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Person with coronavirus attends Mother’s Day church service, exposes 180 in Butte County -- After a person who attended an in-person religious service on Mother’s Day tested positive for the coronavirus infection, public health officials in Butte County issued a strongly worded warning to residents not to speed too quickly through the process. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/20
Rural California is reopening despite little coronavirus testing. Is it too soon? -- Bolstered by new coronavirus testing sites recently opened by the state, 23 rural California counties this week began to shake off some of their social restrictions and resume a semblance of pre-pandemic life. More are expected to follow. Anita Chabria, Sean Greene, Matt Stiles in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/20
L.A. County has more open this weekend than it has in months. What you can and can’t do -- Beaches are open. A growing number of businesses are open for curbside service. Hiking is again OK in most areas. Slowly, Southern California is reopening, and this weekend, residents will be able to do more than they have in weeks. But there are still strict safety rules aimed at slowing the coronavirus. Alex Wigglesworth, Hannah Fry, Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/20
L.A. County looks at whether some cities could reopen sooner than others -- Even as coronavirus deaths and new cases continue to rise, Los Angeles County officials offered more insights Friday into what it would take to further reopen a local economy devastated by the pandemic. Alex Wigglesworth, Luke Money, Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/2
California continues to ease into reopening amid coronavirus fight -- California is currently moving through Phase 2 of relaxing its stay-at-home orders. Along with many outdoor areas, businesses deemed lower risk have been gradually permitted to reopen, with retailers offering curbside pickup only. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/20
LAPD wants to give rapid-result coronavirus tests to everyone it arrests -- The Los Angeles Police Department wants to give a rapid-result test to everyone its officers arrest to check for the coronavirus and are pushing city officials to secure the equipment to do so. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/20
Even vigilant Angelenos are fed up with distancing and are bending the rules -- The potter and her husband pulled their 6- and 12-year-olds out of school a few days before LAUSD canceled in-person instruction on March 16. They stocked up on gloves, masks and food. And they didn’t leave the house, save for twice-monthly grocery trips. Laura Newberry, Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/20
So you really want to see your friends? Here’s how to assess the risk -- Your willpower is fraying. Mine is too. For two months we’ve been good. We’ve Zoomed. We’ve FaceTimed. We’ve waved at neighbors from across the street and behind the fence. But enough is enough. We want to see friends and family in real life. Deborah Netburn in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/20
Policy & Politics
Housing, homelessness funds mostly spared in proposed budget cuts -- The Newsom administration plans to use federal money to double down on motel conversions. Lawmakers press for more funding for other housing programs. Matt Levin Calmatters -- 5/16/20
California minimum wage would continue to go up under Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget -- California’s minimum wage increases will continue as planned, having escaped the chopping block in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised 2020-21 budget. California’s minimum wage is currently $12 an hour for businesses with fewer than 26 employees, and $13 an hour for businesses with 26 or more. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/16/20
Rep. Justin Amash says he won’t run for president -- Rep. Justin Amash, the Michigan congressman who left the Republican Party last year, said on Twitter that he will not run for president this year after saying last month that he would seek the Libertarian Party’s nomination. David Weigel in the Washington Post$ -- 5/16/20
Business at Risk
About half of all small businesses in danger of failing during pandemic, survey finds -- Carlos Marroquin dropped wearily onto a wooden bench in the center of the tiny Newhall soccer shop to which he has poured 15 years of his life and all of his resources. Kevin Baxter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/20
L.A. City Council approves plans to turn developer fees into emergency arts grants -- The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved two motions this week that will take arts fees paid by developers in support of now-canceled or planned cultural events and instead make the money available as small-dollar grants to artists, arts organizations and live performance spaces that have been economically devastated by the pandemic. Carolina A. Miranda in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/20
