Aaron Read
Edsource.org
Olson Hagel
Capitol Weekly
 
Maplight.org
CA Leg Analyst
 

Updating . .   

Hair salons, barbershops can reopen now, in Stage 3 of Newsom’s plan -- Gov. Gavin Newsom issued welcome news Tuesday for some shaggy Californians and struggling stylists: counties can begin reopening hair salons and barber shops. The move to resume salon services under a county-by-county approach marks the transition in many parts of the state to Stage 3 of Newsom’s reopening plan as confirmed cases of COVID-19 continue to rise and appear on track to nearly double in May. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ Sophia Bollag, Tony Bizjak, and Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/20

Hair salons, barbershops can reopen, but not in all Bay Area counties -- Alameda County, Contra Costa County, Marin County, Santa Clara County, Santa Cruz County, San Francisco County and San Mateo County have yet to file attestation forms or receive state approval to move through state two, which will temporarily prevent hair salons and barbershops from reopening in these counties. Kerry Crowley in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/26/20

California’s Proposition 13 ballot fight intensifies with coronavirus pandemic -- A proposed change to California’s sacrosanct Proposition 13 that seeks to raise $12 billion annually for schools and local government was already primed to be one of the hottest battles on the November ballot before the coronavirus pandemic hit. But the financial damage brought on by the disease is transforming the fight over a measure that would raise property taxes for many businesses into a struggle over the future of California. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/20

California Assembly to meet in rare committee to talk budget -- The California Assembly is set to hold an extraordinary session Tuesday to question Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration about its plan to fill an estimated $54.3 billion budget deficit created by the effects of the new coronavirus. Adam Beam Associated Press -- 5/26/20

Blind spot: Lobbying behind California coronavirus contracts can stay secret -- A common thread runs through at least four of the companies Gov. Gavin Newsom has tapped to help respond to the coronavirus pandemic: a Sacramento lobbyist named Mark Weideman. Laurel Rosenhall Calmatters -- 5/26/20

PG&E’s long-running bankruptcy saga enters pivotal stage -- Pacific Gas & Electric limped into bankruptcy vilified for its long-running neglect of a crumbling electrical grid that ignited a succession of horrific Northern California wildfires that left entire cities in ruins. Michael Liedtke Associated Press -- 5/26/20

Big Oil loses appeal, climate suits go to California courts -- A U.S. appeals court ruled Tuesday against major oil companies in lawsuits brought by California cities and counties seeking damages for the impact of climate change. Brian Melley Associated Press -- 5/26/20

Despite a budget crisis, L.A. officials give new bonuses to officers with college degrees -- The Los Angeles Police Department is set to award officers who have college degrees nearly $41 million in bonuses in the coming budget year, even as thousands of other city employees face pay cuts amid a financial crisis at City Hall. David Zahniser, Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/20

Facing schedule delays, L.A. Metro seeks $120 million more for Crenshaw Line -- The cost overruns on the $2.06-billion Crenshaw Line come as crews work to repair flaws in the project, delaying its opening to mid-2021. If the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s directors approve two budget requests at their Thursday meeting, the cost of the Crenshaw Line will rise by $90 million, or 4%. The increase would be the first since 2013. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/20

Lazarus: Sorry your trip got canceled. But we’re keeping your travel-insurance money -- Most travel insurance has so many exclusions — including for epidemics — that I generally don’t advise people to bother with coverage unless they’re spending big bucks on a trip, like for a cruise. David Lazarus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/20

Heat wave to bake parts of Southern California, dry out vegetation that can fuel fires -- A heat wave will bake Southern California through Thursday, boosting the mercury to dangerously high levels in some inland areas and parching vegetation that could serve as fuel for brush fires, forecasters say. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/20

New Normal  

Coronavirus ‘silent spreaders’ become a bigger risk as California reopens -- Health experts say it can take a few days from the time a person becomes infected, and could infect others, and the point at which they begin to show signs of illness. It’s called “presymptomatic transmission.” There’s also “asymptomatic transmission,” in which infected people show no serious signs of illness but still can spread the disease. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/20

