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Bobcat fire destroys at least 29 structures, continues to threaten Mt. Wilson -- At least 29 structures have been destroyed by the Bobcat fire burning in northeastern Los Angeles County, and the number could rise as high as 85, officials said. The U.S. Forest Service, one of the agencies managing the blaze, said Tuesday the voracious fire has expanded to more than 109,000 acres and is 17% contained. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/20
5 of the 6 largest California wildfires in history started in the past 6 weeks -- The staggering statistics keep piling up for California’s wildfire season: August and September account for five of the six biggest fires in nearly 90 years of recorded history for the state. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/22/20
Procession to honor firefighter killed in El Dorado fire -- A formal vehicle procession is scheduled Tuesday morning to transport the body of a fallen firefighter who died battling the El Dorado fire to an Orange County mortuary. Alex Wigglesworth, Matthew Ormseth, Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/20
People in this California town didn’t have much. Then fire took it away -- Berry Creek has been many things in its long history — a stagecoach stop, a lumber town, a vacation spot, a gold mining camp. It is home to retirees from crowded, expensive cities, marijuana growers and loners — lots of loners. Maria L. La Ganga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/20
Deputies begin escorts into North Complex evacuation zones. Fire now at 300,000 acres -- Fire crews continue to make progress containing the North Complex burning in Northern California, and a mandatory evacuation order has been reduced to a warning for one Butte County community heavily impacted by the wildfire earlier this month. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/22/20
Street
Vanessa Bryant sues L.A. County sheriff, alleging ‘cover-up’ of Kobe Bryant crash photos -- Vanessa Bryant has sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department over deputies sharing “unauthorized” photos of the scene of the helicopter crash that killed her husband, Kobe Bryant, their daughter and seven others. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ Stefanie Dazio Associated Press -- 9/22/20
A family called 911 for son’s mental health crisis. They say deputies beat and Tased him to death -- Blanca Briceno said she wakes up many nights with the images in her head: Several Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies pinning down and striking her son Eric in his bedroom, his face full of blood. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/20
Troubling trend in S.F.: 32% jump in gunfire recorded by ShotSpotter sensors -- After years of falling gun violence and despite pandemic shelter-in-place orders, shootings appear to be on the rise in some San Francisco neighborhoods in 2020, a trend that became more stark as the weather began to warm. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/22/20
Virus
California surpasses 15,000 coronavirus deaths as positivity rate drops below 3% -- The number of fatalities from the coronavirus in California surpassed 15,000 people on Sunday despite the state's gains in controlling infection spread. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/22/20
Why SF has the lowest COVID-19 death rate of any other major city -- While many other cities such as New York experienced terrifying periods with skyrocketing cases that filled hospital beds beyond capacity, San Francisco has kept its number of cases relatively low, with some ups and downs, yet not a major surge that overwhelmed the city's healthcare system and impacted its ability to provide optimal care. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/22/20
This is what 70% of Sacramento residents say is the worst part of the COVID-19 crisis -- A poll of Sacramento city residents has found that 93% support the government requiring people to wear masks in public to reduce the spread of coronavirus, an increase from a similar poll two months earlier. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/22/20
Coronavirus cuts: VTA could slash bus service to 1980 levels -- The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening to cast a long shadow over public transit and traffic in the South Bay, as Valley Transportation Authority leaders consider deep cuts to bus and light rail service that could outlast the virus’ grip on our daily lives. Nico Savidge in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/22/20
How is Little Saigon curbing coronavirus? By respecting elders, authorities and masks -- Dr. Quynh Kieu has a three-part theory to explain why Little Saigon has been relatively successful in stemming the COVID-19 pandemic. Anh Do in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/20