Some California gyms reopen in defiance of stay-at-home rules -- A few fitness centers and gyms in Southern California are reopening, in some cases challenging California’s stay-at-home rules. Alex Wigglesworth, Phil Diehl in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/20
1 in 3 California primary care doctors fears having to close practice over coronavirus -- More than a third of primary care doctors in California surveyed this month by an Oakland foundation worried they will be forced to close their practice or clinic because of financial impacts from the coronavirus pandemic. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/20
Tenting
SF to open tent camp on old McDonald’s site near Golden Gate Park -- The former site of a long troublesome McDonald’s restaurant across from Golden Gate Park will be the location of San Francisco’s second “safe sleeping site,” a sanctioned tent camp meant to provide homeless people with basic services and enough space to practice social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/20
New Normal
California, Western state allies forging their own paths in coronavirus crisis -- When Gov. Gavin Newsom laid out ground rules that would allow counties with few coronavirus cases to move faster than the state to reopen their economies, he credited Colorado and Oregon with the idea. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/20
Shelter-in-place has made buying or selling a Bay Area home a lot more complicated -- Real estate has been deemed an essential service in California and the Bay Area, but the process of buying and selling a home has changed dramatically under shelter-in-place orders and continues to change as those orders are revised. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/20
California’s new coronavirus dine-in guidelines spell big shifts for some restaurants -- Southern California restaurateurs are eager to reopen for dine-in customers and they mostly welcomed the guidelines Gov. Gavin Newsom handed down on Tuesday, May 12. But some safety measures go against the grain of the typical dining experience because when Americans eat together we crave intimacy. Anne Valdespino in the Orange County Register -- 5/16/20
Knight: Closed roads. Shared golf courses. Computers for kids. Bright spots of SF’s shelter-in-place should last forever -- There’s no point mincing words. The state of the world — and San Francisco — is grim. People are getting sick and dying. People have lost their jobs. Our kids haven’t seen the inside of a classroom or a teacher in person in two months. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/20
Lopez: Wondering if L.A.’s new mask rules are overkill? Look at the Hong Kong example -- Hey there, still trapped in your own home, waiting for the all clear? You can come outside now in the city of Los Angeles and move around a bit, and you can go somewhere other than to the supermarket or to work. But you’ve got to wear a mask. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/20
California Policy & Politics Saturday Morning
PG&E bankruptcy plan gets broad support from fire victims, attorneys say -- PG&E Corp.’s plan to restructure its finances and resolve its bankruptcy case was broadly embraced by wildfire victims who voted on the deal in recent weeks, according to attorneys involved. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/20
Will Congress help California? Governor’s budget banks on it -- Gov. Gavin Newsom may call California a nation state, but he’s hanging his hopes for avoiding drastic state budget cuts squarely on the federal government. The money may not come easily in a divided Congress, even with two Californians in the top roles in the U.S. House. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 5/16/20
L.A. Councilman Huizar, embroiled in FBI probe, faces calls from colleagues to step down -- Days after federal prosecutors described a Los Angeles City Council member as the ringleader of a “criminal enterprise,” a chorus of public officials called on Councilman Jose Huizar to resign. Emily Alpert Reyes, Dakota Smith, David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ Elizabeth Chou in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/16/20
California officials reject subsidies for Musk's SpaceX over Tesla spat -- A California state panel on Friday rejected a request from Elon Musk’s SpaceX for $655,500 in state job and training funds, citing the chief executive’s recent threats to move Tesla, the electric carmaker that he also runs, out of the state. Joey Roulette Reuters -- 5/16/20
5 sailors aboard Roosevelt carrier retest positive for COVID-19 a 2nd time -- In an alarming development, five sailors aboard the Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier in Guam have retested positive for COVID-19 after quarantining fo r the disease, and have been removed from the embattled warship a second time, the Navy announced Friday. Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/20
