Updating . .
More rolling blackouts feared as California heat wave intensifies -- With an extreme heat wave continuing across California, officials are warning of the possibility of more rolling blackouts as state officials struggle to secure additional electricity amid the worse power crisis in nearly 20 years. Leila Miller, Alex Wigglesworth, Sammy Roth in the Los Angeles Times$ Josh Cain in the Orange County Register -- 8/18/20
Wildfires in Northern California continue to rage uncontained -- Lightning-sparked wildfires in Northern California surged in the overnight heat and continued to rage out of control Tuesday morning, officials said. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/18/20
Lightning-induced blazes continue to burn uncontrolled in Santa Clara, Contra Costa, Napa counties -- 25,000 acres burning in Santa Clara Lightning Complex; 12,400 in Napa; 0% containment for all. Evan Webeck in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/18/20
From ‘firenadoes’ to record heat, California extreme weather a glimpse of future -- In the last few days, a moisture-laden heat wave has unleashed extreme weather in almost every corner of California. Tony Barboza, Louis Sahagun, Joseph Serna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/20
‘Fire whirls’ expected from Lake fire, which won’t be fully contained until NEXT MONTH -- The wildfire burning near Lake Hughes was 38% contained Tuesday morning and moving farther into the Angeles National Forest, toward 100-year-old fuels consisting of bigcone Douglas fir, oak and gray pine trees. Steven Rosenberg in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 8/18/20
California to sue over post office changes, even as postmaster general backs off -- California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said Tuesday that he would join a nationwide lawsuit over proposed changes to the U.S. Postal Service that Democrats fear are being used to sabotage mail voting in the November election. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/18/20
California State University now requires ethnic studies -- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature Monday on AB 1460 means students in the CSU system will have to take an ethnic studies course before graduation. The bill overrides a similar but less strict requirement the system imposed earlier this summer. Mikhail Zinshteyn CalMatters Ashley A. Smith EdSource -- 8/18/20
L.A. County issues strict rules for colleges reopening during coronavirus crisis -- As colleges begin their fall semesters, those in Los Angeles County finally received long-awaited public health rules about reopening plans — and they’re more stringent than state guidance: Virtually no in-person classes are allowed, and on-campus housing will be extremely limited due to coronavirus concerns. Teresa Watanabe, Nina Agrawal in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/20
‘Are we ready?’ LAUSD’s first day back to school, online and on Zoom, is anything but normal -- New back-to-school shoes, but no recess to run around. Decorative Zoom backgrounds instead of artwork newly stapled on bulletin boards. Freshly waxed floors with no students to scuff them up. Howard Blume, Paloma Esquivel, Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/20
Virus
California hospitalizations fall below 5,000 for first time since June -- For six weeks, not a day went by without at least 5,000 patients around California hospitalized with COVID-19. The active hospitalization count climbed higher than 7,100 in mid-July. On Sunday, the streak was broken. Evan Webeck in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/18/20
State coronavirus watch list unfrozen; Orange County remains on it, but is trending toward an exit -- California’s coronavirus monitoring list for troubled counties is active again after massive glitches in a state test results database threw off crucial metrics that public health officials use to track the pandemic – which for weeks made Orange County and others appear better off than they actually were. Ian Wheeler in the Orange County Register -- 8/18/20
Policy & Politics
Report: Trump campaign's Russia contacts a 'grave' threat -- The Trump campaign’s interactions with Russian intelligence services during the 2016 presidential election posed a “grave” counterintelligence threat, a Senate panel concluded Tuesday as it detailed how associates of Donald Trump had regular contact with Russians and expected to benefit from the Kremlin’s help. Eric Tucker and Mary Clare Jalonick Associated Press -- 8/18/20
Here’s Kamala Harris’ birth certificate. Scholars say there’s no VP eligibility debate -- As Kamala Harris prepares to accept the vice presidential nomination at this week’s Democratic National Convention, there is a document on file in the Alameda County Recorder’s Office that contradicts any and all theories — legal, conspiracy or otherwise — that the California senator is ineligible for the office. David DeBolt in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/18/20
