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

Updating . .   

In California, Trump continues to deny climate change is real: “It will start getting cooler” -- As wildfires raging through the West force millions of voters to confront the consequences of a warming planet, the presidential race became intensely focused Monday on climate change — an issue that has been overshadowed through much of the campaign. Evan Halper, Noah Bierman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/14/20

Newsom tells Trump: ‘Something has happened to the plumbing of the world’ -- President Trump and Gov. Gavin Newsom met for a briefing Monday on California’s wildfires, with the president renewing his concerns about forest management in the state and the governor trying to deliver a message that “the plumbing of the world has changed.” Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/14/20

Donald Trump blames ‘matchstick’ trees and dead leaves for California wildfires -- Presidential Donald Trump, touching down Monday morning at McClellan Park for a briefing on the California wildfires, blamed uncleared dead trees and leaves for flames that have burned more than 3 million acres and killed 24 in the state. Sophia Bollag and Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/14/20

As California burns, Trump visits state, Biden calls president “climate arsonist” -- California’s plight took center stage Monday in the race for the White House as President Donald Trump visited the the Golden State in the midst of an epic wildfire season that has ravaged Western states, blaming “forest management” while his Democratic rival called him a “climate arsonist.” John Woolfolk, Emily DeRuy, Julia Prodis Sulek in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/14/20

As California fire death toll hits 24, firefighters scramble ahead of winds -- As the death toll in California’s wildfires swelled to 24, authorities continued to search for a number of people still missing and firefighters toiled to keep multiple blazes from reaching populated communities ahead of an expected uptick in winds. Together, the firestorm has destroyed at least 4,100 structures and forced more than 60,000 people from their homes. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/14/20

‘Unpredictable’ Bobcat fire shifts and grows as local emergency is declared -- More than 350 households in Arcadia and Sierra Madre remain under evacuation orders Monday as flames from the Bobcat fire creep toward San Gabriel Valley foothill communities. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ Alma Fausto in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 9/14/20

Her sister was lost in a California firestorm. How they were finally reunited -- For Michelle Rancour-Aldridge, the panic began Tuesday night. After she left her pottery class that evening, she heard that residents of Berry Creek — a hilly area not far from Paradise, Calif., the town largely destroyed by flames in the 2018 Camp fire — had been ordered to evacuate. She immediately dialed her sister’s landline. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/14/20

Is climate change worsening California fires, or is it poor forest management? Both, experts say -- Long before climate change severely parched California, priming it to burn at a record scale, federal foresters made an inventory of trees in the southern Sierra Nevada. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/14/20

California’s testy relationship with Trump overshadows president’s visit to check on wildfires -- Newsom did not meet Trump on the airfield when Air Force One landed shortly before 11 a.m. at McClellan Park just outside Sacramento as firefighters across California continue to battle wildfires that have killed at least 24 people in the last month. Despite his ongoing political feud with Newsom, Trump told reporters that he and the Democratic governor have worked well together. Taryn Luna, Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/14/20

Wildfires intensify economic pain in the West -- Wildfires are destroying property, running up huge losses for property insurers and putting a strain on economic activity along the West Coast that could linger for a year or more. The credit rating agency A.M. Best estimates that insured losses from the blazes in California could top the unprecedented $13 billion recorded in 2017 when the state was hit by three of the five costliest fires in U.S. history. Paul Wiseman Associated Press -- 9/14/20

See West Coast wildfire smoke get sucked into a cyclone over the Pacific Ocean -- The historic wildfires raging across the West Coast have produced so much smoke that it has billowed more than 1,000 miles across the Pacific and gotten pulled into a cyclone over the ocean. Anna Buchmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/14/20

Virus 

Coronavirus: Fewest COVID-19 hospitalizations in California since start of pandemic -- Statewide hospitalizations reach lowest level since April 10, down 60% from peak. Evan Webeck in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/14/20

Open anyway 

Defying county, judge’s order, Grace Community Church in Sun Valley hosts packed Sunday service -- Grace Community Church in Sun Valley held a packed morning service on Sunday, Sept. 13, defying a court order directing them to refrain from holding indoor services due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pastor John MacArthur prefaced the service by complaining about the many health measures required by local and state authorities to prevent further spread of the coronavirus. The item is in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 9/14/20

Staying Afloat 

California’s extra $300 unemployment payments are ending. Will they ever return? -- That $300 a week extra unemployment money jobless Californians are getting? The five weeks you’re being paid for are now over. And while you may get another week sometime soon, there’s little hope for any more $300 weekly benefits beyond that. David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/14/20

Bill’s defeat keeps undocumented garment workers in meager wages -- SB 1399 sought to change how workers are paid in the underground Los Angeles garment industry. But this legislative cycle it failed in the face of strong business opposition. Nigel Duara CalMatters -- 9/14/20