Orange County’s coronavirus spike continues as case count passes 4,000 -- Orange County’s recent coronavirus spike continued Friday as health officials reported 158 new infections and four additional fatalities — raising the total number of cases to 4,125 and the death toll to 84. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/20
A simple score shows how fast the coronavirus is spreading. Here’s what it is for the Bay Area -- As the Bay Area inches toward reopening the economy, a single number that defines the state of the coronavirus outbreak is gaining new status: the R0. That’s the reproduction value, pronounced R-naught. It’s an epidemiological number that, in simplest terms, represents how many people an infected individual will transmit the virus to. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/20
Blood plasma appears safe for COVID-19 patients in early trial results -- Taking antibody-rich blood plasma from people who have recovered from coronavirus infections and transferring it to patients who are severely ill with COVID-19 does not appear to increase their risk of dying from the disease, according to initial results of a nationwide clinical trial. Melissa Healy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/20
In California’s crowded prison system, COVID-19 takes the vulnerable -- A muscular man of 65 with paper-white hair and a thick white mustache, Mel was classified as a Level 1 prisoner, the lowest security level in the system, meaning that the state thought he posed a minimal risk of re-offending. His health had been poor for years — multiple heart attacks, hepatitis C — and a prison official had already interviewed Tracy about the possibility of Mel serving the last few months of his sentence on home detention. Jason Fagone in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/20
Workers
City employees protest possible hike in insurance costs: ‘It’s immoral’ -- San Francisco is considering approving higher health care rates for more than 47,000 city employees and early retirees starting in July, but workers say they can’t afford to pay more during a pandemic and an economic recession. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/20
Ralphs offers one-time ‘thank you’ bonus after union protests end of coronavirus pay raise -- After Ralphs employees protested the grocery chain’s phasing-out of “appreciation pay” for working through the coronavirus outbreak, parent company Kroger said Friday it would award a new one-time bonus to all hourly grocery, supply-chain, manufacturing, pharmacy and call center workers. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/20
Reopen
Checklist for Bay Area to reopen: Charts track each county’s progress on coronavirus benchmarks -- When six Bay Area counties — Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara — announced that they are extending stay-home orders through the end of May, they also revealed benchmarks they will use to determine when they can safely reopen the region. The item is in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/20
SF retail to resume Monday for curbside pickups — here’s what you need to know -- San Francisco health officials are on the verge of relaxing restrictions on retail business activity in the city on Monday — barring a spike in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations over the next few days. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/20
Alameda, Contra Costa may allow curbside retail business starting Tuesday -- The gradual reopening of the Bay Area economy likely will continue next week with new health orders permitting curbside pickup retail shopping in Alameda and Contra Costa counties as soon as Tuesday — as long as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations don’t spike over the weekend. Michael Cabanatuan and Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/20
Newsom urges California tribal casinos to reconsider opening, citing coronavirus -- Although many tribal casinos that closed in March because of the virus remain closed at least through the end of this month, three casinos in San Diego County have notified customers that they are reopening in the next week. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/20
SLO County takes a dramatic new step to keep tourists away -- Starting this weekend, San Luis Obispo County hotels will be required to limit their occupancy rates to 50% of capacity to prevent tourism to the area during the coronavirus outbreak. The order will apply to hotels, motels and short-term rentals — including Airbnb and VRBO — all of which must cap the number of visitors staying at their properties. Lindsey Holden in the San Luis Obispo Tribune -- 5/16/20
King: Oakland and SF’s ‘slow streets’ aren’t going away — that’s a good thing -- In the month since Oakland began closing some neighborhood streets to through traffic, a move replicated by other cities across the country, a core truth of the “slow streets” movement has become clear — the more exuberant claims for the program might be overstated, but its benefit to nearby residents is very, very real. John King in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/20