These gloves help fight COVID-19. But they’re made in sweatshop conditions -- They work 12-hour shifts, six days a week, on factory floors where temperatures can surpass 100 degrees. Lunch breaks are brief, sick days highly discouraged. Take too long coming back from the bathroom and it’ll be docked from the next paycheck. Shashank Bengali in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/20
Open anyway
Riverside County proposal would dump state’s plan and reopen sooner -- One Riverside County supervisor is pushing his colleagues to shirk the state’s newly established tier system in favor of local control over the county’s reopening process. Faith E. Pinho in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/20
Virus Workplace
‘No safety, no learning’: Many Orange County teachers protest reopening schools -- Teachers in two Orange County school districts have banded together with bold public protests and petitions, saying they are unwilling to go back to campus in the days and weeks ahead and signaling an undercurrent of broad concern among educators over the safety of returning to in-person instruction. Howard Blume, Andrew J. Campa, Stephanie Lai in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/20
The Bay Area’s small business closure crisis is already here -- When the Triptych Strength Training gym opened in San Francisco, it was a chance for Tarquin Thornton-Close to finally build the kind of workout space he had long envisioned — lots of room, limited numbers of people at a time, and plenty of strength-training gear. Leonardo Castañeda in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/22/20
Policy & Politics
California Republican lawmaker said his party asked for state pay cuts. It didn’t -- A Central Valley Republican lawmaker hasn’t asked for the same pay cut California state workers are taking despite saying on social media that a request had been made on his behalf. Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/22/20
Education Connections
UC donors’ children were inappropriately admitted to Cal and UCLA, audit finds -- Four University of California campuses unfairly admitted 64 students between 2013 and 2018 because of their connections to donors and university staff, according to a report releasedby California State Auditor on Tuesday, Sept. 22. Jeong Park in the Sacramento Bee$ Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Emily DeRuy in the San Jose Mercury$ Jocelyn Gecker and Juliet Williams Associated Press Mikhail Zinshteyn CalMatters -- 9/22/20
Cannabis
California marijuana taxes won’t go up for a year under new bill signed by Gavin Newsom -- The California cannabis industry is getting a bit of a tax break, courtesy of the California Legislature. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/22/20
Homeless
Where in the Bay Area are Newsom’s ‘Project Homekey’ funds going? -- New funding for long-term homeless housing continues to roll into the Bay Area, as Gov. Gavin Newsom doles out grants to help cities and counties create shelter that will outlast the coronavirus pandemic. But who are the lucky winners so far? Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/22/20
Smith: She tried to rent motel rooms for homeless people. A NIMBY hospital stopped her -- There is no shortage of excuses in California about why we continue to let tens of thousands of people live — and often die — in filthy encampments on street corners, in alleys and under freeways year after year. Erika D. Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/20
Also . . .
Census takers head to homeless shelters, outdoor camps -- Starting this week, census takers are grabbing reflective vests, face masks, bug spray and flashlights and heading out at night in groups of four to track down one of the hardest populations to count in the 2020 census — the homeless. Mike Schneider and Christopher Weber Associated Press -- 9/22/20
City Hall corruption: S.F. HR manager resigns after allegedly forging fake payout deal -- A manager in San Francisco’s human resources department resigned this month after admitting to forging a fake settlement agreement for a city employee who had complained of discrimination, city officials said. Michael Williams in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/22/20
Lazarus: Scam utility calls are the latest pandemic ploy to target your cash -- It would be nice, considering everything else going on, if I didn’t have to issue periodic reminders to watch out for scammers. David Lazarus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/20
California Policy & Politics Tuesday Morning
Gavin Newsom defends pause on new unemployment claims: ‘I didn’t want to wait another day.’ -- Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday defended his decision to halt his unemployment agency’s enrollment of new claims for two weeks, saying it would ultimately allow the state to more quickly process benefits as it struggles with a massive backlog. Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ Phil Willon, Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ Scott Rodd Capital Public Radio -- 9/22/20
