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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 20, No. 15
Funding to continue for schools
Easter
April 10, 2020
Woman Of The Year
Staying connected
by Aly Brown Staff Writer
On the heels of last week’s announcement that schools in East County would be shuttered through the end of the year, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new labor agreement designed to support distance learning. On paper, the agreement between state teachers, classified employees, school boards, superintendents and principals indicates an advanced framework for students to receive resources, while empowering teachers to create “lessons within clear parameters.” Financially, this means the governor’s executive order will ensure continued funding to schools while in-person classes are suspended. What that agreement looks like set in action at see Funding page 18
Campos Family Vineyards owner Michelle Campos named Woman of the Year. Page 5
Supporting Local Business Photo by Tony Kukulich
C
hris, Beckett, Kohen and Stephanie Yorgensen were on hand to cheer as teachers and administrators from Almond Grove Elementary School in Oakley paraded through local neighborhoods Thursday, April 2. Officials announced this week that East County schools will remain closed through the remainder of the school year. Online classes have already begun in most local districts. To view a video of the event, visit www.thepress.net/multimedia
Census process remains on track by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer
The coronavirus pandemic has complicated the 2020 Census process but isn’t expected to impede its timely completion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The nationwide crisis has postponed field operations, including the homeless count and in-person delivery of paper questionnaires to rural areas that don’t receive mail, but the bureau fully expects to deliver each state’s Census counts to the president’s desk by the constitutionally mandated date of Dec. 31, said Jeffrey Enos, deputy regional director of the U.S. Census Bureau. “We are monitoring the situation day by day and making
“ The Census is on, and people are responding in great numbers.
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Jeffrey Enos, deputy regional director of the U.S. Census Bureau adjustments as needed,” Enos said. “I am confident in the Census bureau. We are keeping the health and safety of our employees as our No. 1 priority.” The Census process, completed every 10 years, counts every person living in the U.S. and five U.S. territories. Results dictate: the distribution of billions in federal funds for fire departments, hospitals, schools, roads and other resources; the number of each state’s House of Representative seats; school dis-
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trict boundaries; congressional and state legislative districts; and where new schools, roads and community services are needed. Short questionnaires were sent to U.S. homes by March 20 with an invitation to respond online or by phone or mail by Aug. 14. Despite the pandemic, 46.2% of nationwide households have self-answered thus far, which meets Census bureau projections for this period in the process, Enos said, noting that
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all resident response methods are functioning normally during the pandemic. Locally, California’s response rate is at 46.1%, with Brentwood at 56.5%, Oakley at 49% and Antioch at 47.5%. The county average is 53.8%. “The Census is on, and people are responding in great numbers,” Enos said. “I think the American public knows the Census is important and knows that the Census is one of the pillars of our democracy.” It’s expected that Census bureau field operations could restart in the middle of this month, with others in early May, but Enos stressed that bureau leadership is carefully monitoring conditions and following state see Census page 18
Fire Seat
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Board of supervisors has opening on advisory fire commission.
Despite the shelter-in-place orders, many local restaurants are still open for take-out, delivery. Page 7
Spring Sports Scrapped
The state’s spring sports season has been canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Page 14 Classifieds.............................17 Cop Logs................................19 Education................................6 Milestones............................12 Opinion..................................13 Adopt a Pet...........................16 Sports.....................................14
Board Position
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County looking for people to serve on retirement association board.