Rough&Tumble California Policy and Politics

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Updating . .

New evacuations as Bobcat fire jumps north, firefighters battle at Mt. Wilson -- The Bobcat fire continued shapeshifting overnight, expanding to the northeast, while all eyes remain on the southern foothill communities and the Mt. Wilson Observatory to the west. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/20

‘No end in sight’: California firefighters battle exhaustion, heat and pandemic in historic wildfire season -- Firefighter Justin Silvera worked 72 days straight in 2018, when the Camp Fire destroyed his Butte County hometown of Paradise. Seven of his family members lost homes. It took a toll, exhausting him more than anything in his two-decade career. But he’s even more worried about this fire season. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/16/20

It’s tough to tell COVID-19 from smoke inhalation symptoms — and flu season’s coming -- The patients walk into Dr. Melissa Marshall’s community clinics in Northern California with the telltale symptoms. They’re having trouble breathing. It may even hurt to inhale. They have a cough, and the sore throat is definitely there. A straight case of COVID-19? Not so fast. This is wildfire country. Mark Kreidler in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/20

Is your home ‘hardened’ against wildfire? California regulator, insurers work on new standards -- California’s insurance commissioner announced a plan to tackle the state’s wildfire insurance crisis Wednesday, saying the state will collaborate with the industry to develop standards for “hardening” homes and communities against fire risk. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/16/20

Sierra Nevada reels as flames and smoke drive visitors away -- It was bad enough that 2020 announced itself with a global pandemic that cratered the world economy and kept many people confined to their homes. Then, just as vacationers were tentatively returning to California’s rural lakes, parks, trails and campgrounds, they turned their minivans and campers around, fleeing unpredictable wildfires and a pall of noxious smoke. Julie Cart CalMatters -- 9/16/20

Breathe

Streak of 30 straight Spare the Air days in Bay Area will end Thursday -- Blue sky slowly peeked in amid the haze, initially small patches and then larger ones. Coastal fog appeared, then began to burn off slowly with the progression of the sun. A bit of mist even emerged, and it wasn’t ash. On the 30th day, at last, a bit or normalcy. Rick Hurd in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/16/20

Elections

Newsom backs reform for California’s Proposition 13, opposes tax-the-rich plans -- Gov. Gavin Newsom has endorsed an initiative that would overhaul California’s iconic Proposition 13 by changing how commercial property taxes are calculated — a measure likely to be one of the hardest-fought issues on the November ballot. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/16/20

Grocery stores are pushing California to be tougher on crime. Here’s why -- But if several large grocery store chains have their way, a measure on the ballot this fall will roll back some of these reforms, increasing penalties for shoplifting and making it harder for those convicted of certain non-violent property and drug crimes to get early parole. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/20

Kamala Harris’ ‘Timbs’ and other practical campaign footwear wins Twitter attention -- Political observers can discuss the many ways Oakland native U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris is breaking ground as the running mate of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, but an unexpected discussion centers around her practical choice of footwear during campaign stops. Martha Ross in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/16/20

Republicans investigate California mail-vote contract that went to ‘Team Biden’ firm -- Congressional Republicans say they are launching an investigation into a $35 million contract that the California Secretary of State’s Office awarded to a firm with ties to Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. Lara Korte in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/16/20

Fox: Connecting Justice Reform Demands with State Ballot Measures -- How might proposed justice and police reforms work with changes voters can make on sentencing, parole and cash bail measures on the November ballot? And will voters perceive any connections? Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 9/16/20

Street

Sheriff’s combative response to shocking deputy attack sparks new alarms, criticism -- The attack was every police officer’s worst nightmare: A gunman walks up to a marked patrol car, shooting the two people inside at close range because of the uniforms on their backs. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/20