Los Angeles opens its largest coronavirus testing site at Dodger Stadium -- The city is partnering with the Los Angeles Fire Department and the Community Organized Relief Effort, a nonprofit co-founded by Sean Penn, which will oversee operations and have 60 staffers helping. Priscella Vega in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/20

Santa Clara County said it needed 700 contact tracers. So far, it has hired just 50 -- Attracting contact tracers have proved difficult, county CEO Jeff Smith admitted in an interview, noting that the county is asking cities to contribute to the workforce and recruiting its own “nonessential” workers currently on administrative leave. Fiona Kelliher in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/26/20

Coronavirus outbreak hits Morgan Hill fish packing plant -- The spouse of an employee at the plant was hospitalized several weeks ago, prompting the employee to get tested, Cody said. The company notified all its workers and has since counted 38 positives among them, many of whom were asymptomatic. Fiona Kelliher, John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/26/20

California’s battle over reopening churches isn’t over despite new coronavirus rules -- California’s new plan to allow churches and religious institutions to reopen in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic marks a major step forward. But it still will alter religious services in dramatic ways, and it’s unlikely to end the push by some churches to allow more regular operations. Monte Morin, Alex Wigglesworth, Mike Freeman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/20

Eaton Canyon closed till June 1 after being overrun by visitors -- A popular hiking area in Pasadena has been closed for the rest of the month amid concerns that crowded conditions could pose health risks. Officials closed Eaton Canyon on Sunday after the area was overwhelmed by crowds. Alex Wigglesworth, Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/20

San Ysidro won’t be open for business until the border is -- Stores throughout San Diego County are finally allowed to have customers inside for the first time since the pandemic forced them shut in mid-March. But in San Ysidro, Sunil Gakhreja didn’t have much to celebrate. That’s because 95 percent of the customers who frequent his perfume shop on San Ysidro Boulevard come from Tijuana. Gustavo Solis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/26/20

Why some Bay Area restaurants have actually thrived during shelter-in-place -- Sergio Monleón worked alongside just one employee when he opened his Berkeley tapas bar La Marcha for takeout after March’s shelter-in-place order closed dining rooms. He only sold about $100 worth of food that first day and didn’t think the business would make it. Janelle Bitker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/20

Restaurants reopening after shutdown face challenges over masks, money -- After struggling for weeks to find an affordable supply of face masks for her restaurant employees at Chicken as Cluck in San Francisco, Bua Vanitsthian recently decided to save money by making her own washable and reusable versions. It was a choice driven by her restaurant’s diminishing finances, and it foreshadowed a problem thousands of Bay Area restaurant owners are just starting to face. Justin Phillips in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/20

Is dining as we knew it gone for good or can restaurants rebound in a post-COVID world? -- Some of San Diego’s biggest restaurateurs worry about surviving financially with fewer diners coming through their doors amid strict social distancing rules. Lori Weisberg, Pam Kragen in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/26/20

These groups have been hit especially hard by California’s unemployment surge -- Women, people under 25 and people of color are getting hit the hardest by the massive cutbacks in jobs, a new study has found. David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/26/20

Will fans come back when theme parks reopen? -- While theme parks in California remain closed indefinitely, parks on the East Coast are preparing to return. Legoland Florida reopens on June 1, and Universal Orlando’s three parks will welcome back guests starting June 5. Robert Niles in the Orange County Register -- 5/26/20

High school seniors embrace improvised graduation events in strange final year -- Sophia Riva had often driven past Carondelet High in Concord since the coronavirus pandemic forced classes online. She found the scene grim and dark, the locked gates a stark reminder of how her senior year veered into an unsettling realm. Ron Kroichick in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/20

Coronado Unified to borrow $12 million to close budget deficit -- A $12 million loan that Coronado Unified’s school board voted to take out last week will save the school district from long-standing structural budget deficits. At least it would have before the coronavirus pandemic ravished state budgets. Gustavo Solis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/26/20

