∙Congratulations to Mike Johnson, Joe Schroeder and Doug Halter on being elected to our city council. as our new city council members. With their election, all 7 members now represent a specific area (district) in Ventura. And, also, to Amy Yamamoto Callahan for being elected to the Board of Education.

Two of the city council races are very close (less than 200 votes), so I hope that my congratulations isn’t premature. We still do not elect a mayor in Ventura, so the City Council will select one of their own.

A big thanks goes out to Christy Weir for her many years of great service to Ventura. I’m sure that she will continue to serve and support Ventura in some other manner.

And congratulations to local boy – Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett – for a decisive victory in his run for the State Assembly. Steve started his political career as a Ventura City council member. Matt LaVere is now following in his footsteps and was elected as a Ventura County Supervisor.

∙In this issue is a mention of the passing of Robert Jenkins. I have known Robert and Patty for a few years because of their involvement in support of Parkinson’s Disease in Ventura. He fought valiantly as his condition worsened but always with a smile on his face. Patty was amazing still taking him for walks at the Harbor even needing to pick him up on occasion when he fell. Will miss him and know that Patty will continue to help those with the disease to help give them the support they need.

∙Good for Ventura for passing an Ordinance to the San Buenaventura Municipal Code which would tax gross receipts and square footage of businesses involved in cannabis (marijuana) and hemp in Ventura.

The Ordinance by itself does not authorize any cannabis or hemp business to operate in the City. This will need to be the next step to consider by the city council. The Ordinance reads; “Every person who engages in cannabis or hemp operations, including the cultivating, transporting, distributing, manufacturing, packaging, delivering, testing and all other business activities within the City would pay a maximum tax on the gross receipts of their operation’s activities.”

The tax would be a general tax as authorized by the California Constitution Article XIII

C, Section 2. As a general tax, the revenue generated may be used for any general governmental purpose.

∙The homeless man, Jamal Jackson, 51, accused in a fatal 2018 stabbing at Ventura’s Aloha Steakhouse, has been found incompetent to stand trial. This was determined in the Ventura County Superior Court. Statements from two doctors who evaluated Jackson’s mental state which led to Judge Nancy Ayers’ ruling. Ayers ordered Jackson to be sent to a state mental health hospital for two years for further evaluation at that time. He could still spend the rest of his life in confinement.

I think that it was the proper action for a civilized society to take.

∙During California’s worse fire season, the state recorded temperature records as August, September and October were the state’s warmest on record. This “almost sounds” like global warming.

∙I’m very proud of Americans (at least little more than ½ of them) for voting for our country’s first woman vice president-elect, Sen. Kamala Harris. Harris, who also happens to be the first Black women and first South Asian American women elected vice president-elect in U.S. history. Not minimizing her roots, but it’s wonderful enough that she is a female and even more amazing because of who she is. Now the second and third people in line to be president, if necessary, are females – Harris and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (both from California). And for electing Biden of course.

Democrats shouldn’t get too excited though because this wasn’t a victory for the Democrats as much as a defeat for Trump. In voting throughout much of the country, Republicans fared much better than Democrats. And remember, Trump received over 70 million votes – the most ever for an incumbent president.

How a person accepts defeat says more about their character than winning, whether it is the president of the United States, or the local PTA.

The President said, “Tens of thousands of votes were illegally received after 8 P.M. on Tuesday, Election Day, totally and easily changing the results in Pennsylvania and certain other razor thin states,” the president tweeted. He also claimed that “hundreds of thousands of votes” were not allowed to be legally observed by impartial bystanders, changing the outcome of the race.

“This would also change the Election result in numerous States, including Pennsylvania, which everyone thought was easily won on Election Night, only to see a massive lead disappear, without anyone being allowed to observe, for long intervals of time, what the happened…,” he added in his Twitter thread.

The president later tweeted that he won the election “by a lot.”

A large group of government and industry officials have rejected Trump’s allegations about voter fraud stating that the Nov. 3 election voting and counting went smoothly with very little minor problems. They stated, “There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes or was in any way compromised.”

Republican strategist Karl Rove wrote in the Wall Street Journal that, “The president should do his part to unite the country leading a peaceful transition and letting grievances go.”

From the New York Times; “By all accounts, President Trump is behaving as expected in the wake of his loss to Joe Biden. Rather than accept the election results like a grown man, he’s throwing a hissy fit, and it’s becoming clear that Trump may have to be dragged out of the White House like a toddler at a birthday party.”

Former White House chief of staff John Kelly issued an on-the-record statement lambasting President Donald Trump for not helping with the transition to a Biden administration.

Truthfully, Biden would not have been my first choice to be our next president, but I believe his more subdued calming manner might help reunite this country which has not been this divided since the Civil War. I think he can work with both sides of the aisle in Washington and, hopefully, get American’s speaking to each other again in a civilized manner.

∙ At a recent City Council meeting, the Ventura City Council has reaffirmed its stand against white supremacy and racism. Mayor Matt LaVere stated, on behalf of the Council, “The City Council remains steadfast to its commitment to condemn white supremacy and racism, discrimination and all forms of hatred, none of which will be tolerated in our city. We denounce all threats and menacing behavior used as weapons to intimidate any member of our community from living a full, free and equal life. We value the diversity of our residents who are critical to the city’s economic, cultural and social well-being.”

∙ If the following city ballot Measure I, to tax cannabis businesses, was approved by voters (results too late to be in this issue) Ventura will start allowing commercial cannabis businesses to be located here.

Measure I 2020​ – Cannabis and Hemp Tax ​

To fund city services (public safety, roads, parks, etc.), shall the City tax cannabis (marijuana) and hemp businesses at annual rates not to exceed $10.00 per canopy square foot for cultivation (adjustable for inflation), 8% of gross receipts for retail cannabis businesses, and 4% for all other cannabis businesses, should the city council legalize them at a future date; which will generate an unknown amount of revenue and will be levied until repealed?​

The regulations would allow a limited number of commercial cannabis businesses to open in Ventura. It would allow two retail and five industrial – manufacturing, testing labs and distribution businesses. Actual cultivation would continue to be prohibited here.

Currently, the relevant section of the city’s zoning ordinance prohibits commercial cannabis uses, except for deliveries, which the state requires cities to allow.

