On Tuesday morning, the Morgan Hill area was surprised by two low-intensity earthquakes just a minute apart, reported the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
The first telluric movement was registered at 6:58 a.m., magnitude 3.7, a minute later another earthquake M3.6 was registered. So far there are no reports of damage or injured people.
Given the seismicity of the Bay Area, it is important to be alert for possible movements that may occur in the near future, as well as to always have a contingency plan that allows you to keep yourself and your family and pets safe.
The San Francisco Bay Area has had and will continue to have earthquakes because there are at least eight earthquake faults that can cause very serious damage, according to the USGS, which added that several major earthquakes occurred in 1868, 1906 and 1989, while smaller quakes occur more often.
Scientific research indicates that a strong earthquake is very likely to occur in this region within the next 30 years.
The Geological Survey also notes that the most severe damage will be caused by intense ground shaking, with most of the Bay Area experiencing the strongest shaking.
Unlike undersea earthquakes, Bay Area earthquakes are not expected to produce tsunamis or violent waves. However, some distant earthquakes around the Pacific Ocean can generate tsunamis or huge waves that can damage the state's coastline.
Researchers from Stanford University analyzed water consumption, with the help of Macrodata and Artificial Intelligence tools, which could change the urbanization strategy, as well as provide a better understanding of the use and supply of water in cities.
Notably, the research, published in Environmental Research Letters, is the first to demonstrate how real estate platforms can be used to obtain data on water use for city planning, drought management and sustainability.
The report uses data from Zillow and other real estate websites to compile information on single-family homes, including lot size, home value and number of bedrooms in Redwood City, California, a fast-growing and economically diverse city with various home styles, lots and neighborhoods.
Then, using demographic information from the city's Census Bureau, they analyzed factors including average household size and income, along with the percentage occupied by renters, non-family, college-educated, and seniors.
By combining the data and applying machine learning methods, the researchers were able to identify five clusters of communities, which they also compared to billing data from the city's public works department, to identify water use trends, seasonal patterns, and conservation rates during California's 2014-2017 drought.
"Evolving development patterns may be the key to our success in becoming wiser in our use of water and building long-term water security," said the study's lead author, Newsha Ajami, director of urban water policy for Stanford's Water in the West program.
Researcher Kim Quesnel, for her part, said that with this method "we were able to develop more precise community groupings, beyond simply grouping clients based on income and other socioeconomic qualities," which resulted in some unexpected findings.
Contrary to previous studies, the researchers found that the two lowest income groups scored average on water use, despite having a greater number of people living in each household.
The middle-income group had high outdoor but low indoor water use, indicating the use of efficient appliances, such as low-flow faucets and toilets.
While, of the two highest income groups, younger residents with smaller lots, as well as newer homes in dense, compact developments, had the lowest water use citywide.
While the other high-income group, consisting of older homes built on larger lots and with fewer people, turned out to be the biggest water consumers.
"The finding runs counter to most previous research linking income and water use, and suggests that changing the way communities are built and developed. It may also change patterns of water use, even for the wealthiest customers," the report adds.
Thus, this research sets the framework for integrating big data and artificial intelligence into urban planning, providing more accurate usage expectations for different community configurations.
Redwood City. In order to create an informative, cultural and economic bridge between the Chinese community and the Latino community in the San Francisco Peninsula, News for Chinese and Peninsula 360 Press presented a partnership agreement between the two digital media outlets.
The directors of News for Chinese -an online news platform with a large audience in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as the coordinators of Peninsula 360 Pressexpressed their interest in sharing content about culture, food and festivities between the two media, so that the Latino community, the Chinese community, the Anglo-Saxon community and others, know more about each other and this will lead to greater understanding and multicultural support.
Therefore, soon, through our website and social networks, we will include local news and information on the enormous diversity and cultural richness of the Chinese community in San Francisco and the Peninsula.