Joe Biden’s and President Trump’s education policy stances widely diverge -- With the “will they, won’t they” of school reopenings as one of the most divisive debates of pandemic America, education policy is enjoying a rare moment at center stage. Brian Contreras in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/20
Street
Will California change policing? -- State lawmakers will decide the fate of 15 reform bills during a pandemic-shortened session marked by civil unrest and an economic crisis. Not all of them will make it. Raheem Hosseini CalMatters -- 8/18/20
Police reform advocates scrutinize police unions, calling them obstacles to reform -- Activists in the growing movement for police reform in the U.S. have for months targeted large police budgets as a central impediment to change, flooding streets and municipal Zoom meetings with demands to “defund the police.” But for years behind the scenes, other reform advocates have pinpointed another roadblock to progress: police unions and the influence they wield. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/20
Feds ask for two-month sentence for disgraced ex-Oakland cop who accepted bribes from gang-affiliated murderer -- Federal prosecutors will ask this week for a two-month jail sentence for a former Oakland cop and Alameda County District Attorney’s Inspector convicted of accepting bribes and offering protection to a man convicted of murdering two people. David DeBolt, Nate Gartrell in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/18/20
Homeless
Does L.A. count its homeless, or make its best guess? A little of both, it turns out -- Keeping track of the number of people who are homeless in Los Angeles is an exercise in uncertainty. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/20
Environment
Renewable energy corporations fight endangered species status for Joshua trees -- Renewable energy corporations have launched an eleventh-hour campaign to derail a petition seeking endangered species protection for Joshua trees, saying it could hinder development of the solar and wind power projects California needs to wean itself off fossil fuels. Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/20
Also . . .
Victims of Golden State Killer finally confront him in court with stories of pain and survival -- One woman wants to show how she overcame and healed. Another still searches for answers and reparation. And another, unable to exact emotional revenge on her attacker, seeks to at least humble him. Paige St. John, Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/18/20
Domestic violence rose during lockdown — and injuries are dramatically more severe, study finds -- The toll of COVID-19 does not always show up on a radiologist’s screen as blighted lungs. These doctors who peer beneath a patient’s skin with the help of CT or MRI scans are increasingly seeing evidence of physical abuse by those patients’ domestic partners as a consequence of the months of stay-at-home orders, job loss and escalating family stress that the pandemic has wrought. Melissa Healy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/20
Grace Montañez Davis, former L.A. deputy mayor and Eastside political activist, dies at 93 -- Grace Montañez Davis was the first Mexican American woman to serve as Los Angeles’ deputy mayor, and it was no easy feat. Dorany Pineda, Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/20
California Policy & Politics Tuesday Morning
California avoids a third day of blackouts as electricity demand subsides despite heat -- Somehow, California avoided the biggest blackout of them all Monday. Dale Kasler, Tony Bizjak, and Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ John Woolfolk, Paul Rogers, Daniel Wu in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/18/20
California blackouts are Public Utilities Commission’s fault, grid operator says -- California’s power grid operator delivered a blistering rebuke Monday to the state’s Public Utilities Commission, blaming the agency for rotating power outages — the first since the 2001 energy crisis — and warning of bigger blackouts to come. Sammy Roth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/20
Newsom signs Cal State University ethnic studies bill -- Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Monday requiring all 430,000 California State University undergraduates to take ethnic studies, a notable rebuke to the university’s governing board, which had passed its own, much broader requirement last month. Nina Agrawal in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/20
Virus
Faulty thermometers, untrained screeners may have let COVID-19 into prisons, watchdog says -- Vague testing guidelines, faulty thermometers and inadequate staff training are suspected of contributing to the COVID-19 outbreak in California prisons that has killed at least 54 inmates and sickened more than 9,500 others, the state’s Office of Inspector General reported Monday. Kim Christensen, Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/20