The Ventura Planning Commission will need to forward a recommendation to the council to approve an amendment to the zoning ordinance to allow the cannabis businesses. Ventura Community Development Director Peter Gilli said, “That is just one piece of the whole puzzle. It’s just to identify which zoning districts a cannabis business could apply to go into.”

If cannabis and hemp tax Measure I doesn’t pass, the city won’t move ahead with allowing commercial cannabis businesses to open. I certainly hope that it passes. Venturan’s who now need to purchase cannabis must go out of town taking their money with them. Or get delivery from out of town locations.

∙ Ventura is in the process of banning restaurants and others from using food and drink containers made of expanded polystyrene, commonly known by the trademarked name Styrofoam but manufactured by others.

Recently the Council introduced an ordinance to ban these based on grounds that expanded polystyrene is harmful to the environment. The ordinance would prohibit restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores and other businesses from distributing expanded polystyrene food containers to customers.

∙ Sadly, the sale of new guns in California has greatly increased this year due to the unrest that is occurring in this country. A survey conducted by UC Davis researchers also noticed a shift in gun ownership that they feel is likely to see an uptick in firearm related injuries and deaths, including accidental discharges of people not trained in the use of firearms. Though, the majority of those sales were to people who already owned at least one gun.

Who did these guns protect?

A 5-year-old girl was accidentally shot and killed by a juvenile member of her family and the girl’s father was arrested for child endangerment.

A 3-year-old boy has died at his birthday celebration after finding a family member’s gun and accidentally shooting himself in the chest.

∙ Based on comments he made in a new documentary, I’m pleased that Pope Francis called for legislation to protect same-sex couples. This marks a major break from Catholic doctrine. He stated “Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They are children of God and have a right to a family.”

“What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered.” Francis noted he has stood up for civil unions before, but his remarks in the documentary go beyond what he has said previously and are greatly different from the view of his predecessors.

LGBTQ rights groups hailed the comments as a major step but had questions about how much impact they would have on allowing civil unions across the country.

Even if it doesn’t result in immediate change, the fact that he made these comments will certainly open up debate among the Catholic community. I wish he had called for actual marriage, but a great start.

∙ A Ukrainian fitness expert with 1.1 million followers on Instagram has died of the coronavirus – after previously doubting the existence of the deadly bug. Dmitriy Stuzhuk, a buff 33-year-old who promoted healthy living, notified his fans of his diagnosis from his hospital bed, saying he woke up with breathing difficulties during a trip to Turkey and developed a cough the following day.

∙A wedding and birthday party in suburban New York turned into two Covid-19 “superspreader” events that infected more than 50 people and left nearly 300 in quarantine. “This kind of blatant disregard for the well being of others is not only extremely disappointing, it will not be tolerated,” Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone said. “In my opinion people that put on such events should go to jail.”

∙ According to a study published in Nature Medicine, if Americans would stop complaining about face masks and wear them when they leave their homes, they could save over 100,000 lives (and perhaps more than half a million) through the end of February.

The researchers considered five scenarios for how the pandemic could play out with different levels of mask-wearing and rules about staying home and social distancing. All the scenarios assumed that no vaccine was available, nor any medicines capable of curing the disease. Realistically, vaccines will not be available for many months and will only be taken by about 60% of people, so it will not be an immediate cure.

The authors said only 49% of Americans said they “always” wore a mask in public, according to the study. If U.S. residents do not wear mask in increasing numbers, they risk another round of mandatory social distancing measures that could once more shut down the small amount of businesses and schools around the country that are attempting to stay open.

∙Wish I knew the election results prior to this issue. Will comment, of course, in the next issue. You know that I am hoping that Biden wins. In the meantime, congratulations to our new (or returning) City Council members. More about them in the next issue.

∙ Wow, another year for the Ventura Breeze. It’s been a tough one, as it has been for most businesses. My thanks to all the special people involved in making the paper happen; our wonderful writers, photographers and distributors for managing to work around the virus and still do a great job, Deena (AKA as Breezy) Gledhill our senior account executive who brings in the money – it’s been a real challenge for her this year. Alfred J. Lewis, of Studio Nothing who lays out the paper and Cindy Summers who does several things including maintaining our website.

A special thank you as well to the many donors (see the back cover) who have contributed funds to keep us going. Many have chosen to not be mentioned. It is so exciting and rewarding to me that readers are willing to help us keep publishing. We received $5 from anonymous with the note, “Sorry this isn’t more! Thanks for your fine coverage of local news.” How special is that?

∙There has been much objection to the Ventura City Council upholding the Planning Commission’s approval of a four-story, mixed-use project at the corner of Front and Laurel Streets, rejecting two appeals that argued the project doesn’t fit the surrounding neighborhood. The proposed building would include 46 condominium units, including five affordable units, and five commercial tenant spaces.

The Downtown Specific Plan was adopted in 2007 and establishes the future development in downtown. This neighborhood is zoned for high-density, mixed-use buildings with retail space, offices and apartments. The proposed project falls under Plan, so the City Council is required to make its decision based on whether the project fits the Plan, which it does.

Community Development Director Peter Gilli explained the project is consistent with both the Downtown Specific Plan and the city’s General Plan, and it is compatible with what is allowed in the neighborhood. The city can’t arbitrarily deny approvals that are allowed by zoning. The applicant did request a larger 4th story under the State’s Density Bonus Law which allows projects with affordable housing to request increased density and other concessions to what is normally allowed. Cities are limited in their ability to deny these State mandated approvals.

If you would like to participate in the future planning of Ventura, you have a chance. In this issue is an article “City seeking people to work on the general plan.” The General Plan guides the City’s vision, goals, policies, and actions for the next 25 years!”

∙ For quick look at your city council candidates, go to www.venturabreeze.com and at top of the page click on Meet the Candidates.

∙ If there is a coronavirus vaccine rushed through prior to the elections, I certainly won’t be taking it. I believe in vaccines and have already had my flu shot, but we need to be sure that the vaccine had gone through many clinical tests and trials before being available. The experts say this might not be until next summer.

∙When Tommy Fisher decided he wanted to build his own private border wall in Texas, he said he wanted to keep out trouble from Mexico. I’m sure the fact that his construction company has landed more than $2 billion in government contracts to build President Trump’s official wall was not a consideration.

