Yosemite National Park could be open as early as next Thursday after being closed since March 20. But it's contingent on a sign off from state health officials who will need to allow campsites and hotels to reopen for overnight visitors.

Officials from Mariposa, Mono, Tuolumne and Madera counties wrote a letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday letting him know that Yosemite is ready to reopen “on or about June 11.”

KQED Science Managing Editor Paul Rogers first reported on the letter in the Mercury News.

Yosemite is actually scheduled to open this Friday in a very limited capacity, to "those with an existing wilderness permit reservation and to those with an existing Half Dome permit," according to a social media posting by park officials.

— Julia Scott (@juliascribe)

With extra unemployment benefits having run out for millions of Americans who've lost their jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said it's critical the federal government pass another relief package.

The Democrat-controlled House passed the HEROES Act about three months ago, but it has not been taken up by the Republican-led Senate, which has its own proposal, the HEALS Act. Negotiations are continuing between the parties and President Trump.

During a virtual discussion with the Public Policy Institute of California, Pelosi said one of the sticking points between the parties is whether to continue paying $600 in additional weekly unemployment benefits to people who lost their jobs because of COVID-19.

"Tens of millions of people have filed for unemployment insurance," Pelosi said. "So we really do need the federal government to put that money in the pockets of the American people."

Pelosi said there's also disagreement about additional money for state and local governments. Republicans are not proposing any new funds, while Democrats have earmarked $1 trillion in additional state and local aid.

The outcome of that negotiation could have a big impact on California. The recently passed state budget includes more than $11 billion in cuts that could be rescinded if California receives more money from the federal government.

— Katie Orr (@1katieorr)

San Francisco officials have announced the extension of Great Plates Delivered SF, a free meal delivery program for eligible seniors experiencing food insecurity during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, through Sept. 9, 2020. "The program’s extension is critical for so many of our older residents, while also supporting local businesses at the same time," Mayor London Breed said in a statement. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the program in late April, funded largely by money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Public Assistance grant program.

Eligible seniors receive three meals a day, usually on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, unless they need daily delivery due to a lack of refrigeration, according to Shireen McSpadden, executive director of San Francisco's Department of Disability and Aging Services. In a press briefing Tuesday, McSpadden said dietary restrictions are accommodated, for example, low-sodium, vegetarian or  pork-free meals are provided. Great Plates Delivered SF has fed more than 350,000 meals to over 2,500 seniors in need, so far. The majority (more than 80%) of food vendors and restaurants participating in the program are minority owned.

McSpadden said food insecurity in San Francisco saw about 1 in 4 people needing help before the coronavirus hit. She said the city's food partners have reported a surge in need as the pandemic has progressed, with Latinx and Black populations hit particularly hard by both the virus and food insecurity.  McSpadden encouraged anyone who needs help to call 415-355-6700 (and press "4") to determine eligibility for Great Plates Delivered SF.

People can also call 311, the general city customer support line, 24-hours-a-day, to get information about this and several other food assistance programs. The line is staffed in multiple languages.

• Polly Stryker (@hamrashaar) 

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has rejected a group of petitions from several people in San Quentin State Prison.

In July, 42 incarcerated men filed individual petitions for release alleging that the agency violated the Eighth Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.

In a rare move last week, a Marin County Superior Court judge grouped these petitions into one case and ordered CDCR to issue a response.

The agency rejected the petitions arguing that those incarcerated did not go through proper channels to file grievances with prison staff and failed to provide enough evidence to demonstrate that officials acted indifferently.

Charles Carbone, an attorney representing 20 of the petitioners disagrees. “The proof is in the pudding,” he said. “The proof is in the 22 people that died these preventable deaths.” As of August 4, San Quentin reported 2,210 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 22 deaths.

Marin County Superior Court is expected to present a ruling on the petitioner’s case by the end of the month.

— Shannon Lin (@LinshannonLin), Lakshmi Sarah (@lakitalki)

This post has been updated.

Elementary schools on the state’s coronavirus watchlist can apply to reopen in-person classes.

The new guidelines — released by California's Department of Public Health on Monday — allow public, charter and private schools to petition their local public health departments for permission to reopen, but only for transitional kindergarten through sixth grade.

