Rough&Tumble California Policy and Politics

Updating . .

Coronavirus: California unemployment claims fall for second straight week -- California workers filed fewer first-time claims for unemployment last week, marking the second straight week for a decline in the pace of filings, federal officials reported Thursday, a hopeful sign in a time of coronavirus-linked business shutdowns. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/6/20

Fewer unemployed California workers expect to regain their old jobs -- About 61 percent of the California workers who filed new unemployment claims during the week that ended on July 25 reported that they expected to be recalled by the employers who had laid them off or furloughed them, according to a report prepared by the California Policy Lab at UC Berkeley and UCLA. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/6/20

School

Rural California schools prepare for possible in-person teaching -- While many school districts in the state’s more populous areas have been essentially forced to start the school year teaching remotely, more sparsely populated have options. Ricardo Cano CalMatters -- 8/6/20

What will it take for schools to reopen safely in the midst of a pandemic? -- Across America, the back-to-school season is nearly upon us. Yet for millions of children, that won’t necessarily mean returning to their classrooms. Deborah Netburn in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/20

Virus

Southeast L.A. already faced many ills. Now it’s the epicenter of coronavirus -- Southeast Los Angeles County has become the epicenter for the resurgence of the coronavirus, according to a Times analysis of county health data that found infections skyrocketing in its mostly working-class Latino communities. Ben Poston, Tony Barboza, Ryan Menezes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/20

Eighth California corrections officer dies of COVID-19 -- Sgt. Seeyengkee Ly, 38, died Aug. 2, according to a statement released by the California Correctional Peace Officers Assn. He spent more than 17 years with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and served at several prison facilities. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/20

Coronavirus shut us down again, but Northern California casinos remain open. Are they safe? -- Gaming tribes voluntarily closed the casino doors in March in response to the pandemic but the governor cannot bar tribes from reopening because of the sovereign nation status of tribal lands. Ben Deci, a Yocha Dehe spokesman, told The Sacramento Bee in May that Cache Creek’s June restart was coordinated in concert with Newsom’s office. Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/6/20

Raucous parties, young adults fueling California’s COVID-19 crisis -- Younger adults are fueling California’s coronavirus pandemic like never before, health officials are warning, and massive parties and other large social gatherings are threatening to unravel the progress the state is making. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/20

A mask in every mailbox? California Democrats up pressure campaign in Congress -- California Democrats in Congress are increasing pressure on their leaders to get all Americans to wear masks to fight the coronavirus pandemic — including by mailing them to every household. Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/6/20

Policy & Politics

Faced with dying Californians and withering businesses, Gov. Newsom steers a middle path. Can it last? -- As coronavirus infections and deaths rise dramatically, the Democratic governor navigates pressure to both tighten restrictions and ease up on businesses. Laurel Rosenhall CalMatters -- 8/6/20

CalPERS Chief Investment Officer Ben Meng abruptly resigns after less than 2 years in job -- CalPERS Chief Investment Officer Yu Ben Meng is resigning after less than two years on the job, according to a Wednesday night news release. The release didn’t provide a reason for Meng’s immediate departure, which was announced at 10:09 p.m., while quoting him saying he needs to focus on his health and family. Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/6/20

Critics demand fairer prop ballot labels and summaries, but lawsuits are flaming out -- In California elections, it’s practically tradition. About 100 days before the election, the state attorney general writes up a label and succinct summary of each ballot proposition. And then, like clockwork, pro- and anti-camps spend the next 20 days feverishly filing lawsuits. Ben Christopher CalMatters -- 8/6/20

Poseidon’s Huntington Beach desalination plant still in choppy waters -- As Poseidon Water pursues the final government approvals needed to build one of the country’s biggest seawater desalination plants, the company still cannot definitively say who will buy the 50 million gallons a day of drinking water it wants to produce on the Orange County coast. Bettina Boxall in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/20

Shipping containers pitched as next stop after Convention Center shelter -- When the temporary homeless shelter in the San Diego Convention Center eventually closes, many of the people inside may not have to move to another shelter, but rather into permanent housing that could be quickly and economically built from converted shipping containers. Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/6/20

Fox: Proposition 15 and the Tug-of-War over Gov. Newsom -- You’d have to forgive Gov. Gavin Newsom if he’s feeling like the rope in a classic tug-of-war between those on the opposite sides of the Proposition 15 property tax increase measure, each grabbing an arm and pulling him in their direction for an endorsement. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 8/6/20

Also . . .