∙By Tyrone Beason from the LA Times.

‘Anyone who doubts that American democracy could fall if President Trump wins reelection should take it from someone who knows John Dean who says, he believes a budding dictator occupies the White House. “I worked for the last authoritarian president (Richard Nixon) and he was dangerous enough, said Dean. Trump makes Nixon look like a choirboy. If we get four more years of him, Dean said, “then our democracy will be gone.’

Some Republicans fearing that aligning with Trump could hurt their reelection chances are now criticizing him. Even though I agree with them, I don’t respect them doing this to save their careers. Republican Sen. Ben Sasse has criticized President Donald Trump saying a number of unflattering things about the President, including that he’s “flirted with white supremacists” and “kisses dictator’s’ butts. The United States now regularly sells out our allies under his leadership. “

Former White House chief of staff, retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, has told friends that President Donald Trump “is the most flawed person” he’s ever known. “The depths of his dishonesty is just astounding to me. The dishonesty, the transactional nature of every relationship is more pathetic than anything else.”

What kind of a president says things such as this? “Suburban women, will you please like me? I saved your damn neighborhoods, ok?”

Might this be the reason why he wants to get reelected? Without some of the protections afforded him by the presidency, Trump will become vulnerable to multiple investigations looking into possible fraud in his financial business dealings as a private citizen. As an individual and through his companies. He faces lawsuits that could cost him lots of money and even send him to prison.

Michigan’s secretary of state banned the open carry of guns at polling places and other official voting locations on Election Day in the state. Did we ever think that such a statement would need to be made? How frightening to think that “Trump’s army” will be at polling places intimidating voters.

Caroline Giuliani, the daughter of President Donald Trump’s personal attorney and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, is urging Americans to “end this nightmare” by voting for Democratic nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris.

The former Navy SEAL known for his role in the operation that killed Osama bin Laden is speaking out after President Donald Trump encouraged conspiracy theories that the terrorist leader’s death was a hoax. Donald Trump defended spreading a preposterous conspiracy theory about the death of Osama bin Laden saying he had merely been passing along a supporter’s view. “That was an opinion of somebody and that was a retweet. I’ll put it out there” he said, when questioned by NBC’s Savannah Guthrie about his passing along a theory that the killing of bin Laden by Navy SEAL Team 6 had been staged, and that members of the unit had been killed to cover it up.

“I don’t get that. You’re the president,” Guthrie said. “You’re not like someone’s crazy uncle who can just retweet whatever.”

How ironic is this? The antibody cocktail that President Trump received for his COVID-19 infection and touted as a “cure” for the deadly virus was developed using cells derived from aborted fetal tissue, a practice the White House and anti-abortion rights groups oppose.

Donald Trump said his coronavirus infection was a “blessing from God” because it educated him about potential drugs to treat the disease meant to demonstrate his return to work after several days in the hospital. How can this man dare make such a statement? What about the million people worldwide and the 215,000 so far – heading towards 400,000 – Americans that are dead.

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∙In this special issue of the Breeze, we feature the candidates for the Ventura City Council, Mayor Matt LaVere’s 2020 State of the City, Jim Friedman’s thoughts about council districts and a tribute to retiring council member Cheryl Heitmann. I hope that you enjoy it, and please vote ( mailing in is the safest way right now).

∙The Ventura City Council voted 6-1 to keep the city’s red-light detection cameras for another two years. The “no” vote was from Councilmember Cheryl Heitmann who said she’s been opposed to the cameras from the very beginning.

A majority of the council aren’t thrilled with the cameras saying that they either want the cameras gone after the two years or they want a new system with a new company (not Redflex Traffic Systems who have been providing the system for Ventura for almost 20 years).

I wish they hadn’t continued this and will give serious consideration to eliminating them completely.

∙Major Walter Reed, M.D., U.S. Army (September 13, 1851 – November 22, 1902), was a U.S. Army physician who in 1901 led the team that confirmed the theory of the Cuban doctor Carlos Finlay that yellow fever is transmitted by a particular mosquito species, rather than by direct contact. This insight gave impetus to the new fields of epidemiology and biomedicine, and most immediately allowed the resumption and completion of work on the Panama Canal (1904–1914) by the United States. Reed followed work started by Carlos Finlay and directed by George Miller Sternberg, who has been called the “first U.S. bacteriologist”. The now more well-known Walter Reed Medical Center is named after him.

∙A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the median age of people with COVID-19 in the U.S. has declined with Americans in their 20s now accounting for more cases than people in any other age group. The findings suggest that if the U.S. wants to get the coronavirus outbreak under control it will need more compliance (and government reaching out) from younger adults.

∙A Maryland man was sentenced to a year in prison for hosting two parties in defiance of the state’s coronavirus orders barring large gatherings. Shawn Marshall Myers, 42, had 50 to 60 people in his home for the first occurrence on March 22.

When officers arrived to shut down the party he was “argumentative.” He eventually agreed to shut down the party. But, he went right back to throwing another large party with more than 50 people less than a week after his first one was shut down.

I’m glad that he was found guilty of a crime. Large unprotected gatherings can kill people and spread the virus. Anyone who has unprotected gatherings should perhaps go to jail.

∙A federal appeals court has upheld Governor Gavin Newsom’s restricting indoor worship during the pandemic. The court determined California’s health orders did not discriminate against religious expression, and the conditions apply the same to worship services the same as other indoor events. I certainly agree, religious freedom doesn’t mean jeopardizing lives.

∙Tik Tok won a significant victory against the Trump administration when a federal judge ruled in favor of the tech company’s request to delay a ban on the app. Tik Tok will remain available in the US and continue to provide software updates. If they are a national threat, I think much more evidence needs to be provided. They provide a needed service for many Americans.

∙Approximately 83% of Democrats consider wildfires to be a serious threat while only 59% of Republicans share this belief. Amazing the very basic differences between people of different political parties. Much of California is burning to the ground – isn’t this a serious threat?

∙Joseph I. Castro, the grandson of farmworkers who rose during a career in higher education to lead Cal State Fresno, has been named the chancellor of the California State University system. He is the first person of color to lead this system. His life will be an inspiration to 43% of Cal State’s 480,000 students who are Latino.