Education
California schools fear disaster in Gavin Newsom’s coronavirus budget -- Newsom proposed using federal stimulus money, redirecting pension payments and temporarily raising corporate taxes to minimize the losses. But California is still facing a nearly $7 billion shortage next year for school funding, the single biggest item in the state budget, as the coronavirus pandemic ravages the economy. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/20
Schools face prospect of layoffs, furloughs as state budget shrinks -- Schools must prepare to do more with less as the fall term approaches. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest budget proposal includes steep cuts to California school districts, many of whom were already spending beyond their means. Ricardo Cano Calmatters -- 5/16/20
Temperature Checks, Isolation Rooms, Closed Playgrounds: Schools Could Look Much Different In A COVID-19 World -- Educators and health experts say it’s possible campuses will open this fall, but only after measures are in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Those could include temperature checks for students and staff upon arrival, adding isolation rooms for sick students, making playgrounds off-limits and even suspending sports and choir groups. Chris Nichols Capital Public Radio -- 5/16/20
Coronavirus set to chop $2 billion from California higher ed — but financial aid survives -- While student financial aid remains largely intact, California's public colleges and universities can expect 10% less than planned for the coming fiscal year. Brace for online classes and a debate about raising tuition. Mikhail Zinshteyn Calmatters -- 5/16/20
UC San Diego tests hundreds of students for coronavirus in first week of pilot program -- UC San Diego says it got off to a solid start during its first week of mass testing students for the novel coronavirus, with more than 300 undergraduates volunteering for the program by late Thursday. The figure could rise to around 500 — the goal for the week — when Friday’s figures are calculated. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/16/20
Homeless
Judge orders Los Angeles to move thousands of homeless during coronavirus crisis -- The city and county of Los Angeles must find shelter for thousands of homeless people who are living near freeways, a federal judge ordered Friday, saying their health is at risk from pollution, earthquakes and the novel coronavirus. Robert Jablon Associated Press Elizabeth Chou in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/16/20
Economist: Homelessness could spike 20% in California as jobless struggle during pandemic -- A sobering analysis from a Columbia University economist is projecting a 20% rise in homelessness in California this year, and a potential 40% to 45% increase nationwide, as the coronavirus continues its economic shock. Peter Hartlaub in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/20
New Normal
Coronavirus and the law: Bay Area legal work, remote and stressful, adapts to the pandemic -- Courthouses in most of California have closed their doors. Law school classrooms are empty. Jury trials are on hold. Major law firms nationwide are slashing their payrolls. But suits are still being filed and crimes are being charged. The coronavirus pandemic has damaged the business of law, like most other businesses, but it hasn’t diminished many Californians’ need for lawyers. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/20
Teens spinning their wheels as coronavirus stalls DMV driver’s license tests -- Sixteen year old Nash Hamby was well down the road to earning his driver’s license and the independence that comes with it when the coronavirus blocked the way. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/20
Business Losses
Hospital giant Sutter Health points to first-quarter loss of $1 billion as tip of iceberg -- In reporting a $1.08 billion loss Thursday for its first quarter, Sacramento-based Sutter Health laid out in striking detail the cost for health care providers as they confronted a disease of pandemic proportions. Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/16/20
Environment
California’s budget cuts threaten environmental spending -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget cuts include canceling billions of dollars in climate change spending, a blow to environmental advocates who look to the state as a stopgap for the Trump administration’s weakening of federal protections. Adam Beam in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/20
New State Park in East Bay Hangs on ... Barely ... in Newsom Budget -- Governor Gavin Newsom outlined a revised budget Thursday that shaves $19 billion from his January proposal, makes painful cuts to environmental priorities and health care, and scales back a plan to address the housing crisis. But, Newsom didn’t entirely kill the prospect of state funding for a new park. Kevin Stark KQED -- 5/16/20
Also . . .
