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

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Bobcat fire explodes to 91,000 acres; homes burned amid heavy winds -- The Bobcat fire exploded Friday amid intense winds, burning homes in the Antelope Valley and spreading in several directions. As of Saturday morning, the fire had burned more than 91,000 acres and was threatening some desert communities along Highway 138. Dakota Smith, Alex Wigglesworth, Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ Emily Rasmussen, Nathaniel Percy in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 9/19/20

Marines from Camp Pendleton quickly train to help with Creek Fire nearing Mammoth Lakes -- Marines and sailors at Camp Pendleton got a crash course on wildland firefighting. “Normally, we do two weeks of training, but we consolidated that into two days,” said Isaac Tzintzun, a Bureau of Land Management wildland firefighter. “We’ll do two more days when we get up (to the Creek Fire), and then we’ll be on the fireline.” Erika I. Ritchie in the Orange County Register -- 9/19/20

California was choked by wildfire smoke. How bad is it for our health? -- For weeks, millions of Californians were smothered by smoke from a record explosion of wildfires burning through grass, shrubs, conifer forests, houses and mobile home parks. Eyes watered. Lungs burned. Skies glowed orange. Tony Barboza, Joseph Serna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/20

Tiny particles from wildfire smoke follow ‘wind all the way down to your smallest air sacs’ -- The potential health impacts of exposure to wildfire smoke can go well beyond the coughing, sore throats and the watery eyes that most Californians have experienced over the last few weeks. Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/19/20

L.A. suffered deadly heat, yet chairs sat empty at its cooling centers -- “A lot of people don’t have transportation, and in the grueling heat, people just stay still as much as possible,” said Pastor Kathy Huck of the homeless outreach group About My Father’s Business. “If it were two blocks away, people would walk to it. But most of them are unreachable for people in encampments.” Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/20

Policy & Politics 

Kamala Harris, Dianne Feinstein key players in fight over Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat -- With a political maelstrom growing over replacing the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court, California’s two senators will not only be major figures in the immediate confirmation fight — their approach to it will also signal Democrats’ long-term strategy against Republicans. Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/19/20

Street  

In D.A.’s race framed by reform, George Gascón’s police career is under a microscope -- Less than two years into his career as a Los Angeles police officer, George Gascón said, he saw a suspect reach for his partner’s gun as they struggled to arrest him. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/20

Criticism of sheriff’s performance intensifies, but Villanueva insists he’s not concerned -- The turn of Thursday’s Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission meeting was unexpected: after various agenda items, Commissioner Robert Bonner called for the resignation of L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. Leila Miller in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/20

Governor again overrules parole board recommendation to free ex-Mexican Mafia member -- Rene Enriquez, a Mexican Mafia member who defected 18 years ago and helped law enforcement authorities incarcerate dozens of his onetime confederates, has been denied parole by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the fifth time in a row the state’s governor has overruled a recommendation to free him. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/20

Virus and School  

Some San Diego-area families still lack reliable internet needed for distance learning -- As county schools office works to distribute 6,000 more hotspots to schools, rural schools struggle with spotty service. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/19/20

Closed schools have to serve some special education students in person, experts say -- A judge recently ordered a school district to provide a student in-person services, saying her distance learning was not a comparable program. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/19/20

Virus Economy  

‘Tsunami’ of hotel closures is coming, experts warn -- Located on one of the world’s most expensive strips of commercial real estate, the upscale Luxe Rodeo Drive hotel has closed, a casualty of a pandemic that is likely to put more hotels out of business. Hugo Martín in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/20

COVID-19 Purple Tier Would Clamp Down On Indoor Business Operations -- By next week, San Diego County could be in California's most restrictive tier for reopening during the pandemic. Matt Hoffman KPBS -- 9/19/20

More uncertainty looms as Southern California marks 6 months of coronavirus closures -- School campuses sit empty of students. Signs on storefronts warn that patrons must wear masks to enter. Event venues and amusement parks — the Hollywood Bowl, Universal Studios, Disneyland — remain eerily deserted. Hayley Munguia in the Orange County Register -- 9/19/20

Six Months After Stay-At-Home Orders, Californians Still Figuring Out Life Under COVID-19 -- Sacramento County and the state of California were seen early on as leaders in "bending the curve" and limiting the number of new infections. But that began to change late in the spring into the summer as counties began to slowly reopen. Ezra David Romero, Chris Hagan Capital Public Radio -- 9/19/20

Entertainment industry treading water after 6 months of coronavirus restrictions -- When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in March, few people could have imagined a world without places to go for entertainment: no amusement parks, no multiplexes for movies, no theaters or festival grounds for concerts, no casinos. Fielding Buck in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 9/19/20