‘Everyone is overwhelmed.’ A teacher struggles to engage her students via distant learning -- Distance learning has proven to be challenging for everyone involved: parents, students and their educators. As some families jump onto online platforms and use Zoom for the first time, teachers are also left learning as they go. Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/26/20

Children learn computer coding as asylum-seeking families ‘remain in Mexico’ -- The pilot program — a partnership involving the migrant shelter Espacio Migrante, education nonprofit Create Purpose and UC San Diego’s U.S. Immigration Policy Center — aims to teach the girls skills that will give them more opportunities as their families follow their migrant journeys to wherever they end up. Kate Morrissey in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/26/20

Fox: Trial by Zoom Jury? -- I was scheduled for jury duty just as the COVID-19 crisis came to a head in March and courts, along with everything else in the state, closed. With legal cases piling up and the coronavirus court lockdown still in place, the inevitable question arises: Will there be trials in California decided by juries watching on Zoom or other video conferencing applications? Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 5/26/20

 

California Policy & Politics Tuesday Morning  

Rep. Mark DeSaulnier reveals he was on a ventilator for four weeks -- Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, speaking publicly Monday evening for the first time since he was released from the hospital three weeks ago, recounted the details of the running accident that nearly killed him, revealed that he had been on a ventilator for four weeks and pledged to seek re-election in November. Daniel Borenstein in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/26/20

The Price of a Virus Lockdown: Economic ‘Free Fall’ in California -- California was the first state to shut down to counter the coronavirus and has avoided the staggeringly high infection and death rates suffered in the Northeast. But the debilitating financial costs are mounting every day. California has an estimated unemployment rate above 20 percent, according to Mr. Newsom — far higher than the 14.7 percent national rate and similar to the estimated rate for New York State, where the virus has hit the hardest. Tim Arango and Thomas Fuller in the New York Times$ -- 5/26/20

California limits church capacity to 25% for reopening, adds other restrictions -- The state of California released new coronavirus health guidance for religious services on Monday, saying houses of worship must limit total attendance to 25% of a building’s capacity and stop passing around offering plates, in addition to taking other precautions. Monte Morin in the Los Angeles Times$ Stefanie Dazio and Robert Jablon Associated Press Bob Moffitt Capital Public Radio Trisha Thadani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/20

 L.A. County COVID-19 cases top 46,000 on Memorial Day -- Los Angeles County reported 1,047 new COVID-19 cases and 12 more deaths on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 46,018 and fatalities to 2,116. The additional cases and deaths come during a holiday weekend that county health officials are watching closely as a test of whether they can keep the virus in check while slowly easing restrictions. Tony Barboza in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/20

Farmer John meatpackers demand closing of Vernon plant struck by COVID-19 outbreak -- The union that represents workers at a Vernon meatpacking plant where at least 153 have come down with COVID-19 called Monday for the immediate closure of the facility, saying there was no evidence measures taken to control the coronavirus were working. Harriet Ryan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/20

‘We know something about loss’: Memorial Day in the time of coronavirus -- Memorial Day events took on a new form Monday as America honored its fallen forces and commemorated the holiday under social distancing rules, even as the national death toll from COVID-19 climbed toward a grim milestone — 100,000 lives. Arit John in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/20

Coronavirus recovery stats split Southern California health departments -- Under pressure from the Board of Supervisors, Orange County’s Health Care Agency will begin posting estimates of how many county residents have recovered from the coronavirus on Tuesday, May 26. Nikie Johnson in the Orange County Register -- 5/26/20

Coronavirus: How four lawyers ended up on the front lines of Silicon Valley’s homelessness crisis -- At a time when a terrifying pandemic has stranded thousands of homeless Bay Area residents with limited access to help, Deputy Public Defender Andy Gutierrez had a simple mission: Deliver the oranges. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/26/20

A pregnant doctor navigates COVID-19 fight in low income Los Angeles -- After putting a coronavirus patient onto a ventilator to help him to breathe, Dr. Zafia Anklesaria noted to herself that her baby never kicked during emergency procedures. Kristina Cooke, Lucy Nicholson Reuters -- 5/26/20