How the missing Marines, sailor and amphibious vehicle were found -- A U.S. Navy diving and salvage ship is on its way to the northwest end of San Clemente Island to begin recovering eight servicemen and a seafaring vehicle found after several days searching the seafloor. Erika I. Ritchie in the Orange County Register -- 8/6/20

Homeless people in L.A. increasingly are taking their lives by hanging -- He was a talented skateboarder on the verge of landing a company sponsorship. Dressed in loud Hawaiian shirts or track suits, his shock of hair untamed, skater style, Jacob Glory Russaw practiced ollies and kick flips for hours at the Venice and North Hollywood skate parks or in the streets of east Hollywood. Then he made up his own tricks. Gale Holland in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/20

FBI removes firearms from Jake Paul’s mansion in probe of shopping mall riot -- YouTube personality Jake Paul was outside the Scottsdale Fashion Square mall in Arizona in May when what police described as a riot broke out. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/20

California Policy & Politics Thursday Morning

If 25 people gather in SF, odds are 34% that at least one has coronavirus: New tool shows risk -- Because you can’t see the coronavirus and many infected with it show no symptoms, it can be difficult to grasp how risky a certain situation is. But a new online tool is making that calculation a bit easier for people in the Bay Area and beyond. Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/6/20

Newsom searches for messaging rhythm as coronavirus fatigue sets in -- The state remains in a holding pattern. Indoor restaurant dining, bars and gyms have been closed for weeks. Most schools are planning to start with full distance learning. Debra Kahn and Carla Marinucci Politico -- 8/6/20

Pandemic snafu: State mistakenly drops Medi-Cal coverage for some low-income Californians -- An error involving the state’s automated system for Medi-Cal renewals triggered at least some of the drops in coverage, despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s orders that recipients remain on the rolls during the coronavirus crisis. Ana B. Ibarra CalMatters -- 8/6/20

Becerra Asking US To Step In To Increase Coronavirus Drug Supply, Decrease Cost -- California’s Attorney General Xavier Becerra is calling on the federal government to increase the availability and decrease the price of remdesivir, the only drug given FDA authorization to treat COVID-19. Megan Burke, Tarryn Mento KPBS -- 8/6/20

Virus Data

'Back to feeling blind': What we know about California's missing COVID data -- A major reporting issue with California's coronavirus data means state and county health officials no longer have a clear idea of how the state's cases are trending. For days, California hasn't received full counts on the number of tests conducted nor the number that came back positive for COVID-19, Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said Tuesday. Katie Dowd in the San Francisco Chronicle Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ Fiona Kelliher, Evan Webeck in the San Jose Mercury$ Amy Taxin Associated Press -- 8/6/20

California COVID-19 data glitch interferes with contact tracing, school reopening waivers -- A major COVID-19 data glitch in California means counties don’t know how many residents have tested positive in recent days, suddenly making it hard to gauge their success in battling the coronavirus. Sophia Bollag and Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/6/20

California cases flattening, says Bay Area expert — but data glitch raises doubts -- The rate of new coronavirus cases in California appears to be plateauing, a Bay Area infectious disease expert said Wednesday, although a major technical problem affecting the electronic data system used by state and local health departments has cast doubt on the accuracy of some numbers. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/6/20

Landlords & Tenants

California legislative leaders ask courts to keep coronavirus eviction ban in place -- California’s legislative leaders are asking the state’s Judicial Council for more time before renter evictions resume during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying they are facing “an impossible decision” between rushing legislation and leaving millions of tenants unprotected. Melody Gutierrez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/20

Policy & Politics

Judge orders changes to voter guide for property tax measure -- A California judge has ordered changes to an election guide mailed to every registered California voter this fall, ruling Wednesday that some arguments opposing a hotly contested property tax initiative are “false or misleading.” Adam Beam Associated Press -- 8/6/20

California ups early inmate release estimate amid objections -- State prison officials say as many as 17,600 California inmates may be released early due to the coronavirus, 70% more than previously estimated and a total that victims and police say includes dangerous criminals who should stay locked up. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 8/6/20

Walters: School reformers win major skirmish -- The huge Los Angeles Unified School District is ground zero in California’s perpetual political war over educating millions of children on the short end of the state’s chronic “achievement gap.” Dan Walters CalMatters -- 8/6/20

Skelton: For Newsom and California, there’s a lot more riding on Biden’s decision than who becomes vice president -- Gov. Gavin Newsom would be anointed a kingmaker — or queenmaker — if Joe Biden selected California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/20