∙Apparently, Biden (and logical people) is not wrong for wearing masks. Perhaps those that don’t are the wrong ones. I wonder if Trump still thinks it is a hoax by the liberal left to make him look bad? If it is, it certainly has succeeded.

∙Adopted in 1971, the 26th amendment lowered the voting age to 18. California voters can decide if 17-year-olds can vote under certain circumstances by approving proposition 18. I support it. Especially with today’s youth, they are so much more knowledgeable about affairs because of the time they spend on social media (all of it is not a waste).

∙I’m opposed to Amy Coney Barrett being on the Supreme Court because she is a Roman Catholic. Wait, am I some kind a racist? No, but with her on the court, 67% of the justices will be Roman Catholics even though they represent about 20% of the US population. The Supreme Court should at least make some attempt to represent the whole country. Can you imagine the backlash if 67% of the court were Jewish or some other minority?

∙Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, announced Saturday morning he tested positive for COVID-19, one day after revealing nobody wore a mask while preparing for the first presidential debate with President Donald Trump. Three Minnesota congressmen who flew on Air Force One with Trump have also tested positive for COVID-19.

Many of those involved with Trump will be testing positive. Will they be angry with him? I certainly would be. Will his fans finally understand that masks and distancing have a purpose and this has never been a hoax?

∙Just when I think Trump can’t be more irresponsible, he states he’s feeling good and the nation should not “be afraid of the virus” and let it dominate your life. A virus that has killed more than 209,000 Americans. I wonder how the relatives and friends of the 209,000 feel about it. Also, he has medication not available to anyone else and the White House has an entire medical facility in it to care for him.

∙At a special City Council meeting held on Tuesday, September 8, the Council approved the extension of the popular ‘Main Street Moves’ program. This is a temporary outdoor business expansion program that allows businesses within the 6 block closure area of historic Downtown Ventura Main St (Fir St. to Figueroa Plaza) to expand onto the streets and sidewalks as a means to support local commerce during COVID-19. Main Street Moves is a collaborative effort between the City of Ventura and the Downtown Ventura Partners.

Happy to say that this program has really helped keep restaurants in business but not sure how it has affected non-restaurant businesses that are open. Plus there have been complaints about a lot more traffic on Poli.

Another good thing that the City is doing is to allow restaurants to expand outside by removing some of their required parking.

∙ It’s wonderful that Governor Newsom signed a bill that outlaws the retail sale of flavored tobacco products in California. The new law takes effect on January 1 and is a result of a surge in teen use of flavored tobacco. I know that some adults who smoke say that flavored tobacco has allowed them to stop smoking (ain’t they both smoking?), but my concern is to keep young people from starting to smoke,because once they do, in most cases, it lasts a lifetime.

∙According to data released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Northern Hemisphere just sweltered through its hottest summer on record. Globally, August ranked as the second-hottest month since record keeping began in 1880.

Historic wildfires and extreme weather events in the U.S. have sharpened focus on global warming and the catastrophic impacts of climate change (we know of course that climate change is a hoax even if it was 121 degrees in Woodland Hills).

∙My condolences, and love goes out to the Baker family for the passing of their daughter Izzy as reported in our last issue. She was, as Yiddish calls her, part of the Breeze mishpucha.

∙SPAN Thrift Store is now open to the public and looking for donations of adult clothing, household items and tools, if you have any of these items you no longer use. See more on the pet page.

∙Bike Week ends on September 25th. The VC Transportation Commission is asking you to bike instead of driving one day per week. This is an annual event encouraging residents to use their bicycles instead of their cars. If you are working at home, you can ride your bike around the block and then come back home thereby not using your car to get to work. If you go to goventura.org/bike-week you can enter to win a $100 VISA gift card. The deadline is September 30th.

∙ Our nation has lost an amazing lady in Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was a brilliant justice and a trailblazer. She leaves an extraordinary legacy. Ginsburg was born and grew up in Brooklyn, New York and earned her bachelor’s degree at Cornell University. She was married to Martin D. Ginsburg and was a mother before starting law school at Harvard, where the 5-foot tall Ruth was one of the few women in her class. Ginsburg transferred to Columbia Law School, where she graduated first in her class. She was a professor at Rutgers Law School and Columbia Law School, teaching civil procedure as one of the few women in her field.

Just hours after Ginsburg died, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Trump’s pick to replace Ginsburg will get a vote on the Senate floor, prompting an angry response from Democrats.

This is just another example of the hypocrisy of our political system (on both sides).When Obama nominated U.S. Circuit Court Judge Merrick Garland in 2016 to fill the seat of Justice Antonin Scalia, McConnell and the majority of his Republican Senate colleagues refused to grant a confirmation hearing 10 months before the presidential election saying the next president should make the appointment.

At the time, Ted Cruz was running to be the Republican presidential nominee and released a statement, saying, “I proudly stand with my Republican colleagues in our shared belief that we should not vote on any nominee until the next president is sworn into office.” Not all Republicans agree.

Now Cruz and many of his Republican colleagues have a different take.

∙If an alien just landed here, they would think that Biden was president and Trump was running against him. Trump ads (and words) show bad things going on right now and state, “If Biden was president this is what the country would look like, but if law and order Trump is elected this wouldn’t be happening.”

Also, Trump commenting on the shooting of two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies stated that Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden is weak on law and order issues. How is Biden at all responsible for what’s going on in this country? Wait, isn’t this happening on Trump’s watch? Occasionally, reporters need to remind him that he is president.

∙In a tweet, the president urged voters in North Carolina to vote twice, once by mail and once in person. Voting twice is illegal in all states. Even Trump’s tweet might be a violation of North Carolina election law, which specifies that “to induce another to commit a fraud to register or vote at more than one precinct or more than one time, in the same primary or election” is unlawful.

∙House Majority Whip James Clyburn on Thursday slammed Attorney General William Barr for comparing coronavirus lockdowns in the US to slavery, saying the comments are “the most ridiculous, tone-deaf, God-awful thing I’ve ever heard.”

∙Trump said recently at a White House press briefing; “I really do believe we’re rounding the corner” the same day that 1,000 more Americans died. And the deaths of 200,000 coming up.

