Updating . .   

Despite pandemic, sheriff continues booking suspects on minor, nonviolent offenses -- In the weeks following March 12 — the day before San Diego County canceled large public gatherings and imposed a sweeping social-distancing order to combat COVID-19 — Angel Gutierrez was booked into county jail 13 times. Kelly Davis, Lauryn Schroeder, Jeff MCDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/17/20

California’s prisons and jails have emptied thousands into a world changed by coronavirus -- In short order, the coronavirus pandemic has ushered in a sweeping and historic emptying of California’s overcrowded prisons and jails, as officials have dramatically lowered the number of people held in custody to avert deadly outbreaks. Matt Hamilton, James Queally, Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/17/20

‘We are terrified’: Coronavirus outbreak reported at Chino women’s prison -- The women sat anxiously inside their prison cells at the California Institution for Women in Chino as a guard roamed about their cell block, yelling out an ominous announcement. A knock on a cell door, the guard said, meant that they tested positive for the coronavirus. They would be told to gather their things and prepare to be isolated for an indefinite amount of days. Jonah Valdez in the Inland Daily Bulletin$ -- 5/17/20

With in-person public access on pause, San Diego’s criminal courts go live on YouTube -- On hold for weeks due to coronavirus shutdown, hearings in criminal cases have slowly restarted in San Diego Superior Courts. But the public is not yet allowed back in to the courtroom. Now the courts have a high-tech work around: livestreaming the hearings on YouTube. Teri Figueroa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/17/20

Firefighters had to run through fireball to escape downtown L.A. explosion -- Firefighters were inside a burning downtown Los Angeles business Saturday evening when there was a huge explosion. The blast injured 12 first responders and spurred an investigation into its cause, fire officials said. Liam Dillon, Alex Wigglesworth, Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ Stefanie Dazio and Frank Baker Associated Press Ryan Carter, Josh Cain in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/17/20

Marin health director’s own illness changes his view of dealing with COVID-19 -- The terrifying reality hit Dr. Matt Willis hard on day 10 of his coronavirus infection, when the nightmarish ordeal of fever and sickness landed him in the hospital. The top public health officer in Marin County could hardly breathe, oxygen levels in his body had hit rock bottom and, he admitted, he was scared because “this is the sickest I’ve ever been.” Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/17/20

Coronavirus grief is like no other. ‘Everything just feels fake’ -- It’s been seven weeks since Karen Blanks’ brother-in-law died from COVID-19, but his death still doesn’t seem real to her. Bettina Boxall in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/17/20

The price of being ‘essential’: Latino service workers bear brunt of coronavirus -- For Lupe Martinez, who does the laundry at a Riverside nursing home, each day presented an agonizing choice: Go to work and risk getting the novel coronavirus or lose the $13.58-an-hour paycheck her family relies upon. Martinez went to work. Hailey Branson-Potts, Alejandra Reyes-Velarde, Matt Stiles, Andrew J. Campa, Gary Coronado in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/17/20

Once united, Bay Area counties take divergent paths toward reopening -- Bay Area counties mostly have been in lockstep in their response to the coronavirus since the first shelter-in-place orders took effect two months ago, but as outbreaks begin to subside, counties are starting down divergent paths, and that parting of ways is causing some confusion and impatience across the region. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/17/20

California homeless quarantine in hotels, more rooms needed -- Anxiety mounted every time someone at the homeless shelter sneezed or residents got too close. For Matthew Padilla, a 34-year-old with a pacemaker and asthma, catching the novel coronavirus would likely mean death. Christopher Weber and Janie Har Associated Press -- 5/17/20

Landlords & Tenants  

SF landlord Veritas responds to Pelosi’s demand to return $3.6 million small business loan -- Veritas Investments, which manages more than 250 San Francisco properties and has a $3 billion real estate portfolio, issued a statement on Sunday that said it plans to repay the loan within the two years allotted by the federal government. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/17/20

New Normal  

Bowl of oranges for a bunch of basil: Strapped for cash, Angelenos turn to bartering and sharing -- Kacha never thought too much about it all. Gardening was just a hobby that happened to put food on the table. But as Los Angeles shut down and the world became smaller, as people lost their jobs and the economy faltered, neighbors started stopping by to ask for tips. One brought over a big bowl of oranges from her own backyard, ready to trade for basil. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/17/20