Politicizing COVID: Poll finds big gaps between Trump and Biden voters in support for reopening schools, masks -- Found 80 percent of Biden voters thought the state moved too quickly to reopen businesses, while 79 percent of Trump supporters thought the opposite. Nico Savidge in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/6/20

‘Restricted To Persons Of The Caucasian Race Forever’: Racist Language In California Property Records Could Finally Be Erased -- When Angie Gould and Paul Hunt bought a house in South Land Park last year, they didn’t expect .their beautiful new home would hold a dark secret tied to America’s history of racist housing policies. Scott Rodd Capital Public Radio -- 8/6/20

Huizar’s relatives not expected to face charges in corruption probe, prosecutor says -- A federal prosecutor said Wednesday that his office does not intend to charge family members of Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar, identifying them as witnesses rather than targets of the ongoing pay-to-play probe. David Zahniser, Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/20

California labor commissioner sues Uber, Lyft, alleging wage theft -- In its latest move to take gig economy companies to task, California is suing Uber and Lyft for alleged wage theft. The state says the companies have “willfully” misclassified drivers as independent contractors instead of employees, depriving them of basic worker protections and wages. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/20

A's File Suit Against State Agency to Regulate Steel Recycler -- The Oakland A's are suing the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) for failing to regulate an industrial recycling plant located next to Howard Terminal, the waterfront site where the team plans to build a new ballpark. Nina Thorsen KQED -- 8/6/20

Richmond will put new business license tax structure on the ballot -- The City Council on Wednesday voted to put a measure on the November ballot asking voters to allow the city to tax businesses based on their gross receipts instead of the number of employees. Annie Sciacca in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/6/20

Distancing

Party houses defying COVID-19 orders may have utilities shut off, mayor says -- Following reports of large parties that violate health orders aimed at slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Wednesday that he will authorize the city to shut off water and power services to residents who hold such gatherings. Leila Miller, Richard Winton, Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/20

Got COVID-19? If you live in Alameda County, you might get paid to stay home -- Workers with COVID-19 in Alameda County who have no sick pay or unemployment benefits would receive $1,250 so they could stay home and isolate, under a pilot program approved by the county this week. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/6/20

U.S. Supreme Court blocks mandate requiring better coronavirus protections for Orange County inmates -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday freed Orange County jails from a federal judge’s order that required social distancing among inmates, regular testing and distribution of cleaning supplies and hand sanitizers. Acting by a 5-4 vote, the justices granted an emergency appeal from the county’s lawyers and put on hold an order issued in late May by U.S. District Judge Jesus G. Bernal. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/20

San Diego County makes it easier for gyms, churches to hold classes, services in parks -- Churches, gyms and other fitness businesses that have struggled to find space to operate outdoors will soon find it easier to set up classes and services at local parks. Morgan Cook, Lyndsay Winkley in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/6/20

Outdoor waxing? Bay Area beauticians say they have a smarter idea -- If Gov. Gavin Newsom doesn’t understand why asking salons to operate outdoors is impractical, Nicky Lecher would like a word. Rusty Simmons in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/6/20

UCSF doctor calls Dolores Park as scary as 'American Horror Story' -- He explained that transmission of the coronavirus is reduced in outdoor spaces because the air is "turbulent" and virus droplets disperse, but even a two-block expanse of grass can become dangerous when the crowd grows large enough and social-distancing measures are ignored. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 8/6/20

Virus Demographics

As Sacramento County Homeless Deaths Rise, African-Americans Are Overrepresented -- An annual report by the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness revealed that 138 homeless people died in 2019 in Sacramento County, up from 132 recorded in 2018. Of which, 28% were Black homeless people. Sacramento’s Black community makes up just 11% of the county’s overall population. Sarah Mizes-Tan Capital Public Radio -- 8/6/20

New Normal

Now in vending machines at LAX: Masks, gloves, thermometers -- The eight vending units offer a touch-free payment option that accommodates tap-to-pay credit card or mobile-payment platforms, including Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. Each machine has an anti-microbial shield installed on hard surfaces. Kevin Smith in the Orange County Register -- 8/6/20

State spent millions on arena hospital that saw 9 patients -- Doctors arrived at an arena-turned-medical center in Sacramento in mid-April and were told to prepare for 30 to 60 coronavirus patients to arrive within days. They spent the weekend working feverishly to get ready. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 8/6/20

