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Record economic plunge, bleak jobs numbers reveal virus toll -- The coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy plunging by a record-shattering 32.9% annual rate last quarter and is still inflicting damage across the country, squeezing already struggling businesses and forcing a wave of layoffs that shows no sign of abating. Martin Crutsinger and Paul Wiseman Associated Press -- 7/30/20
California jobless claims reach 9.1 million since mid-March amid record-shattering economic plunge -- More than 1.4 million Americans filed new claims for unemployment this week, another grim marker of the economic devastation caused by the pandemic. The new figures released by the Department of Labor Thursday brings the total number of jobless claims since the onset of shelter-in-place to 54 million. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/20
Workplace
Who’s social distancing? UC Davis study shows income levels, stay-at-home orders are factors -- How much are Americans staying home or maintain social distancing? It depends heavily on income, a new UC Davis study suggests. Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/30/20
Remote work, child care, mask enforcement: COVID-19 is re-writing employment law -- Hundreds of pandemic-related labor lawsuits have been filed, and that’s just the beginning of what’s to come, legal experts say. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/30/20
Policy & Politics
Trump tweets about delaying election. California Republicans and Democrats say that won’t happen -- California lawmakers quickly denounced President Donald Trump’s tweet suggesting the November election should be delayed, with even the top Republican in the House of Representatives saying the election would be going forward as planned. Kate Irby in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/30/20
‘Pension spiking’ is not protected by California law, top court rules -- The California Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously upheld a 2013 law that forbade public employees from padding their future pensions by cashing in years of vacation or sick pay or working longer hours before retirement. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ Ben Christopher CalMatters Teri Sforza in the Orange County Register -- 7/30/20
California tax revenue plummeted, but not by as much as Gov. Newsom projected -- The easy days of California budget surpluses are long gone with tax revenue plummeting in the new coronavirus recession. But as bad as the outlook stands, tax collections across the board so far are coming in a little better than Gov. Gavin Newsom projected in the $203 billion state budget he signed last month. MacKenzie Hawkins in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/30/20
Knight: It’s time to chop down the ‘lynching tree’ from this California city’s logo -- As night follows day, cries of “historical erasure” go up across the land when pro-Confederacy monuments come down. Christopher Knight in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/20
After missing DACA, she resented her U.S.-born siblings. Trump ruined her second chance -- Beatriz Basurto’s father is quick to point out that she — the 19-year-old middle child — is the most responsible of his six children. Cindy Carcamo, Molly O’Toole in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/20
#MeToo claims filed against Democratic lawmaker, but will investigations follow? -- Assemblyman Phil Ting admitted to a “personal failure” after a domestic worker who advocated for controversial labor legislation said they’d had a sexual relationship. Party activists are now pondering: Was this a private matter, or a professional breach? Laurel Rosenhall CalMatters -- 7/30/20
Fox: Going for Broke Chasing a Tax Gusher -- In this time of Covid-19, public sector unions see an opportunity for a tax gusher. The Proposition 15 property tax increase measure funded largely by public unions could raise $12.5 billion. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 7/30/20
Covid-19
Predicting ‘huge surge,’ San Francisco opens new site to free hospital beds for coronavirus patients -- Predicting a “huge surge” in hospitalizations in the coming weeks, San Francisco health officials on Tuesday announced a new in-patient facility in the Presidio that will clear hospital beds for COVID-19 patients who become seriously ill with the disease. Tatiana Sanchez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/20
California breaks coronavirus death record for fourth time this month -- California has broken another record for the number of coronavirus-related deaths in a single day, cataloging at least 189 deaths Wednesday, according to a Los Angeles Times count of California’s 58 counties. Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Iris Lee, Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/20
Men are less likely to wear masks. They are also dying of coronavirus at higher rates in L.A. County -- Men have a mask problem. That is the view of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and health officials, who are urging guys to cover their faces in public to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/20
Why Is San Diego Struggling To Keep Up With COVID Contact Tracing? -- For more than two weeks, San Diego County has failed to meet its goal to begin investigations of new COVID-19 cases within 24 hours. That means the close contacts of people who test positive for the coronavirus are not being alerted quickly and are not being told to quarantine. Claire Trageser KPBS -- 7/30/20
California scales back coronavirus testing task force despite long lines, new outbreaks -- In the early days of coronavirus testing, California public health officials teamed up with private industry executives for an immediate impact. Emily Baumgaertner in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/20
