Updating . .   

As coronavirus overwhelms California health officials, hope of ‘containment’ fades -- The crackling of a police loudspeaker drew neighbors out of their homes to observe an unusual spectacle on a typically quiet residential street: a California county trying to force a resident to respect quarantine orders. Taryn Luna, Melody Gutierrez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/8/20

‘We’re past the point of containment’: Coronavirus fight enters new phase -- As a cruise ship with nearly 3,000 stranded travelers prepares to dock Monday in the Port of Oakland, top health officials warned that the country has entered a new stage in dealing with the deadly coronavirus — one in which containment is no longer possible. Laura King, Alex Wigglesworth, Andrew J. Campa, Karen Kaplan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/8/20

City, port say docking ship in Oakland poses no local coronavirus risk; others wary -- State and local officials on Sunday said the Port of Oakland is the best site to disembark thousands of passengers aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship exposed to the coronavirus, and assured Oakland residents they are not in danger. One Oakland elected official questioned the move, raising concerns that the virus could spread into the community as a result. Tatiana Sanchez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/8/20

Coronavirus-stricken Grand Princess passengers docking Monday won’t be quarantined in Oakland -- Passengers who have tested positive for coronavirus or have been exposed to the virus on the Grand Princess cruise ship headed to the Port of Oakland on Monday won’t be quarantined in the city, Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a statement Sunday. Aldo Toledo in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/8/20

As coronavirus spreads, warnings become more urgent for the elderly and frail -- As public health officials move to confront the coronavirus, they are targeting their most urgent messages to the elderly and frail who are at greatest risk from COVID-19. Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Laura King, Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/8/20

California public venues, schools close to stop virus spread -- A cruise ship hit by the new coronavirus and headed to the port of Oakland, California, will remain in international waters for at least another day as officials worked on plans to transport passengers to federal facilities around the country and local officials began ordering the closure of schools and public spaces to try and stop the spread of the virus. Olga R. Rodriguez Associated Press -- 3/8/20

Coronavirus widens inequality gap for low-wage workers -- Lenore Estrada has seen orders plunge at her Three Babes Bakeshop, which caters to San Francisco tech companies whose workers are now telecommuting. With diners staying home, James Cox is making about $100 less in tips a night for her job as lead server at the Copper Spoon restaurant in Oakland. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/8/20

The creep of coronavirus is changing daily lives, inspiring panic and shrugs -- Shopping carts snaked in a line so long it stretched into the Costco parking lot. It was early Saturday at the Atwater Village location and hundreds of customers, in varying states of concern, were counting down the seconds until the doors opened. Emily Alpert Reyes, Cindy Carcamo, Marisa Gerber, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/8/20

Coronavirus: Public health emergency declared for Riverside County -- A local public health emergency for Riverside County was declared Sunday by Dr. Cameron Kaiser, Riverside County public health officer, in the wake of the first case of locally acquired coronavirus. The patient, who is not being identified because of confidentiality rules, had tested positive for COVID-19, health officials said late Saturday, and is being treated at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage. Richard K. De Atley in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 3/8/20

Northern California’s largest school district cancels classes amid coronavirus fears -- The largest school district in Northern California, the Elk Grove Unified School District, canceled classes and sports games through Friday after a family associated with the Elk Grove Unified School District was exposed to the new coronavirus and placed on quarantine to see if they were infected with coronavirus and would get sick. Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/8/20

The Chinese student who petitioned Stanford to fight coronavirus with online classes -- Stanford University senior Yulou Zhou doesn’t know if his actions helped influence the campus decision on Friday to move all classes online amid the spread of coronavirus in the Bay Area. But he knows he became alarmed about the virus well before most of his classmates at the elite Palo Alto campus. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/8/20

L.A. Marathon goes on despite coronavirus fears: Masks, sanitizer and humor amid the water bottles -- The spread of the new coronavirus has sparked anxiety, panic buying and preventive measures. But for participants in the 35th Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday, it was mostly a punchline. “Run like someone with the coronavirus is behind you!” Rosanna Xia, Leila Miller, Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/8/20

Religion copes with fear of coronavirus spread -- At St. Frances X. Cabrini Roman Catholic Church in Yucaipa, Calif., the holy water fonts have been left dry. Parishioners must now bring their own water and ask the priest to bless it. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/8/20

Sanders says he will press ahead with campaign rallies amid coronavirus crisis -- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Sunday that he is moving forward with plans to hold campaign rallies ahead of Tuesday’s primaries in six states, despite mounting public concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus. Felicia Sonmez, Juliet Eilperin and Paige Winfield Cunningham in the Washington Post$ -- 3/8/20

