Skip to main content

tv   KQED Newsroom  PBS  April 17, 2020 7:00pm-7:31pm PDT

7:00 pm
hello, welcome to kqed newsro. tonight we arcontinuing ongoing coverage of covid-19. it has be five weeks of sheltering in place here in the bay area. on wednesday, millions of americans received economic imct payments in the nk accounts, up to $1200 per person. also those we come another 5
7:01 pm
million people file for unappointed. altogether, 22 million americans have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus. this week's infusion of cash from the government will help, several legislators such as our first guest this evening ney american some sort of ongoing financial relief. joining me now byskype from washington, dc is looking congress member, thank you so much for being with us. three make you pointed to the bipartisan white house advisory council which just held its first call on thursday. can yotell me about this councils makeup and what it is expected to actually do? >> well it is cobipartisan sel, it has about 10 house democrats, 10 s senate democr including senator rbin. we are providing advice about what we need to do. to reb ld our economy. i emphasized tw we need testing, massive testing to be able to reopen
7:02 pm
r economy and that we need critical investment in advanced manufacturing of the industries of the future. it is not acceptable that we are dependent on ina and even ireland for critical medical equipment. the back to you expected counsel to accomplish any of these goals adding more testing or to change the way manufacturing is done? >> i don't know, all i can do is offer my ideas, my recommendations, my willingness to work. d obviouslylyultimait is the president's decision. i have disagree with them as people know, very strongly. but thought a time of crisis, it is important for us to put the country first. i was going to do mypoint to offer ideas. >> do you filled his ideas are being listened to by president trump? call, whether this action n the that follows it, remains to be
7:03 pm
seen. >> this wiki also introduced the emergency money r the people act which he co-authored with ohio congress member tim lyon. under the provisions of this proposed legislation, you 0 d sent $2a month to make ends over the age of 16 for 12 months. >> it is very simple, right now we still have t had the stimulus checks, butimates check of $1200 limited to people who make under 75,000 is not enough todeal with this crisis, to pay the rent and put food on the table and to pay your mortgage is. what we say is that we need to give $2000 to every household under $260,000 a month, and they would qualify and last for the duration of the covid crisis, up to a year. we are underestimating the severity of this crisis, people need help to ke the basic payment. this crisis was not their fault, the govern needs to step in.
7:04 pm
>> when you say we are underestimating the severity, he was underestimating it? underestimated underestimating it. the impact of this is had on li working fa, how many people are not being able to pay the rent, how many people are running out of funding to buy basic groceries and basic out of jobs and maybe out of jobs for a long time. i think the issue is that a one- time payment is not sufficient. >> you also talked about how this is a time when we really see people who might otherwise be more invisible rise up and be the heroes in our community. 're talking about od service workers, we are talking about healthcare workers, the people who are keeping our lidats on today. there are 60 million americans who are so working. can you tell me a little bit about how you are expected this money to go out to them and who it will
7:05 pm
go to. is >> that a great point and that is why senator warren and i proposed a workers bill of rights. the reality is, in and a people who are still physical labor who we are so relying on. this'll crisis has shown us that we are liant on th person who delivers our groceries, the one who dries the trucksto warehouses or our warehouse employees, we are dependent on the technicians that keep the inrnet running, the electricity flowing. a lot of those people are under contract and they have not been getting a fair wage or any benefits or healthcare. it is time that our society, our country provide them with childcare withbenefits they deserve. >> i want to dive into that essential care of rights that you senator warren have put forward this week. in it, e you highlight need
7:06 pm
for health and safety precautions, but he also include more long-standing progressive goals. the need leto c bargaining units. the exciting action taken from this bill of rights or is a ogressive values during this crisis? >> no, we need this to be part of the next system was builen senator waand i are were writing this closely, we're talking her and he colleagues. i think this is something that we all can agree on that is someone is going octo the y store to work, they should be safe and get a decent wage and be paid for the ri they are taking. they should have childcare, they should have an ability to bargain for ghtheir . the point is, this is just me during the covid crisis, it is notha permanent g. it is something that is needed. >> the government worked fairly quickly to pass the $2 trillion relief package. lately there
7:07 pm