Free drinks, store credit and cries for help: How we’re handling the coin shortage -- A laundromat operator imploring friends and relatives to trade their stashes of quarters for his dollar bills. A restaurant offering customers free drinks instead of nickels and dimes. Supermarkets issuing pennies’ worth of store credit. A woman filling her purse with coins so she can pay in exact change. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/20
'I’m being treated like I'm not a person': Fear and disease inside San Quentin -- March 3 started out as a normal day for San Quentin Prison University Project students. Ariana Bindman in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/30/20
Dozens infected with COVID-19 at California youth prisons. Should inmates get released early? -- Jane Faalataina’s son is among the 47 teens and young adults who have tested positive for COVID-19 inside the walls of California’s youth prisons. So far, his symptoms are minor, but he’s locked in an isolation unit inside a Stockton facility, and his studies are suffering, she said. Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/30/20
In San Bernardino, a legendary waitress gets a COVID-19-safe memorial, with tacos to go -- If ever there was a San Bernardino resident who deserved a fiesta for her funeral, it was Lucy Reyes. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/20
Street
‘They didn’t deserve to die’: Sacramento community mourns death of 2 young Black women -- Zarrie Allen was visiting a grave site with friends on July 20 when someone opened fire on the group and took off. Allen, just 18 years old and a prospective Sacramento State student, died at the scene. In February, Taylor Blackwell was found dead in a south Sacramento hotel room. Her cause of death has still not been determined. She was 19. Molly Sullivan and Molly Burke in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/30/20
Beltway
U.S. Backs Down, Allowing Michael Cohen to Write Trump Tell-All Book -- Michael D. Cohen now will be allowed to finish his tell-all book about President Trump after the government said on Thursday that it had given up a legal battle to prevent him from expressing himself on television, on social media or in books while he serves a prison sentence at home. Benjamin Weiser in the New York Times$ -- 7/30/20
California Policy & Politics Thursday Morning
Coronavirus unemployment: Governor plans EDD reforms but relief is months away -- Gov. Gavin Newsom, alarmed by the state’s difficulty in promptly paying unemployment claims to jobless workers, announced a “strike team” Wednesday to address the problems — but also indicated it could take months to catch up to a backlog of unpaid benefits. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/20
More stimulus checks? California Democrats say money should go to ‘those who need it’ -- California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, both Democrats, aren’t crazy about the Republican plan to send most people another round of economic stimulus payments, saying the proposal won’t always reach the people who need the money most. David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/30/20
As Trump Undercuts Aid Talks, White House Says Extra Jobless Benefits Will Lapse -- The prospects for a quick agreement between the Trump administration and congressional Democrats on a new round of aid for the ailing economy faded on Wednesday, as President Trump undercut his own party’s efforts to negotiate a deal and a top White House official declared that a lifeline to unemployed workers would run out as scheduled at week’s end. Emily Cochrane and Jim Tankersley in the New York Times$ -- 7/30/20
Virus
California breaks single-day death record, with fatalities all over the state -- For the third time in the past week, California set a new record for daily deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday, sparing few corners of the state. Evan Webeck in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/30/20
COVID-19 outbreak confirmed at Pacific Beach gym operating illegally -- The county on Wednesday confirmed an outbreak at a popular San Diego gym that had been operating last week in defiance of the county’s public health order, and announced that it would step up efforts to protect workers and improve enforcement and contact tracing. Morgan Cook in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/30/20
All California counties now have coronavirus cases as Modoc County confirms first 2 -- Modoc County, in California’s far northeast corner, reported its first two COVID-19 infectionss$ -- 7/30/20
Sacramento County Health Officials Say Young People, Essential Workers and Seniors Are Of Major Concern In Current COVID-19 Surge -- Sacramento County officials are hoping that the recent move to close indoor dining, bars and other social hubs will lead to a decline in COVID-19 cases soon. But for now, they’re trying to stem the rising numbers. Sammy Caiola Capital Public Radio -- 7/30/20
So you think your California county is tracing contacts of sick people? Maybe not -- Twenty-eight of the 38 California counties with surging cases of COVID-19 report that they are attempting to investigate everyone infected and trace everyone they expose. But at least seven counties aren’t, and another one is asking all people with the virus to notify their contacts themselves. Rebecca Sohn, Ana B. Ibarra and Manuela Tobias CalMatters -- 7/30/20
Harvested Antibodies Now Being Tested As A Prevention Tool Against COVID-19 -- Most people who get sick with COVID-19 produce antibodies in their blood that seem protect them from re-infection. A study is now underway to see whether an infusion of those antibodies can protect someone who has been exposed to the virus and is at high risk of infection. Richard Harris NPR -- 7/30/20
Virus Risk?