Homeless  

With only more need expected, Fullerton keeps open safe parking lot for those sleeping in cars -- The City Council recently said the program will last until at least the end of this year with the hope of it becoming more of a regional program with other cities in Orange County following suit. The coronavirus pandemic is expected to only increase the need. Nathan Nguyen in the Orange County Register -- 9/19/20

Environment   

The story behind that Patagonia tag, and how the Trump era changed outdoor recreation -- Browse Patagonia’s online shop, and you’ll find T-shirts condemning Big Oil, encouraging people to vote with planet Earth in mind and declaring that when it comes to wilderness, Americans must “defend it or lose it.” Sammy Roth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/20

Lopez: Sharks moving north, redwood growth slowing, mosquitoes biting — this is California’s altered state -- In California, we’ve come to see drought, extreme heat and deadly fire as the most alarming, obvious evidence of climate change. But life as we know it is being altered in multiple ways, often just out of view. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/20

Gig Work   

Federal judge tosses Uber lawsuit challenging AB5 -- U.S. District Court Judge Dolly Gee in Los Angeles did leave the door open for Uber and Postmates to file a more limited lawsuit by Oct. 9 if they had new evidence that their rights were violated. Uber, which is in the process of buying Postmates, implied that it would do so. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/19/20

 

California Policy & Politics Saturday Morning  

Earthquake: 4.6 quake shakes Southern California -- A magnitude 4.6 earthquake was reported late Friday night, rattling a wide swath of Southern California. There were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries, but the 11:38 p.m. quake was felt across the region and as far as San Diego, according to the U.S. Geological Service. Stephanie Chavez, Dakota Smith, Julia Wick in the Los Angeles Times$ Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ Jody Collins in the Orange County Register -- 9/19/20

Wildfire    

‘We expect structure loss’: Bobcat fire forces more evacuations in Antelope Valley -- The Bobcat fire has made its way into the foothills of the Antelope Valley and is damaging structures and forcing more evacuations. Vince Pena, unified incident commander with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said the blaze is threatening property around Juniper Hills and Valyermo. Hayley Smith, Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/20

250 Camp Pendleton Marines and sailors to deploy to Creek fire near Fresno -- The Marines trained Lance Cpl. Marissa Urias how to drive heavy machinery in battle. But on Friday, the 19-year-old motor vehicle operator was preparing for a different kind of fight, one she never imagined when she joined the military. Andrew Dyer in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/19/20

Policy & Politics 

Hundreds mourn Ruth Bader Ginsburg in S.F.’s Castro District -- Hundreds of masked mourners gathered Friday night in San Francisco’s Castro District to honor Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/19/20

Newsom signs law to give more undocumented Californians a tax break worth hundreds of dollars -- The change is meant to put money in the pockets of low-income households regardless of immigration status during the recession brought on by the coronavirus outbreak. California is the only state offering the so-called Earned Income Tax Credit to undocumented residents. Kim Bojórquez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/19/20

Jobs  

Robots, veterans, apprenticeships: What’s next for California’s job market -- It’s just one facet of California’s economic recovery, but the state’s unemployment rate is starting to drop after an unprecedented spike during coronavirus lockdowns. Lauren Hepler CalMatters -- 9/19/20

California job growth is sluggish — and experts say it may get worse -- California’s job market improved slightly in August, but the state has regained just a third of the jobs it lost since the COVID-19 pandemic forced thousands of businesses to close. Margot Roosevelt in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/20

California Paid Leave Law Among Nation’s Broadest -- A new law in California lets more people than almost anywhere else in the country take up to three months off from work to care for a family member thanks in part to a nursing mother who brought her baby to work with her on the final day of the state legislative session to vote for it. Adam Beam Associated Press -- 9/19/20

San Diego unemployment falls below double digits for first time in months -- San Diego County’s unemployment rate in August dropped to its lowest level, 9.9 percent, since the pandemic began. While still high by historic standards, it is improved from May when the jobless rate for the county hit 15.2 percent — its highest ever recorded for records dating to 1990. August represents three months in a row of reduced jobless claims. Phillip Molnar in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/19/20

Back to School   

COVID testing of teachers, staff hotly debated as California schools reopen -- As schools throughout California tiptoe toward reopening, decisions about whether to routinely test teachers, staff and even students for the COVID-19 virus are proving controversial – and potentially costly. Barbara Feder Ostrov CalMatters -- 9/19/20