Social media accused him of ambushing two deputies. It was fake news, but he’s paid a steep price -- Less than a day after two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies were shot and wounded as they sat in their police cruiser outside a transit station in Compton, Darnell Hicks’ cellphone began to light up with messages from friends: He was identified as the alleged gunman in an alert circulated on social media. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/20

Meant for friends, Black cop’s video about racism embraced by Tustin police chief -- In his cellphone video, the Black man wears a hoodie and a backward baseball cap. Behind him is a placard that reads “Compton.” Somberly, he reflects on the momentous death of George Floyd days before. Susan Christian Goulding in the Orange County Register -- 9/16/20

Homeless

‘Nobody wanted to look at them’ — but this photographer insists that we do -- Last fall, I found myself sitting on a trash-strewn couch tucked under the elevated Orange Line busway in the Sepulveda Basin with a man who was heating a meth pipe. He goes by Rabbit and described years spent in and out of prison, falling in with a gang, and his life on the streets of the San Fernando Valley. Benjamin Oreskes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/20

Placer County homeless quietly move into suburban homes. How unusual program is working -- Yankee Hill Estates in Rocklin is described by its residents as peaceful and welcoming — a slice of Placer County with moderately large homes, lawns to mow and a park for the kids. But right in the middle, there is something you might not expect: a six-bedroom house where formerly homeless men and women live. Matt Kreiser in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/16/20

Why didn’t these L.A. hotels house homeless people? A new report offers some answers -- When Los Angeles city and county officials reached out to local hotels, hoping to lease rooms through a new program meant to help homeless people survive the COVID-19 pandemic, they ran into a host of concerns. David Zahniser, Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/20

Virus

Coronavirus: Bay Area’s deadliest week of pandemic fueled by Alameda County -- An influx of fatalities in Alameda County has made the past week the deadliest of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Bay Area. Evan Webeck in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/16/20

Coronavirus updates: California numbers improving, but death toll climbs toward 15,000 -- Nearly every day for close to a month, multiple statewide metrics for COVID-19 activity have shown consistent improvement, a promising sign in California’s battle with the coronavirus. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/16/20

Hiltzik: How much worse off is America from COVID-19 than other rich nations? Much, much worse -- Mapping America’s response to the coronavirus pandemic compared with other countries hasn’t been a simple task, not least because of the densely obscuring smoke issuing from the Trump White House. But a new analysis points to an inescapable conclusion. Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/20

Halloween: Trick-or-treating ‘not advised’ this year, top California health official says -- As they say every Halloween, ghouls just want to have fun. But whether millions of pirates and princesses will be making their rounds on California’s streets this year in search of candy corn and peanut butter cups remains a mystery. Fiona Kelliher, Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/16/20

Transit

Muni getting new rider-information system at $89 million, while ancient, floppy-disk computers route trains -- Muni is on track to award an $89 million contract for a new, state-of-the-art system to inform riders when the next bus or train will arrive. At the same time, the downtown Muni Metro train routing system still runs on floppy disks and is so antiquated that managers can barely find spare parts or qualified technicians to keep it running. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/16/20

CalPERS

Benefit reductions, price hikes coming for CalPERS long-term care insurance plans -- CalPERS hasn’t publicly estimated how much it might raise premiums on its long-term care insurance policies next year, but the anticipated rate hikes are prompting the system to consider a wide range of changes including benefit reductions. Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/16/20

Online School Stress

Teachers contend with stress as distance learning endures -- Five days before online-only school began in August, the fourth-grade teacher at Multnomah Elementary in El Sereno had just spent $500 to turn her 1,300-square-foot home into a four-room schoolhouse, and she was overwhelmed. Ryan Gorcey in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 9/16/20

California Policy & Politics Wednesday Morning

‘Nothing left in the bucket’: Wildfire resources run thin -- Justin Silvera came off the fire lines in Northern California after a grueling 36 straight days battling wildfires and evacuating residents ahead of the flames. Before that, he and his crew had worked for 20 days, followed by a three-day break. James Anderson and Matthew Brown Associated Press -- 9/16/20

