The Palmer City Council will take up the matter of a proposed mask mandate, offered by Council member and Deputy Mayor Sabrena Combs, at its Nov. 18 meeting.
Combs, a registered Democrat, has proposed Ordinance 20-016, mandating a face covering in all public settings for a period of no more than 60 days.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a public health emergency that threatens to overwhelm our health system, endangering the lives and well-being of our citizens. The governor has issued an emergency alert asking citizens to remain diligent in social distancing and masking,” the summary reads. “The CDC recommends wearing masks or face coverings in public settings in addition to maintaining 6 feet a physical distancing. In line with his recommendation, the city puts forth this emergency ordinance to preserve the health and safety of our community.”
In addition, employers would be required to ensure employees who are present in the workplace have access to and wear masks or face coverings when with others.
Children under two would be exempted and those under five years would be encouraged but not required to wear a mask, which is defined as a “medical grade” mask.
“The City reserves the right to use all available enforcement options to ensure compliance with this ordinance. Violation of this ordinance does not create grounds for residents to harass individuals who do not comply with it,” the ordinance reads.
The meeting is Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020, at 6 pm,City Council Chambers, 231 W. Evergreen Avenue, Palmer.
One death and 745 new people were identified with COVID-19 in Alaska over the past 24 hour reporting period.
They were located in Anchorage (433), Fairbanks (63), Eagle River (44), Wasilla (31), Bethel (19), Juneau (15), Soldotna (14), North Pole (13), Chugiak (12), Ketchikan (11), Delta Junction (9), Homer (9), Kenai (7), Bethel Census Area (6), Kenai Peninsula Borough South (5), Palmer (5), Utqiaġvik (5), Fairbanks North Slope Borough (4), Valdez-Cordova Census Area (3), Fritz Creek (2), Kenai Peninsula Borough North (2), Nikiski (2), Seward (2), Sterling (2), Yakutat & Hoonah-Angoon (2), Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area (2) and one each in Bristol Bay/Lake & Peninsula boroughs, Cordova, Denali Borough, Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Kodiak, Kotzebue, Kusilvak Census Area, Metlakatla, Nome, Petersburg, Sitka , Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, and two in unknown communities still under investigation.
A total of 862,264 tests have been conducted, with 25,782 tests conducted in the previous seven days.
The average percentage of daily positive tests for the previous seven days is 8.94%.
In a letter to potential donors, mayoral candidate Forrest Dunbar said that “With regards to the Mayor’s race, my colleagues have decided to follow the Charter and NOT set a Special Election. The election will occur in April, as planned.”
That’s not what the charter says, and the Assembly most certainly did not follow the charter, but instead the liberal majority made a decision that having a special election for mayor would be too costly and confusing, as it would come right in the middle of the regular mayoral election.
“A vacancy in the office of mayor shall be filled at a regular or special election held not less than 90 days from the time the vacancy occurs,” the Charter reads.
Mayor Ethan Berkowitz resigned effective Oct. 23, that means at some point in late January, Anchorage residents should, by law, be allowed to vote on a temporary mayor who would serve until July 1, when the mayor-elect from the regularly scheduled April 6 election takes office.
But that would crimp the term of Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson and the liberal Assembly majority, which did not want to lose power between January and July.
Dunbar is holding a teleconferenced Zoom fundraiser on Nov. 19 for his candidacy, and he has 100 Democrat heavyweights signed on as co-hosts, such as Assembly members Chris Constant, Suzanne LaFrance, Meg Zalatel, and Pete Petersen — all who voted to not have a special election for acting mayor.
Dunbar had recused himself from the vote because he is an announced candidate. He promises a revitalized downtown, better trails, and “embracing a sense of Indigenous place,” if he is elected.
The number of intensive care unit beds available in Alaska has dropped to just 38, with 125 Alaskans in hospitals now with either COVID-19 or a suspected case of the infectious coronavirus.
Alaska has 137 ICU beds, with 99 of them occupied with patients who have a variety of serious conditions.
But it’s not just about the beds. Staffing is equally a difficult issue right now as hospital workers are working under pressure. Every time a nurse or health care worker comes into contact with COVID-19, they must quarantine for two weeks, or 10 days if they have tested positive. Health care workers who are wearing surgical masks and goggles are not considered in “close contact.” But health workers are in short supply because of having to cycle out of the workforce.
Traveling nurses are hard for Alaska to attract. In some states, an ICU nurse can now earn $144 an hour, and Alaska is competing against those wages.