Old Normal  

Face masks are protection from coronavirus, but in SF they’re doing double duty as litter -- San Francisco has a new problem with its already dirty streets — people tossing their used masks and gloves onto the sidewalks. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/17/20

Reopen Challenges  

‘It’s still kind of weird’: L.A.-area businesses say reopening with limits has challenges -- Businesses around the Los Angeles area this weekend began to figure out what the new normal looked like. Curbside pickup was allowed, but social-distancing rules required that the public not enter many stores that did not provide essential services such as food and medicine. Christopher Goffard, Alex Wigglesworth, Kevin Baxter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/17/20

For coronavirus-jolted bridal shops, curb service just isn’t cutting it -- May is usually one of the busiest months for White Tie Tuxedo owner Flor Vergara, who is used to spending long days in her San Fernando shop assisting grooms and their guests with tailoring tuxedos and suits. Olga Grigoryants in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/17/20

Chatsworth deli bounced back from riots, quake … but was nearly undone by coronavirus -- After he got infected with COVID-19 and had to spend 30 days in isolation, Pasquale Roberto thought he would shutter his business for good. Olga Grigoryants in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/17/20

Empty Plates   

Houses of worship struggle financially amid coronavirus pandemic -- When the 97-year-old Second Baptist Church in Santa Ana closed its doors like most houses of worship in the aftermath of California’s shelter-at-home orders, donations plunged. Deepa Bharath in the Orange County Register -- 5/17/20

Also . . .   

Raging house party amid coronavirus ends when man shoots himself in the groin, police say -- Larger gatherings are still prohibited under strict coronavirus stay-at-home orders. But that didn’t stop a raging house party Saturday night in the Hollywood Hills that ended when, police say, a man accidentally shot himself in the groin. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/17/20

Forty years after its famed eruption, Mt. St. Helens looms as a marvel and a threat -- The government is trying to prevent a new disaster on Mt. St. Helens -- the breach of a 73-billion-gallon lake held in place by debris from the 1980 eruption. Richard Read in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/17/20

 

California Policy & Politics Sunday Morning  

California records second-deadliest single day ever; more than 2,000 new cases -- The state reported 2,030 new COVID-19 cases as most counties start reopening some businesses. Leonardo Castañeda in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/17/20

Central Valley community declares itself ‘sanctuary city’ where businesses, churches can reopen -- The rural Central Valley city of Atwater has declared itself a “sanctuary city” for businesses and churches that want to reopen in defiance of the California shelter-in-place policy aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus. Rita Beamish in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/17/20

Protests persist as distress deepens over economic crisis -- Economic distress over the persistent coronavirus pandemic drew protesters to street corners for yet another weekend. The largest, which drew about 500 people to the county administration building in downtown San Diego, demanded leaders lift public health orders that have shut down churches and businesses since mid-March. Morgan Cook, Karen Pearlman in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/17/20

Protesters demand to reopen Livermore, prompting rebuke from mayor -- The gathering prompted a stern rebuke from Livermore Mayor John Marchand, who said organizers did not communicate with city officials ahead of time, and many were not wearing face coverings or following social distancing guidelines. Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/17/20

Police try to keep crowds down at Lake Merritt to meet coronavirus rules -- A cool breeze and tightened parking restrictions kept the masses away from Lake Merritt on Saturday, as Oakland city officials worked to limit festive crowds that challenge physical distancing. J.K. Dineen and Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/17/20

Masks, online menus and hand sanitizer: Inside one of California’s 1st restaurants to reopen -- Servers took orders in sleek black masks stamped with the restaurant’s logo. Every other booth sat empty with its tabletops removed and a vertical plastic wrap barrier separating customers from the next row over. Functioning bar stools were marked with caution tape, as were all but one restroom stall, which employees sanitized after every use. Benjy Egel in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/17/20

Policy & Politics 

To soften blow of state worker pay cuts, California might suspend $2,600 health deductions -- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration could offer some relief from potential pay cuts for state workers by temporarily eliminating one of the paycheck deductions workers see each month, according to an Association of California State Supervisors web post. Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/17/20

Walters: State has a budget problem — but how big? -- The first step to effectively deal with any problem is defining it accurately — and the recession-battered state budget is a case in point. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 5/17/20

Willie Brown: Health or wealth? Republicans champion economy, and it’s likely to pay off -- Anytime there’s a crisis, politicians are going to try to make it look like they’ve got your best interests at heart. In the case of the pandemic, our best interests are twofold: our physical health and our economic health. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/17/20