Bobcat fire nears Mount Wilson Observatory; firefighters battling flames, spot fire -- While flames from the Bobcat fire were within 500 feet of the Mount Wilson Observatory, firefighting crews managed to keep the blaze away from the mountaintop structure throughout Tuesday, Angeles National Forest authorities said. Alma Fausto, Jonah Valdez in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 9/16/20

So much at stake as firefighters battle to save historic Mt. Wilson Observatory -- Few places have played a more important role in the history of astronomy than the Mt. Wilson Observatory. On Tuesday, that history was in jeopardy as the Bobcat fire moved perilously close to its famed telescope. The Bobcat fire was within 500 feet of the observatory shortly after noon Tuesday, according to Angeles National Forest officials. Hayley Smith, Louis Sahagun, Thomas Curwen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/20

Smoke from West Coast wildfires blows into East Coast cities -- Wildfire smoke from the enormous fires blazing on the West Coast has made its way to the East Coast, bringing hazy conditions for the next few days, meteorologists said. Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/16/20

Policy & Politics

Those linked to stem cell board received more than $2.1 billion -- Over the last 15 years, California’s stem cell agency has spent $2.7 billion on research ranging from arthritis and blindness to cancer and incontinence. The vast majority of the money has gone to enterprises that have ties to members of the agency’s governing board. All of which is legal. All of which is not likely to change. David Jensen Capitol Weekly -- 9/16/20

Walters: Most ‘job killer’ bills bite the dust again -- As COVID-19 slammed into California a half-year ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered a partial shutdown of what had been a high-flying economy to combat the deadly virus, plunging the state into its worst recession since the Great Depression. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 9/16/20

Newsom tells donors he 'confronted' Trump during California visit on wildfires -- Gov. Gavin Newsom quickly sought to transform his Monday meeting with President Donald Trump into a political boost, trumpeting Tuesday to supporters that he had “confronted” the president. Jeremy B. White Politico -- 9/16/20

Elections

California’s Proposition 15 Would Raise Taxes On Businesses While Supporting Schools, Local Governments -- California voters will decide this fall whether to approve Proposition 15, a major change to the state’s historic property tax law that would raise taxes on large businesses, while providing up to $11.5 billion per year to fund public schools, community colleges and local governments. Chris Nichols Capital Public Radio -- 9/16/20

Opponents of rent control initiative say Prop 21 backers violated Stolen Valor Act in ad -- Opponents of a rent control ballot initiative are calling on the state attorney general and two district attorneys to investigate the “Yes on 21" campaign, saying it’s violating the state’s Stolen Valor Act, meant to prevent people from faking military service. Andrew Dyer in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/16/20

California fires bring Kamala Harris back home for first visit as Dems’ VP nominee -- Seven weeks before Election Day, California’s devastating wildfires brought Sen. Kamala Harris home Tuesday for her first public appearance in the Golden State as the Democratic vice presidential candidate. Julia Prodis Sulek in the San Jose Mercury$ Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 9/16/20

Virus

L.A. officials warn against lifting COVID-19 restrictions until a review of Labor Day weekend data -- California’s COVID-19 case count and hospitalizations are declining, but L.A. County’s top public health official still isn’t ready to ease up on restrictions. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/20

Could your phone indicate whether you’ve been exposed to coronavirus? Bay Area trial hopes to find out -- Anxiety about coranivus exposure is a reality everyone can relate to these days. And no one likes their privacy trampled. But if your phone could safely tell you that you’ve encountered an infected person, would it help? Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/16/20

COVID deaths among young people: Diverse communities hit hardest -- Although a small proportion of people under the age of 21 are dying from complications associated with COVID-19 in the U.S., a disproportionate number of these deaths are in communities of color, according to a new report issued by the CDC Tuesday. Al Saracevic in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/16/20