SF priest slams parishioners for putting ‘safety over sacraments,’ calls pandemic overblown -- A San Francisco Catholic priest, who called the pandemic a political ploy, chastised his parishioners for putting fears over faith and skipping Mass to “avoid the remote possibility of dying from Covid.” Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/20
Mass Masking
Missing a mask? One L.A. politician is ready to fine you $100 -- Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz called Wednesday for the city to issue financial penalties to those who fail to wear masks in public — starting with $100 for the first violation. David Zahniser, Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/20
Street
Nevada sheriff to library supporting BLM: ‘Do not feel the need to call 911’ -- When librarians in the Lake Tahoe area considered issuing a statement in support of Black Lives Matter this week, the local sheriff made his opposition clear in a public letter: Don’t bother calling 911. Good luck with any disturbances. Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/20
Allegations of Vallejo police ritual celebrating fatal shootings provoke anger but not shock -- Vallejo’s mayor and family members of people who have been killed by city police said they were angry but not surprised Wednesday by an ex-captain’s allegation that some officers commemorated fatal shootings by bending the tips of their badges. Megan Cassidy and Josh Koehn in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/20
For foreseeable future, Oakland police restricted in use of force during protests -- A federal magistrate extended his previous restrictions against use of force by Oakland police Wednesday, prohibiting officers from firing tear gas or flash-bang grenades at demonstrators, except when necessary to prevent serious injury or substantial property damage, and barring all use of wooden or rubber bullets and pepper-ball projectiles. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/20
LAPD ‘SWAT Mafia’ encouraged excessive force and retaliation, officer’s suit claims -- A longtime Los Angeles police SWAT sergeant is suing the LAPD, alleging the unit is run by a “SWAT Mafia” of veteran cops who encourage the use of deadly force and ostracized him for revealing its behavior. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/20
California considers strict ‘George Floyd’ law to punish police who fail to intervene -- Outraged that Minneapolis officers stood by while their colleague killed George Floyd, California lawmakers are considering a tough law to punish police who fail to intervene when witnessing potential excessive force — including possible criminal charges and being banned from law enforcement. Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/20
Union representing father of Andres Guardado calls on sheriff to resign -- The union that represents the father of Andres Guardado and several advocacy groups are calling on Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva to resign, saying he mishandled the investigation into the 18-year-old’s death and has resisted accountability and oversight during his term. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/20
Phillips: Who’s actually causing damage at anti-police protests? It’s not who you think -- The first time I ever made the decision to call 911 came late one Friday night last month when I watched a group of mostly young white people set fire to a car dealership across the street from my North Oakland apartment. Justin Phillips in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/20
Schools
Some California schools want waivers to reopen despite virus -- Fairmont Schools has been preparing for weeks to welcome back students to its five campuses in Southern California’s Orange County and never stopped even though Gov. Gavin Newsom has said classroom instruction won’t be possible in most places. Amy Taxin Associated Press -- 7/30/20
O.C. Board of Education will sue Newsom to reopen schools -- The Orange County Board of Education doubled down on its battle with California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s coronavirus school closure orders, voting to sue the governor in an effort to open campuses across high-risk counties. Jake Sheridan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/20
Dispute between LAUSD and teachers over online learning keeps parents in limbo -- With the Aug. 18 start of the school year fast approaching, parents and students face uncertainty over how online instruction will be conducted as the Los Angeles teachers union and district officials haggle over the rules and schedules for distance learning. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/20
San Francisco to float its school district a $15 million lifeline -- Mayor London Breed is including a $15 million financial lifeline for the San Francisco Unified School District in her upcoming budget proposal, money intended to help prevent layoffs and other cuts in the face of a $22 million budget shortfall largely attributed to the coronavirus pandemic. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/20
Policy & Politics
California lawmakers advance 3 bills spurred by coronavirus -- California lawmakers on Wednesday advanced several bills spurred by the coronavirus, including one designed to aid food sector employees and another to stockpile personal protective equipment so the state isn’t caught short again. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 7/30/20
Uber can’t be sued for undercutting taxi prices, California Supreme Court says -- The state Supreme Court rejected an appeal by taxi companies Wednesday of a ruling that shields Uber from claims of illegally cutting prices in order to damage its cab-driving competitors. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/20