 

Kamala Harris endorses Joe Biden for president, Jesse Jackson backs Bernie Sanders -- Sen. Kamala Harris, whose presidential campaign peaked when she criticized Joe Biden on a debate stage for his 1970s opposition to mandatory busing to integrate schools, endorsed the former vice president Sunday for the Democratic presidential nomination. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/8/20

After whirlwind week, D.A. Jackie Lacey has an election, and a family matter, hanging in the balance -- The day before an election framed in part around her perceived refusal to prosecute police officers for using unjust force, images of Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey’s husband pointing a gun at unarmed protesters spread rapidly across news websites and television stations. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/8/20

In San Francisco, cannabis business hasn’t hit the highs expected when it went legal -- High prices, increased competition and a largely unchecked illegal market have taken the bloom off San Francisco’s budding cannabis business. “It’s a mess,” said Erich Pearson, a longtime cannabis activist and CEO of SPARC, which operates three cannabis outlets in the city. And no one knows how to fix it. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/8/20

Bretón: ‘Gift from God.’ Kevin Eckery knew his cancer was a death sentence, until it wasn’t -- Kevin Eckery thought 2020 was either going to be the year he died or the year he finished preparing for his death in 2021. He had been diagnosed with metastatic melanoma. Marcos Bretón in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/8/20

Diocese of Sacramento priest, dozens of others found work abroad despite abuse allegations -- The Rev. Jose Antonio Pinal, a young priest from Mexico, arrived at his first parish near Sacramento in 1980, fresh out of seminary. Katie Zavadski, Topher Sanders, and Nicole Hensley ProPublica and the Houston Chronicle via the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/8/20

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Grand Princess cruise ship to dock in Oakland; some passengers may go to San Antonio -- The nearly 3,000 travelers stranded off the San Francisco coast on the Grand Princess cruise ship because of a coronavirus outbreak will dock in Oakland on Monday, giving sick passengers a chance to receive medical treatment after more than two weeks at sea. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ Erin Allday, Sarah Ravani and Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Daisy Nguyen and Janie Har Associated Press Martha Ross and Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/8/20

Coronavirus may have been circulating in California since early February -- A Placer County man who died last week from coronavirus almost certainly became infected before he boarded a cruise ship from San Francisco to Mexico on Feb. 11, suggesting that he was exposed to the virus in the community and it has been circulating in parts of California for longer than previously reported, according to a cruise ship doctor. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/8/20

Mexico plays down chance that Grand Princess spread coronavirus, but questions multiply -- Posters and official fliers in this coastal tourist hot spot seek to allay concerns about the fast-spreading global health menace that has left victims from China to Italy to California. “Baja California Sur is coronavirus free and that’s how we want to stay!” proclaims one sign. Susanne Rust, Patrick J. MCDonnell, Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/8/20

Salesforce marks its 21st anniversary with a coronavirus work-from-home order -- The Transbay district, downtown San Francisco’s sparkling colony of new skyscrapers, may be a ghost town Monday, as civic and corporate orders meant to fight the spread of the coronavirus take hold. Owen Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/8/20

First case of COVID-19 confirmed in Fresno County -- A Grand Princess Cruise passenger has become the first person in Fresno County to test positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, health officials announced Saturday. The Fresno County Department of Public Health said two travelers presented themselves for testing at a local hospital on March 6 after returning from a cruise. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ Bryant-Jon Anteola in the Fresno Bee -- 3/8/20

3rd possible new case of coronavirus surfaces in Orange County -- Orange County has another possible new case of coronavirus disease, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency. On its website late Friday, March 6, the Health Care Agency added a third “presumptive” positive case to two others it had documented earlier in the week. Theresa Walker in the Orange County Register -- 3/8/20

71 students in Murrieta placed under self-quarantine amid coronavirus concerns -- An employee had recently been to a country where coronavirus was spreading, according to the Murrieta Valley Unified School District. Shelby Grad, Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/8/20

‘There’s no easy answer here.’ Elk Grove Unified cancels week of school over coronavirus -- A playoff basketball game has been postponed until further notice, as has a prom. Inflexible spring break plans now mean missing school. And working parents will have to find childcare on short notice. Benjy Egel, Sawsan Morrar, Cathie Anderson, and Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/8/20

