News you don’t want to miss for May 22-24:
1. California’s unemployment rate is now 15.5 percent. The state lost 2.3 million jobs in April alone. It’s the largest decrease in the state’s history, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. By comparison, the state’s jobless rate peaked at 12.3 percent during the Great Recession. The job losses are expected to get worse, the state’s finance department predicts. Perhaps as high as 25 percent, before leveling out later this year at around 20 percent unemployment. $$
2. President Trump demanded that places of worship reopen this weekend. Gov. Gavin Newsom responded, saying the state will issue updated guidelines on Monday for how they will reopen, KPIX reports.
3. The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office is launching an investigation into to the Orinda nursing home where four people died and up to 50 were infected by covid-19, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
4. Reports earlier this week said that 750 U.C. Berkeley lecturers could be on the road to layoffs due to a recently imposed hiring freeze. But the university has now moved to exempt lecturers from the hiring freez, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. $$
5. “The University of California will drop the SAT and ACT tests as admission requirements through 2024 and eliminate them for California residents after that, a landmark decision by the prestigious university system,” the Associated Press reports. The vote by the U.C. Board of Regents on Thursday was unanimous.
6. Alameda will soon allow people living in cars and RVs to park at an area at the former Alameda Naval Air Station, the East Bay Times reports. $$
7. The San Francisco Chronicle provides a list of virtual activities for you to celebrate Memorial Day. Or, if you could just stay home, throw some burgers on the grill and struggle to remember what day of the week it is.
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