April 29, 2021 Media Brief
Orange County
OC Register: Orange County’s three main coronavirus metrics remain low, but fall short of yellow tier
The share of tests coming back positive countywide held its ground since last week at 1.4%, a far cry from sky-high positivity levels during the winter surge, when nearly one of every five people tested were infected.
OC Register: Which is better for developing immunity: COVID-19 vaccine or natural infection?
A large-scale study by UC Irvine researchers may definitively settle this debate. They found that, yes, natural infection provides protection, but mRNA vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna kick natural immunity’s butt in protecting against COVID-19.
Voice of OC: Should Poseidon be able to start running its desalination plant without addressing loss of marine life
Poseidon water company representatives warn that requiring them to immediately mitigate any marine life loss, pollution or ecosystem disruption their project causes — before they can begin discharging wastewater — would never cost out and would effectively kill their project.
OC Register: Invasive algae found in Newport Harbor needs to be quickly contained, removed
Green, bushy algae that are invasive and threatening to Southern California’s coastal marine environment have been discovered in shallow water near the mouth of Newport Harbor, forcing changes to a dredging project.
OC Register: Disneyland resort faces $4 billion revenue loss due to coronavirus closure, analyst warns
The Disneyland resort generated an estimated $3.8 billion in revenue in 2019, according to Nathanson. That works out to approximately $10.4 million in daily revenue generated by the Disneyland resort.
Daily Pilot: Though many of its residents are peaceful, Orange County hasn’t avoided an upward trend of hate
According to the Orange County Human Relations Commission’s annual Hate Crime Report released last fall, the number of crimes and incidents rose for five consecutive years. It found that in just one year, from 2018 to 2019, hate crime surged 24 percent.
Labor
Labor 411: Biden reaches out to labor unions with creation of new task force
The administration noted that the National Labor Relations Act, the 1935 law governing federal labor rights, explicitly sought to encourage collective bargaining, but that the law had never been fully carried out in this regard.
California
Daily Pilot: California State Guard activates O.C.-based unit for disaster response
A 200-member contingent called Team Shield will train and muster as a security force at Joint Forces Training Base Los Alamitos. During wildfires and civil unrest they could be deployed throughout the state to assist police agencies with traffic control and manning checkpoints.
Publication Date: April 29, 2021
