMatters

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters

Photo:  Carlos Hernandez holds his mask while getting a haircut by Sarah Cordiey at Spiros Barber Shop in Long Beach on June 9, 2021. "During the pandemic, I got depression and anxiety," said Hernandez, who saw his family for the first time last week in more than one year. "But then when I got [fully] vaccinated I felt a lot better." Photo by Pablo Unzueta for CalMatters

June 14, 2021 (San Diego) - California’s grand reopening day is almost here, but it comes with a few asterisks. 

East County News Service

UPDATE: As of Saturday, June 12 at 11:05 a.m., the precautionary boil water notice has been lifted, reports Ready San Diego.

June 11, 2021 (San Diego) -- The City of San Diego is advising the public to not drink tap water without boiling it first in the Encanto area. This includes the area north of Brooklyn Avenue, south of State Route 94, west of 69th Street and east of Kelton Road, as well as Leppert Court, the 1100-1469 blocks of Watwood Road and the 1000-1400 blocks of Larwood Road

The Boil Water Notice was issued after a construction crew damaged a water main near Imperial Avenue and 65th Street Thursday.The city expects to have the problem resolved by Sunday. Until then, those affected should comply with the notice to avoid potential illness.

By Miriam Raftery

June 8, 2021 (San Diego) – Local businesses and event organizers will get a welcome reprieve from COVID-19 restrictions even earlier than the full reopening set to begin June 15 statewide.  Starting tomorrow, San Diego County will move into the state’s least restrictive Yellow Tier, after two consecutive weeks of less than two COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents.

One million young children in California may be eligible

Source: California Department of Education

June 5, 2021 (Sacramento) -- State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved California’s plan to launch a new food assistance program for young children up to age six whose access to healthy meals has been impacted due to the pandemic. The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and the California Department of Education (CDE) will partner to issue Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) benefits to eligible young children.

“The pandemic has placed additional strain on many families that were already struggling to provide healthy meals for their kids,” said Thurmond. “This program provides critical assistance so that our low-income young children can get the nutritious foods at home they need to thrive.”

Aging in place platform shares insights to raise awareness of the prevalence of anxiety and depression in older adults

Photo: by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

May 28, 2021 (Atlanta, GA) – Homecare.org, a resource for data, studies, and tools to help seniors remain safe and independent in their own homes, has published a recent survey about mental health problems among older adults during the pandemic. The study generated responses from 1,000 American adults who have parents over the age of 60.

East County News Service

May 27, 2021 (Sacramento) -- Governor Gavin Newsom today launched “Vax for the Win,” a new multi-faceted vaccine incentive program designed to motivate Californians to get their vaccination leading up to the state’s reopening on June 15. The incentives aim to give an extra nudge to those who still need to get vaccinated against COVID-19, especially those in hard-to-reach communities, while also thanking everyone who has already been vaccinated.