However, if the rate of COVID-19 cases in the county is more than two-times the threshold to be on the county monitoring list — 200 cases per 100,000 residents over a period of two weeks — the state recommends that schools do not apply for the waiver, as they will likely not qualify.

Schools must also show they have consulted with parents, community and labor organizations.

But some are concerned that reopening school campuses this way raises equity issues.

"A school in Moraga, just because there are fewer essential workers, therefore fewer cases, shouldn't be able to open if we haven't got it under control in Richmond," said Marissa Glidden, who's part of a teachers union collective calling for no waivers at all because of these concerns.

Glidden said 29 teachers unions in Alameda and West Contra Costa counties have signed a letter to public health officials calling for ZIP code data to be used, rather than county averages.

Schools that do apply must show plans for cleaning, face coverings and health screenings, among other safety measures.

The state said more rules for how smaller sets of students with special learning needs might be allowed to return safely to campus will be forthcoming.

— Julia McEvoy (@juliamcevoy1)

A Superior Court judge has issued a ruling to uphold San Francisco’s eviction moratorium, which was put in place to protect tenants who have fallen behind on rent during the pandemic.

Several real estate and landlord groups filed a lawsuit against the city in June, arguing that the moratorium was unconstitutional and a violation of state law.

Superior Court Judge Charles F. Haines ruled Monday that the moratorium was a permissible use of the city’s powers, and that it doesn’t violate the state’s emergency orders.

“This is a resounding victory for vulnerable tenants in San Francisco,” Supervisor Dean Preston said in a statement. “I have said from the start, we will not stand by and watch thousands of San Franciscans become homeless because of a pandemic they cannot control."

Yet the groups that filed the suit, including the San Francisco Apartment Association, the San Francisco Association of Realtors, Coalition for Better Housing and Small Property Owners of San Francisco Institute, did not immediately rule out an appeal of the decision.

Those groups argued that the moratorium places an extra burden on small landlords that rely on renters to help them pay their mortgages and other bills. They said they were "disappointed" with the judge's decision.

"Small property owners who have not been able to collect rent since April are struggling with their own mortgages and expenses," the apartment association and other organization wrote, in a statement. "We are reviewing our options moving forward. In the meantime, we remain hopeful that Congress will pass a relief package which includes meaningful financial support for renters and out-of-work individuals."

The ordinance also prohibits late fees and penalties for people struggling to pay rent, but it does not excuse renters from ultimately having to pay it back.

Joseph Tobener, a prominent Bay Area tenants attorney, warned people should pay rent if they can, as any appeal of the superior court decision would place the eviction moratorium on a shaky legal foundation.

"This was always going to be appealed," he said, "that rent might become due sooner than everyone thinks."

— Erika Kelly (@erikakelly100)

West Contra Costa Unified is the latest Bay Area school district to come to a tentative agreement with teachers unions over how the school day will work for teachers and students under distance learning.

WCCUSD teachers will vote whether to ratify the agreement this week.

The deal calls for teachers to keep to their regular school work hours, beginning at 8:15 a.m. for prep time before students join for a live, 25-minute homeroom session at 10 a.m. That's when attendance will be taken — though students would not need to have their video feed turned on. The school day will end at 3 p.m. and include time for a 40-minute lunch break — enough time for parents or students to pick up grab-and-go lunches.

The lower grades will complete 45-minute instructional blocks with 10-minute “passing periods,” or breaks. Upper grades will meet for four, 55-minute classes. Those blocks can be live or recorded, at the teacher’s discretion.

Senate Bill 98, the education rider in Gov. Gavin Newsom's budget, calls for daily instruction for a minimum of three hours per day for younger grades, and four hours a day for everyone else. But how much of that time teachers needed to spend in live, synchronous contact with students versus recorded lessons has been a big part of negotiations in many districts.

In the spring, thousands of the district's students didn't show up for distance learning. The first week of school in WCCUSD will be entirely devoted to outreach to students and families in an attempt to make those important connections and make sure everyone has digital connections they need.

— Julia McEvoy (@juliamcevoy1)