Hospital custodians, essential service staff stay on the front lines. ‘Who is going to do it if I don’t?’ -- Maria Becerra said she goes to work everyday in fear that she will become infected with the virus and bring it home to her family. Andrea Lopez-Villafaña in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/26/20

Here’s how one San Diego company is testing its employees for the coronavirus -- Janitorial company Pegasus Building Services hopes to get workers back into the office soon. But first, it’s testing them for the novel coronavirus. Jonathan Wosen in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/26/20

Reopen     

California allows many more retail stores to reopen -- The existing guidance for retailers, which previously applied just to those counties approved for wider reopening, now applies statewide. Retail can open for in-store shopping throughout California. Retail does not include personal services such as hair salons, nail salons and barbershops. Monte Morin in the Los Angeles Times$ Rosalio Ahumada in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/26/20

Recently reopened California park, overwhelmed by crowds, closes again -- A popular trail to a waterfall in Altadena had to close over the weekend due to overwhelming Memorial Day crowds. Eaton Canyon, a favorite among day hikers in Los Angeles County, was overtaken by visitors failing to keep their physical distance from others and neglecting to wear masks. As a result, the L.A. County Department of Parks and Recreation shut the entire area on Sunday and Monday. Katie Dowd in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/20

At Southern California beaches, heat, holiday and eased rules put more people on the sand -- Restrictions on using beaches, like other outdoor areas across Southern California, have been eased in recent days in anticipation of the Memorial Day weekend. That meant more access to parking lots and, in turn, more access to recreation. Some areas were a bit too popular, and some hiking trails in Los Angeles were closed because the crowds were too big to allow outdoor social distancing. Laylan Connelly in the Orange County Register -- 5/26/20

Barona Casino Plans For Phased Re-Opening Starting Wednesday -- Barona's first phase of re-opening will begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Table games will be limited to a maximum of three players per table and every other slot machine will be turned off to further encourage space between players. KPBS -- 5/26/20

Angels open facilities for limited workouts, ‘prefer’ to hold second spring training in Anaheim -- The Angels have opened Angel Stadium and their minor league facility in Tempe, Ariz., for limited workouts for players on the 40-man roster, general manager Billy Eppler said on Monday. Jeff Fletcher in the Orange County Register -- 5/26/20

Immigration / Border / ICE   

Some cross-border workers are sleeping in their cars to get to work on time -- Dozens of cross-border workers are sleeping on the sidewalk or inside their cars to be among the first enter the United States once the Otay Mesa Port of Entry opens each morning. The scene has played out ever since this busy border crossing, which previously operated 24 hours a day, temporarily suspended operations at night. Alexandra Mendoza in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/26/20

Also . . .   

On Memorial Day, Southern California honors fallen service members and those on the front line of coronavirus crisis -- On a day typically marked by parades, solemn ceremonies and barbecues, communities across Southern California this year donned face masks and turned instead to TV screens and computer monitors to honor those who lost their lives in service to our nation. Rosanna Xia, Harriet Ryan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/20

On a virtual Memorial Day, online remembrances combine with real crowds at parks and beaches -- It was a virtual Memorial Day Monday, with a Bay Area ravaged by the coronavirus replacing the in-person parades and cemetery services with videos and online commemorations of those who have given their lives in service to the country. But that didn’t stop people from crowding into parks and beaches on a hot holiday afternoon. Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/20

San Diegans observe a socially-distant Memorial Day -- It was a Memorial Day unlike any in memory. But the spirit was the same. Teri Figueroa, Sam Hodgson, Lauren J. Mapp in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/26/20

Branson’s Virgin Orbit fails on first rocket launch attempt -- Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit failed Monday in its first test launch of a new rocket carried aloft by a Boeing 747 and released over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California. The inaugural launch had appeared to be going well until moments after the rocket was dropped from beneath the left wing of the jumbo jet dubbed Cosmic Girl. John Antczak Associated Press -- 5/26/20