Reopen

One more Bay Area county moves from purple to red tier in Calif. reopening plan -- California Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. Mark Ghaly announced Tuesday three counties — Marin, Tehama and Inyo — have moved from the purple tier to the less restrictive red tier in the state's new reopening structure, allowing more businesses and schools to reopen. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/16/20

Coronavirus: How close is the Bay Area to reopening? Here’s what the real-time data says -- California has been locked down in some form for six months now, and many Bay Area counties remain under the most severe restrictions of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new, phased economic reopening plan. Evan Webeck in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/16/20

San Diego Could Slide Back To More Coronavirus-Related Restrictions -- The clock is now ticking for San Diego County, as new COVID-19 data released Tuesday contains one of the two metrics the state monitors now flagged as "widespread," which could lead to business restrictions and closures if it continues for another week. KPBS -- 9/16/20

Staying Afloat

Sacramento Announces Campaign To Ensure Hard-To-Reach Communities Connect With COVID-19 Relief -- The city of Sacramento has launched a COVID-19 resource website as part of a new effort to link underserved populations up with financial assistance and other pandemic-related information. Sarah Mizes-Tan Capital Public Radio -- 9/16/20

San Diego COVID-19 small business relief fund tops 2,000 grants -- San Diego’s COVID-19 small business relief fund has doled out grants to more than 2,000 local businesses, helping to save an estimated 10,000 jobs since the fund was created in March, city officials said. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/15/2

Coronavirus: California jobless claims are “startlingly high,” researchers say -- California unemployment claims are at “startlingly high” levels and the brutal trends in jobless filings point to a “mixed” recovery for the state’s suddenly wobbly economy amid the coronavirus, a report Tuesday from University of California researchers has found. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/16/20

SF retail woes spark lease disputes, calls for government action -- San Francisco small businesses are struggling to pay rent during the coronavirus pandemic, sparking fights that include four tenants clashing with the same landlord in the Castro neighborhood. Shwanika Narayan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/16/20

Unemployed

Running out of California unemployment benefits? Here’s what comes next -- Californians who were laid off after shelter-in-place orders took effect in mid-March and haven’t worked since then have already begun to exhaust their first 26 weeks of regular state unemployment benefits. Millions more will run out in the weeks ahead. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/16/20

Landlords & Tenants

Proposed SF legislation would ban ‘no-fault’ evictions until March 2021 -- While San Francisco renters are currently protected from eviction if they can’t pay rent due to a coronavirus-related issue, they are still vulnerable to so-called no-fault evictions — a less common tactic that occurs when a landlord decides to move into the property, do construction or demolish it altogether. Trisha Thadani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/16/20

Virus Economy

Anaheim calls on Newsom to reopen Disneyland after $100 million budget shortfall -- California theme parks closed in mid-March amid the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. and remain shuttered while they await guidelines for safely reopening from the state. Brady MacDonald in the Orange County Register -- 9/16/20

Sonoma’s vaunted wineries embrace online sales, budget pricing to woo pandemic drinkers -- For years, the industry relied on foot traffic from millions of tourists to keep their doors open. The coronavirus has forced them to find a new way. Brooke Van Dam and Steve Johnson in the Washington Post$ -- 9/16/20

Economy

Amazon to bring 1,700 jobs to Sacramento region as part of hiring spree in California -- Amazon is recruiting more than 100,000 workers across the U.S. and Canada in anticipation of the holiday season, 1,700 in the Sacramento area. Kristina Karisch in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/16/20

Economic expansion in 2019 brought income gains, poverty reduction but more uninsured -- New government data on household income and poverty for 2019 paints a broadly positive picture of the nation’s long economic expansion — gains now in the past as the pandemic has inflicted severe damage on millions of Americans. Don Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/20

Street

LAPD Chief Moore points to pandemic as driving factor in increased gun violence, killings -- Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said Tuesday that the COVID-19 pandemic has helped drive gun violence and increase killings in the city this year, including by spurring economic despair and interpersonal dramas while undercutting efforts to interrupt cycles of retaliation. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/20