Bretón: Closing Elk Grove schools gives a shocking lesson in how not to handle the coronavirus -- Shocking. Elk Grove Unified School District closing its doors this week because one of its students was being quarantined for the coronavirus is shocking. Marcos Bretón in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/8/20

SDSU, UCSD faculty told to be ready to teach online due to threat of coronavirus -- San Diego State University and UC San Diego administrators have told their faculty to be prepared to move classes online, if necessary, due to the coronavirus, which is continuing to spread throughout California. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/8/20

LA Marathon still has green light, but other events postpone amid coronavirus fears -- While at least two more Southern California event organizers Saturday chose to postpone their activities, the Los Angeles Marathon is still a go for Sunday, March 8, despite amped-up concern over the coronavirus outbreak, officials said. The item is in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/8/20

Amid growing coronavirus concerns, locals are torn over Coachella festival coming to their town -- At the Empire Polo Club in Indio, six weeks before the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is set to kick off, the peaked white tents are going up across the rolling green lawns. The rainbow-tinted “Spectra” observation deck looms over the field, ready for fans from around the world to soak in the panoramas as Travis Scott, Rage Against the Machine, Frank Ocean and more than 150 acts perform. August Brown in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/8/20

Trump's immigration policies may put people at risk of coronavirus – experts -- There is a widespread fear that the president’s policies have sown such fear of deportation and wariness of any contact with US authorities among immigrants – who also have greater difficulty getting healthcare – that many of them will not seek help if they fall sick with the virus. Alexandra Villarreal The Guardian -- 3/8/20

 

Walters: Bond issue rejection could be a signal -- Ballots from last week’s election are still being counted and it will be weeks before the final numbers are tallied, but with that caveat, it appears that a $15 billion school bond issue — the only statewide ballot measure — has been decisively rejected. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 3/8/20

Democrats’ ‘most diverse field’ ended up with two white men. Can that be changed next time? -- Last year at this time, Democrats were proudly touting “the most diverse field in history” for their presidential campaign — one that they said reflected their voters. Joe Garofoli and John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/8/20

Housing  

Coronavirus fears and sudden price spikes: Inside a volatile Sacramento housing market -- The main question: As more cases of coronavirus are announced, and as more people are sent home for quarantine, will buyers stay home too? Will would be sellers decide they don’t want crowds tromping through their house, touching their stuff? Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/8/20

Also . . . 

‘If I stay here, I'm going to die’: As one man overdosed, a Tenderloin church offered a sacred death -- The man ambled into St. Boniface Catholic Church in the Tenderloin one morning last month, sat in the front pew, hunched over deeply, rocked in his seat and began turning blue. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/8/20

Sheriff’s Department seeks oversight of Kobe Bryant crash photo scandal -- Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has asked his department’s chief watchdog to monitor its investigation of the scandal over deputies sharing photos of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/8/20

POTUS 45  

Inside Trump Administration, Debate Raged Over What to Tell Public -- From the beginning, the Trump administration’s attempts to forestall an outbreak of a virus now spreading rapidly across the globe was marked by a raging internal debate about how far to go in telling Americans the truth. Even as the government’s scientists and leading health experts raised the alarm early and pushed for aggressive action, they faced resistance and doubt at the White House — especially from the president — about spooking financial markets and inciting panic. Michael D. Shear, Sheri Fink and Noah Weiland in the New York Times$ -- 3/8/20

Trump's mismanagement helped fuel coronavirus crisis -- On Friday, as coronavirus infections rapidly multiplied aboard a cruise ship marooned off the coast of California, health department officials and Vice President Mike Pence came up with a plan to evacuate thousands of passengers, avoiding the fate of a similar cruise ship, the Diamond Princess, which became a petri dish of coronavirus infections. Quickly removing passengers was the safest outcome, health officials and Pence reasoned. Dan Diamond Politico -- 3/8/20

Squandered time: How the Trump administration lost control of the coronavirus crisis -- The president and his aides frittered away weeks of opportunities to manage and prepare for an outbreak that has now killed thousands worldwide and is spreading in the United States. Ashley Parker, Yasmeen Abutaleb and Lena H. Sun in the Washington Post$ -- 3/8/20

Beltway 

Official: White House didn’t want to tell seniors not to fly -- The White House overruled health officials who wanted to recommend that elderly and physically fragile Americans be advised not to fly on commercial airlines because of the new coronavirus, a federal official told The Associated Press. Mike Stobbe Associated Press -- 3/8/20

