Desperately Seeking the Indio Jury Commissioner; Why Adderall Is in Short Supply–Coachella Valley Independent’s Indy Digest: Oct. 27, 2022

Indy Digest: Oct. 27, 2022

To: The Indio Office of the Jury Commissioner, Riverside County Superior Court

Hello! My name is Jimmy Boegle, and I am a wee bit frustrated—hence this open letter. I always do my best to deal with gripes privately, but in this case, I am writing this letter publicly because 1) I don’t know what else to do, and 2) the ridiculousness I’ve dealt with in recent weeks is a matter of public concern—and it’s a certainty that others have had to deal with this ridiculousness, too.

It all started several weeks ago, when I received a summons for jury service at my home, with a report date of Oct. 24. This is nothing unusual; I get them every year or so, and I always dutifully go through the process of checking the website during my report week, and heading to Indio when directed to report.

This summons was unusual, however, because it arrived only six months after the last time I reported to Indio for jury duty, on March 29. At that time, upon dismissal, we were told we’d satisfied our jury-duty requirements for a year. So upon receipt of this new summons, I headed to the court website to try to find out what was going on … and that’s when my problems REALLY began.

When I put in my badge number and my birthdate, the system told me I couldn’t be found. I know for sure the badge number for the summons was right, and I know for sure I put in my birthdate properly, so my birthdate must be incorrect in the system. Your website says the pool of prospective jurors comes from the DMV and Registrar of Voters records, and since I’ve never had this happen before, I am guessing this particular summons came from a different database than my previous orders to report—and this database has my birthdate wrong. The differing-database issue could also explain why I’d received a summons just six months after my last report date.

Since I was stuck, I called the contact phone number on my summons. After listening to all the pre-recorded stuff, I selected the option to speak to someone … and got a recording saying my call could not be answered because of a high call volume. The recording suggested calling during times when there’s a lower call volume, such as between noon and 1 p.m. So I called between noon and 1 p.m.—and got the same recording about a high call volume. I called again later that hour; this time, I got a recording saying my call couldn’t be answered due to a system error.

I called at least a dozen more times over the next couple of weeks. Each and every time, I was cut off after hearing one of those two recordings.

I was stuck. But then I found a possible lifeline—an email address for your office. I typed up an email on Oct. 12, explaining my situation and my numerous attempts to call, and got this auto reply: Thank you for contacting us via our email address. This is an automated response. Your email will be assigned to the appropriate staff member. Our goal is to respond to your email within 3 to 5 business days, excluding weekends and holidays. —Jury Services Department.

Three to five business days passed with no response, so I resent my message with an added plea for help on Oct. 19. I got the same auto response.

Eight days later, as I write this, I have yet to receive a response to either email. Meanwhile, it’s the week of Oct. 24, the week of my summons, and I have no idea what’s happening.

Look, I have no problems with being called for jury duty. It’s part of being a U.S. citizen, and one day, I’d love to have the experience of serving on a jury. But this complete lack of responsiveness is appalling. We, as citizens and potential jurors, deserve better.

—Jimmy Boegle

More News

• We share the Palm Springs test results for SARS-CoV-2 levels in wastewater each week, but we don’t share Indio’s results as much, due to timing and other reasons. However, the latest results are worth noting, as it appears that after several weeks of declines, the Valley Sanitary District is reporting rising numbers again. Also interesting: The VSD is also testing for monkeypox (none detected), influenza (on the rise) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV): (bouncing around after several zero weeks).

• NPR looks at the continuing evolution of the virus that causes COVID-19: “The ever-expanding omicron brood has maintained its dominance through what’s known as ‘convergent’ evolution—when entities independently develop similar traits because of similar environmental pressures, according to Manon Ragonnet-Cronin, who studies viral genetics at the University of Chicago. … Those mutations endow these omicron offspring with the one power they need most right now: the ability to sneak past the immunity that people have built up from getting infected, vaccinated, or both. ‘When you see convergence in evolution that’s evolution’s way of saying “this mutation is repeatedly getting selected over and over again because it’s really helpful,”’ says Jesse Bloom, a computational biologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. Those mutations in the virus’ spike protein have been increasing its ability to evade protective antibodies and continue infecting massive numbers of people.”