∙ According to a federal health official, Trump-appointed communications officials at the US Department of Health and Human Services pushed to change language to weekly science reports released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention so as not to undermine his political message.

∙An overwhelming majority of Americans have no confidence or trust in President Donald Trump to verify the safety of any coronavirus vaccine, a new ABC News/Ipsos poll shows.

Only 9 percent, of U.S. adults said they have a great deal of confidence in Trump’s ability, or intention, to confirm the effectiveness of a COVID-19 vaccine. Sixty-nine percent of Americans in the poll released Sunday said they don’t have any confidence in Trump’s endorsement of the vaccine.

This, coupled with people concerned about the safety of vaccines, especially one that is being fast-tracked might mean that a vaccine may never work if only a minority of people participate.

∙In June, Downtown Ventura closed its streets to expand outdoor dining and shopping as part of its Main Street Moves launch. This has saved many restaurants from having to close.

The closure will continue at least until September 14.

∙A new free COVID-19 walk-in test site, open to all county residents, is now open at the County Fairgrounds. No appointment is required. The test center is located in San Miguel Hall, and entry is through Gate 2 off Shoreline Drive. The, center is operated by Ventura County’s Health Care Agency and is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

∙The Ventura Unified School District is reviewing its school resource officer program. Ventura Superintendent Roger Rice said the district planned to put together a committee to address community members’ concerns over the program that puts officers on school campuses. The district has a contract with the Ventura Police Department to provide three officers, who split their time among the district’s elementary, middle and high schools. I think that an impartial committee to review this situation is called for before any decisions are made.

∙ In November, some of us will be voting for a city council member depending upon where you live. On September 6, 2017 the City received a letter from Robert Rubin, Esq., of San Francisco demanding that the City Council elections transition from the current “at-large” method to by-district” in order to conform to the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA). Mr. Rubin asserted that the City of Ventura is in violation of the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 because “racially polarized voting” occurs in the city. Based upon this, and possible lawsuits, the city adopted city council districts.

These are the candidates for the districts. We will have more information closer to the elections.

District 2

• Doug Halter, business owner
• Dougie Michie, financial advisor/ lawyer
• Christy Weir, city councilmember

District 3

• Barbara Brown, professor/business owner
• William Cornell, small business owner
• Aaron Gaston, business owner/ realtor
• Mike Johnson, teacher

District 7

• Heather May Ellinger, real estate agent
• Michael James Nolan, realtor/telecommunications manager
• Nancy Pedersen, business owner/ executive
• Joel Schroeder, retired financial CEO

∙ The City of Ventura and Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, a local environmental group, have announced an amendment to their settlement agreement in the lawsuit regarding the pumping and diversion of water from the Ventura River Watershed. Both Channelkeeper and the City remain committed to ensuring the protection of this local water source and the species that rely on it. The ongoing collaboration enables dialogue toward a locally developed solution to continue moving forward.

Under the modified terms, the City will continue the Pilot Program it implemented in 2019 to reduce its pumping and diversion of water from the Ventura River when flows drop during dry times, in order to help protect wildlife that depend on the river.

Additionally, the City and Channelkeeper have agreed to keep a dialogue open to identify additional ways to work collaboratively on other Watershed and habitat-related public relations efforts.

∙ I’m still bothered by Supreme Court decisions that are made with a simple majority vote of 5-4. These are major, major decisions that greatly affect how this country is run and should not be based on just one vote. I also think that Supreme Court justices should have fixed terms and not be appointed for life. Most Supreme Court nominations by presidents are made simply for political reasons with Republican appointees voting one way and Democratic opponents the other way (except on rare occasions). I don’t know what term limits should be, but I certainly think there should be one.

∙Scientists from Leeds and Edinburgh Universities and University College London analyzed satellite surveys of glaciers, mountains, and ice sheets between 1994 and 2017 to identify the impact of global warming. Describing the ice loss as “staggering,” the group found that melting glaciers and ice sheets could cause sea levels to rise dramatically, possibly reaching 3-feet by the end of the century. The dramatic loss of ice could have other severe consequences, including major disruption to the biological health of Arctic and Antarctic waters and reducing the planet’s ability to reflect solar radiation back into space.

∙NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he should have “listened earlier” to free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick about the reasons behind his kneeling protests against police brutality and racial injustice.

Goodell admitted the league was “wrong” for not listening to players who were protesting during the national anthem.” I wished we had listened earlier to Kaep, to what you were kneeling about and what you were trying to bring attention to,” Goodell stated in a video released last week.

Kaepernick, a former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, started kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 to draw attention to police brutality and racial inequality. Other players embraced his form of protest, but it also gained critics such as President Trump, who decried it a sign of disrespect to the American flag.

Goodell now says he understands the protests were not about the flag and defended players who participated. “These are not people who are unpatriotic,” Goodell said. “They’re not disloyal. They’re not against our military. In fact, many of those guys were in the military, and they’re a military family. And what they were trying to do is exercise their right to bring attention to something that needs to get fixed. And that misrepresentation of who they were and what they were doing was the thing that really gnawed at me.”

∙Current, and some former, Ventura residents have sued the City over the removal of the statue of Junipero Serra from in front of City Hall. The Coalition for Historical Integrity filed its suit in Ventura County Superior Court two days prior to the statue being removed and put in storage with the hope of moving it to the Mission San Buenaventura. Ventura council members had predicted that the city would be sued either way whether they decided to remove the statue or keep it at the location in front of City Hall.

∙Oxnard Development Director Jeff Lambert has surprisingly left his position with Oxnard. A reason was not given. Lambert took the position in 2019 when leaving Ventura, where he held a similar position. He told the Breeze that he is going to start a consulting business to help builders get through permitting in Ventura County. I wish him luck.

∙In an effort to improve testing capacity for the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ventura County fairgrounds will become the county’s newest drive-through testing site. The fairgrounds site will be able to collect up to 1,500 samples per day. Hopefully, it won’t take 7-10 days to get results –as it takes now, which makes the process somewhat useless.

∙As an Indiana school district welcomed students to the 2020-21 academic year, one of their students tested positive for Covid-19 on the first day of class. This also happened on the first day in Georgia. This is why many parents are reluctant to send their kids back to school.