POTUS 45  

Trump threatens to move RNC without assurances from governor -- President Donald Trump threatened Monday to pull the Republican National Convention out of North Carolina if the state’s Democratic governor doesn’t immediately sign off on allowing a full-capacity gathering in August despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Jonathan Drew Associated Press -- 5/26/20

Trump sees a ‘rigged election’ ahead. Democrats see a constitutional crisis in the making -- First he lit into Michigan and Nevada, threatening to withhold federal funding because of his assertion that both states were preparing to commit voter fraud through mail-in ballot applications. Then President Donald Trump followed up Sunday with two more broadly-worded warnings that November would be “the greatest Rigged Election in history.” David Siders Politico -- 5/26/20

Beltway   

Out of the house: Democrat Biden makes first public appearance in weeks -- rmer Vice President Joe Biden on Monday made his first public appearance outside his Delaware home since quarantining himself due to the coronavirus pandemic 10 weeks ago, visiting a nearby veterans memorial to mark the U.S. Memorial Day holiday. Trevor Hunnicutt Reuters -- 5/26/20

 

-- Monday Updates   

Newsom: California places of worship can reopen with limited capacity -- Amid mounting pressure from protestors and President Donald Trump, Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled plans on Monday for reopening California churches and allowing in-person religious services. But religious leaders in the Bay Area will have to wait. Under the governor’s new guidelines, places of worship could reopen, pending approval from their county public health officials, but must limit attendance to 25% of building capacity or a maximum of 100 attendees — whichever is lower. Maggie Angst in the San Jose Mercury$ Robert Jablon Associated Press Tessa McLean in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/25/20

L.A. County coronavirus cases top 45,000 as officials urge social distancing -- Los Angeles County reported 913 new COVID-19 cases and 16 additional deaths Sunday, bringing total confirmed cases to 45,034 and fatalities to 2,108. Statewide in California, there have been 94,406 confirmed cases and 3,755 coronavirus-related deaths. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/20

Memorial Day like never before: Vintage planes to fly over L.A., but the crowd will be online -- Memorial Day 2020 in California will be one like no other. With social distancing rules in place, large memorials in Los Angeles and Orange counties are being replaced by virtual ones, as well as a flyover of vintage planes. The item is in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/20

Bay Area search for coronavirus drugs extends far beyond remdesivir -- Remdesivir, the antiviral drug made by Foster City’s Gilead Sciences that has recently shown promise in treating COVID-19 patients, will likely not turn the tide of the coronavirus pandemic on its own. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/25/20

Taylor: Not everyone’s impressed with slowing down traffic near Oakland’s essential places -- Veronica Clay walks to Shop Rite Supermarket, a store on Bancroft Avenue in East Oakland, several times a week. Otis R. Taylor Jr. -- 5/25/20

Sutter Health finds black patients get coronavirus diagnoses at later stage than white peers -- The chief medical officer for Sutter Health is seeing a worrisome trend when it comes to COVID-19 diagnoses. Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/25/20

San Diego County food vendors at a loss without the county fair -- Every June for nearly four decades, Charlie Boghosian has worked the county fair at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. He was a 14-year-old resident of South Park when he got his first job selling charbroiled corn there, a gig he continued each summer until he graduated from college. Lauren J. Mapp in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/25/20

In Mexican Border Cities, Many Fear Virus Is Coming From US -- Adrián Alonso Gama lived life on both sides of the border until he got the coronavirus. On weekends the 37-year-old truck driver would stay at his parents’ home in Tijuana. Thanks to his U.S. green card, he lived in his own place in San Diego during the week, delivering beer and auto parts around the American southwest. Jorge Lebrija and Maria Verza Associated Press -- 5/25/20

When life dries up -- Klamath Basin faces renewed conflict, as drought saps the water and farmers run out of time. Kurtis Alexander, Carlos Avila Gonzalez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/25/20

Trump Threatens to Pull Republican National Convention From North Carolina -- President Trump on Monday threatened to yank the Republican National Convention from Charlotte, N.C., where it is scheduled to be held in August, accusing the state’s Democratic governor of being in a “shutdown mood” that could prevent a fully attended event. Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ David Shepardson Reuters -- 5/25/20