tonight on kqed newsroom, we consllions of dollars in budget id mi cuts as california grapples with the financial fallout from the plus, transportation was mount as passengers and drivers stay home, but getting around may be harder when businesses reopened. plus, to area these young directors share comeback strategies foreopening in e months ahead. hello, and lce to kqed newsroom, it is week nine of sheltering in place in northern california. more than 87,000 people have now died from covid-19 the united states. on thursday, the california

governor unveiled a revised stcae budget that s for steep cuts to icpu blolsc deficit of $84 billion due to declining tax revenues and soaring b losses. also, california state senators returned to sacramento with two innovative relief packages that would help people stay in their homes. e, meanwhilouse democrats are proposing a $3 trillion round of federal aid despite opposition from the white house and senate republicans. joining us are the kqed senior editor of politics, scott shafer, and correspondent risa lagos. thanks for being here. it has beall about the benjamin's this week, whether we are talking the state or the federal level. talk about the heroes act, made for this fifth coronavirus relief package to actually become a reality? >> i think in fact, it may never become a red ity democrats in the house generally know that.

this is something that depublicans have opposed in teo s.about how much of that $3 trillion ould go to individuals versus to local government, state and county governments, cities well. so, there is money in there as well as $25 billion for the post office, which president trump says he does not want. ctth eeyma doion'let a orn,wa n so, this is a couple examples of things that republics do not want but moerthe e arown package. >> the progressives have said they will not vote for this particular bill. >> this is a starting point, right mark these are sort of the christmas tree wish list. i think it is negotiation tactic by pelosi. on the ft flank ofthe party they would like to see this go further. i think that they, the head of the progressive caucus has a bill that she wanted pelosi to fold in that was going to give

more direct aid to workers in at thmpt to avoid more layoffs and one of the paycheck protection programs, i think among the more centrist todemocrats, they want see provisions that would y wha lot iallof these progserams that have already be passed like the $600 a week in employment money, phaseout, depending on the economy. right now there is a cliff of where that ends on july 31. but, there is going to be pressure from both blue and . states on these issues government. e direct i do think that, you know, pelosi wanted to get this out there and show what she wanted and where she wanted to start these talks and am not ready to say it is ing to goone where the other yet because things seem to change so quickly in washington and i ll think there be political pressure on those senators like mitch mcconnell, who do not want to play ball right now. >> hat's talk about the state of california government and

state budget. the governorouhas come with his revised budget proposal, $20 million less than the 222 billion while we were flush, aring at a $54 billion e are deficit. scott, describe for us where the cuts are coming from. >> the good news is, unlike the last great recession, california was in good shape a lot of e thbtdegoing this buet year, the year began with about $5.5 billion in surplus, there is about $16 billion in the rainy day fund. of those things will cushion the blow and that is really good news. to addition, he is going bill in prhaogram enhancements that were in his january budget, thinat were things that he wanted to do around housing, climate change, and so on, that the money is just not ther there will also be internal borrowing, shifting of money from the tobacco tax to pay for medicaid. the is going to be federal

money, about $8 billion already allocated by the federal he government to with costs related to the pandemic. and then, there is also, not a tax increase, but a tax credit that would be suspended for some time seto create ral billion dollars in revenue and so those are the broad strokes of what is in the and hewill stretch this out. he is not going to drain the rainy day fund this year ornot next, he wants to that out over three years and h strehope the economyanme fear so, i think ey are al trying to learn from the last time by not just eliminating programs, but rather by scaling back thincrease orreducing funding in a way that these programs can be saved once the economy recovers or once the go federarnment comes through with money. i can also say that the governor is saying we can avoid

a lot of these cuts right now if the federal government just sendus money. he is putting it on donald trump's doorstep. >> veteresa, the or did not say taxes would go up, but you think that may change, and if so, whatmay trigger that >> change? think not anytime soon. at a time when people are losing their jobs or struggling to sinta their ho to do, republican or democrat, is asking for taxes. there is mea ballot ure that would raise billions of dollars for state programs, it is not n by labor unions. te, is it would roll back some of those provisions of the prop 13 prerty taxes so that commercial properties can see up. i think the governor is hoping i that haths xepassr ed, tahe has edon . rs itye they're going to try to paper this over and see what happens at the federal level both with the legislation we discussed in