FBI arrests drug ring that also sold ‘ghost gun’ AR-15s -- An FBI-led task force arrested 18 people identified in a series of federal indictments with links to a Southern California drug ring that also sold illegal weapons. The early morning arrests across Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire were the culmination of Operation “Black Phoenix,” which identified 25 suspects involved in illicit narcotics and gun trades. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/20

Standoff in Lynwood ends with carjacking suspect in custody, not gunman in deputy ambush -- Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies took into custody a carjacking suspect late Tuesday, ending a nearly nine-hour standoff in Lynwood rife with speculation that the Sheriff’s Department had cornered the gunman who shot two deputies at point-blank range four days earlier. Matthew Ormseth, Leila Miller in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/20

Smith: We don’t know much about the ambush of 2 L.A. County deputies. But we have scapegoats -- Let’s go over what we don’t know. Erika D. Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/20

Former gun store manager at LAPD Academy charged with stealing more than 20 guns -- Archi Duenas, 34, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges including grand theft of a firearm, grand theft by embezzlement and illegal possession of an assault weapon, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/20

Former sheriff’s captain pleads guilty to illegal ‘off roster’ gun sales -- Marco Garmo, who retired last September amid the investigation, pleaded guilty in San Diego federal court to one count of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a federal license. He faces a maximum of five years in prison when sentenced. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/16/20

49ers investigating racist messages fan sent to Cardinals safety Budda Baker -- The San Francisco 49ers are denouncing a series of racist messages sent from an apparent fan of the team to Cardinals safety Budda Baker during Sunday’s game. The Niners announced Tuesday that they are investigating the situation to identify the fan, who will be banned from all team games and events. Michael Nowels in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/16/20

Progressive DAs form new alliance to combat ‘tough-on-crime’ orgs -- Four reform-minded California prosecutors have created their own lobbying organization to support progressive legislation and candidates, a group intended to challenge the law-and-order ethos and political heft of traditional law enforcement associations. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/16/20

Education

San Diego legislators want Gov. Newsom to sign high school ethnic studies bill -- San Diego legislators and others are calling for Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a bill that would require ethnic studies for high school students, a bill that has sat on his desk for two weeks. AB 331 was authored by Assemblyman Jose Medina (D-Riverside) and passed both chambers of the state legislature at the end of August. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/16/20

First big reform of California’s education funding law awaits governor’s signature -- The first significant change to the state’s 7-year-old K-12 funding system, the Local Control Funding Formula, is a signature away from becoming law. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 9/16/20

School

Ransomware attack hits Newhall schools, halting online classes -- A different sort of virus — ransomware — has taken down the computer system at the Newhall School District, forcing a shutdown of distance learning for some 6,000 elementary school students, officials said. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/20

Distance Learning Impasse Could Plunge Sacramento City Schools Further Into Fiscal Crisis, County Superintendent Says -- Almost all of Sacramento County’s thirteen school districts have a distance learning plan in place during the pandemic — agreed to by both teachers and administrators — and are in solid financial shape. But there is one outlier: the Sacramento City Unified School District. Pauline Bartolone Capital Public Radio -- 9/16/20

Tens of thousands of L.A. area students still need computers or Wi-Fi 6 months into pandemic -- Six months after schools closed amid the coronavirus crisis and with online learning in full swing, tens of thousand of students remain without adequate digital access and school districts in Los Angeles County report they still need nearly 50,000 computers and Wi-Fi hot spots. Paloma Esquivel, Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/20

Also . . .