According to exit polls in the last U.S. election, three out of five white voters gave their vote to Republican Donald Trump so that he could stay four more years at the helm of the country, which meant a slight increase compared to the 2016 election, but what made them make such a decision?
Manuel Ortiz Escámez
For Arlie Russell Hochschild, professor emeritus of sociology at the University of California at Berkeley, who over several years has studied those who support the "Tea Party" - a conservative-centered American political movement - to which Trump belongs, the vote for the Republican is more visceral than rationed.
Although Democrat Joe Biden won, the election was very close, with Donald Trump receiving more than 74 million votes, representing 46.91 percent of the total vote.
The also author of several books, including Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right, noted that the Trump Effect, which has been to divide society, has worked.
On the one hand, the Republican makes a group of his white voters feel that they are the best, that other communities have tried to appropriate jobs, spaces and opportunities that they don't deserve.
While, on the other hand, he plays the role of a martyr or even the "Savior" who suffers for his people, who understands all the problems and seeks to save them from bad situations.
"Donald Trump has a way of insinuating, of pretending that he is a dominant paradigm of evangelical Christians and makes one think that the Savior is about to come... he makes one think that one is suffering, listen to him when he says - I am suffering for you - for the ears of a Christian that is a - who is suffering for me - Christ".
In that sense, he said that for Democrats, the image of the Trump supporter who could be described by the term "sitting pretty," those who wear a red hat with the acronym MAGA, Make America Great Again, and cheer every word of the Republican, however, he said, that image of "sitting pretty" describes very few.
Another image of the current U.S. president's follower is that of the wealthy guardian, an example of which is the McCloskey family, a couple of lawyers who pointed guns at protesters in an anti-racism march from the front yard of their home in St. Louis, Missouri, the specialist explained during the virtual panel "The 2020 Election Race Gap: Why White Voters, Including Women, Supported Trump," conducted by Ethnic Media Services.
And thirdly, those white, college-educated and Christian voters who feel they are part of a minority group, "I know it's hard to say, but they feel like a kind of minority group themselves, and they think life is against them, their image of reality is what they see not only on Fox News, but also CNN or NBC," he said.
"And what they think is: -ohhh look at all these black people who are news and weather anchors, there are no white people anymore. They see basketball stars and football stars who are colored and billionaires and advertising offers...they're billionaires, God, those blacks are coming out ahead," he added.
And it's not that they took ethnic courses at the university, but simply based on what they see in the media, "that's the impression they have.
Similarly, he explained that not all, but several of these Trump supporters feel relegated, as they consider other ethnic communities to be growing, while theirs is declining.
He recalled that in the case of the African-American community, household incomes have not increased in the last 30 years, while for Latinos, the situation has not been easier as many of them have lost their jobs.
In that sense, he noted that there are many jobs that Latinos do, which do not compete with those done by whites.
In the face of this and this idea of displacement, he pointed out that these people, being depressed, are looking for someone to blame. "They're not angry, they're depressed, in fact, they're terrified, and somehow that depression turns into fear.
Hochschild said that in various parts of the country, the Democratic Party does not have a face, so they believe that no one has extended a hand for them, there is an invisibility.
She added that support for Trump from white, college-educated women is not as strong as that of their male relatives, but the issue of the right to life has been a big factor in making them vote more conservatively.
In the case of the "proud boys," he said, they are white nationalists who often have stories behind them that have to do with alcoholism, drug addiction and sociopathy, and in Trump, they see a figure that really understands them and listens to them, "that's very powerful.
For her part, Mindy Romero, director of the Center for Inclusive Democracy, said that since almost 50 percent of voters don't understand how Donald Trump got so many votes, the blame game is used.
"All of this is based on a fairly poor understanding of the Latino community and other groups ... expectations are always based on unrealistic terms of what to expect about historically unrepresented groups," he said.
He said only 67 percent of eligible voters cast ballots on Nov. 3, while 33 percent, many from non-white communities, did not vote.