Alaska is not the only state feeling the pressure. In North Dakota and South Dakota, the cases are rising faster than anywhere in the country. North Dakota now has a mask mandate, has the highest per capita deaths and the highest per capita hospitalizations in the nation.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgam wrote, “the State Health Officer, with my full support, has issued an order requiring face coverings to be worn in all indoor businesses and public settings and outdoor public settings where physical distancing isn’t possible.” The order is in effect until Dec. 13.
The shortage of medical workers is so bad in North Dakota that announced that health care workers who are positive for COVID-19 but are showing no symptoms may continue to work in COVID-19 units.
Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota told the Argus Leader on Friday that she will not use state resources to enforce any federal COVID-19 orders that are expected to come from presumed President-elect Joe Biden.
Last week, Gov. Mike Dunleavy of Alaska pleaded with Alaskans to take extra precautions as positive tests have risen dramatically and the medical system in Alaska is at risk of collapsing due to the workforce shortage.
Must Read Alaska has learned that patients from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region have recently been transported to Fairbanks instead of Anchorage, because of the bed-staff shortage at Alaska Native Medical Center.
According to the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation, 100 cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed in the Y-K Delta on Thursday.
It’s 17 percent of the 584 cases reported by the State of Alaska’s COVID-19 dashboard on Thursday. The delta is home to about 25,000 Alaskans, less than 4 percent of the state population.
The cases in the Y-K Delta are causing concern at the Alaska Native Medical Center, where the hospital says it worries it will run out of beds and staff to meet the needs of all the incoming patients.
“The Alaska Native Medical Center is experiencing a significant increase in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Concurrently, the rising numbers of people impacted by community spread of COVID-19 is impacting the staffing levels of essential health care workers, who must quarantine or isolate after infection or exposure. If this trend continues, our hospital will not have the physical bed space or staff available to provide the level of care our community will likely need,” the Alaska Native Medical Center wrote.
ANMC Administrator, Dr. Robert Onders said he supports Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s statements encouraging all Alaskans to stay home if possible, limit gathering sizes, and wear face coverings when in public.
The Bethel Region’s cases went from 10 to 50 to 100 in less than a week. Nov. 11, there were 29 cases. By Nov. 12, the number was 64 and one death.
On Nov. 13, the 100 cases were reported across multiple villages:
14 cases in Akiak
42 cases in Bethel
2 cases in Chevak
1 case in Hooper Bay
1 case in Kongiganak
21 cases in Kwethluk
Numerous cases in Napaskiak Village of Napaskiak states the total number of cases should not be publicly provided. (Math suggests that the number is 15).
The keyboard warriors were laughing online at Congressman Don Young for contracting the COVID-19 coronavirus, as was announced by him on Twitter on Thursday.
Some examples of the hundreds of comments made on Twitter on Thursday:
With nearly 95% of the votes accounted for in Alaska’s 2020 General Election, it’s over for U.S. Senate candidate Alan Gross. As the dust settles, and as Gross has finally made his brief concession call to Sullivan, Sullivan’s win is a double-digit advantage.
This margin of victory may have come as a shock to the Gross campaign and its supporters. Over the past several months, Gross has carefully handpicked polling data that aligns with the campaign narrative. It’s almost as if they began believing their own polling.
Pushing out false polling numbers is a strategy for increasing Outside donations and invigorating potential voters to join with “a winner,” but real, final poll numbers are always at the ballot box.
Sullivan’s landslide leaves the Gross campaign sifting through the debris of an $18 million campaign that finds itself being asked an important question:
Where did it all go wrong?
One thread on the fraying garment is how the Gross campaign overvalued Democrat-leaning poll data, created misleading numbers to keep a “unifying” campaign narrative, and underestimated Sullivan’s support altogether.
Early in 2020, Gross began pushing unverified polling data to entice potential donors to give to his campaign. The public and the donors were told the numbers, but never given the cross-tabs.
In particular, one reoccurring Twitter post toward the end of the campaign announced Gross had “sailed into the lead” by moving ahead 47% to 46% over incumbent Dan Sullivan.
The social media post linked to an ActBlue.com site, the place where Democrats raise money for their candidates.
Since it first appeared, the 47/46 myth was posted at least 17 times on Gross’ campaign Twitter feed. In that time, Gross never verified the 47/46 projection, but that did not stop the campaign from naming and claiming, and raising money on a lie that was weeks in the making.
