LAKEPORT
‘Dirty Cello’ to headline virtual concert from Soper Reese Theater
This four-member band is perfect for starting up a funky, sexy, electric Valentine’s Day party in the comfort and safety of your own home. The virtual concert is scheduled for February 14 at 3 p.m. Vivacious Rebecca Roudman plays the cello like it was a lead guitar and she sings like a rock star with attitude. Her group has played all over the world putting a highly danceable and original spin on blues and bluegrass.
Event registration coming soon.
—Submitted
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Legislators introduce bipartisan PHONE Act to help disaster survivors
Today Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) and Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) announced the introduction of the bipartisan PHONE Act. This bill allows survivors of natural disasters who lost their homes to keep their phone numbers while they rebuild and at no cost to them. When homes are destroyed, landline phone service may need to be disconnected. If a phone is disconnected too long, the service provider is required to return the phone number to a pool so the number can be assigned to other customers. Introduced in November 2018, this bill was inspired by the experience of Thompson’s constituents who lost their homes in the Atlas and Tubbs fires in October 2017.
“Disaster survivors who lost their homes face a daunting process with miles of red tape and they deserve as much assistance from the Federal government as possible. After I heard that local disaster survivors in our district were having trouble keeping their phone numbers while they rebuilt their homes, I knew Congress needed to do something,” said Thompson. “That’s why I reintroduced the bipartisan PHONE Act with Representative Newhouse to allow disaster survivors to keep their phone numbers and give them that important peace of mind during the recovery process. I will continue working to get this bill signed into law and bring back every Federal dollar and resource to help fire survivors.”
“The people of Central Washington and communities across the West understand the challenges of rebuilding after a natural disaster like a catastrophic wildfire,” said Rep. Newhouse. “I’m proud to introduce this legislation to ensure that families, homeowners, businesses, and farmers can remain connected to the people and resources they need to get back on their feet after a natural disaster.”
You can read the text of the PHONE Act at: https://mikethompson.house.gov/sites/mikethompson.house.gov/files/PHONE%20Act%20Text.pdf
The bill includes:
- An automatic 1-year freeze on residential wireline phone number reassignment following a major disaster declaration,
- The option to extend for an additional year at customer request,
- And a requirement that states determine if this safeguard is necessary and in the public interest + coordinate with FEMA and consult with wireline service providers to reasonably limit the designation to areas that have sustained covered damage.
—Submitted
SACRAMENTO
School reopenings stall — again
Monday marked yet another missed deadline in the nearly yearlong struggle to get California kids back in school — leaving the state limited time to find a solution before reopening campuses this academic year becomes moot.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $2 billion proposal required districts to submit reopening plans to the state by today in order to access grant money that would allow them to welcome their youngest students back to campus on Feb. 16. But the governor’s plan fizzled amid strong criticism from the state Legislature, large school districts and teachers unions — and the road to consensus appears long, even though Newsom said Thursday all aspects of the proposal are negotiable.
The main sticking point appears to be vaccines. The California Teachers Association, which exercises considerable sway in Sacramento, wants staff to be vaccinated before students return to school — a process that could take months. In January, the state epidemiologist said it could take California until June just to finish vaccinating residents 65 and older.
Newsom on Thursday: “If everybody has to be vaccinated, we might as well just tell people the truth: There will be no in-person instruction in the state of California.”
Adding to the tumult, Newsom’s reopening plan actually caused some school districts to scale back their plans for in-person instruction due to updated guidance requiring students’ desks to be spaced further apart, CalMatters’ Ricardo Cano reports.
Jonathan Zachreson, a Roseville parent of three: “It’s infuriating. … It looks like these politicians are incentivizing reopening schools, but in reality the plans they come up with do the exact opposite.”
Newsom is also under increasing pressure to allow high school sports to resume. On Thursday, two student athletes and a grassroots group called Let Them Play CA sued the governor and San Diego County, arguing, “There is no medical evidence that competing in team sports is safe for college and/or professional athletes but not high school athletes.” In Sacramento, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is sponsoring a “Let Them Play” resolution: https://ad03.asmrc.org/sites/default/files/files-uploaded/Let%20Them%20Play%20Resolution.pdf
—Hoeven, CALmatters