• The Washington Post story’s headline says it all: “Overt U.S. antisemitism returns with Trump, Kanye West: ‘Something is different.'” More details: Longtime watchdogs of antisemitism say there is nothing new about the kinds of derogatory comments about Jews that the rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, former president Donald Trump, sundry far-right political candidates and others have made in recent weeks. But what has struck some experts is how blatant the comments about Jews are at a time when incidents of harassment, vandalism and violence against them have been at their highest levels since at least the 1970s. Recent data already showed that a majority of American Jews fear violence against them. … Experts said the climate is the product of a stew of forces including a digital culture that spreads misinformation and hate and right-wing political forces focused on protecting White Christians’ status. Some said current antisemitism is also aggravated by more people downplaying it as merely an interreligious issue instead of a dangerous form of racism; in the past majorities from Germany to America made clear they saw Jews as a distinct and inferior race.”

• To absolutely nobody’s surprise, the number of election lawsuits these days is on the rise. Two legal experts, writing for The Conversation, say: “This year, our research shows a significant uptick of those lawsuits occurring in the state court system and challenging every step of the election process—from whether candidates or ballot initiatives qualify to appear on the ballot, to what address information must be completed in order to accept mailed ballots. It also extends to specific procedures for county clerks or poll watchers as voting occurs. This surge in state litigation yields a mixed picture. As scholars of state courts and constitutions, we have studied the crucial role of state courts in safeguarding elections and democracy. State courts have made important rulings—for example, protecting voting and rejecting extreme partisan gerrymandering—rooted in state constitutions’ distinctive democracy provisions. But the current volume of state election litigation also has the potential to derail the safeguards that state courts can provide. When every aspect of an election becomes a lawsuit, negative effects may follow—including destabilizing elections, overwhelming already strained courts and imposing significant costs on states.”

• Relatedish: ProPublica reports that the people who own a company with a rather familiar name are pouring millions into the campaigns of candidates pushing the Big Lie: “Much of the cardboard and paper goods strewn about our homes—the mail-order boxes and grocery store bags — are sold by a single private company, with its name, Uline, stamped on the bottom. Few Americans know that a multibillion-dollar fortune made on those ubiquitous products is now fueling election deniers and other far-right candidates across the country. Dick and Liz Uihlein of Illinois are the largest contributors to Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano, who attended the Jan. 6 rally and was linked to a prominent antisemite, and have given to Jim Marchant, the Nevada secretary of state nominee who says he opposed the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory in 2020. They are major funders to groups spreading election falsehoods, including Restoration of America, which, according to an internal document obtained by ProPublica, aims to ‘get on God’s side of the issues and stay there’ and ‘punish leftists.’ Flush with profits from their shipping supply company, the Uihleins have emerged as the No. 1 federal campaign donors for Republicans ahead of the November elections, and the No. 2 donors overall behind liberal financier George Soros.”

• Wired reports on an ongoing drug shortage that could cost some people their lives: “Right now, it can be tricky, wildly inconvenient, and sometimes outright impossible to get hold of … Adderall. Pharmacies across the country do not have it in stock. People are rationing pills, driving for hours, and pleading with their doctors for alternative treatments. Drug shortages are not uncommon; there are over 200 happening right now in the United States alone. But this one requires special attention. The Adderall shortage may worsen the American overdose crisis. People could die. ‘It’s a really big deal if I don’t have access to it,’ a freelance writer named Kitty tells me. (She asked to be identified by only her first name for privacy reasons.) Kitty was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as an adult, and has found that extended-release Adderall is the most helpful medication for her, helping her focus without side effects. … How did this happen? Teva Pharmaceuticals, the largest manufacturer of these drugs in the United States, couldn’t hire enough workers for its packaging line this summer. Teva fixed that issue, but a recent Bloomberg report claims its shortage may last until March.”

• And finally … let’s end with a teeny, tiny speck of good news: The New York Times Magazine says we’re making some progress in the battle against climate change. “Just a few years ago, climate projections for this century looked quite apocalyptic, with most scientists warning that continuing ‘business as usual’ would bring the world four or even five degrees Celsius of warming—a change disruptive enough to call forth not only predictions of food crises and heat stress, state conflict and economic strife, but, from some corners, warnings of civilizational collapse and even a sort of human endgame. … Now, with the world already 1.2 degrees hotter, scientists believe that warming this century will most likely fall between two or three degrees. … A little lower is possible, with much more concerted action; a little higher, too, with slower action and bad climate luck. Those numbers may sound abstract, but what they suggest is this: Thanks to astonishing declines in the price of renewables, a truly global political mobilization, a clearer picture of the energy future and serious policy focus from world leaders, we have cut expected warming almost in half in just five years.“

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