On Aug. 31, Gross posted a Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey, indicating Gross and Sullivan were tied 43% to 43%.
One month prior to that, the PPP poll had Sullivan ahead 39% to 34%. Gross omitted that data point from his Twitter feed in July.
PPP is described by InfluenceWatch.org as “a Democratic polling firm that conducts publicly released surveys routinely cited in mainstream media accounts.” Dean Debnam, who founded the firm in 2001 in Raleigh, NC, is described by Businessnc.com as “one of the state’s most ardent donors to Democrat politicians.”
In late September, Gross tweeted out the survey from the Democrat- and Obama-affiliated polling firm, Harstad Strategic Research, saying his campaign was now ahead in the Alaska Senate race, 47% to 46%.
The Harstad survey was an internal poll paid for by the Gross campaign. It’s also the polling firm used by former Sen. Mark Begich.
“The latest poll on the race for Alaska’s U.S. Senate seat gives Democrat-backed independent challenger Al Gross a one-point lead against Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan,” wrote the Daily Kos, a heavily left-leaning news blog.
“Gross has the support of 47% of the 606 Alaska likely voters covered in the poll to Sullivan’s 46%, according to a polling memo released Harstad Strategic Research. The poll was conducted between Oct. 10 and Oct. 13 with a self-reported 4% margin of error and is the third such poll conducted by the firm.
“’This progress confirms Dr. Gross’ continuing momentum and steady climb in recent months to his first tiny lead over Sullivan,’ explained the memo by Paul Harstad, the firm’s CEO,” the Daily Kos wrote.
On Oct. 22, Gross tweeted yet another poll from Change Research, which had Sullivan in the lead at 47% to 44%. Both polls had a margin of error of 4%.
On Oct. 28, Gross tweeted a poll from Gravis Marketing, which had Sullivan leading 48% to 45%.
Even after the election, on Nov. 5, Gross campaign manager David Keith sent a memo to the media telling them to not call the race because “independent polling” and Patinkin Research Strategies both said Gross went into Election Day with a 47-46 advantage.
The Gross campaign’s narrative was straightforward: We’re not just in this; we could win it.
But it was kabuki theater. Leaning on polling data that only aided in his campaign’s messaging proved to be a costly mistake. It’s something that happens in campaigns that are using polls to push narratives — the campaigns start believing them.
In the other camp, Sen. Dan Sullivan’s campaign never released a single poll. That campaign also conducted polling, to see where the voters were at, but the numbers were closely held.
Friday, Gross conceded the Alaska U.S. Senate race to Sullivan. In his statement, Gross labeled his campaign the “underdogs” and reinforced how proud he was of his campaign.
“We were underdogs from the start, but we ran a strong campaign and raised important issues that deserved to be heard.”
After spending tens of millions in ads dishonestly attacking the character and record of Sullivan, he had created one more lie: That he was the underdog.
One of the biggest political stories of the year is the polling malpractice being pushed by companies pretending to be pollsters, but serving as propagandists.
They do it for the money. They’re not held accountable because what dishonest campaigns want are some type of polling numbers that buttress their rise to credibility. It happened all over the country, with most national pollsters badly calling the presidential race as a landslide for Biden.
The doctor from Juneau knew this was polling malpractice, but he engaged in it willingly to try to fool voters into thinking he was the lead dog, rather than the underdog.
In the end, he flipped the narrative and became the underdog. It may have taken a piece of his soul to run such a campaign, and likely destroyed his political credibility for good.
Is it safe to have a big Thanksgiving potluck in Anchorage? How about the Mat-Su?
Georgia Tech professors have produced a peer-reviewed map of America, showing the risk levels in various parts of the country as it pertains to COVID-19.
If you’re in Anchorage, for instance, and go to a crowded event with 50 people, the risk of a person with COVID being at that event is 99 percent, according to the map.
The map shows the risk level of attending an event, given the event size and location. If you’re planning to go to a North Dakota bar or a wedding dinner in Los Angeles, or at a birthday party in Nome, you can assess your risk.
Based on seroprevalence data available, the map designers assume there are 10 times more cases than are being reported (10:1 ascertainment bias). In places with more testing availability, such as Anchorage, that rate may be lower.
For example, if you go to an event with 50 or more people in the Bethel region, your chance of having one person at that event who is COVID-19 positive is 99 percent. In Anchorage, the chance is 94 percent, while in Juneau it’s 67 percent. The safest place in Alaska to have Thanksgiving, according to the map, is in the Lake and Peninsula Borough, where the risk is less than 1 percent.