In that sense, he said it is incorrect to believe that half the country is with the Republican, when only 31 percent of the voters voted for him.
In the case of California, he explained that 47 percent of white voters chose Trump, very similar to what happened in the 2016 vote.
However, the gaps between the participation of white and minority voters are very wide.
In this election "the voters did not represent the people. Whites are overrepresented in every state, but those who don't vote have other differences and that doesn't even show up in the polls.
The United States has begun vaccination against COVID-19, with frontline health care workers who face the virus on a daily basis receiving the first doses.
Thus, intensive care nurse Sara Lindsey was the first person in New York to receive one of the first doses of the vaccine licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) against the SARS-Cov-2 virus.
At a live event around 9:20 a.m., Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens, New York, nurse Sandra Lindsey received an injection in her left arm from Northwell Health's corporate director of employee health services, Dr. Michelle Chester.
"I feel good. I'd like to thank all the first responders, all my colleagues who have been doing such a great job to fight this pandemic around the world," Lindsey said after receiving the vaccine developed by Pfizer.
She added that she is hopeful and relieved that the cure is coming, "I hope this marks the beginning of the end of a very painful time in our history.
In her white uniform and wearing a mask, the nurse said, "I want to instill confidence in the public that the vaccine is safe," and insisted that she believes in science, and that her work is "guided by science.
In this regard, President Donald Trump wrote on his Twitter account, "First vaccine administered. congratulations USA! congratulations to the WORLD!"
The vaccine comes in the midst of one of the worst moments of the pandemic, because only until yesterday, December 13, the country recorded a cumulative of more than 16 million 262 thousand infections, and more than 299 thousand deaths resulting from COVID-19.
California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted last night, "Hope has arrived," alongside a photo of a FedEx plane at Los Angeles International Airport carrying a shipment of doses of Pfizer's new FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine.
Members of the singing and acting classes of the organization Casa Círculo Cultural, based in Redwood City, during the rehearsals for the Virtual Christmas Festival that they will have on Saturday December 19 through Facebook Live. https://www.facebook.com/circulocultural.rwc
Manuel Ortiz Manuel Ortiz Manuel OrtizManuel Ortiz
On June 6, 2021, Mexico will experience the biggest and most complex elections in its history, elections in which compatriots living in the United States should not be left behind, those who seek to be heard and taken into account in coming from the country that saw them born.
This was the view of Enrique Esparza, host of the program "Hablando del Tema", and his guest Javier Gonzalez, founding member of the Bay Area Community, who called on fellow Americans in the U.S. and Mexico not to sell their vote.
"We need a campaign to make the community, our people and all the people of Mexico aware that at the moment they are selling their vote and at the moment they are receiving something in return, they are harming their present and the future of their children," Esparza said.
He said these politicians, who are in power, use the need of the most vulnerable to obtain votes that will lead them to positions in politics at the municipal, state and federal levels.
"We are not talking about you voting for one or the other, but that you have a conscience, that you know the proposals well, that you know this person who is going to lead your community, your municipality, your town, your state, who is going to represent us in the Chamber of Deputies or in the Senate. We must have a conscience and break this bad habit," he said.
The program, which is transmitted by peninsula360press.com every Saturday, had as a special guest Carlos Pozos, known as "Lord Molecule", who from Monday to Friday attends in his character of journalist to the informative session - tomorrow - given by the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, known by many as AMLO.
Thus, during his speech, from Mexico City, he referred to the fact that practices such as bribes to voters continue in various parts of the country: "President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has always said, from his campaign, that they should receive what they were given but that when it comes to casting the vote, how is it secret, they should do it with conscience".
"In the last elections of 2018, thank God, the citizens, already fed up with 36 years of bad management, of total corruption in the government, decided for a change, for this real change, what is the administration of the fourth transformation that has two years with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador at the head," he added.
In turn, the journalist explained that every morning, AMLO seeks to remind the Mexican people of all the bad management that has existed over the past 36 years before he became president by the hand of the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) party.