As California clears backlog of COVID-19 cases, deaths hit a low for the month -- California received a batch of mostly positive pandemic-related developments on Monday with data showing that the number of people dying of COVID-19 is beginning to decline and hospitalization rates continue to fall steadily. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/20
Newsom nears pivotal decision: Should California reopen more sectors again? -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom says California is "turning a corner" on the pandemic weeks after locking down various sectors in a desperate bid to thwart a summer surge. But that puts the Democratic leader at a crossroads. Should California reopen gyms, churches and malls again? Victoria Colliver Politico -- 8/18/20
More California counties make state coronavirus watchlist as Santa Cruz is removed -- Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that four new counties would be required to close hair salons, gyms and other businesses, marking the first time the state has updated its list of areas experiencing high transmission of COVID-19 in more than two weeks since a massive data flub skewed the count of positive cases. Taryn Luna, Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/18/20
Investigation: COVID rips through motel rooms of guest workers who pick nation’s produce -- Guest worker outbreaks in California have sickened hundreds and killed at least one domestic worker, according to an investigation by CalMatters and The Salinas Californian. Meanwhile, harvesting companies haven’t always notified local public health departments. Jackie Botts and Kate Cimini CalMatters -- 8/18/20
The home front: Virus stalks nurses after they leave work -- There’s red tape running along the floor of the coronavirus unit at St. Jude’s Medical Center in Fullerton. Stefanie Dazio Associated Press -- 8/18/20
California’s top court caps penalties on nursing homes to $500 for certain lawsuits -- As COVID-19 continues to ravage nursing homes, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday that a state law allowing residents to sue facilities limits compensation to $500. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/20
Mask fines vary widely throughout California -- California’s governor may have issued a statewide mask order in June to protect against COVID-19, but whether you could be fined for not wearing a face covering depends a lot on where you live. Barbara Feder Ostrov CalMatters -- 8/18/20
San Diego Officials Remain Hesitant To Punish Public Health Order Violators -- Joel Day, the city official who is coordinating San Diego's public health order enforcement, told reporters last week that an educational — rather than punitive — approach is still preferable. Andrew Bowen KPBS Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/18/20
Santa Clara County starts enforcing coronavirus health orders -- Mask and social distancing scofflaws beware: Santa Clara County has started enforcing its coronavirus health orders, and violators could face steep fines. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/18/20
Open anyway
Some Southern California barbers, salon owners defy state health orders and open indoors -- Hair salons and barbershops throughout Southern California — including in Gardena, Claremont and south Orange County — joined potentially hundreds of others throughout the state in defying coronavirus health orders on Monday, Aug. 17, by welcoming customers inside. Michael Hixon, Brian Whitehead, Erika I. Ritchie in the Orange County Register -- 8/18/20
Sun Valley church defies court order, holding indoor services without masks or physical distancing -- Pastor John MacArthur held an indoor worship service in Grace Community Church’s sanctuary on Sunday, Aug. 16, in defiance of a court order, further intensifying its nationally watched battle over coronavirus restrictions. Deepa Bharath in the Orange County Register -- 8/18/20
Policy & Politics
Remember Trump’s impeachment? Democrats aren’t going there at convention -- Nearly all the Democratic stars get at least a moment in prime time this week as the party holds its virtual convention. But not everyone. Rep. Adam Schiff of Burbank, one of the party’s most recognized faces, hasn’t gotten a prime speaking spot. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/18/20
Bernie Sanders won big in California. Here’s why his Golden State delegates are settling for Biden -- Bernie Sanders’ California delegates to the Democratic National Convention say they’re disappointed he won’t be the candidate accepting the party’s presidential nomination this week, but they’re mostly ready to back Joe Biden this fall. Kate Irby in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/18/20
California progressives’ mantra for Democratic convention: ‘Challenge Biden’ -- Known to brag more about his work across the aisle with Republicans than his progressive bona fides, Biden will be facing an energized left flank that wants to ensure he won’t forget them if he wins. Joe Garofoli and Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/18/20