Unemployed

Lawmakers tell EDD to stop treating jobless claimants as guilty until proven innocent -- Sixty-one state lawmakers sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday asking for bigger and faster changes to the state’s backlogged, antiquated unemployment system than he promised in his “strike team” announcement last week. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/6/20

Workplace

Over 1,000 sign petition demanding teach-from-home option for Woodland educators -- Over 1,000 people have signed a letter demanding that educators in the Woodland area be given the choice to work from home and facilitate distance learning with students. Maria Heeter in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/6/20

‘We get inundated’: Bay Area health care workers demand more staffing, gear in national coronavirus rally -- Robin Watkins had spent a 12-hour overnight shift caring for coronavirus patients at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center on Wednesday, but the nurse didn’t go straight home after work. Instead, he rallied in the morning mist to demand more staffing and protective gear. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/6/20

Uber announces remote work until June 2021 and $500 stipend to pay for at-home expenses -- San Francisco-based Uber announced Tuesday that employees are free to continue working remotely through the end of June 2021, joining other local tech companies embracing a long-term work-from-home model amid the coronavirus pandemic. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 8/6/20

Tutors

Will parents break state law if they hire distance learning tutors? No, legislator says --Some San Diego-area advocates worry that parents could get fined for breaking a state law if they hire tutors or teachers to help their children with distance learning — but the legislator who authored the law in question says that is not the case. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/6/20

Street

Vallejo chief recommended officer in Willie McCoy shooting be fired for ‘neglect for basic firearm safety’ -- Ryan McMahon, the Vallejo officer who fired once when five of his colleagues peppered a 20-year-old man with gunfire who was sitting unresponsive in a car with a gun in his lap, was recommended to be fired for “neglect for basic firearm safety,” according to public records released Wednesday. Nate Gartrell, David DeBolt in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/6/20

Education

Another college announces it’s going online this fall: Santa Clara University -- Santa Clara University will go online for the fall quarter, the Jesuit school announced Wednesday, joining a majority of Bay Area campuses that will be mostly virtual the rest of this year. Emily DeRuy in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/6/20

8 UCLA football players have tested positive for COVID-19, county official says -- L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer revealed the positive tests in her daily coronavirus update while discussing outbreaks at local colleges. She did not provide any specific details on when the positive tests occurred, whether in a cluster or spread across the last six weeks. Adam Grosbard in the Orange County Register -- 8/6/20

Alternative schools’ ‘relentless’ fight to keep track of students during pandemic -- When Amistad continuation high school closed its campus in March due to the pandemic, the staff went into overdrive to stay in touch with students. They called all 205. If a student’s phone was disconnected, they went to the student’s house. If no one answered, they asked neighbors. Carolyn Jones EdSource -- 8/6/20

California makes internet-enabled tablets available to nearly 1 million students -- California education officials working to equip all students with computers and internet at home announced a new initiative on Wednesday that could connect up to 1 million students with internet-enabled tablets during distance learning this school year. Sydney Johnson EdSource -- 8/6/20

Official figures released on state, federal CARES Act funding to districts to address Covid-19 -- As Congress and President Trump wrestle over how much to provide in the next round of relief from the coronavirus, California school districts, county offices of education and charter schools must decide what to do with the $6.8 billion that’s already coming their way. Daniel J. Willis and John Fensterwald EdSource -- 8/6/20

Housing

‘There’s no stopping it’: Bay Area cities reluctantly approve housing in face of state laws -- From San Bruno to Castro Valley to Lafayette, a slew of major Bay Area housing approvals are the result of changing politics and new state legislation that forces cities to accept development despite residents’ protests. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/6/20

San Diego OKs middle-income incentive as new analysis shows some progress on local housing crisis -- San Diego is giving developers new incentives to construct housing for middle-income residents like nurses and firefighters, just as a new report shows other efforts to address the city’s housing crisis might be starting to pay off. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/6/20

Environment

Sea level rise to choke Bay Area traffic as far away as Santa Rosa, Napa, study shows -- As global warming dials up sea levels and storm surges, the Bay Area will see not only more flooded streets and shorelines, but more traffic, a new study shows, with commuters converging on drier routes and backups rippling sometimes 20 miles or more from the water. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/6/20

Also . . .

