State receives vaccine allocation

The state of Baja California received Sunday thousands of AstraZeneca vaccines that will be provided mainly to senior residents in rural areas.

State Secretary of Public Health Alonso Perez Rico said 23,810 vaccines arrived in Baja California, of which most will go to the San Quintín area.

The official said 6,310 will be administered in 19 rural Mexicali towns and 1,500 in San Felipe.

Perez Rico asked residents to be patient, as there are an insufficient number of doses at this time for all senior residents over 60 years of age.

Vaccination sites will be secured by the military, he said.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. ( AP) — California State Parks announced plans for a massive recreational development on oil refinery property, although the company will not cease operations for another two years.

The proposal for the Phillips 66 Santa Maria refinery near Arroyo Grande hinges on whether the parks agency buys or leases the property, The Sacramento Bee reports.

The facility, which produces an average of about 44,500 barrels of crude oil per day and employs 140 people, announced plans to close in 2023.

The parks department wants to develop the land to “support recreational activities” for the nearby Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area.

If the agency acquires the property, about 2.8 square miles (7.25 square kilometers) would be added to the nearly 5.5 square miles ( 14.24 square kilometers) the park already encompasses.

The department would need to wait until the property is remediated from any environmental damage before beginning construction.

Phillips 66 spokesperson Bernardo Fallas said the company was aware of the plan but had no comment.

The Santa Maria Refinery was built in 1955 by the Union Oil Co. of California.

The facility was eventually purchased by ConocoPhillips Co., from which Phillips 66 was formed in 2011.