the worst, with the election in november which could completely change the dynamic nationally and in the state of lifornia. >> scott, state senators have proposed a $25 billion rental assistance package. how did they tharrive at number, and what is in the package? >> there was a study that shows there are 17 million renters california and half of them struggle to pay their rent. so, when this pandemic it obviously there was concerned that, and already bad, almost problem woule be made woby people not being able to pay their rents and landlords kicking them out. so the governor issua moratorium on evictions, but a go far enough because that did renters would still be on the t or back pay. so, what they're now saying is why don't we -- if ndlords wiotwill give them a long-term break in exchange for forgiving that rent, and then renters will agree to pay the state the rent over the course about a decade without interest. so, you would have to have on that. willing to play ball not all of them will and of course, they don't have to but

the idea is to makeep as people in their homes as possible. let's turn to unemployment. i'm hearing estimates % from 20- employment projected in california. in the past, high in employment has tended to create political change. do you expect the same to happen here? >> you kn, i thinthis is mochun aedweprstd enecnt unemmeployment in history to wh might be the highest i think is th isinfactors inclu what happens with the coronavirus testing, with contact tracing, with therapies and vaccines, some h of whare out of the hands of state and local leaders, right? and i think that it isgo really g to depend on how voters view this. like, right now you have seen new cement be very popular. he is taking charge and having daily press conferences. there is a lot of anger left at donald trump. this has become tha e onpartis

issue but in california democrats or leaning democrats when you add in the tenonpartis , are really the vast majority. republicans do not have a lot of power here. i do not antipate that upending clinical life here, but i do think that it could have a huge whimpact on happens nationally in november, and that of course would have an impact on the state budget, and therefore the governor's political fortunes. >> let's talk about the gop which had a couple of congressional wins in wisconsin at the house republican seat has flipped in calirnia since 1998. scott, can you tell me, is this a harbinger of growing republican strength of that we can witness inthe general election? >> probably not. off year elections, this was a special election at an odd time, theytend to favor republicans. in november, when they will face f again, migarcia will be the incumbent and kristi smith lost this week. w thl go at it again in november, and the electorate in

a presidential election will be very different. there willbe much more democratic but, that said, mike garcia is a good candidate for thiswa rds air force base is. also latino, the son of mexican immigrants. he is a good candidate for this district. which, hillary clinton one, but you know, beat donald trump by who won easistatewide only som one this district by two points. it is a very purple distct. so, while it is not necessarily mean the republicans are hogoin to onto it in november, they're going to have to work have a hiy of electing t does republicans. lagos, thank you so much. this week, more than a dozen trant agencies joined bart to ask congress for $43 billion in additional aid for public transportation. art alone is facing a $600

deiomin n 90fi cit. bay area tranart agencies lltting more than $1 frmimarch. the next big challeng assuring commuters that it is safe to use the buses, trains, and ferries when the region eventually rejoens. ing me from berkeley is transportation editor dan brekke. >> thanks for having me. >> one of the perks of the pandemic is that traffic has bu been much lighter,a recent study out of vanderbilt suggests once the elter in place lifts traffic will come roaring back and it wi be a heavy congestion situation. what you see occurring? >> that is the big question, people stay off of tranthe y traffiwac eyon te he road. and anecdotally, you hear a loti of people , i'm not going to go back on heart, i'm not going to go back on muni

because i do nofeel comfortable doing it. anywhere from a commute that is 10-40 minutes longer each way depending on how many people abandoned transit. >> that is significant, 10-40 minutes. >> imagine how bad your commute is now. the metropolitan solid congestion, leading to the bay bridge on the san francisco side and that will become worse. >> twittnounced that many employees could continue to work from home permanently. telecommuting is the wildcard here. pull out your w crystal much do you see a need and desire for people together in person in the coming months? >> listen, every enterprise including hours at kqed, there is a huge befit toin office collaboration, and those of us who are fortunate enough to be able to work from home have

been pushedl erovu e thowy , ba it is hard to say that is a neb t to the company's, but the thing is, it does make peop, aflekeiteralepin g thwith disease. it is just very hard to know how much gothat is g to continue, or how broadly, but planning for transit, the situation makes it almost impossible for the agencies to goguess what is g to happen over the next year or two. >> these agencies have seen significant decreases in their ridership. golden gate intransit, calt bart muni have seen eir ridership dropped by 90% or more. what does recovery look like as we come out of shelter in place? >> it is going to be a long,

