THURSDAY 8-25-22 KAHI MORNING NEWS

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By Jerry Henry on August 26, 2022.

Today, Aug. 25, 13 cities, three counties and one Tribal Nation will test the Regional Mass Notification System a maintained by Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo counties a for its capability, capacity, and effectiveness to deliver emergency notifications to the public during a major disaster.

The test will include residents who have opted into the local Placer Alert emergency alert system (cell, landline, and email) and residential landlines in the 911 data system.

The test alert will display on phones as: 833-422-5253. Residents can now save this number on their phone as aEMERGENCY ALERT.a

Alerts will be received through the communication device the resident has opted into a recorded messages for phone calls (cell and landline) and text-based messages for text and email alerts. Reverse 911 technology will contact residents on their landline with a recorded message, regardless of their aopt-ina status.

To register, visit PlacerAlert.org. Residents can sign up for multiple addresses and devices to cover every geographical location they wish to receive alerts. Residents may also download the Everbridge App through the Apple App Store or Google Play.

The test will also use Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA), a federal emergency system that uses geographically drawn boundaries to alert people in specific areas. WEA will make cell phones vibrate and omit a different tone than a ringing phone.

Note: Verizon Wireless customers will notice a misspelling from the caller ID that says aSacrementoa a this is not spam. The misspelling occurred when Verizon Wireless set up the tri-county account. Sacramento Countyas Office of Emergency Services continues to work with Verizon to correct the issue.

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The California Air Resources Board is expected to approve sweeping new regulations today that requires 35% of new cars sold in the state to be electric vehicles by 2026 (4 years) a and 100% by 2035 (13 years). The regulations, the first of its kind, would completely end the sale of new gasoline or diesel cars in California in just 13 years. The expected action by the Air Resources Board comes nearly two years after a 2020 executive order by Gov. Gavin Newsom requiring 100% of new car sales to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035. The Air Resources Plan, part of Californiaas efforts to ramp up air quality, increases the number of new cars that must be electric to 51% of all new car sales in 2028 and 68% in 2030, until 100% is reached in 2035. The new rules come, however, despite affordability questions on the price of electric cars a the average cost is $66,000 aand a shortage of chargers to power the vehicles. Aides to Newsom at a news conference Wednesday morning insisted that updates to the state building code were in the works that would require more chargers in rental complexes. They were not specific. A state report found that 1.2 million chargers will be needed for the 8 million zero-emission vehicles expected in California by 2030. Around 70,000 public charges are currently in operation in California. The California New Car Dealers Association said in an August report that electric vehicle sales in 2022 reached the highest numbers reported in the last five years, 15.1% a a sharp increase from last yearas 9.5% total.

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President Joe Biden announced a student loan forgiveness plan Wednesday targeted at low to middle-income borrowers of all ages. His plan, which is in three parts, includes the cancellation of at least $10,000 in student loan debt for most borrowers. The student loan payment freeze will also be extended through Dec. 31 to allow for a asmooth transition and prevent unnecessary defaults,a Bidenas administration wrote in a statement. Those who borrowed for undergraduate schooling will need to apay no more than 5% of their discretionary income monthly.a aIn keeping with my campaign promise, my administration is announcing a plan to give working- and middle-class families breathing room as they prepare to resume federal student loan payments in January 2023,a Biden said on Twitter. There are roughly 4 million Californians who owe money on student loans, according to the state. Collectively, they have about $147 billion in debt a with an average of $38,530, a 2021 report states.

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Homeless people will soon be prohibited from camping along the entirety of the American River Parkway, and from blocking city of Sacramento sidewalks and business entrances. City and county elected leaders voted unanimously Tuesday on three separate ordinances that collectively ban encampments from many public spaces. The measures do not commit the agencies to providing more shelter. They will take effect in 30 days. Starting in late September, people can be cleared from the parkway and sidewalks a two of the most common locations for camps. Under a measure passed by the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, they can be cleared from the parkway, even if officials cannot offer them a shelter bed. Under an ordinance passed by the Sacramento City Council, homeless people can also be cleared from the sidewalks, but in that case, they would need to be given another location to go. Itas unclear what type of location that would be. Homeless activists criticized the elected officials for passing enforcement measures before opening the roughly 7,000 more shelter beds or housing units that researchers say are needed on any given night. After hearing concerns from activists, Mayor Darrell Steinberg introduced a companion resolution that said that although violating the ordinance would be a misdemeanor, homeless people will not be jailed or fined ato the fullest extent practical.a The language allows the city attorneyas office and police department to fine or jail those aonly in those extraordinary circumstances where thereas danger,a Steinberg said. aThat is the intent.a