∙Millions of dollars of American taxpayer money went to China from the Paycheck Protection Program because the economic relief legislation allowed American subsidiaries of foreign firms to receive the loans. According to a review by the strategy consulting firm Horizon Advisory, $192 million to $419 million has gone to more than 125 companies that Chinese entities own or invest in. Many of the loans were quite sizable; at least 32 Chinese companies received loans worth more than $1 million.

∙Five individuals were charged in an indictment with fraudulently obtaining more than $4 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and using those funds, in part, to purchase luxury vehicles.  Authorities have seized a Range Rover worth approximately $125,000, jewelry, over $120,000 in cash, and over $3 million from 10 bank accounts at the time of arrest.

∙A Houston doctor who praises hydroxychloroquine and says that face masks aren’t necessary to stop transmission of the highly contagious coronavirus has become a star of the right-wing internet. Donald Trump Jr. declared the video of Stella Immanuel a “must watch,” while Donald Trump himself retweeted the video.

Other claims that she has made should also be considered. Immanuel, a pediatrician, and a religious minister, has a history of making bizarre claims about medical topics and other issues. She has often claimed that gynecological problems like cysts and endometriosis are in fact caused by people having sex in their dreams with demons and witches.

She alleges alien DNA is currently used in medical treatments, and that scientists are cooking up a vaccine to prevent people from being religious. And, despite appearing in Washington, D.C. to lobby Congress on Monday, she has said that the government is run in part not by humans but by “reptilians” and other aliens (this I can agree with).

∙It was not unusual for Garrett Foster to be at a protest against police brutality. And it was not out of character for him to be armed. Foster was carrying an AK-47 rifle as he joined a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Austin, Texas. Gun-rights supporters on both the left and the right often carry rifles at protests in Texas, a state whose liberal gun laws allow it. Later that night, Mr. Foster was fatally shot, but not by the police. The authorities said he was killed by a motorist who had threatened protesters with his car. In Texas, it is lawful to carry rifles, shotguns and other so-called long guns on the street without a permit, as long as the weapons are not brandished in a threatening manner. To me carrying these types of guns always projects a threatening manner.

∙Boris Johnson has admitted the government did not understand coronavirus during the “first few weeks and months” of the UK outbreak. The British PM told BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg there were “very open questions” about whether the lockdown had started too late. Mr. Johnson also spoke of “lessons to be learned” and said ministers could have done some things “differently”. How nice to have a leader willing to admit when he makes mistakes.

∙More than 40 people were infected with the coronavirus after attending a multiday revival event at an Alabama Baptist church, according to the pastor. “The whole church has got it, just about,” pastor Daryl Ross of Warrior Creek Missionary Baptist Church stated. The pastor said the churchgoers, including himself, tested positive after the congregation held a series of religious services featuring a guest pastor over several days.

∙A new poll released by NBC News shows who is more likely to say they wear a mask when leaving home. The NBC News/SurveyMonkey Weekly Tracking Poll found 97% of Democrats or people that lean Democratic say they wear a mask at least most of the time when they leave their homes and might be in contact with others. Republicans and those who lean Republican were at 70%. Who could have ever imagined that wearing masks and saving lives would be political?

∙In an abrupt reversal, President Donald Trump now is encouraging voters in the critical swing state of Florida to vote by mail after months of criticizing the practice, and only days after threatening to sue Nevada over a new vote-by-mail law. I’m sure this decision isn’t meant to favor his voting base.

∙A Senate GOP leader raised concerns on Wednesday over President Donald Trump’s unsubstantiated claims that mail-in-voting leads to mass fraud, arguing that Republicans should instead be encouraging voters to use the method in order to compete in a consequential election that will determine control of Congress and the White House. “Mail-in voting has been used in a lot of places for a long time (5-states only use mail-in voting),” Senate Majority Whip John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican, said in the Capitol.

∙I didn’t think that the downtown closing of Main St. would be successful, but it is working very well. Outdoor dining is a great idea because it allows many restaurants to remain open that would be otherwise closed, many permanently. This is especially true because the Coronavirus will be with us for a long time.

Many restaurants have always had space to expand outside so are doing this now. With our wonderful weather all restaurants that can serve outside should.

It is sad, however, to see so many businesses now closed forever.

∙Once again, I want to thank the Breeze donors that are helping to keep the paper running.

∙Hedge-fund manager Chatham Asset Management LLC emerged as the winner in a bankruptcy auction for McClatchy Co., ending 163 years of family ownership for the newspaper chain and increasing financial investors’ control of the American publishing industry.

The sale, announced by McClatchy on Sunday, must be approved by the judge overseeing its bankruptcy. McClatchy publishes 30 daily papers, including the Miami Herald, the Sacramento Bee and the Kansas City Star.

This is good news so that the newspaper industry can, hopefully, survive.

∙Now that Father Serra has been removed from the pedestal at City Hall the question is what should replace him? A simple solution would be to just remove the pedestal. If a new statue is placed there perhaps it should be a Chumash elder. Do any Breeze readers have suggestions of what should be put in that location?

∙ Ventura County District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced that state and local officials have reached a settlement with Crimson Pipeline and its contractor CD Lyon Construction, Inc. and CD Lyon, Inc. These are the companies responsible for the June, 2016 crude oil spill in Hall Canyon, Ventura. The spill occurred from a crude oil pipeline owned by Crimson following a valve replacement operation and restart of the pipeline. New valve flanges were not properly tightened which caused the release of more than 44,000 gallons of crude oil.

In total, Crimson has agreed to pay $1,307,700 in civil penalties, costs, and natural resources damages. Additionally, CD Lyon has agreed to pay civil penalties and a portion of the outstanding costs totaling $300,000.

∙From the LA Times. This is what police defunding means to many including me.

“Several Los Angeles City Council members are calling for a new emergency-response model that uses trained specialists, rather than LAPD officers to render aid to homeless people and those suffering from mental health and substance abuse issues. The city of Berkeley, California, moved forward Wednesday with a proposal to eliminate police from conducting traffic stops and instead use unarmed civilian city workers as part of a broad overhaul of law enforcement. The City Council also set a goal of cutting the police budget by 50%.”

“The vote calls on the city manager to convene a “community engagement process” to pursue the creation of a separate department to handle transportation projects as well as enforcement of parking and traffic.”