Erik Prince Recruits Ex-Spies to Help Infiltrate Liberal Groups -- Erik Prince, the security contractor with close ties to the Trump administration, has in recent years helped recruit former American and British spies for secretive intelligence-gathering operations that included infiltrating Democratic congressional campaigns, labor organizations and other groups considered hostile to the Trump agenda, according to interviews and documents. Mark Mazzetti and Adam Goldman in the New York Times$ -- 3/8/20

Sanders, Biden camps clash over Arizona debate format -- The format for the next debate in Arizona — their first since Biden’s blowout Super Tuesday victories — would have the candidates seated for the first time this election cycle and take multiple questions from the audience. In the prior 10 debates, the candidates stood at lecterns and nearly all questions were asked by the professional moderators. Marc Caputo and Holly Otterbein Politico -- 3/8/20

AFL-CIO scraps Orlando presidential forum -- Carolyn Bobb, a spokeswoman for the AFL-CIO, said that the forum was scrapped due to the “ongoing coronavirus outbreak.” The state on Friday reported two deaths from the virus. Gary Fineout Politico -- 3/8/20

 

-- Saturday Updates 

Elk Grove Unified, largest school district in N. California, to close for week over coronavirus -- Elk Grove Unified School District, the largest in Northern California, announced Saturday it will close all schools for the next week after a family whose child attends one of its schools was put on quarantine for coronavirus. Sawsan Morrar and Benjy Egel in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/7/20

SDSU faculty told to be ready to teach online due to threat of coronavirus -- San Diego State University told its faculty Friday night that they should make sure they’re prepared to teach online due to the coronavirus, which is continuing to spread throughout California. The school “has been preparing since January for the possibility that some members of our community may become ill or quarantined,” Provost Salvador Hector Ochoa said in a campus email. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/7/20

71 students in Murrieta placed under self-quarantine amid coronavirus concerns -- Murrieta school officials said 71 students have been place in self-quarantine after a school employee was tested for the coronavirus. Shelby Grad, Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/20

San Francisco economy reels from coronavirus cancellations -- Alvin Garcia noticed the hit immediately after San Francisco’s emergency declaration to prepare for a coronavirus outbreak. His burger joint, Popsons, on Market Street next to the Golden Gate Theater, lost sales from older theater-goers. Business is now down 25%. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/7/20

Truckers, dockworkers suffer as coronavirus chokes L.A., Long Beach ports cargo -- On a bright morning early this week, Eugene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, gazed through the big picture window of his office at the sprawling docks below. Where he would normally see as many as a dozen ships in the harbor with giant cranes hoisting one container of goods after another, just four had docked. “It’s very quiet,” he said. Margot Roosevelt in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/20

Coronavirus: Supplies delivered to Grand Princess cruise ship, passenger evacuated -- The U.S. Coast Guard delivered supplies to the stricken Grand Princess cruise ship, and later had to evacuate a sick passenger from the vessel who had fallen “critically ill” — but not with the coronavirus, officials said Saturday. Leonardo Castañeda in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/7/20

Virus concerns leave thousands stranded off coast on SF-bound cruise ship -- Thousands of people remained stranded on board the Grand Princess cruise ship off the coast of California Saturday morning as state and federal authorities tried to determine where to safely let them disembark after 21 passengers and crew members tested positive for coronavirus. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Alejandra Reyes-Velarde, Melody Gutierrez, Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/20

Grand Princess ship raises public health alarms as coronavirus cases spread -- As federal and state officials grappled with how to deal with the Grand Princess cruise ship off the coast of San Francisco, where 21 passengers have tested positive for the coronavirus, passengers remained in the dark about when they would be able to return to land. Anita Chabria, Alejandra Reyes-Velarde, Noah Bierman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/20

Coronavirus: Grand Princess passenger says ‘They need to get us off this boat’ -- For the entire cruise aboard the Grand Princess — to Hawaii and back — passengers have relied on the crew for everything: to prepare their meals, pour them drinks, make their beds. And now, a day after being confined to their rooms as the ship circles 40 miles off the San Francisco shore, they learned Friday that 19 crew members have tested positive for coronavirus. Julia Prodis Sulek in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/7/20

Coronavirus pandemic would swamp California hospitals. Are there enough ventilators, masks? -- Emergency rooms would likely be swamped, overflowing into “surge tents” outside. Intensive care units might fill to capacity. Test kits and masks could run low. And medical personnel would almost certainly get overwhelmed. A coronavirus pandemic would strain California’s ability to quickly and effectively contain the disease. Ryan Sabalow, Dale Kasler, Phillip Reese, and Jason Pohl in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/7/20