Local Sanders Delegates Have Mixed Feelings After First Night of Democratic Convention -- Still, Malouf said he's not completely on board with the Democratic party. He was one of several hundred delegates who voted against the party's 2020 platform, which he doesn't feel goes far enough in meeting progressive ideals. For instance, the platform does not call for a single payer health care system. Katie Orr KQED -- 8/18/20
Politifact California: Trump Claims California Lawmaker Pushed To ‘Abolish Single-Family Zoning.’ Is He Right? -- President Donald Trump and U.S. Housing Secretary Ben Carson claimed yesterday that a California state lawmaker is trying to “abolish single-family zoning” in the state. Chris Nichols Capital Public Radio -- 8/18/20
Former GOP gubernatorial candidate Whitman endorses Biden at DNC -- Silicon Valley billionaire Meg Whitman, who spent $144 million of her own money on a failed Republican bid to be governor of California, told Democrats Monday that “I’m with Joe.” Carla Marinucci Politico -- 8/18/20
Trump and Biden couldn’t be more different on the complicated issue of race -- The killing of George Floyd sparked nationwide protests against police brutality and prompted many to take stock of the country’s long history of racism toward Black people. President Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden reacted to the killing and the demonstrations in dramatically different ways, shining a light on how each has approached the complicated issue of race throughout their political careers. Tyrone Beason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/20
Southern California groups scramble to get accurate census count as deadline looms -- Local nonprofit organizations, activists and researchers say the earlier deadline is going to exacerbate an undercount triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, which forced U.S. Census Bureau workers in March to suspend door-to-door canvassing as part of the decennial population survey. Deepa Bharath, Steve Scauzillo in the Orange County Register -- 8/18/20
Fox: And Now a Wealth Tax To Chase Taxpayers Away -- If anyone raises the argument that rich taxpayers would escape California if taxes on them get higher and higher, the response is usually that there is no evidence that that would happen. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 8/18/20
Street
Libby Schaaf ‘trivialized’ fatal 2018 shooting by Oakland police, federal monitor says -- The court-appointed monitor overseeing the Oakland Police Department criticized Oakland police for failing to properly investigate the fatal shooting of a homeless man by officers in 2018. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/18/20
D.A. files charges in Newport Beach protest gun case -- A Newport Beach man has been charged with two misdemeanors after being accused of pulling a loaded gun on Black Lives Matter protesters during a local protest in June. Hillary Davis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/20
LAX police union calls for civil rights probe into department’s deputy director -- The Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers Association and attorneys representing 13 officers jointly called for an independent investigation into alleged civil rights violations by the airport’s deputy executive director of law enforcement and homeland security Monday afternoon. Jason Henry in the Orange County Register -- 8/18/20
Education
A coronavirus loophole? Capital Christian High School opens, saying it’s day care -- Students arrived at Capital Christian High School on Thursday in small doses for the first day of instruction. The scene repeated on Friday and Monday morning. Teenagers checked in at the main entrance, had quick temperature checks and were provided masks if they did not bring one. This was an unusual sight in that this is the only high school in Northern California that has any sort of on-campus instruction. Joe Davidson and Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/18/20
New shoes, new masks. Rescue School District opens its doors for students -- Rescue Elementary opened its doors on Monday, inviting about 400 students back into the classroom for the fall, and bringing some scenes of normalcy to a new school year. Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/18/20
Five key takeaways for the 2020-21 school year in California -- As more than 6 million California students head back to school this fall, this year isn’t about fresh notebooks, sharpened pencils and new backpacks. Students, parents and educators are navigating a new world of virtual learning, with the vast majority of California schools remaining online. Ethan Edward Coston CalMatters -- 8/18/20
Admissions scandal: Prosecutors want 2 months in prison for Lori Loughlin, 5 months for husband -- Federal prosecutors recommended Monday that Lori Loughlin and J. Mossimo Giannulli, a celebrity couple snared in the unraveling of a widespread defrauding of the college admissions process, be sentenced to two and five months, respectively, in prison. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/20
