Solano remains in COVID red tier, 24 new cases overnight, ‘active cases’ increasing


By Roger Straw. Wednesday, March 31, 2021

24 new COVID-19 cases overnight, number of active cases increased each of last 7 days

The County also reported 24 new positive COVID cases overnight among our neighbors today.  Active cases numbered 304 today, up from 222 a week ago.

Solano did not move to the orange tier yesterday as did several of our neighboring counties.  The virus is still on the move here.  Stay safe, get vaccinated, wear a mask and social distance!

FOR THE RECORD: Screenshots from Solano County COVID Dashboard on Wednesday, March 31:COMPARE: Screenshots from Solano County COVID Dashboard on Tuesday, March 30:

The screenshots above are from today’s and last Friday’s Solano County COVID-19 Dashboard.  The Dashboard is full of much more information and updated weekdays around 4pm.  On the County’s dashboard, you can hover a mouse or click on an item for more information.  Note the tabs at top for SummaryDemographics and Vaccines.  Click here to go to today’s Solano County Dashboard.

Sources

Solano County won’t be moving to orange tier anytime soon

Solano County won’t be moving to orange tier anytime soon

Jenny Ault with Sutter Solano Medical Center directs a woman who had just received the Moderna vaccination to an observation waiting area at the Solano County Fairgrounds in Vallejo earlier this year. (Chris Riley—Times-Herald file)
Jenny Ault with Sutter Solano Medical Center directs a woman who had just received the Moderna vaccination to an observation waiting area at the Solano County Fairgrounds in Vallejo earlier this year. (Chris Riley—Times-Herald file)
Vallejo Times-Herald, by Thomas Gase, March 30, 2021, | UPDATED: March 31, 2021

Although numerous counties in California such as Alameda and Santa Cruz moved from the COVID-19 red tier to the the less restrictive orange tier this week, Solano won’t be joining them anytime soon.

Solano has been in the red tier for three weeks, but recent data has county health officials concerned that there is a slight chance it could be headed backward and into a more restrictive purple tier once again.

“No, we’re not moving into orange this week,” Solano County Public Health Administrator Jayleen Richards said, with a sigh. “Last week we started to see some data not trending upwards. We could actually go from the red tier back to purple if we don’t start following all the guidelines. We’re not there yet, but I’m worried about the slight increase of positive cases.”

Counties must remain in a tier for at least three weeks before moving to a less restrictive tier. Those counties must also meet the next tier’s criteria for two consecutive weeks to move to a less restrictive tier. If a county’s metrics worsen for two consecutive weeks, it will be assigned a more restrictive tier.

There was speculation Tuesday that Napa County was also going to move into the orange. However, it was announced Wednesday that Napa County will have to stay in the stricter red tier after an uptick in cases. That means winery indoor tasting rooms will remained closed for now.

The new tier assignments for Alameda and Santa Cruz counties will take effect on Wednesday.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Solano County has seen 31,121 cases and 197 deaths, according to the Solano County health site. According to the state website (which has often differed from the county site) there has been 5.5 new COVID cases per day as well as a 1.9 positivity rate (7-day average). The health equity quartile positivity rate is 2.3 percent.

“We’re doing really well in the equity rate measure, but we’re not quite there in other categories,” Richards said. “I want to have businesses reopen and be operating just as much as anyone, but we must keep doing things like masking and keeping a safe distance apart to to keep the elderly and vulnerable healthy.”

Taking in the recent data, Richards said Solano wouldn’t go back into a purple tier this week but she worries about the weeks ahead. She also stated that now the earliest that Solano can move ahead to the orange tier is mid-April.

“We’ll know more in about a week or so,” Richards said. “But the fact that the numbers are going in the wrong direction could be attributed to many things. It could be just an overall feeling that people go to a vaccination clinic to get their shots and they have a feeling that everything is back to normal. Then you add that the sun is out and the weather is better, which is causing large groups again. We’re just not quite there yet.”

The orange tier allows for bars that don’t serve food to reopen outdoors, and lets wineries, distilleries and breweries without food service start seating customers inside.

Bowling alleys and cardrooms can reopen as well, and indoor operations at churches, movie theaters, restaurants and museums would be subject to higher capacity limits.

Amusement parks such as Vallejo’s Six Flags Discovery Kingdom got the green light to welcome the public back starting Thursday, as long as their counties are in the red tier or better, under rules the state previously announced.

After Solano County moved into the red tier, the Vallejo City Unified School District announced that some schools are set to return to class on April 12.