Coronavirus cases keep rising in Los Angeles, across California: Here is what you need to know -- California is emerging as an epicenter for the coronavirus in the United States, with the spread continuing and a cruise ship off the coast with people who contracted the virus. Here are the latest facts: Alex Wigglesworth, Colleen Shalby, Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/20

Coronavirus: Should you sweat exposure at the gym? -- Usually, the only thing frightening about the pilates Megaformer is how well it targets abdominal muscles. Sarah Feldberg in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/7/20

Despite coronavirus, why are the L.A. Marathon and Coachella still on? -- San Francisco, for example, postponed its St. Patrick’s Day parade, one of many celebrations and spectator events that have been disrupted as officials try to contain the virus. Several Silicon Valley companies have told employees they can work from home. Major conferences and events like South by Southwest in Texas have been canceled. But some major events are still on — at least for now. Alex Wigglesworth, Soumya Karlamangla, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/20

California employees sidelined by coronavirus may get these benefits -- California employees who lose work because of the coronavirus may be eligible for a range of benefits including paid sick leave, paid family leave, unemployment insurance and state disability insurance. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/7/20

As coronavirus spreads, Bay Area seeks proper balance of safety, socializing -- Eric Ratner is no longer going into San Francisco to work. He and his wife aren’t going to restaurants or movie theaters or anywhere else where crowds may gather. They canceled a spring trip to Europe, and they’re sticking close to their Pacifica home. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/7/20

What is the fatality rate for the new coronavirus, and why does it keep changing? -- If 100 people become infected with the new coronavirus from China, how many will die? For weeks, it seemed that the answer was 2. Perhaps a little more, perhaps a little less. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/20

Coronavirus cleaning: Bay Area businesses ramp up on disinfectant -- At SFO, airport workers are using battery-operated sprayers, along with gloved hands, to increase cleaning of handrails, buttons and door handles. An additional 60 hand sanitizer stations have been installed. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/7/20

Santa Cruz County announces first coronavirus case is former cruise ship passenger -- The person, who authorities are not publicly identifying, was one of the passengers aboard the ship from Feb. 11 to 21 for its trip from San Francisco to Mexico. The positive test result was confirmed Friday night. Nico Savidge in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/7/20

Marin cruise passengers exposed to coronavirus were ‘out in the community’ -- Seven of the 55 Marin residents who were exposed to the coronavirus on a cruise ship last month now have symptoms of the illness or were in close contact with a symptomatic person, and they are awaiting test results to determine whether they are infected, health officials said Friday. Matthew Pera in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/7/20

The mentally ill. The disabled. The elderly. The coronavirus hit hardest where the frail gathered -- As South Korea has scrambled to contain a surge of infections that has topped 6,700 and killed 44 in recent weeks, the virus has in particular seeped into the spaces where society’s most frail are gathered or institutionalized — the elderly, the mentally ill, the disabled. Victoria Kim in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/20

Matt Gaetz made light of coronavirus by wearing a gas mask. Now one of his constituents has died -- Days after Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) wore an enormous gas mask during a House floor vote on an emergency funding package for the coronavirus response, the congressman announced that a resident in his northwestern Florida district had died of covid-19. Kim Bellware in the Washington Post$ -- 3/7/20

 

Doing your taxes? Here are Gov. Gavin Newsom’s most recent returns -- Tax filings for 2018 show Gov. Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom took in $1.2 million. Most of that money came from his PlumpJack wine and hospitality business. Judy Lin Calmatters Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/7/20

UC graduate students threaten more strikes as movement grows -- A growing number of students and faculty members across University of California campuses walked out of class, held rallies and signed letters this week, as a systemwide movement takes hold in support of graduate students demanding cost-of-living adjustments to their salaries. Nina Agrawal in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/20

Lopez: Readers weren’t happy with what I had to say about D.A. Jackie Lacey — and neither was she -- They weighed in quickly and their message was clear. With only a few exceptions, the readers who bothered to write did not like my recent column on Jackie Lacey’s husband pointing a gun at protesters who knocked on the door of the L.A. County district attorney’s on the eve of the election. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/20

Taking an Uber or Lyft pollutes more than driving, California finds. Next stop: Regulations -- Behind the tap-of-your-phone convenience of hailing an Uber or Lyft lies an inconvenient truth: Such rides generate more carbon emissions than simply driving yourself. The increased pollution comes primarily from “deadheading,” that is, drivers traveling to pick up a passenger or cruising the streets while waiting for a ride request. Tony Barboza in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/20