Blunt force trauma listed as cause of death for Kobe Bryant, others in helicopter crash -- The Los Angeles County medical examiner-coroner’s office released an autopsy report Friday along with toxicological testing results that did not detect any illegal substances or alcohol in the bloodstream of the helicopter pilot, Ara Zobayan. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ Stefanie Dazio and Brian Melley Associated Press -- 5/16/20-- 5/16/20
Sheriff watchdog seeking subpoena for documents in alleged Kobe Bryant crash photo cover-up -- Los Angeles County’s chief law enforcement watchdog is seeking to subpoena documents related to allegations that Sheriff Alex Villanueva directed a cover-up after deputies shared graphic photos of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/20
Stress-free Bay Area park outings? There’s a website for that -- Before the era of social distancing and government edicts to shelter in place, a walk in the park was as easy as, you know, a walk in the park. John King in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/20
POTUS 45
Drug promoted by Trump as coronavirus ‘game changer’ increasingly linked to deaths -- For two months, President Trump repeatedly pitched hydroxychloroquine as a safe and effective treatment for coronavirus, asking would-be patients “What the hell do you have to lose?” Growing evidence shows that, for many, the answer is their lives. Toluse Olorunnipa, Ariana Eunjung Cha and Laurie McGinley in the Washington Post$ -- 5/16/20
A Sitting President, Riling the Nation During a Crisis -- By smearing his opponents, championing conspiracy theories and pursuing vendettas, President Trump has reverted to his darkest political tactics in spite of a pandemic hurting millions of Americans. Alexander Burns, Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Martin and Nick Corasaniti in the New York Times$ -- 5/16/20
Beltway
Biden to go after Trump in November in Republican states such as Arizona, Texas and Georgia, campaign says -- Former vice president Joe Biden is planning to compete against President Trump in traditionally Republican states such as Arizona, Texas and Georgia as his campaign bulks up in size and turns to a general election made highly unpredictable by the coronavirus. Annie Linskey in the Washington Post$ -- 5/16/20
-- Friday Updates
California coronavirus cases top 75,000, and nearly half are in L.A. County -- California surpassed 75,000 coronavirus cases Friday as officials continued to ease stay-at-home restrictions. Statewide, more than 3,000 people have died from causes related to COVID-19. Alex Wigglesworth, Luke Money, Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/15/20
Long lives cut short -- When the coronavirus came to San Francisco’s Bayview, it attacked the heart of the historically black neighborhood: the elders. Lizzie Johnson, Gabrielle Lurie in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/15/20
Why are Orange County coronavirus cases rising? Here’s what we know -- Coronavirus cases have been rising in Orange County in recent days. The county confirmed 229 additional coronavirus infections Thursday, its highest daily case count since the start of the pandemic. The total broke the previous day’s record of 156 new cases. Colleen Shalby, Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/15/20
California nursing homes are examples of how cruel the coronavirus pandemic can be -- The gravesite still has no marker. No grass has grown over the dry ground here, in a flat cemetery surrounded by some of the richest citrus groves in the country, where Hortensia Sosa and her husband, Luis, are buried together. The grave is too new for that. Just dug. Just filled. Scott Wilson in the Washington Post$ -- 5/15/20
San Diego’s Sorrento Therapeutics says antibody might have ability to fight COVID-19 -- Sorrento Therapeutics of San Diego said Friday that an antibody it has been developing proved highly effective in blocking the novel coronavirus in laboratory experiments — a possible first step in the creation of a drug cocktail to battle COVID-19. Gary Robbins, Jonathan Wosen in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/15/20
Coronavirus outbreaks continue in California prisons amid plan to accept more inmates -- Amid coronavirus outbreaks that have left inmates being housed and treated by doctors in tents inside one California prison, the state has signaled that it plans to resume accepting new prisoners from county jails on May 26, introducing thousands more people into the system, lawyers for the inmates say. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/15/20
Hospitals
California hospital leaders again appeal to Newsom for coronavirus financial relief -- Hospital leaders have again called upon Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators to provide state financial relief as part of the 2020-21 California budget, saying billions of dollars are needed to help defray costs incurred as institutions prepared for and met a surge in cases connected to the coronavirus. Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/15/20
Reopen
Coronavirus FAQ: What does it mean to enter California’s ‘Phase 2’ and which parts of the state qualify? -- A region that had been in lockstep has splintered in its approach to reopening parts of its economy. Evan Webeck in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/15/20
