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2021-01-19
Essential Business Continuity Stipend – November 3, 2020 Election
This is a letter I got in the mail from the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder-Registrar, that was sent to anyone in the county who worked at the polls on "the four days prior to or on Election Day". The letter accompanied a $100 stipend that the county was able to provide to election workers for the November general election because they received a grant from The Center for Tech and Civic Life. The following is an excerpt from the letter that mentions the challenges COVID provided to election working: "I want to personally thank you for being a key part of our Election team and for helping to keep voting safe, secure, and convenient under the uncertain conditions of a global pandemic. Your service as an Election Worker ensured that every voter who showed up to the polls was helped with ease and accuracy and that our ballots were processed securely and accurately. The November 3, 2020 election included many new challenges and obstacles that we had never faced. We overcame them together and had a very successful Presidential Election. You did a great ["great" is bolded and underlined] job – from learning our new electronic poll books, to taking the necessary precautions with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and social distancing." -
2021-04-13
Camp Wolfeboro Status Update Monday, April 13, 2020
This is a letter from Monday, April 13, 2020 that was sent out by the Mt. Diablo Silverado Council of the Boy Scouts of America outlining three possibilities for the 2021 Camp Wolfeboro season, depending on when California lifted its stay-at-home orders. The letter also discusses an online opportunity to earn merit badges that would be hosted in the summer of 2020 if camp could not occur in person or if it only occurred for a reduced amount of time in person. The letter discusses how refunds would be handled if camp was canceled. Camp was canceled entirely in 2020 because the stay-at-home order extended past June 1, 2020, which is stated in the letter. -
2021-07-13
Brian Harvey, Oral History, 2021/07/07
Brian Harvey, a Managing Director at Deloitte and Touche, discusses the changes the pandemic has caused to his job as an auditor. He provides insights into the various industries he has interacted with over the past year. -
2021-06-24
COVID scam awareness sign
When I visited the library today, I noticed in the large assortment of flyers on the community posting board a flyer warning about COVID-19 scams. The flyer is from the California Senior Medicare Patrol, and mentions a variety of different scams related to vaccine distribution that people should avoid. It also provides a hotline phone number. The photo was taken on June 24, 2021. -
2020-06-23
SRVUSD Budget and Reopening Protest Photographs
These are unpublished photographs I took while reporting for my school's newspaper, The Californian. These photographs show the people who attended the protest, including a mixture of students and parents. There are also a variety of signs showing various motivations for protesting. This entry is connected to the "San Ramon community protests SRVUSD spending and issues with remote learning" submission. -
2020-06-26
Honey Bear Hunt Map
San Francisco street artist, fnnch, launched a "Honey Bear Hunt" at the start of the pandemic. 3500 people ordered honey bear hunt kits across the nation and 2000 opted to have their location included on a map. According the fnnch, "The idea of the hunt is to provide a safe way to get out of your house and enjoy art during COVID times. There’s no 'winning' or 'losing' — this is just for fun. If you feel so inclined, take photos of bears at tag them #HoneyBearHunt so I and others can see!" Happy Honey Bear Hunting! -
2020-03-13
My Last Hair Cut
It has been 19 weeks, 133 days and 3,192 minutes since my last hair appointment. I know this because my last visit to the salon was the day that the county I live in announced shelter-in-place orders. I dropped my kids off at school and had a 9:30 a.m. appointment. I had a feeling it would be my last appointment for a while so I snapped a photo. In denial about what was to come, I confirmed my next appointment and was on my way. By 3 p.m. that day, only essential businesses were allowed to remain open in our county. I am not a vain person. But I definitely miss my hair appointment! Yes, it's because my hair looks awesome afterward. But it's more than that. I miss my stylist. We have known each other for more than a decade. He did my hair for my wedding. I was in the process of setting up a meal train for him as he was supposed to donate a kidney in June (this has been postponed). We are close and I miss him. I'm sad for his loss of business over these past 19 weeks. I am confused why some business have been allowed to re-open, with safety protocols, but his business has not been offered the same opportunity. I am worried about what the upcoming months look like for his business and for him personally. I hope that someday soon they will be allowed to safely resume business. And when they do, I'll be more than ready to see my dear friend. -
2020-07-22
Bay Area Hospitals Say Remdesivir is in Short Supply
According to Bay Area health officials, the only drug that is currently effective in treating COVID-19, Remdesivir, is short supply. This is incredibly concerning. While Bay Area counties are on the California state watch list, health dashboards do not indicate an outbreak. If there is already a shortage of this drug, what happens if there is indeed an outbreak? Concerns from ICU headroom and staffing have been highly publicized. But even without an outbreak, we may run out of the drug needed to effectively treat this virus. As restrictions ease up across the state, I hope people are mindful of the horrific realities that await us all if people are not abiding by the social distancing and mask mandates. -
2020-06-12
A Vegas-ish 40th Quarantine Style Birthday
At the start of 2020, my group of college friends planned a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate a dear friend's 40th birthday. As we all live in different areas of the country, it was clear by the start of April that the trip would not be happening due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After 20 years of friendship, we couldn't let a milestone like this pass us by. We decided to throw her an over the top Zoom birthday party. I put together party packs, complete with colorful wigs, dessert plates, confetti and cocktail stirrers, and sent to each party guest. The birthday girl's package had strict instructions directing her to wait to open right before the start of the party. Together, the guests made a photo slideshow that included the top 40 things that we love about our friend and read it to the guest of honor during the party. We also decided to make a cocktail together and brought our own desserts and candles so that we could sing to her. The group coordinated with her husband to make sure that she had the cocktail supplies and a dessert to join in the fun. It certainly wasn't what she had imagined for her 40th birthday. But it was unique, thoughtful, a lot of fun, and definitely a memory to last a life time. -
2020-04-07
Viva Las Vegas! CANCELLED
Contra Costa County COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders were announced on March 13, 2020. As is typical for me, my calendar was full of various activities in the summer months. I love summer! And, as a teacher, I have more freedom during the summer months to travel and to spend times with loved ones. One of the upcoming events I was most looking forward to was a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate one of my best friend from college's 40th birthday. Somewhere between college and now, life began to move at warp speed and we don't get as much time together as we would like. So, for many reasons, this was a major trip for us all. In early April, it was clear that the trip would no longer happen. We all received a text from the birthday girl letting us know the trip was officially cancelled. While I am sad, it is definitely the right decision. I am hopeful that 2021 will give us the opportunity to reschedule! It is hard to imagine that it could possibly be an entire year before we can all comfortably travel and be together once again.