The new tier assignment appeared to similarly allow the Oakland A’s to welcome more fans when its season starts Thursday, because the orange stage bumps up capacity limits for stadiums from 20 percent to 33 percent. The San Francisco Giants are also planning on letting fans back in their ballpark in April.

Bay Area News Group writers Nico Savidge and Shayna Rubin contributed to this story.

Solano COVID-19 update: 44 new cases today, fewer ICU beds available


By Roger Straw. Tuesday, March 30, 2021

44 new COVID-19 cases overnight, ICU Beds back in yellow danger zone

The County also reported 44 new positive COVID cases overnight among our neighbors today.  ICU beds available are down to 26%, below 30% (yellow danger zone) for the first time since March 23. The virus is still on the move.  Stay safe, folks, get vaccinated, wear a mask!

FOR THE RECORD: Screenshots from Solano County COVID Dashboard on Tuesday, March 30:COMPARE: Screenshots from Solano County COVID Dashboard on Monday, March 29:

The screenshots above are from today’s and last Friday’s Solano County COVID-19 Dashboard.  The Dashboard is full of much more information and updated weekdays around 4pm.  On the County’s dashboard, you can hover a mouse or click on an item for more information.  Note the tabs at top for SummaryDemographics and Vaccines.  Click here to go to today’s Solano County Dashboard.

Sources

Roadmap for Benicia’s new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative

First public sharing of last August’s historic resolution

By Roger Straw, March 30, 2021

Signed-Resolution-No.-20-103-with-Job-Description-Attachment.pdf

On my request, the Benicia City Manager has shared the final draft of Resolution No. 20-103, “Resolution of the City Council of the City of Benicia Recognizing Benicia Black Lives Matter and Consideration of Actions to Address Unconscious Bias.”

Previously, I had not been able to locate on the City website a final draft of the Resolution, which underwent lengthy discussion and some significant changes at Council last August.

For comparison, the DRAFT version of the Resolution is easily discoverable on the City website.   A full record of Council comments and public discussion at the August 25, 2020 meeting is available on the City website in the minutes of that meeting.  The August 25, 2020 agenda links to a staff report that accompanied the meeting.

The staff initially recommended funding of $133,000 for a 30 hour per week ETI Manager.  Council Member Largaespada opposed the initiative in its entirety and voted against the motion.  Council member Campbell did not want the salary to exceed $80,000/year.  After discussion, Council shaved it back to $89,000 for 20 hours per week, a highly disappointing outcome, but nonetheless a historic moment with high expectations.  For job description details, see the City’s Job Bulletin, also released to me today.

Now that the City has called into service our new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Manager, Dr. Maliika Chambers, it will be important for the public to support her work and monitor progress as the initiative moves forward.


DOWNLOAD: FINAL DRAFT – Resolution of the City Council of the City of Benicia Recognizing Benicia Black Lives Matter and Consideration of Actions to Address Unconscious Bias, August 25, 2021


Dr. Maliika Chambers, Benicia ETI Manager – Bio

Dr. Maliika Chambers

Dr. Maliika Chambers is a renowned learning, talent, and leadership development expert with over 20 years of experience transforming organizational culture to build diverse, inclusive, and equitable spaces where communities live, learn, and work successfully.

As a university professor, she worked to prepare the next generation of professionals in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and business. She has authored several trade and academic journal articles focused on best practices in driving cultural change through crisis response management, tailoring solutions to the needs of diverse audiences, and the role of executive engagement in successful business transformation efforts.

As a systems architect, her work helps corporations design the infrastructure that drives business strategy, promotes employee development, and retains top talent around the world. Dr. Chambers’ leadership and talent development work spans multiple industries including utility, healthcare, and high-tech. In those roles, she developed strategic business plans to address three critical areas: the alignment of human capital management and business priorities; the design of equitable spaces for cross-functional collaboration; and the critical attributes of sustainable cultural transformation.

Dr. Chambers holds advanced degrees in Sociology, Curriculum Development, Systems Design, Leadership and Organizational Development. She is a certified project manager, credentialed educator, and professional advisor to the California State Board of Education, the Western Association of Colleges and Universities, and the US Department of Education. Dr. Chambers also serves as a Governing Board member for Junior Achievement of Northern California.

“The challenges of equity, inclusivity, and accessibility we face continue to evolve and persist in communities, classrooms, and boardrooms today. I’m excited by the opportunity to build on the current efforts in the City of Benicia to yield positive change, and wholeheartedly support the desire to sustain a vibrant, inclusive, and more equitable environment for Benicia employees, residents, and the local business community.”