Someone asked me if you are being robbed, are you supposed to call a social worker? Of course not, this is why we have a police department to deal with crimes and criminals.

∙Speaking of police, Ventura Police Commander Tom Higgins has retired after 28 years of outstanding service to our community. He will be missed, especially by the press who he provided police information to. I have also met him personally so hope to still see him someday when life goes back to normal.

∙The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster started in 2005 when Bobby Henderson, a physics graduate from Oregon State wrote “The Open Letter to the Kansas School Board.” This letter was published online as a response to a newly elected conservative-majority school board’s decision to teach creationism alongside evolution as equivalent scientific theories in science classes statewide.

In the letter, Mr. Henderson argued that if this were to be the case, then it would then only be fair to teach other creation beliefs in science classes as well. Specifically, his belief, that a Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe a few thousand years ago. What started out as a clever attempt to expose false equivalency quickly went viral online, and over the next 15 years would evolve into a vast religious community with millions of followers worldwide. Fittingly, these followers call themselves “Pastafarians.”

∙The official portraits of former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have been removed from the Grand Foyer of the White House and replaced by those of two Republican presidents who served more than a century ago.

White House tradition calls for portraits of the most recent American presidents to be given the most prominent placement in the entrance of the executive mansion, visible to guests during official events.

∙The Republican speaker of Ohio’s House of Representatives was arrested by federal officials recently on charges connected to a $60 million bribery scheme. Larry Householder and four other political operatives were charged with racketeering in what US Attorney David DeVillers described as “likely the largest bribery money laundering scheme ever perpetrated against the people of the state of Ohio.”

∙Polar bears have long been the poster child of the consequences of climate change (yes it does exist, even if people aren’t causing it). A new study suggests the Arctic bears are at risk of being starved into extinction by the end of the century. It really doesn’t matter what is causing their decline, the important thing is to find a way to stop it.

∙A U.S. Navy veteran, Chris David, said he thought he would be able to talk plainly with federal agents in Portland and ask them why they were using unmarked cars to snatch people off the street during recent protests in the Oregon city.

When he tried to speak with them outside the federal courthouse, he said a federal officer beat him with a baton, breaking his hand in two places. A second officer sprayed him with chemical irritant, David said.

“I wanted to ask them, ‘Why are you guys not following the Constitution?’ But we never got there, and they whaled on me like a punching bag.”

∙Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said he believes the pandemic could be brought under control over the next four to eight weeks if “we could get everybody to wear a mask right now.”

∙Trump on “Fox News Sunday” repeated his assertion that the virus will eventually disappear. “I’ll be right eventually,” he said. “It’s going to disappear, and I’ll be right.” Of course, it will go away eventually, and he can say that he was right. That is like saying that a forest fire will eventually stop burning and claiming you knew it was going to happen.

∙U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said calls for a boycott of Goya Foods because its CEO praised President Donald Trump were an attempt to “silence free speech.” But one year ago, the Texas Republican encouraged people to boycott Nike after the company halted plans to sell shoes featuring the Betsy Ross flag that some say glorifies slavery and racism.

∙ In this issue we launch a new Social Justice column. Please let me know what you think of the column? We hope readers will send in their thoughts to [email protected].

∙The statue of Father Junipero Serra in Sacramento’s Capitol Park was brought down amid a protest focusing on the rights and historical struggle of indigenous people.  As you know, Ventura is deciding what to do with our statue. See coverage in this issue.

Truthfully, as a non-native American, I don’t have a really strong feeling about this. However, since it offends people whose family members were negatively affected, we should listen to them and make it their decision. If the city decides to move it, I think putting it in the garden at the Mission would be a perfect place.

∙Florida reported 15,300 new COVID-19 cases – the most any state has reported in a single day This number blew past the previous high, 12,274, by New York on April 4.

∙If you have heard the transcripts released of body camera footage leading up to George Floyd’s death, you realize that the police officer just out and out killed him. “I’ll do anything, I’ll do anything y’all tell me to, man,” he tells officers early into the transcript. “I’m not resisting, man. I’m not!” He told officers he couldn’t breathe nearly 30 times. He was still being held down even after he died.

∙History 101: The British surrendered at Yorktown October 19, 1781. America declared its independence in 1776, but it took another five years to win freedom from the British. That day came on October 19, 1781, when the British General Charles Cornwallis surrendered his troops in Yorktown, Virginia.

∙A group of scientists at the University of Nottingham think they’ve come up with a new “cosmic evolution” based calculation that says that there are likely to be at least 36 ongoing intelligent civilizations in our Milky Way galaxy.

The Milky Way (home to our Solar System) is estimated to have 100 billion to 400 billion stars, and roughly one exoplanet per star in our galaxy.

A key assumption is that it takes around five billion years for intelligent life to form on other planets, as it does on Earth (we aren’t quite there yet).

∙Billionaire property developer Joe Farrell, a prominent Republican fundraiser, received up to $1 million in taxpayer coronavirus relief funds, according to federal data released Monday. I only requested $500,000 but haven’t received it yet.

∙The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the number of hand sanitizers it recommends U.S. residents avoid due to the potential presence of a toxic substance.

The FDA has issued warnings about 59 different hand sanitizers, many of which contain methanol, which can be dangerous when absorbed through the skin or ingested. All of the sanitizers appear to have been produced in Mexico.

The FDA recommended recalls for the products and warned that it has “seen a sharp increase in hand sanitizer products that are labeled to contain ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol) but that have tested positive for methanol contamination.”

The following is about President Trump in case you don’t want to read it.

“On Sunday, July 5, a segment on Ghislaine Maxwell during Fox News Channel’s ‘America’s News HQ’ mistakenly eliminated President Donald Trump from a photo alongside then Melania Knauss, Jeffrey Epstein and Maxwell,” a spokesperson for the network said. The Fox News spokesperson added, “We regret the error.” What they really regret is getting caught.

Dr. Anthony Fauci disagreed with President Trump’s claim that 99% of coronavirus cases are “totally harmless.” Trump said this after being told that only 1% of people infected die. Apparently he doesn’t think (or understand) that post-viral syndrome associated with Covid-19 has incapacitated some patients for prolonged periods and could affect their health for the rest of their lives. Does he consider that to be “totally harmless.”