Policy & Politics 

Suburban blues: Where Democrats have gained most in California -- Republicans are in rough shape in California, still trailing in third place behind not just Democrats but also those with no party. The GOP gained a bit on independents this summer, but primarily because more independents were re-registering as Dems. Ben Christopher CalMatters -- 9/14/20

The young Republican lawyer taking on California’s governor -- Assemblymember Kevin Kiley, a 35-year-old Rocklin Republican with degrees from Harvard and Yale, left a promising law career to run for a state Legislature so heavily dominated by Democrats as to render Republican votes almost meaningless. Emily Hoeven CalMatters -- 9/14/20

How secure is Orange County’s election, and other questions for Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley -- Some people may only think of elections when one is coming up soon. For Orange County Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley, it’s his job to think of them, and try to ensure they run smoothly, every day. Alicia Robinson in the Orange County Register -- 9/14/20

Trump, Biden face off on West Coast wildfire, climate change -- President Donald Trump and challenger Joe Biden focused their presidential battle on the wildfire-scorched West Coast Monday, with Trump again blaming poor forest management for the apocalyptic destruction while Biden declared the fires and recent extreme weather underscore an urgent need to address climate change. Will Weissert, Jonathan Lemire, Ellen Knickmeyer and Aamer Madhani Associated Press -- 9/14/20

Fox: Facing Fire Danger; Moving Toward Solutions -- With newspapers from California to Texas to the nation’s capital running stories over the weekend that Californians are thinking of leaving the state, there could be a plus if they actually do go – reducing the population to reduce fire danger. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 9/14/20

Transit   

Sacramento and West Sacramento are trying again to build a rail line over Tower Bridge -- Weeks after the Sacramento Regional Transit board voted down a $130 million proposal for a passenger rail line over Tower Bridge, the agency board is scheduled for a redo of that vote this week, a surprise move, according to some board members. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/14/20

Street   

Shooting of L.A. deputies new flashpoint in a ‘tinderbox moment’ -- The video showed a shooting that shocked the conscience: a cold-blooded attempt to kill two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies at close range in Compton. Immediately, unequivocal condemnations flooded in from law enforcement officials, city leaders and the nation’s most prominent politicians. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/14/20

‘Insane’: At up to $2 million per youth, skyrocketing costs at juvenile halls renew push for closures -- The coronavirus pandemic has emptied juvenile halls across the Bay Area, but spending on the facilities remains stubbornly high, spurring renewed debate over whether it’s time to shutter the jail-like facilities once and for all. Jill Tucker and Joaquin Palomino in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/14/20

School   

L.A. public school parents will be able to find out if anyone has coronavirus in their child’s class -- Although students and parents will not be returning to their Los Angeles public school anytime soon, when campuses do reopen, L.A. Unified plans to operate a website that will provide detailed information about coronavirus outbreaks at an individual campus and even each classroom. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/14/20

School campuses in affluent areas plan to open quicker than those in poor Latino ones -- The Capistrano Unified School District is ready to go, preparing to start welcoming students back to class on Sept. 28, soon after Orange County is expected to meet the state’s COVID-19 requirements for reopening schools. Paloma Esquivel, Howard Blume, Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/14/20

Homeless  

Some Bay Area homeless sweeps continue, despite coronavirus moratorium -- Homeless residents living in tents along Cupertino’s Wolfe Road thought they were safe. Following federal health guidelines adopted around the Bay Area, city officials promised not to force them to move until the coronavirus pandemic abated. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/14/20

 

California Policy & Politics Monday Morning  

Two L.A. County sheriff’s deputies expected to survive attack amid intense manhunt for shooter -- Two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies shot in what authorities described as an ambush attack are expected to survive amid an intense manhunt for the gunman captured on video firing inside their patrol car and as the violence became a new flashpoint in the political debate about policing and crime. Alene Tchekmedyian, Matthew Ormseth, Dorany Pineda, Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ Bradley Bermont, Josh Cain in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 9/14/20

Hours after shooting of deputies, law enforcement clears L.A. protest encampment -- Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies shut down a months-old protest encampment in downtown L.A.'s Grand Park early Sunday in a move that activists criticized as retaliation for recent protests of a deputy-involved shooting. James Queally, Leila Miller in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/14/20

KPCC Reporter Josie Huang's Account Of Her Arrest By LA County Sheriff's Deputies -- KPCC/LAist reporter Josie Huang was arrested by L.A. County Sheriff's deputies Saturday night while covering the shooting of two deputies in Compton. Here is what happened, in her own words: Jessica P. Ogilvie KPCC -- 9/14/20