The COVID-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool is a collaborative project led by Prof. Joshua Weitz and Prof. Clio Andris at the Georgia Institute of Technology, along with researchers at the Applied Bioinformatics Laboratory and Stanford University.
With the national election behind us, it’s again time to turn our attention to the local economy.
Trump may be conceding, but the pandemic will not be receding, at least anytime soon. This will continue to work against a significant economic recovery in our state and community.
While Alaska might expect additional federal relief next year, nothing is guaranteed. If it does materialize, additional compromise and time will likely be required to achieve it.
In Juneau, this year’s local municipal budget reflected a $3.1 million deficit (even while including over $10 million in federal Covid funding). But city staff now projects a $9.9 million deficit, reducing the unrestricted general fund balance 45% to $12.2 million.
Juneau’s budget faces a worse picture in FY 22. Even with a projected $1.1 million property tax increase, their budget deficit is expected to balloon to $18.4 million, fully depleting its unrestricted fund balance and reducing the restricted budget reserve 45% to $7.4 million.
A deficit of this magnitude has severe implications for city finances. In short, Juneau’s current municipal budget path has become unsustainable.
During this year’s budget deliberations, other than delaying some capital projects, options considered by the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly primarily centered around some variation of increasing sales taxes or property taxes. Thanks to CARES Act funding, neither was required.
While the private sector suffered massive layoffs, city staff never considered serious operating spending reductions. Instead, the Assembly approved $1.5 million in scheduled pay raises, new hires, and longevity pay. Also continued was an effort to fund a brand-new childcare program that would add millions to future expenses.
Harder to understand, the Assembly is considering a $1.5 million grant to Sealaska Heritage Institute to subsidize its $14 million arts plaza under construction in downtown Juneau.
How much longer can the Juneau Assembly eat into savings for non-essentials while only looking to taxes as the solution to its deficit?
Another idea, largely ignored, is removing some of the 37 different sales tax exemptions currently in place – an action that would increase tax revenues – with minimal impact on most residents. This has the advantage, unlike property taxes, of shifting some of the burden to visitors.
Some exemptions are not significant enough to warrant much consideration but one of the most unjustifiable exempts sales to or from certain non-profit entities.
While one can argue that exempting certain non-profits from paying sales taxes helps them and, thereby, benefits society generally, no such argument can be made for exempting retail purchases by Juneau residents and visitors when they shop at non-profit retail establishments.
Some non-profits operate businesses in Juneau that sell goods and services in direct competition with private sector businesses that have no such advantage.
In Juneau, the Sealaska Heritage Store, Discovery Southeast Glacier Gift Shop, Juneau Arts and Humanities Council, the state museum store, and DIPAC are examples of non-profit sellers that are not required to collect sales taxes on retail sales such as art, books, jewelry, souvenirs, tours and other tourism related goods.
A separate exemption that deserves similar scrutiny also allows tribal entities, such as Tlingit-Haida Central Council, to avoid collecting sales taxes on retail sales and tourism related activities.
This issue is especially relevant as the Juneau Assembly considers the aforementioned grant request from Sealaska Heritage Institute, also an operator of a for-profit retail store in downtown Juneau. Why should taxpayers subsidize the operation of a high-end store that competes directly with Juneau’s hard-hit private sector?
Ironically, a recently removed tax exemption for sales on cruise ships was justified as being “fair” since onboard cruise ship activities theoretically compete with local stores.
Past estimates by Juneau City and Borough of non-taxable sales by non-profit entities exceed $27 million annually. This exemption, then, essentially forfeits up to $1.35 million in sales tax each year if the bulk of sales are by 501(c)3 and 501(c)4 organizations currently exempted under the code.
Most cities and states do not have a similar exemption and have crafted ways to carve out exceptions for organizations like the Salvation Army, Girl Scouts, community sports leagues, etc.
While some municipalities in Alaska have taken a more conservative approach to their budgeting, Juneau is not among them. Given the uncertainty in how quickly the visitor industry and global oil demand will recover, caution is warranted in the months ahead.
Municipal governments cannot afford to leave any option off the table (including across-the-board pay cuts and employee furloughs) when dealing with current and future deficits.
Win Gruening retired as the senior vice president in charge of business banking for Key Bank in 2012. He was born and raised in Juneau and graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1970. He is active in community affairs as a 30-plus year member of Juneau Downtown Rotary Club and has been involved in various local and statewide organizations.