’It’s real.’ Latinos, African Americans most likely to view pollution as a serious health threat -- Latinos and African Americans are more likely to view pollution as a serious health threat than other groups, according to a new statewide study by the Public Policy Institute of California. Kim Bojórquez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/30/20
Walters: Legislators want to pile on debt -- When legislators passed and Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a 2020-21 state budget in June, they described it as “balanced.” Not by a long shot. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 7/30/20
Fox: Redistricting Commission Doesn’t Need Reforms…Well, Maybe One -- When the first eight commissioners to the California Citizens Redistricting Commission were chosen by random drawing the beginning of the month, there was an outcry that no Latinos were selected. Because Latinos make up the largest ethnic group in California, the Los Angeles Times editorial board called the result an embarrassment. Others joined in to say the selection process must be fixed. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 7/30/20
Gig Workers
Prop. 22 backers sue California AG over gig-worker initiative description -- Backers of Proposition 22, a November referendum seeking to partially overturn California’s AB5 gig-work law and keep Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Postmates and Instacart workers in the state as independent contractors, sued Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Wednesday. They charged that he wrote an inaccurate label, title and summary of their measure “infected with the contagion of bias and hostility.” Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/20
Unemployed
Coronavirus: Tech, biotech layoffs surface in Bay Area -- Some high-profile names — including Bay Area tech companies — have appeared in the latest batch of planned job cuts received by state labor officials, a grim reminder that coronavirus-linked economic woes might not have run their course. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/30/20
San Jose tech firm to pay back wages after firing workers who sought coronavirus sick leave -- San Jose technology firm Rogar Manufacturing will pay back wages to 17 workers it fired after they sought coronavirus sick leave, the U.S. Department of Labor said Wednesday. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/30/20
Stressed Business
California minimum-wage jump to hit virus-battered companies -- Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday the state would keep in place a planned jump in the state’s minimum wage to $14 an hour next year for larger businesses, saying it would help hard hit lower-income workers even as many companies struggle to survive amid the coronavirus crisis. Michael R. Blood Associated Press -- 7/30/20
Bleak new forecast for conventions prompts Mission Bay hotels to lobby San Diego for financial relief -- Lingering COVID-19 restrictions are damaging San Diego’s tourism industry, prompting a group of Mission Bay hotels and other businesses to lobby city officials Wednesday for rent deferrals and other relief. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/30/20
New Normal
Huge new Mill Valley beer garden opens with pies from PizzaHacker -- A new beer garden and pizza spot has opened in Marin County with 5,000 square feet of outdoor space, close proximity to hiking trails on Mount Tamalpais, contactless ordering systems, and grand ambitions of being perfectly suited for a dining industry forever reshaped by a global pandemic. Justin Phillips in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/20
Education
University of San Diego drops plans to offer classes on campus this fall -- The University of San Diego on Wednesday became the latest local college to drop plans to offer classes on campus this fall due to the threats posed by the novel coronavirus. The private liberal arts school had been working for months to provide at least some in-person instruction and to reopen some dormitory space. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/30/20
Admissions scandal: Manuel Henriquez, Bay Area financier, gets six months in prison -- Manuel Henriquez, who led a venture capital firm before being charged with paying $450,000 to rig his daughters’ college entrance exams and bribe a coach at Georgetown University, was sentenced Wednesday to six months in prison. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/30/20
California’s higher education leaders see an opportunity in crisis -- Colleges, students and faculty members may be unsure of what lies ahead as they brace for another mostly virtual academic term amid a pandemic, but the crisis could force California’s higher education systems to improve. Ashley A. Smith EdSource -- 7/30/20
L.A. council votes to resume major cleanups near shelters -- The Los Angeles City Council voted to resume major cleanups around its “bridge housing” shelters, a step sharply opposed by local advocates who argue it will put homeless people at grave risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/20
Water
California Has A New Plan To Protect Its Water Supply From Climate Change, But Some Say It's Based On Old Thinking -- The Water Resilience Portfolio outlines 142 actions the state could take to build resilience as the effects of warming temperatures grow. It supports everything from a recent fund focused on safe and affordable drinking water to habitat restoration to improving groundwater storage capabilities. Ezra David Romero Capital Public Radio -- 7/30/20
Also . . .