Federal agent’s job was to monitor dirty cash. Thousands wound up in his pocket -- As a member of the Bulk Cash Smuggling Task Force, Duren would often be the one called to take official custody of large amounts of dirty cash seized throughout San Diego County. But not all of it went in the evidence locker. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/6/20

A roof, a bed and a meth lab — security and drama at a SoMa homeless hotel -- A pair of enterprising, but apparently not too bright, homeless people were busted over the weekend for setting up a meth lab in the city-leased South of Market hotel room where they were staying. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/6/20

POTUS 45

Facebook Removes Trump Campaign’s Misleading Coronavirus Video -- It was the first time Facebook took down a post by Mr. Trump’s campaign for spreading virus misinformation, but it did not signal a change to the company’s defense of free expression. Cecilia Kang and Sheera Frenkel in the New York Times$ -- 8/6/20

Beltway

C.D.C. Warns of the Dangers of Drinking Hand Sanitizer After Fatal Poisonings -- Federal health authorities issued a formal warning on Wednesday about the dangers of drinking hand sanitizer and alerted poison control centers across the nation to be on the lookout for cases of methanol toxicity after four people died and nearly a dozen became ill. Neil Vigdor in the New York Times$ -- 8/6/20

-- Wednesday Updates

California lawmakers ask Newsom to act immediately on unemployment claims -- More than half the members of the California Legislature called on Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday to immediately begin paying unemployment benefits to many of the more than 1 million jobless workers whose claims have been stalled in the system as the state works to clear a months-long backlog. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/5/20

‘The kids are going stir-crazy’: L.A. battles mansion parties that could spread COVID-19 -- Television news started showing the images Monday night in prime time: hundreds of people at a mansion on Mullholland Drive, mingling, dancing and showing very little social distancing despite pleas from health officials to avoid social gatherings as COVID-19 continues to spread. Richard Winton, Luke Money, Jake Sheridan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/5/20

California voters worried about health impact of pandemic, but Republicans less so -- California voters at all levels are anxious about fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, especially the economic impacts, according to a new statewide poll by FM3 Research and Baughman Merrill. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/5/20

The children who need preschool the most are getting the least -- For decades, experts have understood 4 as an academic fault line, the year that cleaves wealthy and even middle-class children from their poor and working-class peers. Yet amid the pandemic, public preschools such as Darlene’s have struggled to reopen, despite being classed as essential. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/5/20

Street

California may crack down on bad cops in wake of George Floyd’s killing -- Just as the California Legislature was adjusting to the new reality of a session reshaped by the coronavirus pandemic, the killing of George Floyd on Memorial Day upended it again. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/5/20

Gig Work

California lawsuit: Uber, Lyft committed wage theft -- California sued Uber and Lyft on Wednesday for alleged wage theft in the latest legal salvo over whether drivers should be employees under AB5, the state’s new gig-work law. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/5/20

Policy & Politics

In Contra Costa, debate emerges over closing juvenile detention facility, rethinking incarceration of kids -- It’s the basketball courts that symbolize the difference in environments between the Orrin Allen Youth Rehabilitation Facility in unincorporated Byron — commonly called ‘the boys ranch’ — and the more traditional juvenile detention facility that sits near the Sheriff’s office in Martinez, Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia said during a 12-hour budget hearing that prompted a long discussion on the county’s juvenile justice system and whether to keep either institution open in the future. Annie Sciacca in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/5/20

California Counties Empty Juvenile Halls to Combat COVID-19 -- Seeking to avoid outbreaks of coronavirus, within a matter of months, county officials across California have dramatically reduced the numbers of youth locked in juvenile detention facilities – a decrease that justice advocates long decrying the over-incarceration of the nation’s young people might once have dreamed of. Dan Morain The Imprint -- 8/5/20

Fox: California’s Choice: New and Enriched Public Programs or Freer Private Enterprise? -- Change is coming to California following the double whammy of a pandemic eruption and police reform protests. Responses to the extraordinary dual events will initially flow into California’s current cultural and political liberal tide—a move toward more government involvement in our lives and more spending. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 8/5/20

Guns

13-year-old Auburn boy killed while handling gun with friend and brother, police say -- A 13-year-old Auburn boy died of a gunshot injury following a Tuesday night incident that police are investigating as a possible accidental shooting. Authorities say the fatal incident involved a trio of minors handling a firearm that had not been properly locked up, which resulted in the arrest of one adult. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/5/20

Wildfire

California firefighters’ other enemy at the Apple fire: Coronavirus -- How do you fight a massive wildfire and keep almost 2,600 firefighters safe from COVID-19? Lots of social distancing and masks, of course, but also thousands of pre-packaged salads. Brian Rokos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/5/20

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