An Orange County police beating from the past resurfaces amid present turmoil -- It was a police beating that began like so many others: Early one morning in August 2018, Mohamed Sayem, a Black man, was asleep in his car when Orange County sheriff’s deputies approached. Ben Brazil in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/14/20

Breate    

'Modest improvement' in Bay Area air quality expected -- If you've suddenly become addicted to checking the air quality index, you're not alone. As days of bad Bay Area quality seem to drag on indefinitely, everyone on the West Coast is eager for clear skies. Katie Dowd in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/14/20

Wildfire    

Containment on Fork Fire at standstill in rugged terrain. ‘Critical fire weather’ won’t help -- Firefighters battling the Fork Fire, which has been burning for nearly a week in a remote area of the Eldorado National Forest, warn that “critical fire weather” could affect their efforts. Vincent Moleski in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/14/20

Virus 

Coronavirus: Six months after sheltering, why things fell apart -- Duck, cover and hold on: Californians’ response to earthquakes is universal and effective. But our reaction to a different natural disaster – the coronavirus — is profoundly personal and often divisive, revealing differences in risk perception, governance and equity as vast as the Golden State. Lisa M. Krieger, John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/14/20

L.A. County coronavirus numbers fall back to pre-surge levels -- The L.A. County Department of Public Health reported 11 new coronavirus deaths Sunday, as daily hospitalizations continued to decline over the weekend. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/14/20

County adds 265 more COVID-19 cases, including 29 at SDSU -- San Diego County reported 265 more COVID-19 cases as of Saturday, with 29 of them connected to San Diego State University, county health officials said Sunday. That brings the county’s total number of COVID-19 cases to 42,679. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/14/20

Virus and Development  

SF had a $6 billion vision for Central SoMa. Then the pandemic hit, and tech pulled back -- After nearly a decade of planning, the transformation of 230 acres in San Francisco’s Central South of Market neighborhood into a booming tech and housing hub is suddenly in doubt as the economy sputters from the coronavirus pandemic. Roland Li and J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/14/20

Policy & Politics 

Skelton: How politics and police unions stopped bills to hold bad cops accountable -- It wasn’t good government. But it was probably good politics. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/14/20

Unlikely endorsement: Oakland officers union endorses strengthening police commission -- In a move that may stun many people, the Oakland police union has come out in support of a November ballot measure to strengthen the independent, citizen Oakland Police Commission, which has been leading voice for defunding the department, reducing the use of force and greater disciplining of officers accused of misconduct. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/14/20

As California burns, Biden missing chance to focus on climate change -- Joe Biden is passing up a chance to make fighting climate change the centerpiece of his campaign, environmentalists say, at time when wildfires have incinerated an unprecedented 3 million-plus acres in California, a record hurricane season is battering the Southeast and one of the worst windstorms ever to hit Iowa caused $4 billion in damage. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/14/20

Walters: Supreme Court makes local tax hikes easier -- In a roundabout, passive way, the California Supreme Court last week handed a big victory to the advocates of higher taxes. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 9/14/20

Warmer. Burning. Epidemic-challenged. Expensive. The California Dream has become the California Compromise -- California has become a warming, burning, epidemic-challenged and expensive state, with many who live in sophisticated cities, idyllic oceanfront towns and windblown mountain communities thinking hard about the viability of a place they have called home forever. For the first time in a decade, more people left California last year for other states than arrived. Heather Kelly, Reed Albergotti, Brady Dennis and Scott Wilson in the Washington Post$ -- 9/14/20

Education 

Inspire charter school sues parent corporation alleging fraud, millions of missing dollars -- An Inspire-affiliated charter school is suing its parent corporation, alleging it stole millions of state education dollars from the school’s accounts and that it transferred the school’s money to other entities without the school’s knowledge or permission. An Inspire official says the allegations are false and will be fought in court. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/14/20

Also . . .   

Shopping in SF’s Tenderloin is wide open — for illegal drugs, that is -- The recent jaw-dropping news that 441 people died of drug overdoses in San Francisco last year offered a detailed account of the health issues surrounding the deadly epidemic, but the Department of Public Health Department report made little mention of the elephant in the room. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/14/20

POTUS 45  

Trump’s California visit to spotlight political divides over climate change, coronavirus -- Ahead of President Trump’s visit to wildfire-ravaged California on Monday, Democrats charged over the weekend that his disregard for basic science had contributed to the worsening annual conflagrations, as well as to the still-uncontrolled spread of COVID-19. Laura King in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/14/20

‘Shameful, dangerous and irresponsible’: Nevada governor lashes Trump for indoor rally against state rules -- Shortly before President Trump took the stage on Sunday night in Henderson, Nev., for his first indoor rally in months, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak blasted the president for flouting the state’s coronavirus restrictions by packing hundreds of supporters, many without masks, into a building. Timothy Bella in the Washington Post$ -- 9/14/20

