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A new variant of COVID, omicron, made the first week of school following the winter break more than a little challenging.

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CalMatters is a Sacramento-based nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism venture committed to explaining how California's state Capitol works and why it matters. It works with more than 130 media partners throughout the state that have long, deep relationships with their local audiences, including Embarcadero Media.

Cierra is a Livermore native who started her journalism career as an intern and later staff reporter for the Pleasanton Weekly after graduating from CSU Monterey Bay with a bachelor's degree in journalism...