California on Coronavirus Lockdown : Indybay

Sat Mar 21 2020 (Updated 03/26/20)

California on Coronavirus Lockdown

Mutual Aid Efforts to Assist Those Most at Risk Increase as COVID-19 Spreads

On March 19, following the lead of multiple Northern California counties that had already been locked down for days, Governor Gavin Newsom ordered the entire state of California to "stay at home" indefinitely as a means to suppress the spread of COVID-19. As of 12:00am, March 20, non-essential work, travel, and gatherings are banned. Residents are allowed outside for walks or exercise, as long as people practice social distancing. Businesses deemed to be essential by the state will remain open, as well as those that can accommodate working remotely. Governmental service providers and law enforcement agencies will continue to operate. Later in the day on March 20, other states began to issue their own coronavirus suppression orders, including New York, Connecticut, Illinois, and Pennsylvania.

Beyond the expectation that medical facilities will soon be overwhelmed with a surge of severe coronavirus cases — complicated by shortages of supplies and healthcare workers becoming sick themselves — life is changing drastically for everyone, infected or not. As the state adopts more stringent measures to mitigate the rapid spread of coronavirus, millions find themselves without an income with which to pay bills and meet their basic needs. School closures mean students who depend on school lunches face the possibility of going hungry. Curbside communities, always on the edge of survival, are in dire straights. Persons incarcerated in overcrowded prisons and jails are especially at risk for contracting the virus. The stress and requisite isolation of the pandemic are taking a toll on mental health everywhere.

While many have long known of the painful cruelties of our capitalist system, a wider recognition grows that it is grossly ill-equipped to rise to the challenge of this time. Politicians on the national level are pondering solutions that were anathema to them just a few weeks ago, such as direct payments to individuals to bolster the economy. It remains to be seen whether elected officials choose a single payment or a monthly Universal Basic Income, or whether such emergency relief will be adequate to meet people's needs. Some prefer that the bulk of pandemic-related financial assistance goes to corporate bailouts. ICE announced that they will decrease raids and deportation operations, prioritizing instead immigrants with criminal records. On a state and local level, moratoriums on rent, mortgage, and utility payments are under consideration. The California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) determined that energy, water, sewer, and communications companies under CPUC jurisdiction should halt customer disconnections for non-payment as a result of the COVID-19 State of Emergency. In order to alleviate the pandemic dangers related to mass incarceration, officials are directing law enforcement to arrest fewer people now that courts are closed and unable to offer timely arraignments. Limited release of inmates has begun in a number of counties.

Not waiting for government action, allies and effected peoples are stepping up with ad hoc and coordinated mutual aid efforts to assist those most in need. Numerous groups listed in the posts below can use your physical and/or financial support during this crisis.

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