Your CARES Act grants are on the way
OC businesses re-open, ASG Elections, where to get tested in Santa Ana and more!
Heyyooo! I’m Julian Reynoso, web editor of el Don. This is issue #2 of the D-Brief, where our newsroom answers your questions and compiles information, articles and more things we think matter to our campus community as well as the city and county we are a part of.
Orange County is slowly re-opening this weekend, with some non-essential retail approved to open with limitations as of yesterday. This has sent some of us back to work and left others still stuck at home trying to think about something else that doesn’t start with the letter “C” and ends with the number “9”.
I re-started my job at a tennis center last week and it definitely does not feel the same as it used to. I’m in my workspace pretty much alone, with customers only allowed inside to make a payment or use the bathroom.
Are you back at work too? Stuck at home? We want to hear your story. Write it, film it or record it and send it to editor@eldonnews.org — we want to publish them all.
Without further ado, this is the D-Brief!
Have catching up to do?
CARES Act emergency financial aid grants are going out to students this week, RSCCD Chancellor Marvin Martinez said in a live chat with el Don editors Thursday. If you haven’t received your grant yet, and believe you are eligible, contact the financial aid office.
The state is moving into “phase two” of our stay-at-home order, which reopened certain businesses starting Friday, May 8. Here’s what’s open now (for delivery or curbside pickup only): bookstores, music stores, jewelry stores, toy stores, clothing and shoe stores, home and furnishing stores, sporting goods stores, florists
Santa Ana's rent and mortgage increase freeze ends May 31, but the state’s eviction moratorium remains in place until 90 days after the governor declares the state of emergency is over. Have more questions about rent? OC Register has a handy “Do I have to pay?” guide.
Some beaches are starting to reopen for active recreation after last week's closures. Safety guidelines remain in place for coastlines in cities such as Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Seal Beach and Dana Point.
Chancellor answers your questions
We talked with RSCCD Chancellor Marvin Martinez for over an hour on Thursday and asked him about everything from CARES Act grants to Dr. Rose’s retirement to how the state’s $54.3 billion deficit may impact district funding in the future.
He also talked about what fall semester might look like and what it will take for the campus to reopen.
“We take our cues from the governor because we’re more like a state agency…We’re planning for a semester that will be largely online but we have other plans just in case.”
When we do return to campus, students will likely be required to have face masks, gloves, and temperature checks before entering buildings, he said, while offices will have plexiglass as well as social distancing.
Coloring the Anxiety Away
Today we published the first of a series that we’re calling “Quarantine diaries.” In the initial post, we rounded up sights, sounds, thoughts and inspiration from 5 el Don staffers — asking them to show you what’s going on in their minds and lives as we all navigate this unprecedented time.
Like many of us, our Social Media Editor Bre Castañeda has been struggling with her anxiety. She’s finding solace in an unexpected place: adult coloring books!
Usually when I feel my anxiety kick in, just about anything could make me feel better. Now, it’s different. I can’t go out to walk around Downtown Disney to calm down. I can’t go to the mall with a close friend to eat an ice cream and talk it all out. It’s actually hard, and those zoom meetings and google hangout calls can barely make up for lost interaction. The only thing that is making me feel at ease throughout this hectic time is actually coloring.
ASG Elections
Santa Ana College’s Associated Student Government held online elections for the 2020-2021 school year from Monday morning until Tuesday afternoon with a total of 563 students ultimately submitting ballots. In an informal survey of about 100 students, about half reported not receiving the voting link in their email.
Results of the elected candidates were released online Friday.
Where to get tested for COVID-19 in Santa Ana
Santa Ana now has 456 cases of COVID-19. If you are symptomatic, there are currently five Testing Network sites in Orange County, including one in Santa Ana.
AltaMed
2720 S. Bristol St. #104, Santa Ana
Call (888) 499-9303 for an appointment
Interesting Reads:
CNN Health: The psychology behind why some people won't wear masks.
Most Americans have never had to wear a mask for their health before, let alone while they shop for groceries or go for a run. So, even as businesses or states increasingly require them, rebellion is natural -- to a degree, says Dr. David Aronoff, director of Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Division of Infectious Diseases and professor of medicine.
The Atlantic: A Guide to Staying Safe as States Reopen
May marks a new phase of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. Across the country, retail stores, restaurants, and other businesses are beginning to reopen. According to the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation, just over half of states had eased their public-health restrictions in one way or another as of the start of this week, with more states to follow soon.
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN: Just How Dangerous Is the ‘Murder Hornet’?
Its sting is excruciating to people, but it is a bigger threat to honeybees vital for agriculture
Thanks for reading. If you have any questions you need us to help you answer, email editor@eldonnews.org. If you enjoyed this newsletter, share it with others!