L.A. schools are closed — but there are loopholes for those with money -- Like all K-12 schools in Los Angeles County, Anza remains closed by state and county orders. Yet these public school fourth-graders, their siblings and almost 200 other Torrance Unified School District students now attend remote classes from their physical classrooms. Sonja Sharp, Laura Newberry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/20

San Diego Unified enrollment drops amid pandemic, especially among kindergarteners -- The largest group of students not enrolled during the 2020-2021 school year is kindergarteners, who make up about 1,680 of unenrolled students. The children had been enrolled in transitional kindergarten in June and were expected to enter kindergarten in the fall. Andrea Lopez-Villafaña in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/19/20

Virus 

Political ploys, Trump leadership gaffes hurt coronavirus fight, UC Davis Health CEO says -- In an interview this week, the chief executive officer of Sacramento’s leading health system said that testing supplies remain woefully inadequate because of a lack of national leadership and that President Donald Trump’s political gamesmanship is keeping commonsense public health advice from helping Americans. Cathie Anderson and Michael Wilner in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/19/20

Campus Virus  

County to expand testing at SDSU where COVID-19 case totals continue to grow -- County officials are doubling the number of coronavirus tests they currently offer at San Diego State University, where COVID-19 cases are continuing to climb. Lyndsay Winkley in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/19/20

Virus Economy  

San Diego to Gov. Newsom: Reopen our convention centers -- As losses of more than $700 million continue to mount, San Diego leaders are pressing the state to approve “safe reopening” guidelines so that convention centers throughout the state can once again host meetings and trade shows early next year. Lori Weisberg in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/19/20

Despite Pandemic, Median Home Price In California Tops $700,000 -- Home prices in California continue to soar, even as the economy is battered by the pandemic. The median price for a house in California reached a record-high last month, topping $700,000, according to the California Association of Realtors. Scott Rodd Capital Public Radio -- 9/19/20

SF Economy  

S.F.’s Embarcadero could be devastated by earthquakes and rising seas, study warns The Embarcadero faces severe threats, with regionwide repercussions from both earthquakes that could undermine the city’s seawall and a rise in bay waters that could flood downtown streets and inundate BART and Muni tunnels, according to an exhaustive new study from the Port of San Francisco. John King in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/19/20

Homeless  

Sacramento to get millions from state to turn these hotels into homeless housing, mayor says -- Although Sacramento was not included on a list of cities Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that McConnell vows Senate will hold vote on Ginsburg’s replacementwill receive the first round of state funding to convert hotels into permanent homeless housing, Mayor Darrell Steinberg said he expects the city to receive funding. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/19/20

Beltway   

Ruth Bader Ginsburg tributes from Obama, Clinton: ‘There will never be another like her’ -- As news of the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg spread Friday, she was remembered as a champion for gender equality by the worlds of politics, business, entertainment and beyond — a spectrum of voices that included former President Obama, Hillary Clinton, Barbra Streisand, Lena Waithe, Tim Cook, Meghan McCain, Jennifer Lopez and Tracee Ellis Ross. Tracy Brown in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/20

McConnell vows Senate will hold vote on Ginsburg’s replacement -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed Friday that President Donald Trump’s nominee to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court will be put to the Senate floor for a vote, setting off a titanic political clash over the future of the high court and plunging the Senate into a crisis less than 45 days before the voters head to the polls to pick the next president. Andrew Desiderio, John Bresnahan, Kyle Cheney and Marianne Levine Politico -- 9/19/20

 

-- Friday Updates   

Firefighter dies battling wildfire sparked by gender-reveal party pyrotechnics -- A firefighter has died while battling the El Dorado fire in San Bernardino County, which has burned more than 20,000 acres. Few details were immediately available. Hayley Smith, James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ Evan Webeck in the San Jose Mercury$ Alma Fausto, Brian Rokos in the Orange County Register -- 9/18/20

Newsom held back from attacking Trump directly on climate change. Here’s why -- During a visit last week to the charred remains of the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area in Butte County, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared that he was tired of the “ideological BS” and urged people to reject politicians in denial about the “climate damn emergency” facing the country. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/18/20

Fast-moving Snow fire, sparked by burning car, prompts evacuations near Palm Springs -- A fast-moving, uncontained fire prompted evacuations near Palm Springs after more than doubling in size overnight, authorities said. The blaze, dubbed the Snow fire, was reported shortly after 2:30 p.m. Thursday in the Snow Creek community west of Palm Springs, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/20

‘A tsunami of fire’: North Complex fire victims couldn’t outrun or hide from the flames -- As a rapidly growing wildfire barreled toward Lake Oroville, residents of the small mountain communities lying in its path had to decide what to do. Two told their families they planned to seek shelter at a nearby pond. Another said he would leave only when he could see the fire from his home. Luke Money, Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/20