slow recovery. bart had a meeting yesterday where the best case scenario t juhave 10% of the previous ridership in the coming year. so, the other agencies are dealing with similar pictures, where it is reduced ridership and also greatlreduced revenues because fewer fares been collected and much lower taxes that support the services. >> because of this lowered revenue, bart and other transiti agencies are for $33 billion in additional funding on top of the 25 billion they what happens ifthey don't get this funding in the next few months? >> reporter: if they don't get the funding, i think there is no doubt we are going see massive layoffs in some of these agencies.one of the plans put forward with bart, and it would be a worst-case scenario where trains are only running every 60 minutes or something like that, more than 1000 workers out of the 3500 they have could be laid off. i thk that iswhat they are facing if there is no further

theral aid. eapod,int ratthe federal government is, which is us, we are paying the taxes, the federal governme is really the only recourse for most of these agencies. >> many veof us been on crowded train platform or bus. it is hard to see that happening in an ag of soci distancing. what sorts of measures are agencies thinking about to put into place to continue some form of socialdistancing as we come out of shelter in place? it probably will not be as strict as beright now use they will not be able to fit that many people on the trains and buses. >> this one thing to have to figure, what loads they can carry to call distancing. so, that isthe first challenge, but i think they sotheallpuy blic in every way safe to get it is on the trains and buses and ferries what dthat mean? that means really raising their games in terms of cleaning, and terms of really policing what is going on hion the es.

and, atand is going to be a big challenge. for instance, in bart's case, there is an extra $75 miion line item for the coming year to pay for all the cleaning thats going tobe necessary to make people feel safe. >> let'seqturn to ty. you know, public transportation is one of the few places in society where all segments teract, at least had been. as this crisis has gone have seen that people with more money were , abwele toon switch telecommuting more easily. blll this lead transit agencies to move their planning to have more transit dependent ridership in their focus? >> i think agencies like muni especially have been really thinking about this hard, about hoto maintain this core of service for people who really do nve any option. they are so focusing essential workers, and essential workers are not just professionals or doctors or something like that, they are

all the people we have been abinhe oug t-sefrcut,rityon lig and all the rest. and so yes, i think that you can expect to see a renewed focus on how to maintain service for those folks, but i think it is also going to lead to a period where we really try to look at kesolutions to transportation, public transit, more accessible to people who are having a tough time making ends meet. >> thank you so much for joining us. >> you are welcome. as the pandemic closures drag on, bay ar museums are scrambling to stay solvent. art museums have closed their doors, covered paintings, and turned out the lits. other institutions have a core team caring for animals and all are facing significant budget shortfalls and by some industry estimates, one third of all museums nationwide will not be able to afford to

reopen. joining me to discuss the future of bay area museums is the director anscott samson, the director of academy department of science is. thank you for joining me. >> thank you. >> scott,let's start th you, tell me about your plans for reopening. what will visitors experience academy in the coming months? if you reopen then? >> well, of course of the post covid world is going to be different than the pre-covid world. and our fit priority of course is to make a safe experience for visitors and for our staff. we are going tobe lookinat time entry to prevent overcrowding, with the team gathering sizes and closing up our theater for example,etour plium, at least to start, building on the cleaning and sanitation practices and actually, we see a threeã three phase opening with limited capa ty and we wi lose the high touch areas and

then go to phase 2 where we will anep social dig and to go back to effective normal that exists anymore. >> when are you hoping to launch phase 1? july 1, but that is going to depend on state and local mandates from public health officials and we are going to be monitoring all of that very closely. >> j, what are your plans for reopening the asian art museum? what changes will visitors see? >> at the asian museum, our visitors are stuck at home, so i encourage everyone to check t the offering the website and the wonderful programs. right now we are turning our museum into a virtual museum and launching virtual program so when we can openthe physical museum to the public, we want to encourage the businesses to do the same, and once they are outside, we will