has been disagreement over a smaller sum, $250 billion to go to small buarness owners. we seeing a breakdown in bipartisan action already? >> well, we want to giveth money to small business owners, but we are recognizing the problem. the problem was 350 billion, the atfirst thing happened is that the companies that had the banks, wells fargo's and others, got the money. the mom-and-pop's cleaners or these relationships with banks, they were left out. what we are fighting for is to say, if we are going to have to make sure that the businesses that need them the most are getting th and not e businesses that are being funded by rich investors. >> let's come back closer to home now. you represent california's 17th district which includes silivan ey, san jose, tells about the impact ofvithe coros on your district. >> our district has been hard- hit but i want to recognize dr.,
7:08 pm
saow she and the entire country was ahead of the curve. she got the baarea to shelter in place on march 16th, that was four days before governor newsom, that was weeks before andrew cuomo. as a result of her acgreatest on and decisive action, our death rates have been lower, are coronavirus rates have been lower, she really deserves our of course, our district has been hit, there businesses that have been hit, relsaurants, hohospitality business, prosof going under. ing the road our startup community has been hit. i worked very hard to make sure startups e qualified for the paycheck protection program, so they don't have to have layoffs. but the economic impact on many
7:09 pm
small businesses have been devastating. in the last few minutes before me go, how do you see society on the other side in the region as we start to reopen as a nation? are we going tobe seen permanent governmental structure changes, and what might those be? >> i think we're all aware of our vuerability of both economically and to pandemics. my hope is after we emerge, is that we have faormore su for public health and public health infrastructure, we will realize the need to cooperate with other nations and be tactful, things are global problems. we will realize hoeavulnerable of us are economically and do more to provide people with a fair wage, with healthcare with childcare and with the sics you need leave the lead a decent life. >> t nk you so mufor joining us. >> thank you for taking the time. this week san francisco showed new economic data forecasting future impacts from the coronavirus on the city. immediate losses include hotel
7:10 pm
cells, parking and transfer taxes. in the coming wiyears, there be losses from property and business taxes. just how hard with the city be had by this economic downturn? journey me b these topics is ted eagan. joining us from sonoma is arthur sisco travel ceo joe dalessandro. thank you gentlemen both for joining us. we've asked you about tooncome the show at the same time because tourism is the city's biggest dustry and what happens in tourism is going to effectth economy. can you start by giving us a lay of the land, how do how does tythe economy look and where does toinism factor >> the tourism industry is under a shock because of the shutdown because of the global concern about the virus. there are at least 100,000 jobs directly related to industries like hotels, restaurants, arts, recreation, other rsvisi serving attractions, drinking
7:11 pm
places and retell those serve largely to ist. all those industries are impacted and not just by the travel and place der but because of the global climate around trouble that is happened over the past couple months. >>a how big piece of the pie is tourism? >> i was say, tourism pays more ythan other indus intexas because of the hotel tax in the city which is a 14% tax. when that industry is hit, the city fills it disproportionately. >> we have gone through 10 ar of growth, that is been in the travel industry as well, the coronavirus has ended that. can you give us an apples to apples comparison of tytourism actilester in april to this month? >> sure, lester in april we would probably have experienced about 87% occupancy in the city
7:12 pm
o.of san franci this year we will be lucky to get a percent. i am going from 87% to 8% is a huge blow to the siindustry. rs and services goes but about $11 billion a year in our economy. the hit is terrific ythr. it is nothing we've ever exprctsed before. ne times worse than the impact of travel that was felt during 9/11. >> you've laid out some w economic production center couple of different scenarios this week. tell us what you're looking at for the future >> there are a lot of uncertainties about the cities e futunomics. it depends first and foremost about how the virus is going and how quickly things can get back to the way they wereupa months ago. it also depends on how consumers respond when things start opening up again. both of those are major unknowns. i was say the city is lookin at, under an optimistic
7:13 pm
scenario, we are looking at 3 million over the next few ars and under a pessimistic, these rly estimates. the real economic, that is only just a major role in from march and so they will be subject to later revisit revision as we learn more. >> is we have these losses rolling in, what will it mean foetthe city's buhow deeply will it need to be cut? >> because we've had 10 years of economic growth, the city is much better positioned in this recession that has been in the past. we have got reserves between rainy day funds, general reserves, in the range of seven to 8 million dollars. that will help with that when i úextrecession. way there and de it is going to be recession time in city hall. where will have to be looking at savings. >> joe, they stop in tourism