49ers pay Santa Clara $5.5 million in owed rent for Levi’s Stadium, city says -- The city’s stadium authority board — comprised of Mayor Lisa Gillmor and the City Council — unanimously approved filing an arbitration claim last week in a bid to get the payment. Darren Sabedra in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/16/20

Patagonia adds political statement to clothing tags: 'Vote the as-holes out' -- California outdoor gear company Patagonia concealed a political statement against climate change deniers in some of its newest clothing. "Vote the as—holes out," reads the message printed on the back of some tags. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/16/20

With $25 million in unpaid parking tickets, San Jose launches an amnesty program -- Are you one of the tens of thousands of motorists with unpaid San Jose parking tickets piling up? If so, you could be in for a bit of a break — that is, if you pay them by the end of the year. Maggie Angst in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/16/20

POTUS 45

Trump tells town hall he ‘up-played’ the coronavirus pandemic -- President Donald Trump claimed on Tuesday to have “up-played” the threat of coronavirus early in the pandemic, contradicting his own remarks to the journalist Bob Woodward that he wanted to minimize the disease to avoid panic. Matthew Choi Politico -- 9/16/20

Beltway

Biden campaign manager on Trump's return to rallies: 'People will die' -- Joe Biden’s campaign manager attacked President Donald Trump and his team for the packed rallies they've recently resumed, warning that "people will die" because of the acute risk of coronavirus transmission at the largely maskless events. Caitlin Oprysko Politico -- 9/16/20

-- Tuesday Updates

Firefighters lose ground as Bobcat fire moves closer to homes, Mt. Wilson Observatory -- The Bobcat fire in the Angeles National Forest has crossed containment lines and is moving closer to Mt. Wilson Observatory and threatened foothill communities, the U.S. Forest Service said Tuesday. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/15/20

California fires claim more lives as North Complex death toll rises -- The confirmed death toll from California’s unprecedented firestorm has risen to 25 as crews work to hem in some two dozen major blazes still burning statewide. Another fatality was confirmed Monday in the area of the North Complex fire near Oroville — boosting that fire’s death toll to 15, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/15/20

Two killed in West Zone fire didn’t evacuate Berry Creek due to ‘erroneous’ info -- Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said in a Monday news conference a pair of victims, both now identified, died after reportedly deciding not to evacuate despite the mandatory order, having received inaccurate information that the fire was mostly contained. Michael McGough and Rosalio Ahumada in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/15/20

California wildfires could deal second punch to struggling small businesses -- Michael Volpatt already knew what art, medicine and clothes he needed to take when he got an alert to evacuate his home west of Guerneville in Sonoma County ahead of the massive LNU Complex Fire. But there was one more decision to make — should he go to his store, Big Bottom Market, and try to prepare it for what could be a weeks-long evacuation? Leonardo Castañeda in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/15/20

California’s prison firefighters face grueling toil like never before in historic fire season -- As a wall of flames from the North Complex fires billowed toward them, firefighters Christian Sung and William Vanderhoef raced to thin a dense pine forest. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/15/20

Breathe

Smoke from California wildfires reaches Europe and East Coast -- The wildfires that have choked California’s skies with smoke in recent weeks — littering cities with ash, wreaking havoc on regional air quality and transforming the sun into an ominous red orb — have now stretched their sooty tendrils to the other side of the country and beyond. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/15/20

Bay Area air quality improves, but smoke to linger for days -- The smoke-choked Bay Area woke Tuesday to noticeably clearer skies and somewhat easier breathing after light winds helped dispel smoke pouring from wildfires. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/15/20

Street

‘Been shot in the head’: Deputies’ struggle to survive after Compton attack -- A thick layer of blood covered her tan shirt, part of her Los Angeles County sheriff’s uniform. She was bleeding from her face. Minutes before, she and her partner working transit security were sitting in their patrol car at the Compton Metro station when a gunman approached and opened fire. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/15/20

Vanessa Bryant slams L.A. County sheriff for challenging LeBron James to match reward -- Vanessa Bryant is unhappy with comments made by Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva in the aftermath of the shooting of two sheriff’s deputies Saturday in Compton. During a radio interview Monday, Villanueva challenged Lakers star LeBron James to double a $175,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the assailant. Chuck Schilken in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/15/20