ensure social distancing and also we encourage everyone to wear masks. our store llcarry beautiful products and we encourage you can avoid getting close to the labels when you are reading the ndbackgrinformation. we want to find a balance between experience and safety. right now, we are planning to on open the museum july 3, but we will be nimble. we want to make sure that safety is first. >> scott, how are you planning for social distancing, anhow many people will be able to come to the museum daily compared to what it was pre- covid? >> it is amazing. we are an institute,n of scieso it is not surprising that we approach that problem scientifically, so we started by assuming that everotne needed six social

distancing and if a person is a foot wide, thmeans you need a circle seven feet in diameter. we took the total square footage of 18000 square feet, both indoor and outdoor public space, and we calculated how many of these seven foot diameter circles we could fit in. that gives us sort of the maximum numbercathat we fit in with social distancing and then we calculate how many waves of those folks we can have over the course of the day to ve us sosense about how many people we can expect. >> i have been to the museum with my kids, the indoor rain forest is favorite. you also have some hands-on interactive exhibi in your natural history space, how are there is going to change? >> yeah, we are going to take hasome of the s-on natural exhibit theãexhibits off-line to start. and then, we ll ensure, we are looking at things like, is it possible to create one-way traffic so peopare not passing each other? so, throughout, we are going to limit the number of touch

points people have, physical touch points, and these opportunities for getting within the six feet of somebody else. >> j, i would like to talk a little bit about how you are transitioning, and you are doing this actually before covid starte to have mo outdoor exhibits. >> thank you. last week was very poignant because we pl to openour expanded and transform the museum to the public. of course, thisplan will need to be postponed and possib s eing, but may i say that rve in the sense that we are turning the museum inside o are turning the museum's walls into galleries but at the street level, there will be an art mural by an asian american artist and there will be wonderfl mural a be byot

andesigned heand r built from outside. and on top of that, we have actually, maybe the largest outdoor art installation the bay area from the street. >> scott, les talk about your virtual offerings, which you expanded during this time. how have those been received? >> it has been remarkable interval for us. we have 40,000 live animals on sites that are being taken care. of every we have given people access to those animals through a live animal webcams. we have virtual exhibits and ie ific collections. we have live stream to chats with scientists and created this entity called academy at home, where, whether you are a parent or a acher, you can thw relate to nature. we are really promoting citizen scienc getting people ou into nature. of course, safely and socially

distanced. but, interacting with th and connecting with a natural world. so, in the post covid world, we anticipa keeping these online offerings expanding on a regular basis. >> j, how has your online offering changed, and ithow is being received? >> our online offering has been dramatically increased. not ly are weengagingthe visual artist but also performing artists and not only the artist about the works in our collection, but also live demonstratns of cooking and as well . as meditati i think that art is always the substance by ich humankind comes together. we will continue mentis r essen everything going forward.

>> j and scott, would like to bo ask you very quickly, just before we go, you know, there your budgets and operations. n you rely not only for the ticket sales, but also on outside funding d donations. ntine rivvintatyou r whfunding d museum -- we engage people for generation but, particularly from age 12. may i also say inlive of asian richãthey are taking a leadership role in mbating that. so, the investment in the seasi is on the way in helping us come togetherduring covid- 19 and mbing anti-asian

racism and what we are all up against. >> i need to move on to scott, scott, your argument for keeping the museum funded ? >> covid-19 and species extinc crisis have one thing in common, a broken relationship world. humans and the you could make an argument that the most pressing qution facing humanity right now is how we transform the way that we interact with nature. so, the academy, which sits at the interface between people in nature, is ideally situated to be a profound influence on this conversation we have been developing new str integrating people in the natural world, and helping people to see the intimate and inextricab connections that all of us have with nature. so, we are excited about carrying that strategy forward and becoming ever more relevant in the post coviworld.

>> scott simpson with the academy of science and jason hsu with the asian american museum of san francisco. thank you both. as always, you can find more corage at ed and kqed.org. you can reach me through my social media handle. we are off next week, we will see you in 2 weeks. stay safe.

bert: optimism from the president and caution from experts. dr. fauci: the re-entry of sunts into -- students into the fall term would be a bridge too far. toluse: to me it's not an acceptable answer. robert: a divide between health officials andresident trumps he rallies to reopen a strained nation. and a warning from a whistleblower. >> we need a national testing strategy. the virus is here. it's everywhere. robert: as statesr on the brinkteee o tfeconomic collapse, congress debates another relief bill. >> we must thi big for the people now because if we don't it will cost more in lives and livelihood later.