Nosedive Numbers  

Retail sales crushed by coronavirus in April -- April saw the worst monthly decline in U.S. retail sales on record, reflecting the impact of the coronavirus pandemic as shelter-in-place orders spread throughout the country and consumers pulled back on spending. Shwanika Narayan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/17/20

California Rocket Man   

SpaceX faces its toughest test -- The company was never supposed to succeed. Even its founder gave it odds few gamblers would take — 1 in 10. But Elon Musk decided to go all in anyway, investing some $100 million of his own money, over the protests of his friends, family and the basic logic that said a private entrepreneur with no experience in spaceflight shouldn’t start a rocket company. Christian Davenport in the Washington Post$ -- 5/17/20

Masking  

Mask the rage: How to talk to people who don’t wear face coverings -- Masks have been in the news more in the past two months than maybe ever. In spite of the Centers for Disease Control’s recommendation to wear a cloth face mask in public settings to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, tensions over the subject have reached a breaking point in some places. Tony Bravo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/17/20

New Normal  

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$ -- 5/17/20

He drove more than 600 miles for a haircut. He’s not alone -- The temptation after seeing the Facebook post was too great for J Farr, a 28-year-old living in near isolation in his Olympia, Wash., apartment. An old friend from his hometown of Yuba City, north of Sacramento, had announced he had gotten a haircut. Leila Miller in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/17/20

Homeless  

Judge issues order for Los Angeles to move homeless living near freeways, citing health concerns -- Thousands of homeless people living near freeways in Los Angeles County are in line to receive alternative shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic after a federal court judge ordered local authorities to find them housing. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/17/20

Education 

With graduation postponed, UC Berkeley students create own campus and ceremony on Minecraft -- It started with a sarcastic Facebook comment, shortly after UC Berkeley’s graduation ceremony was postponed indefinitely, in March. Graduating senior Nick Pickett can’t recall exactly what the post said, but it was something along the lines of, “Someone should build the Memorial Stadium in Minecraft, so we could graduate there.” Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/17/20

Also . . .   

San Diego healers head south to assist colleagues treating COVID-19 patients -- A team of doctors, nurses and respiratory technicians will travel to Tijuana’s General Hospital Monday, starting what is expected to be a daily collaboration on how best to treat patients diagnosed with COVID-19 who are suffering severe lung damage and cannot breathe on their own. Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/17/20

How many people are dying of coronavirus in Mexico? It’s hard to say -- In cities across Mexico, morgues are full, funeral homes are jammed and crowded hospitals are turning patients away. Patrick J. MCDonnell Kate Linthicum, Wendy Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/17/20

11 firefighters hurt in downtown L.A. explosion that caused fires at several buildings -- An explosion in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday caused a large fire that left 11 firefighters injured, authorities said. Firefighters first received a call about 6:30 p.m. about a structure fire in the 300 block of Boyd Street south of Little Tokyo, said Erik Scott, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department. Liam Dillon, Ben Welsh in the Los Angeles Times$ Stefanie Dazio and Frank Baker Associated Press -- 5/17/20

POTUS 45  

Trump ramps up retaliatory purge with firing of State Department inspector general -- President Trump accelerated his retaliatory purge of public servants by firing the State Department’s inspector general, who had played a minor role in the president’s impeachment proceedings and was said to have begun investigating alleged misconduct by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Philip Rucker, Karen DeYoung, Lisa Rein and Hannah Knowles in the Washington Post$ -- 5/17/20

Donald Trump Jr. Smears Biden With Baseless Instagram Post -- President Trump’s eldest son on Saturday posted a social media message suggesting Joseph R. Biden Jr. was a pedophile, an incendiary and baseless charge that illustrates the tactics the president is turning to as he attempts to erase Mr. Biden’s early advantage in key state polls. Jonathan Martin in the New York Times$ -- 5/17/20

Beltway   

Obama jabs U.S. response to coronavirus in commencement address -- Former President Barack Obama on Saturday criticized the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic during a commencement address to college graduates, saying some leaders “aren’t even pretending to be in charge.” Evan Semones Politico -- 5/17/20

GOP Officials Say They're Expecting 50,000 In Charlotte For Republican Convention -- Republicans say they're moving ahead with plans to gather tens of thousands of people at their presidential nominating convention in North Carolina this summer — even as Democrats weigh their options for convening during the coronavirus pandemic. Sarah McCammon NPR -- 5/17/20

 

-- Saturday Updates   

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