"Unfortunately we Mexicans lack that memory, I think we have a very short memory, we soon forget it and we are very likely to sell our vote, but I insist, I think that fortunately in 2018 it was seen that as much as they gave away the Money Express cards, as much as they gave away gifts and construction material, there was that weariness and the citizens voted for a real change, what is change for brunette," he said.
He recalled that the millions of Mexicans living in the U.S. who were expelled from Mexico by the neoliberal system will be very important in the upcoming elections, however, so far, only 83 compatriots have registered to have their voter credentials.
In that sense, he said the Mexican government will send 181,258 ballot packages to the United States, for which it will invest 5.1 million dollars.
For his part, Enrique Esparza recalled that there are a number of barriers for Mexicans in the U.S. to exercise their vote, since only obtaining an appointment at the nearest consulate can take between six months and a year, and this is added to bureaucratic procedures that make many desist in their desire to exercise the vote.
In this sense, Javier Gonzalez stressed that "unfortunately we have a series of barriers to exercise our vote abroad ... is an odyssey to process a voter card.
In view of these irregularities, Lord Molécula promised to make Chancellor Marcelo Ebrard and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador themselves aware of them, so that they can take the corresponding measures and support the consulates and embassies in moving towards a fourth transformation.
On the other hand, Enrique Esparza and Javier Gonzalez called on the community to take care of themselves and protect others in the face of the increase in positive cases of Covid-19, a virus that has claimed the lives of more than 299,000 people in the country, and that so far has accumulated more than 16 million 250,000 people with the disease.
"Don't let your guard down. This is a pandemic that has touched family and close friends. We returned to this situation of red where we have to keep ... This is a call from us, from the Mexican community and for all people who are seeing us, not only Latino but of any ethnicity or any nation, we have to throw it, "said Javier.
Finally, both added that if one is a victim of these irregularities and others such as support in case of repatriation of bodies, where the consulate is not supporting with more than 500 dollars, they should communicate and send their cases, so that a file can be formed and that through Lord Molécula it can be channeled to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The San Mateo County Health Department urged all residents over the age of 6 months to get the influenza vaccine to protect themselves and their loved ones, which will also help prevent a double pandemic, along with COVID-19.
Through its website, the county mentioned that this vaccination campaign is part of a health strategy that not only reduces the burden of influenza, but also helps preserve the health resources needed to care for patients with COVID-19.
It should be noted that older adults, pregnant women, young adults, children, and people with other underlying health conditions are at increased risk of influenza, but all people older than six months should be vaccinated.
It also takes two weeks after immunization to be fully protected, and the vaccine is only effective for about a year, so it is important to get the vaccine annually.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), influenza and COVID-19 are contagious respiratory diseases, but they are caused by different viruses.
COVID-19 is caused by infection with a new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and influenza is caused by infection with influenza viruses.
There are some key differences between the two, since COVID-19 spreads more easily than influenza and causes more severe illness in certain people, and people may take longer to develop symptoms and be contagious for longer.
Because some of the symptoms of influenza and COVID-19 are similar, it may be difficult to distinguish between them based on symptoms alone, so a screening test may be needed to help confirm the diagnosis.
Both COVID-19 and influenza can be spread from person to person between people who are in close contact with each other, and both diseases are spread mainly through aerosols that go into the air when the sick person coughs, sneezes or speaks.
Facemasks can help prevent people wearing them from spreading the virus and passing it on to others, however, they do not protect against VIDOC-19 alone, but must be combined with physical distancing and hand hygiene.
The Redwood City Port Commission accepted the initial financial feasibility study Wednesday to consider the next steps in establishing a public ferry station, which would connect to the ports of San Francisco and Oakland.
According to the study, completed by engineering and construction firm CDM Smith, it found that adding the station through the Emergency Water Transportation Authority, which operates other ferries in the Bay, would be feasible after considering alternative transportation routes and maintenance costs.