7:14 pm
has had a heavy toll on hotels and restaurants and even on your organization. i understand you have had let go about 60% of your staff and those who have remained have taken 20% pay cuts. ha do you an expectation that someday we will get back to tourism as it was pre- coronavirus or do you isthink tourisforever changed here in the bay area? >> you know i don't think it is forever changed. i think it will come back, it will not come ck anytime soon. i think the way people travel on the way people travel especially in large groups will change. it will change until we have a vaccine and un have some sort of solution to the health crisis that we are having right w. in some estimates, won't se numbers like 2019 until maybe 2023 again. it will come back, it will just >> one ofthe ways you are looking at pivoting is doing some virtual tourism. abunexpectedly and unbeli it looks like prettyman is going online this year. what about big san francisco tradition events, pride, hardly
7:15 pm
strictly, blue grass, will you be looking at moving those online? go online to get the character of the event alive. especially this year. it is like that have tobe in person. you will have to experience those things directly in order to really benefit. the economic benefit of troubling tourism is when people are actualat particg, when they are actually going to restaurants and going to meetings and conventions and going to the theater anarto an activity or to an event. although this year will be very challenging for these major events to encontinue to hai think we will see them coming back in the future. that is kind of the necessary part of a major event like that, and also part of the dna of san francisco. >> we talkedwith the lden gate restaurant association last week. they were saying that about 30% of restaurants in california could close y.permanen where do you see the hotel
7:16 pm
industry landing on the other side of this coronavirus pandemic? 3 i think hotels are different animal, their larg operations than restaurants. 70 restaurants wrecking right now are mom-and-pop stores smaller operations. 70 people come here for our food and culinary scene. i think hotels will survive, a lot of spthem have ded the operations right now. in fact a large percentage have suspended their operations. as business travel starts to come back, as leise travel social comeback, the hotels will reopen, and will rehire people. they will start to? experience the industry we knew before the pandemic. ve been wiped out. on jobs what does that mean for this area and when do you expect to see thoscome back?
7:17 pm
or do you expect to see them come back? >> i think it is reasonable to think goat there is g to be a period of adjustment once the children place orders are lifted and once things get back to normal. that could be some period of time. that could bea up to year, or a year and a half a gradually getting back to normal. i think scenarios of 202are not out of the range of possible at all. pii'm that once the children place lists, we are in to start seeing growth, if that happens we n start seeing growth by the second half of the year. the client back to full employment toa normal economy, it is going to take some number of years. >> this crisis is imp only the tourism industry, but houses are being felt in the san fransco bay area economy? >> i think it is fair to say the trouble industry is the 1st to fill it and it really very deeply. for example, virtually all of
7:18 pm
the construction industry in san francisco is shutdown. retail businesses that are e nonessential businesses shut down. manufacturing is shutdown. essential businesses that are not in helsel for example are shut down. so cross aboard your eing industries at the very leasy affectedd if they can't manage to work remotely like a lot of office workers, then they are in a situation ere they're not able to raise resident revenue if you were not able to work. >> what are you going to be watching for as indicators that the economies intimate back, that he trouble indust starting to flow again? >> what we thought was going to happen is we filled the beginning ofpeople travelin again, will be regional traveling. people from northern california. people that feel comfortable and understand what is been happening in northern california. it will spread a little further maybe to e specific northwest. we will start to see business travel start to come back.
7:19 pm
when they start to function, they needto travel and have interactions directly with individuals. they can't do it all on the phone or on a conferce call. individuals are really critical to the travel industry world. we will see the first and then stslowly it will t to open and then that will grow wider and wider. we will have to see what the protocols are. all of those types of things will help get a feel of how quickly the industry will come back. >> the same question, what will be the indicators will show the economy is working into a deeper recession or is improving? >> i think we're going to have to start looking at the responsivenessof businesses and consumers as a restrictions began to lift. we need to see whether it is a sharp rern, which some economists are forecasting. i would say, slightly more economistsan not are excting rapid growth in e second half of 2020.