‘Unstoppable.’ How the Bear Fire erupted into a deadly disaster for tiny Berry Creek -- The Bear Fire looked like it would behave itself. It had been burning for three weeks in the Plumas National Forest, the result of a mid-August lightning strike, but hadn’t done any lethal damage. Dale Kasler and Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/18/20

The Siege at Station 62 -- Firefighters found the man facedown, clothes tattered, unable to speak, burns covering most of his body. The only place to try to save him was a tiny firehouse, itself in the path of the latest flames to ravage Butte County. Lizzie Johnson and Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/18/20

Worried you won’t get mail-in ballot due to wildfires? Here’s what to do in California -- With the general election 45 days away as of Friday, Californians who have been evacuated or whose homes have been impacted by the fires will need to take a few extra steps to make sure they’re able to send in their vote-by-mail ballots. Brooke Wolford in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/18/20

Virus 

Coronavirus testing kiosk at Union Station foretells future of pandemic recovery -- Andrew Raposa stood in line outside Union Station in Los Angeles on a recent Wednesday with a handful of friends waiting to be tested for the coronavirus at a unique walk-up kiosk. David Rosenfeld in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 9/18/20

California recalls N95 masks obtained through $90M contract with Santa Clara-based company -- California is recalling N95 masks obtained through a $90 million contract with Advoque, a company based in Santa Clara, after federal regulators revoked certification for the masks last week. Sophia Bollag and Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/18/20

Capt. Brett Crozier explains why he sent email warning of Roosevelt coronavirus outbreak -- Faced with a “bureaucratic logjam” of Naval decisionmakers and a spiraling coronavirus outbreak aboard his aircraft carrier, Capt. Brett Crozier told investigators he sent his now-famous email warning of possible sailor death and illness knowing he would be jeopardizing his military career, but confident it would help avoid a “larger catastrophe.” Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/18/20

Indoor dining might resume by month’s end in SF. Will it be enough to save struggling restaurants? -- San Francisco restaurants may once again welcome diners inside as soon as the end of the month, Mayor London Breed announced Friday morning, news that should please both struggling restaurateurs and people hungering for the indoor dining experience. Michael Cabanatuan, Nora Mishanec and Janelle Bitker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/18/20

L.A. County restrictions on indoor shopping centers are unjust, mall lawsuit alleges -- The operator of a sports apparel store in Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance has filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles County in an effort to ease countywide restrictions on operating businesses in indoor malls during the COVID-19 pandemic. Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/20

Coronavirus updates: California COVID-19 activity still on decline; poll shows concern -- There’s continued good news in California’s battle with the coronavirus, with the statistics reflecting more than a month of steady progress in tamping down virus activity. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/18/20

Could coronavirus cause a better flu season? Maybe -- As people in many parts of the country protect themselves from COVID-19 by wearing face masks, constantly washing and sanitizing their hands, and avoiding school, concerts and other types of indoor gatherings, they’re also inadvertently protecting themselves from influenza. Marisa Kendall, Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/18/20

Elections  

Fox: The Ballot Box Kiosk Merely Adds to Vote Safety Concerns -- Los Angeles County is already responding to the controversary of mail-in ballots and possible slow or reduced post office service for the election by planting 123 vote collection kiosks in the county. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 9/18/20

Jobs  

California unemployment is falling. But economy still in deep hole from COVID-19 shutdown -- Unemployment fell again in California last month, state officials announced Friday, but the economy has still recovered only one-third of the jobs that were lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/18/20

Coronavirus economy: Bay Area powers to big job gains in August -- The Bay Area job market rocketed to big gains in August that were larger than the increases for July, offering a hint that the easing of coronavirus-linked business shutdowns by government officials might have bolstered hiring, a labor report issued Friday shows. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/18/20

Landlords & Tenants  

Eviction bans taking a bite out of landlords’ bottom line -- Real estate agent Adam Bray-Ali hopes to retire someday off the income from his small portfolio of triplexes and four-plexes. But lately, his side job as a landlord isn’t going so well. Jeff Collins in the Orange County Register -- 9/18/20

School   

San Diego County schools will lose their chance to reopen if county falls to lowest tier -- California public health officials said Thursday that if a county falls to the lowest tier of its state reopening system, schools in the county that have not reopened will lose their chance to reopen. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/18/20

A dramatically diminished L.A. school police force under proposed cuts -- Two months after a divided Los Angeles Unified school board slashed funding for its police department by more than a third, the contours of a dramatically diminished force emerged this week. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/20

 

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