San Diego State to pioneer race relations requirement in criminal justice program -- Race relations will soon be required coursework for future police officers, prison guards and other criminal justice undergraduate students at San Diego State University. Will Simon EdSource -- 8/18/20
Wildfire
Trump sought to withhold California fire aid because of politics, former official says -- The former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security claims in a political ad released Monday that President Trump tried to withhold disaster relief money for California’s wildfires because voters in the state opposed him politically. Noah Bierman, Eli Stokols in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/20
1,600 lightning strikes spark 76 wildfires over last day in Northern California -- In the grips of a rare summer weather pattern marked by insufferable heat and violent thunderstorms, Northern California has seen dozens of wildfires sparked by lightning strikes in the last day. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/18/20
California firefighters battle wildfires in extreme heat -- The National Weather Service blanketed the state in warnings of excessive heat and high fire danger, including the threat from lightning strikes. “We are all experiencing rather extraordinary conditions,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom, estimating there were about 15 fires statewide. Newsom expressed optimism that most of the smaller ones would be suppressed relatively quickly. John Antczak Associated Press -- 8/18/20
Stressed Business
Most San Francisco Gap stores close permanently, including Market Street flagship -- Gap Inc. will permanently close its flagship store near Union Square, as the coronavirus pandemic and prolonged retail woes strike into the heart of the company’s San Francisco hometown. The company has also closed two other Gap stores in the city — in Embarcadero Center near its waterfront corporate headquarters and Stonestown Galleria — for good. Shwanika Narayan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/18/20
Business Survival
San Francisco restaurant ordered to take down controversial domes -- The San Francisco restaurant that made headlines for launching $200-per-person meals inside geodesic domes received a visit last week from a Department of Public Health officer, who ordered the restaurant to take the domes down. Janelle Bitker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/18/20
Homeless
Rental assistance and tiny homes: Sacramento outlines $62 million homeless spending plan -- Sacramento officials on Monday said they intend to create a nearly $5 million rental assistance program to help people who are falling behind on bills and on the cusp of becoming homeless. Jason Pohl and Maria Heeter in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/18/20
Environment
Five automakers finalize deal with California to clean up car emissions -- California’s clean air enforcers have finalized a deal with five automakers to cut greenhouse gases from cars despite the Trump administration’s rollbacks. Rachel Becker CalMatters -- 8/18/20
Also . . .
Unemployment fraud ring filed bogus California jobless benefits for inmates, officials say -- The ring was allegedly operated out of the San Mateo County jail and discovered when law enforcement officers overheard inmates talking about fraudulent claims, officials said Monday. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/20
Prosecutors challenge Golden State Killer’s apparent frailty, say he chooses not to show remorse -- In his court appearances, the man known as the Golden State Killer sits with a slack face, hunched in his wheelchair, thin and pale. Paige St. John in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/20
South Lake Tahoe resident tests positive for plague, CA officials say. What to know -- A California resident has tested positive for the plague, El Dorado County health officials said Monday. The person might have been bitten by an infected flea while walking their dog in South Lake Tahoe, officials said in a Facebook post. Maddie Capron in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/18/20
POTUS 45
Former DHS official: Trump wanted to withhold California wildfire money for political reasons -- President Donald Trump wanted to shut off emergency relief for California amid devastating wildfires because it was a blue state, and he tried to deliberately separate families to deter immigration, according to a scathing account given by a former administration official on Monday. Matthew Choi Politico -- 8/18/20
Beltway