San Leandro police officer charged with Steven Taylor’s death taken into custody -- The San Leandro police officer charged with voluntary manslaughter for the death of a Black man inside a Walmart store in April, was put into handcuffs Tuesday morning in the courtroom and taken to jail. Angela Ruggiero in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/15/20

Virus and Hunger

Hunger rises in Bay Area as pandemic lingers -- Navy veteran Andy Cuevas has always prided himself on being self-sufficient. But when the pandemic hit and the Belmont resident was laid off from work as a veterans’ coordinator at Cañada College while his wife Nadia lost her job at the Gap, they turned to the Second Harvest of Silicon Valley food bank for a weekly grocery box to keep food on the table for their two children. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/15/20

Long Waits, Delays For Food, Health Care Benefits In Sacramento County During Pandemic -- Since the pandemic began in March, many new applicants for CalFresh “food stamps” or Medi-Cal have experienced long hold times over the phone and processing times of up to a month, as a result of both a backlog of new cases and a lack of county workers, according to recent data from the Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance. Sarah Mizes-Tan Capital Public Radio -- 9/15/20

Vaccine

NIH is ‘very concerned’ about serious side effect in coronavirus vaccine trial -- The National Institutes of Health has launched an investigation into the case of a patient who suffered spinal cord damage after joining AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine trial. Arthur Allen, Liz Szabo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/15/20

USPS & Politics

We mailed 100 letters to test the Postal Service. The verdict: Spotty at best, dismal at worst -- The letter — filled with stickers for a 5-year-old boy named William — was mailed at the post office in the Los Angeles community of Sylmar on Aug. 22. It was sent first class, at a cost of 55 cents, and with a promise, according to the U.S. Postal Service website, of “delivery in 1-3 business days.” The plain white envelope arrived at its destination, a ranch-style house in Austin, Texas, 11 days later. Maria L. La Ganga, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/15/20

Also . . .

California health clubs sue Newsom over COVID-19 restrictions: ‘We believe in science’ -- Numerous California churches have sued Gov. Gavin Newsom, challenging his COVID-19 shutdown orders, without success. Now the state’s health clubs are giving it a try. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/15/20

QAnon Followers Attack SF's Scott Wiener Over Sex Offender Law -- You might think the claim that California has legalized pedophilia wouldn’t pass the smell test with most people. Not in 2020, when certain Republican politicians have seized on the passage of a law regarding sex offenders as an opportunity to rally QAnon believers, a growing and active group of conspiracy theorists. Rachael Myrow KQED -- 9/15/20

In a small California town, a fight over desalination is now about environmental justice -- On a barren stretch of Monterey Bay, in a region desperate for fresh water, an oft-overlooked town has little say in whether a big water company can build a desalination operation right on its shore. Rosanna Xia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/15/20

Your diesel Mercedes-Benz might be illegally polluting. How carmaker is paying for cheating -- In another major scandal involving California and nationwide air-pollution standards, Mercedes-Benz and its German parent have been fined $1.5 billion for equipping their diesel cars with illegal software. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/15/20

These tiny apartments for Sacramento homeless will cost more to build than a luxury house -- Last year, Sacramento officials announced an extreme makeover for the Capitol Park Hotel, the century-old building just a few blocks from the Golden 1 Center and K Street restaurant scene, that would bring life to a dilapidated building with newly renovated rooms for the homeless. Matt Kreiser in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/15/20

After 86 days at sea, SF rower arrives in Hawaii -- Having endured three months alone, rowing across the Pacific Ocean in a small rowboat, Lia Ditton hauled her 21-foot craft into a slip at the Waikiki Yacht Club in Honolulu on Sept. 12, relieved to have made the 2,700-nautical-mile journey from San Francisco Bay in one piece. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/15/20

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