Coronavirus: How one small San Jose business came back from the brink -- When shelter-in-place orders came down in March, Zechman told the 45 employees of Clean Solar to expect layoffs or worse. Solar panel installers and roofers couldn’t work, the company couldn’t make money, and it certainly couldn’t pay several hundred thousand dollars in monthly overhead expenses. Zechman thought this might be the end. Louis Hansen in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/15/20
Real estate giant Irvine Co. sees ‘protracted’ downturn, cuts 181 more workers -- The Newport Beach-company detailed 171 job cuts and 10 temporary furloughs in a filing with state employment regulators. The vast majority of these layoffs were in the retail division that operates 38 neighborhood shopping centers plus three outdoor malls — Fashion Island, Irvine Spectrum Center and The Market Place — around Orange County. Jonathan Lansner in the Orange County Register -- 5/15/20
Smolens: Customers may be slow to come back as businesses reopen -- But along with the fatigue of being cooped up at home is concern about potential health risks in re-engaging in commercial and social activities while the coronavirus is still ubiquitous. Michael Smolens in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/15/20
Education
California schools face ‘devastating’ coronavirus cuts as they struggle to reopen -- Even as costs skyrocket in response to the coronavirus crisis, California school districts face major funding cuts that could potentially lead to teacher and staff layoffs and leave some schools struggling to safely reopen campuses in the fall, according to district officials and educators. Howard Blume, Nina Agrawal in the Los Angeles Times$ Hannah Wiley and Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/15/20
State auditor: Cal State should let students vote down fee increases -- Undergraduates who enrolled at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo this year paid $5,742 in tuition — less than many of their peers at public universities nationwide, one reason a California State University education is often lauded as a path to upward mobility for the state’s low-income students. But they also had to pony up more than $4,000 in campus-based fees, bringing their total bill to nearly $10,000 — not including room and board. Felicia Mello, Kimberly Morales, Stephanie Zappelli Calmatters -- 5/15/20
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey gives $10 million to Oakland schools’ tech equality initiative -- Twitter and Square chief executive Jack Dorsey said Friday he will donate $10 million to an Oakland initiative to close the divide between students who have technology to learn at home and those who do not. Alejandro Serrano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/15/20
Go Away
South Lake Tahoe issues $1,000 fines to tourists and short-term rental owners -- Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the city prohibits hotel or short-term-rental owners from renting their properties to anyone except for essential workers. Hotel and home owners who rent their properties illegally to vacationers as well as guests of those properties can both be fined. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/15/20
Mass Masking
Face masks are now a mandatory L.A. accessory. Can we keep covered up? -- The move makes Los Angeles the strictest of the state’s largest cities when it comes to face coverings. Residents of San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose can go without them so long as they practice social distancing. In San Diego, that means staying six feet away from other joggers or strollers. Andrew J. Campa, Kiera Feldman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/15/20
Is the COVID-19 pandemic good news or bad news for renewable energy? -- Will the depth of the pandemic slow down investment in solar, wind and other cleaner energy projects? Or will the economic tumult that the virus has wrought on the oil and gas segments provide an opening for renewables to fill? Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/15/20
Gov. Newsom wants to pause 3 major downtown Sacramento office projects due to deficit -- They are the Resources Building at Ninth and O streets, the Gregory Bateson building at Ninth and P streets, and the Jesse Unruh building on Capitol Mall. The governor’s office did not say how long the remodel projects might be postponed, but noted in its May revise budget summary that the proposal was being made due to coronavirus-deficits “absent additional federal (stimulus) funds.” Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/15/20
Fox: A Push for Taxes to Fill the Budget Hole? -- Gov. Gavin Newsom did not include a broad tax increase to help balance the state’s budget but that doesn’t mean we will not see attempts by the legislature to raise taxes. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 5/15/20
Also ...
Coronavirus leads to L.A. County Fair cancellation. It’s the first time since WWII -- It looks as if Angelenos will need to make their own deep-fried Twinkies, chocolate-covered bacon and gargantuan turkey legs at home. Hugo Martín in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/15/20
Places without social distancing have 35 times more potential coronavirus spread, study finds -- Areas in the United States that do not adhere to any social distancing policies face 35 times more cases of the novel coronavirus, according to a study published Thursday in a peer-reviewed health-care journal. Timothy Bella in the Washington Post$ -- 5/15/20