On Democratic convention’s first night, speakers blame Trump for America’s woes -- Democrats kicked off their virtual nominating convention Monday with a focused denunciation of President Trump, showcasing dozens of testimonials that culminated in lancing criticism from former first lady Michelle Obama, who cast Trump as incapable of meeting America’s needs and said Joe Biden would usher in racial justice and ease the coronavirus pandemic. Jenna Johnson, Michael Scherer, Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Chelsea Janes, Isaac Stanley-Becker, Felicia Sonmez and John Wagner in the Washington Post$ -- 8/18/20
-- Monday Updates
Newsom says California rolling blackouts are ‘unacceptable,’ calls for investigation -- Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared an emergency over the ongoing heatwave and rolling blackouts that are hitting California and is calling for an investigation into the electric grid’s failure to provide reliable power. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ John Woolfolk, Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/17/20
California blackouts expose problems in state’s transition to clean energy -- But the crisis — the first rolling blackouts on California’s power grid since 2001 — has exposed a dangerous vulnerability. Not only are millions of people who are working from home during the coronavirus pandemic inconvenienced, but power shutoffs endanger public health, particularly elderly residents who can fall ill or die from heat stroke. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/17/20
Wildfire
Wildfires in Brentwood, Sunol still spreading out of control -- Several fast-spreading wildfires caused by Sunday’s lightning storms continued to consume acres of vegetation Monday morning as fire crews scrambled to dig containment lines and provide air support. Rick Hurd in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/17/20
Ag Workplace
Political battles, confusion reign in Kern County, one of worst U.S. coronavirus hot spots -- Kern County has become one of the worst coronavirus hot spots in the nation, with infections spreading rapidly through food processing plants, agricultural communities and other places in Bakersfield and small rural towns. Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/17/20
Virus
Party in a pandemic: TikTok star Bryce Hall’s birthday celebration prompts visit by LAPD -- TMZ reported that a popular TikTok video creator Bryce Hall held a birthday party in the Hollywood Hills over the weekend, a bash that attracted a massive crowd of people who didn’t appear to be wearing masks or social distancing, according to online videos. Hall has 12.9 million followers on TikTok. Dakota Smith, Wendy Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/17/20
Banks: Is it time for L.A. to become a real party pooper to fight the spread of COVID-19? -- We’re shuttering businesses, inspecting workplaces and re-imagining education to keep COVID-19 at bay. But we’re all thumbs when it comes to dealing with what has become the Achilles’ heel of our coronavirus prevention plan: rogue parties that have helped send infection rates soaring among young people in Los Angeles County. Sandy Banks in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/17/20
Environment
Some California cities think they’re safe from sea level rise. They’re not, new data show -- Just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, yet a world away from San Francisco, in an unincorporated and oft-overlooked area known as Marin City, sea level rise is rarely the first worry that comes to mind. Rosanna Xia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/17/20
Wages
Wage theft plagues L.A. garment workers. Why aren’t fashion retailers held responsible? -- The prices are hard to believe: $24.99 for an on-trend dress, delivered to your door; $9.99 for a silky camisole hanging from the rack at a discount chain. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/17/20
New Normal
SF’s first jury trial since shutdown started ends — several precautions were taken -- Superior Court Judge Vedica Puri required all participants to wear cloth masks that were mostly transparent, allowing jurors to see witnesses’ facial expressions. The six-foot separation prevented the usual mid-trial whispered conversations between the defendant and his lawyer, so Brown and Villaran chatted on laptops provided by the court. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/17/20
H-1B: Bay Area foreign tech workers stranded in India after President Trump’s visa order -- Poorva Dixit left her husband and daughters in Fremont five months ago to care for her dying mother in India. Now, she’s grieving and stranded near Mumbai. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/17/20
Virus Economy
South Bay job market recovers faster than Bay Area, state, USA -- Job markets in metro regions that opened up their economies earlier following coronavirus-linked business shutdowns have bounced back more quickly than those that kept the clamps on their economies — but Silicon Valley, bolstered by its robust tech sector, bucked the trend. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/17/20
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