CA skateboarders and COVID-19: Demand up, equipment down -- Shelter-in-place has pushed consumers of varying ages to skateboarding in unprecedented numbers, creating a dramatic increase in participation and sales. Unfortunately, California’s COVID-19 regulations have also slowed the manufacturing and distribution of skateboard equipment, causing historic supply disruptions. Aaron Gilbreath Capitol Weekly -- 7/30/20
DA: Alameda County sheriff’s technician supplied meth to jail inmate to sell -- The Alameda County district attorney on Wednesday filed felony criminal charges against a Sheriff’s Office technician for allegedly providing methamphetamine to an inmate at Santa Rita Jail, who allegedly went on to sell it and shared the proceeds with the technician. Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/20
San Diego sailor affected by pandemic job loss cashes in ‘silver ticket’ to get back into uniform -- A San Diego-based sailor became just the second person to re-enter the service under a targeted re-entry program launched in 2018 to retain top-performers using “golden” and “silver” tickets that allow veterans to bypass burdensome administrative hurdles and quickly get back into uniform. Andrew Dyer in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/30/20
Orangevale man named as alleged white power leader called a ‘danger to community’ -- The shadowy online white supremacist leader who is alleged to be a 27-year-old Orangevale man is one of the most violent extremists in the movement today, but his unmasking may result in his followers fleeing his influence, a researcher into American hate movements says. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/30/20
Ron Howard’s ‘Rebuilding Paradise’ is a painful, touching tribute to Camp Fire victims -- “Rebuilding Paradise” will be a difficult watch for many Northern California residents because it so vividly recalls the devastation of the most-deadly wildfire in California history. Forrest Hartman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/30/20
POTUS 45
Trump, reeling from coronavirus fallout, revives campaign for debunked Covid-19 treatment -- President Donald Trump and his top White House aides have aggressively renewed their promotion of hydroxychloroquine as an effective treatment for Covid-19, as the administration seeks to shift blame for the resurgence of the coronavirus less than 100 days before the November election. Quint Forgey Politico -- 7/30/20
Beltway
Trump vs. Biden: Where they stand on health, economy, more -- President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, both promise sweeping progress over the next four years –- via starkly different paths. Associated Press -- 7/30/20
Barr Repeats Trump Falsehoods in Congressional Testimony -- Attorney General William P. Barr, in a contentious congressional hearing on Tuesday, defended President Trump and the Justice Department on a variety of matters. Here is a fact-check. Linda Qiu in the New York Times$ -- 7/30/20
-- Wednesday Updates
California again breaks record for most coronavirus deaths in a single day -- California has again broken a new record for the most coronavirus-related deaths in a single day, with 174 deaths reported on Tuesday. Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Iris Lee, Priya Krishnakumar in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/29/20
How to cut California coronavirus spread in half? Wear your mask, top health official says -- Widespread mask wearing could cut coronavirus transmission in half, a top California health official said, as many policymakers aggressively push the importance of face coverings to help get the state’s worsening COVID-19 cases under control. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/29/20
California won’t conquer the coronavirus, and fully reopen, until it can protect essential workers -- Five months into the pandemic, it’s becoming increasingly clear that California is not going to conquer the coronavirus until it dramatically improves safety measures for essential workers at the epicenter of the health crisis. Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/29/20
Misinformation on the virus is proving highly contagious -- The phenomenon, unfolding largely on social media, escalated this week when President Donald Trump retweeted a false video about an anti-malaria drug being a cure for the virus and it was revealed that Russian intelligence is spreading disinformation about the crisis through English-language websites. David Klepper Associated Press -- 7/29/20
L.A. County shuts down three food businesses over unreported COVID-19 outbreaks -- Los Angeles County public health officials, in a move that could signal tougher enforcement of coronavirus reporting rules, ordered the closure this week of three food distribution facilities that they say failed to report outbreaks that sickened more than 140 employees. Jaclyn Cosgrove, Maya Lau in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/29/20
California county with highest COVID death rate violated court rules for evictions -- Imperial County, the rural county in southeastern California beset with overrun hospitals and the highest COVID-19 mortality rate in the state, has allowed landlords to pursue court-ordered evictions during the novel coronavirus pandemic — despite state judicial rules barring such proceedings. Matt Levin CalMatters -- 7/29/20
Health crisis looming inside a health crisis: People are avoiding going to the doctor -- These days, Los Angeles acting teacher Deryn Warren balances her pain with her fear. She’s a bladder cancer patient who broke her wrist in November. She still needs physical therapy for her wrist, and she’s months late for a cancer follow-up. John M. Glionna California Healthline via the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/29/20
