• The California Fish and Game Commission will consider taking initial steps toward listing certain mountain lion populations as endangered species during its meeting on April 16. This follows the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) determination in February that there is scientific evidence that indicates the species may warrant this elevated protection status. If the commission agrees with the CDFW’s determination, the department will then conduct a study of mountain lion populations in Southern California and on the Central Coast. The commission will review a report of that study at a future meeting and then vote on formally listing these mountain lion populations as endangered species. The state already has regulations in place to protect the species, such as prohibiting the hunting of the large cats, but listing these mountain lions as endangered would ensure that the survival of mountain lions is considered when development occurs within their habitat, according to Los Padres ForestWatch. One of the issues the species is facing in some areas, like in the Santa Ana and Santa Monica mountains, is that highways and other development have isolated mountain lions to the point that in some areas they could become extinct within 15 years. “This would facilitate the building of critical wildlife crossings over or under highways to connect breeding populations,” Los Padres ForestWatch Conservation Director Bryant Baker said in a news release. “It could fund the improvement of existing crossings so mountain lions could use them.”
• On April 9, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that Californians receiving unemployment benefits will begin receiving an extra $600 in addition to their weekly amount starting April 12. This benefit increase was included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act that Congress passed in late March. This legislation also includes direct payments of up to $1,200 to most adults living in the U.S. According to a news release from the governor’s office, in the last four weeks the state has processed about 2.3 million unemployment insurance claims, which is more than all of the claims filed in 2019. “Many Californians are feeling the effects of this pandemic, and this added benefit is very important to our workers so they have needed resources during this difficult time,” Newsom said in the news release.
• On April 7, Albertsons Companies, which includes numerous grocery stores, announced its plans to join the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union in an attempt to temporarily designate supermarket associates as extended first responders or emergency personnel. If successful, this designation would mean these workers are prioritized for testing and provided with personal protection equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company’s president and CEO Vivek Sankaran and the labor union’s president Marc Perrone issued a joint statement in support of this designation. “Since the onset of this pandemic, associates in Albertsons Companies stores, who are also proud members of UFCW union, have been working tirelessly to make sure that America’s families have the food and groceries they need,” Sankaran and Perrone said. “These men and women are sacrificing every day to protect our nation’s food supply, and now is the time for our leaders in state and federal governments to do the same for them.” According to a news release from the company and labor union, grocery store workers in Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, and New York already have similar protections in place.
This article appears in Apr 16-23, 2020.