April 8, 2020 Newsletter from the Fresno County Democratic Party

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Newsletter: April 8, 2020
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** In This Newsletter:
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Message from Chair of Fresno County Democratic Party (#Chair-Message)

Updated Covid-19 Tips and Information (#Update-Covid-19)

Local Government Takes Steps to Help (#Local-Govt)

Engaging During Shelter-in-Place (#Coordinated-Campaign)

Complete Your Census Now (#Census)

Healthcare Dreamers Threatened (#Dreamers)

Hello Democrats!

During this pandemic it is even more important that we elect Democratic Candidates and push our policies. Please take advantage of Virtual House parties, postcard writing and phone calls to our electeds. We have seen the disaster that Republicans and Conservative values have brought us with inequality, stacking the Courts, economic recessions and voter suppression.

Even though many of us are sheltered in place that doesn't mean we can't be doing something to reverse these horrific policies.

Thank you and be well,
Andy Hansen-Smith

Sources including the California Department of Public Health recommend the following measures to minimize the spread of Covid-19:
* Wash hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds
* Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands
* Avoid close contact with people who are sick
* Stay away from work, school or other people if you become sick with respiratory symptoms like fever and cough
* Cover a cough or sneeze with your sleeve, or disposable tissue; wash your hands afterward
* Practice social distancing
* Follow the guidance from public health officials

Information and resources:

State government’s special public health page: [link removed]

County of Fresno: www.co.fresno.ca.us/departments/public-health/covid-19

Rep. TJ Cox’s Office:http:// [link removed]

State Treasurer’s Office:http:// www.sto.ca.govwww.sto.ca.gov ([link removed])

Hotline for seniors: 833-544-2374

Beware of scammers: Government agencies will not call and ask for your Social Security Number, your bank accounts or for any payment over the phone.
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a new measure banning all evictions statewide. The ban will remain in effect until 90 days after the end of the state of emergency, and the only exceptions to the eviction protection are for individuals who threaten public health or safety.

Last week, the Fresno City Council established a fund to provide 0% loans to local businesses of 25 employees or less. The Save Our Small Businesses Act will not only help those directly employed by such businesses but all the local government services funded by the taxes those businesses pay. To qualify for a loan, a business must
* be located in Fresno.
* have operated viably for at least one year prior March 4, 2020 (the date Gov. Newsom declared a state of emergency).
* demonstrate a loss of 25% of revenue because of COVID-19.
* have no tax liens or judgments against the business.
* have the loan personally guaranteed by the owner.

Fresno County also is changing and strengthening its enforcement measures. City Council Member Luis Chavez says that he will introduce an ordinance to residents who blatantly violate social distancing rules and thus create an imminent threat to public health and safety. Fines and punishments would escalate for repeat offenders.

In accordance with these new rules:
* Nonessential businesses that remain open in violation of the emergency ordinance will first receive a warning. Then, fines escalate to $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 with each subsequent violation.
* Fines collected by the city for businesses violating the anti-price gouging ordinance will go to a COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.
* Public Records Act requests will still be accepted but might be delayed during the COVID-19 emergency. Prior language implied fulfilling the transparency measure would be suspended, along with other nonessential city services.
* There is a moratorium on evictions due to nonpayment of rent for residential and commercial tenants because of COVID-19 hardships. Tenants have 10 days to provide a landlord with documentation of such hardship. Also, no interest, late fees or penalties can be added.
Meanwhile, the Fresno Unified School District will keep campuses closed until the summer to limit the spread of the disease. The Clovis Unified School District also voted to temporarily extend its closure, however, it has not yet committed to it closing for the rest of the school year.

Although we are not able to engage in person during shelter-in-place, there are many activities that we can be doing to support our community from the comfort of our homes. The California Democratic Party’s Coordinated Campaign is organizing and supporting such activities. Contact the Coordinated Campaign today at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=RE%3A%20Engaging%20during%20Shelter-in-Place) .

[link removed]

The U.S. Census is under way. Complete your response online, by phone or by mail. This task is not only a civic duty but also crucial to shaping the way our government operates for the next decade. Visit [link removed] call 844-330-2020 (4 a.m.–11 p.m.).

The Republican administration has been trying to destroy the Obama-era DACA, or “Dreamers,” program, which allows undoccumented people who were taken into the country as young children to remain and work. However, the current Covid crisis adds yet another reason to keep the rule in place.


More than 27,000 Dreamers work in the healthcare industry, many in California or New York. Yet, at a time when those governors are issuing pleas for more professionals, the Republican Party still has expelling these DACA recipients on its agenda.

Applicants to the DACA program had to show that they had committed no serious crimes, had arrived in the United States before they turned 16 and were no older than 30, had lived in the United States for at least the previous five years, and were in school, had graduated from high school or received a high school equivalency diploma, or were an honorably discharged veteran.

Judging from comments made in November, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court seems ready to let Trump kill the program. Now, a new filing urges the justices to reconsider in order to help save American lives.

As the filing says, “termination of DACA during this national emergency would be catastrophic.” That echoes an earlier motion from the Association of American Medical Colleges that expressed the damage to our country even before the epidemic.

Expelling the Dreamers back to countries to which they have little or no ties at this time would not only be cruel to them but also another blow to our already precarious healthcare system in the middle of a plague.

Our newsletter is prepared by Francis Horan.
You Can Help Elect Democrats in Fresno County!
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