Unemployed
As coronavirus unemployment ends, sidelined Bay Area workers ask: What now? -- Even though he’s been out of work for nearly five months — and the threat of coronavirus continues to loom over every facet of his life — things have been OK for Davey Herrick. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/29/20
These Californians are especially worried about paying rent during coronavirus. Is help coming? -- Latino and Black tenants in California are much more worried than their white and Asian counterparts about paying their rent in the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to data taken by the U.S. Census Bureau. Kate Irby in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/29/20
School
OC Board of Education to sue Newsom as it seeks the full reopening of schools -- The suit will seek in-person teaching and the resumption of campus activities. The board voted 4-0 during a closed session Tuesday night, July 28, to file the lawsuit. Roxana Kopetman in the Orange County Register -- 7/29/20
L.A. families in limbo as teachers, school district debate reopening plans -- With the Aug. 18 start of the school year fast approaching, there is no agreement between the Los Angeles teachers union and district officials on how online instruction will be carried out with campuses closed, increasing frustration for families scrambling to make plans for the fall. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/29/20
Schools scramble to teach teachers how to educate virtually -- School systems across the state at every level have either created their own training for teachers or paid someone else to do it. They hope it makes this fall’s distance learning more effective than the spring’s. Mikhail Zinshteyn CalMatters -- 7/29/20
Less stress, better grades: With schools closed, some kids thrive -- Things changed, too, for Marcos Adame, whose grades improved because he could spend more time on problematic subjects. They changed for Sebastian Hernandez, 15, who has more energy, and for 10-year-old Jacob Lalin, who discovered he could mix schoolwork with Lego. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/29/20
You still have to get your kids vaccinated even if their California school goes online -- Most California kids will kick off the 2020-2021 academic year with distance learning due to the coronavirus, but the state’s strict vaccination laws still require students be up-to-date on their shots before starting class. Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/29/20
Homeless
Theo Homeless at Age 7 -- Theo pops his head through the door of his tent and scrunches his nose against a cold breeze. A mop of coarse black hair sticks up as the 7-year-old rubs his eyes and puts on his glasses. No time to waste. The school bus will arrive in minutes. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/29/20
Policy & Politics
Who should choose UC campus chancellors? Faculty protest proposal to reduce their role -- In a highly unusual protest, University of California faculty leaders are collectively opposing a proposal to alter the search process for campus chancellors, which they believe will significantly reduce their role and potentially affect the quality of the UC system. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/29/20
Office rents will likely drop — but not apartment rents, survey finds -- California office spaces are expected to keep getting emptier and their rent prices will likely keep declining for years as the fallout of the pandemic persists, according to a new survey of commercial real estate developers and financiers. Taylor Avery in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/29/20
San Francisco will put ‘CEO tax’ on the ballot this November -- Large companies in San Francisco with executives taking in seven-figure salaries could be forced to spare a penny for the city’s general fund if voters approve a new tax this November. Evan Webeck in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/29/20
Orange County Republicans hold in-person fundraisers even as coronavirus spreads -- Candidates say they're being careful, but a yacht party, cigar reception and other events raise flags for health experts — and some GOP strategists. Brooke Staggs in the Orange County Register -- 7/29/20
Also . . .
Here’s how Snap’s diversity stacks up against Silicon Valley -- For years, as major tech companies shared regular reports on the diversity of their workforces, Snap Inc. kept that data secret. Sam Dean in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/29/20
Guilty plea in Northern California Ponzi scheme that fooled Warren Buffett, NASCAR drivers -- DC Solar, a Benicia company that made solar-powered mobile generators, ran one of the largest and most audacious Ponzi schemes in Northern California history — a $1 billion ripoff that took in the likes of paint manufacturer Sherwin-Williams, two NASCAR drivers and a coast-to-coast collection of banks. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/29/20
Meet Perseverance, JPL’s newest Mars rover -- Weighing in at just over a ton and loaded with the most sophisticated instruments ever sent to the red planet, the six-wheeled vehicle has already survived a hurdle no previous rover has had to face: a global pandemic. Deborah Netburn in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/29/20
Tesla referral code for you to use -- https://www.tesla.com/referral/john93948 to get 1000 free Supercharger miles.