Beltway   

Latino groups warn that Biden’s sluggish outreach to their voters could hurt in November -- Recent polls showing President Trump’s inroads with Latinos have set off a fresh round of frustration and finger-pointing among Democrats, confirming problems some say have simmered for months. Sean Sullivan in the Washington Post$ -- 9/14/20

 

-- Sunday Updates   

150 million dead trees could fuel unprecedented firestorms in the Sierra Nevada -- Two years ago scientists warned that a massive tree die-off in the Sierra Nevada could set the stage for forest conflagrations akin to World War II fire bombings. Bettina Boxall in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/20

California wildfires cooperate overnight, but winds could stir things up -- The wildfires sweeping through Northern California and casing the region with a record-setting streak of days with smoke-choked air generally cooperated overnight, but fire officials warned that shifting weather could hamper progress with containment Sunday and into next week. Rusty Simmons in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/13/20

Gusty winds could clear skies but complicate Northern California firefighting efforts -- For days, smoke has suffused California’s skies, replacing a bright yellow sun with something akin to a hazy red orb. Ruben Vives, Marisa Gerber in the Los Angeles Times$ Vincent Moleski in the Sacramento Bee$ Aldo Toledo in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/13/20

Arcadia residents told to evacuate as Bobcat fire moves closer to homes -- Residents in a portion of Arcadia were told to evacuate Sunday morning as the Bobcat fire in the Angeles National Forest posed new dangers. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/20

How climate change is fueling record-breaking California wildfires, heat and smog -- In 2001, a team of international scientists projected that during the next 100 years, the planet’s inhabitants would witness higher maximum temperatures, more hot days and heat waves, an increase in the risk of forest fires and “substantially degraded air quality” in large metropolitan areas as a result of climate change. Susanne Rust, Tony Barboza in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/20

Wildfire Workplace  

California farmworkers say they didn’t get masks during wildfires -- Even as the state distributed millions of N95 masks, many farmworkers say they didn’t receive them during recent wildfires. Few file complaints, fearing employer retaliation. Manuela Tobias CalMatters -- 9/13/20

Street   

2 L.A. deputies shot in ‘ambush’ attack recovering after surgery -- Two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies were out of surgery and recovering after being shot Saturday evening in Compton in what authorities described as an “ambush” that was captured on surveillance video. Doug Smith, Matthew Ormseth, Richard Winton, Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/20

Manhunt ongoing for shooter who ambushed deputies; LA sheriff seeks help -- With few details available about the person who ambushed two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies on Saturday night, officials turned to the community on Sunday. “We really need the public’s help in apprehending the suspect,” Deputy Juanita Navarro said. Bradley Bermont in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 9/13/20

L.A. County deputies arrest radio reporter covering protest outside hospital-- Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies arrested a public-radio reporter as she covered protests that had erupted outside a hospital where two deputies were being treated for gunshot wounds suffered Saturday evening in an “ambush” attack. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/20

Protest encampment across from City Hall cleared out in early morning police action -- Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies shut down a months-old protest encampment in Grand Park early Sunday in a move that activists branded as “misdirected anger” over a shooting, hours earlier, that left two deputies fighting for their lives. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/20

In Vallejo, police encounters often turn violent -- Vallejo’s police killings have drawn attention and outrage. They aren’t the full story: A litany of lawsuits describes nonfatal police interactions gone bad. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/13/20

Virus 

Numbers, experts refute narrative that COVID-19 deaths are inevitable among the chronically ill -- While diseases like diabetes and hypertension make death more likely, most would have lived on if not for coronavirus. Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/13/20

‘Behind the 8-ball:’ Many Southern California nursing homes hit hard by coronavirus had prior issues -- Many factors can contribute to how severely the virus strikes a home, including its location and size. But having enough staff is vital, especially during a pandemic, experts say. New research backs that up. Brenda Gazzar, Beau Yarbrough in the Orange County Register -- 9/13/20

Coronavirus: Six months after sheltering, why things fell apart -- Duck, cover and hold on: Californians’ response to earthquakes is universal and effective. But our reaction to a different natural disaster – the coronavirus — is profoundly personal and often divisive, revealing differences in risk perception, governance and equity as vast as the Golden State. Lisa M. Krieger, John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/13/20

Campus Workplace  

Black at UC Berkeley: Professor Tyrone Hayes on discrimination in academia -- In a nation where Black people make up fewer than 5% of full-time college and university professors, UC Berkeley biology professor Tyrone Hayes stands as an exception. But the road has been hard and even at Cal, with its long history at the center of social justice movements, he’s still fighting for equal treatment. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/13/20

 

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