In an interview published in The Financial Times, Dr. Fauci stated he last saw Trump in person at the White House on June 2 and has not briefed the president for at least two months.

Trump said of the virus, “I think that at some point that it’s going to sort of just disappear, I hope.” We all hope, and of course at some point it will go away but that would have been much quicker if it wasn’t for his lack of acknowledgement and guidance. “Everything is being handled,” he stated.

President Donald Trump visited the US-Mexico border Tuesday and tried to credit his new wall with stopping both undocumented immigration and the coronavirus

President Trump is once more pushing to have his border wall painted black, a design change that is projected to add at least $500 million in costs. He is insisting that the dark color will enhance its forbidding appearance and leave the steel too hot to touch during summer months.

A day after Fox News’ latest national poll showed that presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden had opened up a 12-point edge over Trump, one of many such surveys in recent weeks that has Biden widening his lead, the president called the Fox poll fraudulent and claimed it was created by “haters.”

President Donald Trump said some Americans might wear face masks not as a way to prevent the spread of coronavirus but as a way to “signal disapproval of him.” Tell that to the over 130,000 Americans who are dead. How sad.

It’s more work to put on a pair of pants or shoes than it is to put on a mask.

∙Regarding the Bill Green cartoon in the last issue, I have received negative feedback and criticism from some of our readers and sincerely apologize for running it. It wasn’t intended to be racist in any manner, but rather just a satirical social comment on the changes underway in this country and the challenges faced by people of color.

It completely missed the mark, and, in retrospect, understand that the cartoon should never have been published. I now realize that this attempt at humor trivialized the very serious issue of racism that continues to plague our society. I have learned from this experience, and, of course, have spent considerable time reflecting upon the lack of awareness that enabled me to publish the cartoon in the first place. I don’t consider myself to be racist in any way, but, those are easy words to say. What I have come to realize is that I do not know or even begin to understand the plight of marginalized people in this country. I don’t have any concept of their experience, know how they feel, the challenges they face being a person of color, or the prejudices they have to deal with in their daily lives.

So, to that end, I’ve been thinking more about what I can do to learn, and to support. I can clearly use the platform of the Ventura Breeze to support this cause. So, I have decided that it could be meaningful to add a new column, starting with the next issue, titled, Social Justice. The goal of this column will be to create an area of coverage/dialogue to help educate and to increase community understanding and transparency around this difficult societal topic.

Please feel free to send any content ideas to [email protected]. If there are local challenges and opportunities, I would very much like to hear about them.

∙Father Junipero Serra’s statue outside Ventura City Hall -and his statues elsewhere- has become very controversial and many are being torn down. Ours was made from the wood carving by the late Wilbur Rubottom that is still on display in the City Hall atrium. Rubottom Cabinets is still active in Ventura run by his family. Even if it is removed, I hope the wood carving remains in City Hall because it is a wonderful piece of art. Many works of art are controversial.

As an alternative, a plaque could be added that explains why he is controversial so that his history is known, and people can understand why he’s controversial.

∙ There are calls to defund police departments. I think a better word would be to re-fund police departments and to reduce their loads and redistribute responsibilities to other agencies. and have other agencies deal with some of what they are asked to deal with. For instance, the homeless and mentally ill should not have a police response but a response by social workers and those trained to deal with this population. A uniformed officer showing up with guns can just escalate a situation that could be better handled by others. This is not what the police even want to deal with.

Look how well our park Ambassador program is doing with the homeless populations. They are not threatening but become friends and aids to those needing help and guidance with mental illness and drugs. When a situation becomes dangerous, they then call in the police.

∙ After the City Council approved it by a 4-3 vote, Ventura will require masks inside businesses and government offices, on public transit and in most other indoor locations open to the public. The city manager will now draft an emergency order calling out the details of the new policy. It will go into effect as soon as the City Council approves the new order.

∙The Food and Drug Administration has ended its emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, drugs the president touted in the fight against coronavirus. Mr. Trump took a 14-day regimen of hydroxychloroquine himself. Based on the FDA’s continued review of the available scientific evidence, it determined the drug is “unlikely to be effective in treating COVID-19 for the authorized uses,” the FDA said. The agency added that “in light of ongoing serious cardiac adverse events and other serious side effects, the known benefits “no longer outweigh the known and potential risks.” The US now has more hydroxychloroquine than it knows what to do with. It started stockpiling the drug in March, and now has 63 million surplus doses of the drug.

∙A divided Supreme Court further advanced the cause of LGBTQ rights, ruling that a landmark civil rights law barring sex discrimination in the workplace applies to gay, lesbian and transgender workers. The court’s ruling is likely to have a sweeping impact on federal civil rights laws barring sex discrimination in education, health care, housing and financial credit. About time.

∙Trump blamed the lack of at least 13,000 people not attending his Tulsa rally on the protesting thugs. First of all, they weren’t thugs, but rather about 175 peaceful demonstrators. and is he saying 175 protesters kept 13,000 people from entering the arena. Why didn’t the 13,000 hang around outside to listen to him on the big screen? Plus, the other 40,000 people that were supposed to be outside. Because they weren’t there. When only a handful of people showed up outside to participate, the organizers took down the stage and big screen.

When he blamed the thugs, his fans booed as if this was a TV reality show. Oh wait, maybe it is, and we are in a parallel universe and Trump isn’t really our president.

Why can’t he just be honest and say, “I was disappointed in the turn out, but 6,000 supporters is a start and we will win the election.” instead of (like always) finding excuses and people to blame when things don’t go his way.

Republican Lindsey Graham praises Joe Biden and calls Donald Trump a ‘race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot’ in new ad ‘You know how you make America great again? Lindsey said, “Tell Donald Trump to go to hell.”

∙In a list of things Americans should do to protect themselves and others against coronavirus, Vice President Mike Pence mentioned everything health officials say Americans should do — hand washing, avoiding touching the face, disinfecting frequently.

He pointedly did not mention two of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s main pieces of advice— wearing face masks and social distancing.

∙The Trump administration doesn’t have the authority to divert Pentagon funds to construct additional barriers on the US-Mexico border, a federal appeals court ruled, days after President Donald Trump’s visit to a section of the wall in Arizona.

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.
Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.
~ Marie Curie