According to The Daily Journal, consultants were asked to evaluate the project based on five criteria: whether the proposal was consistent with Redwood City and WETA's plans, whether demand could be accommodated and whether it was a practically built facility.
It also considered whether farebox revenues would be sufficient, as well as other available funds, and whether ridership benefits would outweigh public investment and costs. CDM Smith's consultants endorsed all five points and concluded that ridership would increase over time.
Under the plan, two routes would be added to the existing WETA system that connects the Port of Redwood City with San Francisco and Oakland. The terminal could be located along the Westpoint Slough in the north, where two ships could dock at once, or on the west side, which would cost less to develop.
The new San Francisco route would have a total of eight daily trips and the Oakland route would have six, requiring the purchase of at least two 320-passenger vessels for approximately $16 million each.
While annual operating expenses would range from nearly $13 million in the early years to more than $17 million after 10 years of service. Similarly, the service's initial annual revenues are expected to be $7.7 million, growing over 10 years to $13 million.
With projected revenues below expenditures, $4 million to $5 million in subsidies would be required to operate the service, and funding for capital-related costs could come from various tax streams and a voter-supported bridge toll increase in 2018 through WETA.
During public comment, concerns were expressed about the potential environmental impact of the station, including possible sediment erosion, disturbance of endangered habitats, and landfill deposition near Cargill's salt ponds.
Finally, the City Council will consider accepting the findings of the study at its December 21 meeting, while a business plan and environmental review will be completed in the next few years with a projected launch in 2024.
If the project proceeds as planned, the Port of Redwood City would host the first stop south of the City of South San Francisco, which will be incorporated into the WETA ferry system.
In an effort to increase the number of child care spaces in Redwood City, the Planning Commission voted to approve zoning amendments aimed at streamlining the review process for new facilities and expanding the areas allowed for family child care homes and centers.
According to one study, the city has an estimated shortage of 225 child care and early learning spaces for infants and toddlers, in addition to 522 spaces for preschool-age children and 358 for school-age children.
The document highlights that by 2025, these numbers can be expected to increase to 350 spaces for infants, 800 preschools and 600 spaces for school-age children, based on the current supply.
For low-income families eligible for subsidized care, spaces are available for 7 percent of infants, 86 percent of preschoolers, and 55 percent of school-age children.
In response, on December 1, Commissioner Rick Hunter told a meeting, "This is a great need in our city and in our area. Anything we can do to increase quality child care for the benefit of our residents and employees who work in Redwood City is a good thing.
Notably, in the study that took place in 2017, it is estimated that nearly nine thousand 500 children of city residents and employees under the age of 13 need child care, while more than three thousand families earn less than 70 percent of the state median income.
During public comment, Christine Padilla, director of Build Up For San Mateo County's Children, said Redwood City had approximately 148 licensed child care providers, 43 centers and 105 family child care homes, all small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We need all types and sizes of child care centers to sustain our community, especially for low-income working families," said Padilla, who added that we may continue to see closures of these centers because of the pandemic.
That, she said, "makes all these efforts led by the council and this commission to support the creation of more affordable, high-quality child care spaces even more critical."
Thus, the amendments would apply to both in-home facilities and child care centers, as the city's current regulations for large family child care homes require use permits, limits on where a facility can be established, and regulation of playgrounds, as well as pick-up and drop-off times and outdoor play time.
However, Redwood City allows small family child care homes serving no more than eight children to operate, by right, in any dwelling.
Thus, child care centers in residentially zoned areas may only operate in conjunction with a church or school and require a public hearing before opening the center.
Under that precept, staff recommended that the city allow development of facilities without requiring that they be attached to a church or school, a policy endorsed by the Planning Commission during a July 21 study session.
In the case of shopping centers, the commission supported allowing free-standing facilities, as well as eliminating the requirement that only children of employees be served, and expanding the number of children allowed to receive services from 24 to 60.