7:20 pm
locally, we are going to be watching ppwhat s with businesses once they're allowed to reopen. are they all reening? are theyfor the customers? his life normal? but if you're in a world for example where you can't admit as many ople in your business if you are used to, even if people want to go there, they're lookinat curtailed revenue when you're opening and that is a long change. >> gentlemen, thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you >> thank you. >> many people stuck at home have decided now is the perfect time for a pet. so many in fact that shelters are reported record numbers of foster animals. o adopt or justice shelters were strange empty out, new trend is emerging. more pets are being returned or abandoned as their owners become unemployed. joining me now to discuss this,
7:21 pm
elsa jewell. ank you so mufor joining us. tell me about family dog rescue and about how business has been going since the quarantine was put into place. >> okay, we're celebrating our 10th year and r this is third year at this location, we are in the bayview in san francisco. since covid-19 has happened, a lot has changed for us. some of my low-cost clinic than they used to be able to to to get simple things such as vaccinations are no longer available to me. source and cleaning nosupplies has become a challenge. vaccinations come i had a little bit of above there but managed to get . er that hu dogs are being abandoned in central valley because of the economic crisis and the illness that it is affecting everyone. municipal shelters are no longer taking owner surrenders,
7:22 pm
animal control office are known are picking up dogs who are stray in the field. it has put us in a really always been here, but now we are definitely a safety net for those animals. we are working with ner pa as we've always done, and now we don't really have an rking directly with people who are in these areas where we get our dogs. the need has increased, it does not decrease. we are still pulling dogs, our adoption of foster rat, the day of march 16th when we got the shelter in ace order, i was here until 10:00. we put 40 dogs into foster, 10 adoptions. normally we leavlike seven or 8:00 at night and a typical day , we were seeing you know on a weekend, maybe seven or eight dogs. now we are seeing that adoption number consistently and our foster number has gone up as well. >> your adoptions imposters have gone up, but e numbers of dogs anita home it sounds
7:23 pm
like is alincreasing pretty significantly. quantify that for you. ot i would like to say, it is not as high of. a numb i would say we are seeing, 3 to 4 times the number of dogs getting done. and it was sad before, it fiis now tely in a crisis mode. >> are using it mostly in the central lley or are you seeing that here in the bay area as well? >> we don't really pull that many diesfrom the bay area. we are accepting some dogs that were adopted out a well back in the people lost her job so their owners are given the docs back to us. it has not been a huge number th way, but the central valley, puppies, senior dogs, you know adult dogs, we tend to take the more challenging ses and wecontinue to do that. we brought in a couple dogs that definitely were in great
7:24 pm
shape. we will take them to the vet and care for them and then when they are ready to be eyadopted may go into foster until they are adopted or healthy enough to be adopted. yes though, the numbers, it is d reallyright now. >> do you need more people to volunteer to foster animals were to adopt? we are not at this point taking any walk-ins. we are only doing it by appointment. we've been swamped. i believe our calendar is booked starting in june at this moment. , we're looking for adoptions, s there are some stipulations where people should send us an email. but yes, ilwe are looking. the need has not decrease at all. >> is is a good time for people to adopt a pet or is the setting up some unrealistic expectations for that animal? >> that is an excellent question. one of the things we've done recently is caution people who are adopting puppies to tually not spend hours a day with the dog.
7:25 pm
you're going to end up, when life gets oback normal, you're going to then go toanwor the kids will go to school and the dog will be left alone for some period of time. we don't like it when dogs are left alone for any more than six hours at a time. we are cautioning people that you actually have to leave the puppy in the home and to inever easingly large increments of time that you're not with the puppy. that would be true also for an adult dog. with the dog but you have to create a relationship where the dog is able to be by yourlf and feel comfortable in the home. it is a new component that we have added, in the past people would be like hey, i'm going to be out of myhouse for a couple of hours. they would leave and then the dog would just get accustomed to nethat. everhas his fantasy, it is such a good time to bring a dock home. me to bring a dock home. azing but then, you can't let the dog freak out when is not used
7:26 pm
you not being around. >> what kinds of changes have you needed to make it the shelter to implement social stancing guidelines? >> we no longer take walk-ins, so you can only arrive at appointed times. we already had rims that were set up for adoption appointments or foster appomitment, so if will come in and we are having people sign in at a station that says there are althy. we are wearing face masks, hopefully if they have their own protective gear, their wear that. we will bring theminto the room and meet with them, introduce them to the dog. it is only really i think a ysical distancing component that we are tojust having focus on. obviously, we are keeping the shelter clean and sanitized. we can also ofr gloves. we are not discouraging people from coming, but if you know you're healthy and have not been exposed, citizen email. you may not get an appointment
7:27 pm
anytime soon, but yes, we are here we want people to come in and try yoto pair with the dog that would be right for your household. yes, we are here. as always, you can find . you can reach me through my e social media handle. thank you for joining us and stay safe.
7:28 pm
7:29 pm
7:30 pm
robert: inside the push to reopen and the pushback. >> our team o experts now agrees that we can begin the next front in our war, which we arealng opening up america eain. robert: resident forges ahead on reopening the american economy, which has been ravaged by the pandemic. in many states, each day brings anxiety and rebellion. a small segment of the state is protesting. and that's their right. the d part is the more likely they're out and about the more likely they're to spread covid-19. robert: thisas sparked an intense debate over execuve power. >> when somebody's the president of the united states, this authority is total. and that's the way it's got to be. >> the federal government

66 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on