Environmentalists plan lawsuit challenging Newsom over oil and gas drilling permits -- A national environmental organization on Monday threatened to sue Gov. Gavin Newsom to halt all new permits for gas and oil wells in the state, saying the governor has failed to protect Californians and the environment from hazards and pollutants released by the state’s billion-dollar petroleum industry. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/20
Walters: California’s job numbers aren’t good -- At first glance, California’s monthly employment numbers, released last Friday, appear to indicate steady recovery from the very severe pandemic-spawned recession. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 9/22/20
The hurdles facing California kids, explained -- California is home to more than 9 million children, many of them hungry, poor and struggling to access health care and quality education. Elizabeth Aguilera CalMatters -- 9/22/20
City challenges LAPD officer’s lawsuit alleging harassment by Garcetti aide -- Los Angeles city attorneys took aim Monday at allegations by a former bodyguard for Mayor Eric Garcetti who claimed in a lawsuit that he had been sexually harassed by a longtime advisor to the mayor. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/20
Kamala Harris was tough on Kavanaugh. How will she approach hearings on RBG’s successor? -- Kamala Harris is likely to get a unique chance to question a Supreme Court nominee uninterrupted before a national audience as Americans head to the polls — an opportunity supporters see as an important boost for the Democrats’ presidential ticket. David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press Emily DeRuy in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/22/20
Will Democrats add seats to the Supreme Court? They’ll need Dianne Feinstein’s support -- California Sen. Dianne Feinstein has not ruled out the possibility of expanding the Supreme Court if Republicans fill the late Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat before the November election, she said in an interview Monday. Kate Irby in the Sacramento Bee$ Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/22/20
Elections
In Rural Communities, Dialysis Can Be Difficult To Access. Could Proposition 23 Make It Harder? -- For the second time in as many years, Californians will vote on a ballot measure this November proposing new regulations for dialysis clinics. But this year’s Proposition 23, SEIU labor union’s second attempt at changing how dialysis clinics operate, focuses on a new set of requirements compared to 2018’s Proposition 8. Nina Sparling Capital Public Radio -- 9/22/20
CA120: Conspiracy theories may backfire — on both parties -- In our culture, conspiracy theories are running rampant, and elections seem to be particularly prone to the craziest among them. Paul Mitchell Capitol Weekly -- 9/22/20
SF Medical Examiner
Lots of Drugs, Lax Oversight: Former SF Medical Examiner Staffers Say Lab Analyst's Meth Arrest 'Just the Tip of the Iceberg' -- A lab analyst for the San Francisco medical examiner's office had driven more than 700 miles east toting a sealed bag of drug evidence before he was pulled over for speeding in Washington County, Utah. Julie Small KQED -- 9/22/20
Virus
California’s COVID-19 positivity rate drops below 3% for the first time -- The share of Californians who tested positive for COVID-19 in the last week dipped below 3% for the first time, a sign that the Golden State is finally starting to beat back the spread of the coronavirus, officials said Monday. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/20
COVID-19 then and now: Six reasons why death rates are improving -- The sickest coronavirus patients can live for weeks with a gripping headache, profound nausea, burning lungs, malaise, cough and waves of pain in their bones. They may be tethered to a breathing machine. But eight months into the pandemic, fewer are dying. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/22/20
Court Filing: COVID-19 Outbreak At San Diego Jail Due To Careless Handling Of Infected Inmate -- An inmate is on the verge of death as one of the largest COVID outbreaks in the federal prison system continues to play out in downtown San Diego. Max Rivlin-Nadler KPBS -- 9/22/20
SDSU Outbreak Threatens San Diego’s Economic Recovery -- The start of the semester at San Diego State University was, as always, a time for students to make and renew friendships on and off its urban campus and enjoy the beach and the city's unmatched August weather. Elliot Spagat Associated Press -- 9/22/20
UC San Diego tries to avoid the coronavirus chaos that has upended San Diego State -- With 882 students testing positive or likely to be positive, San Diego State University is reeling from an outbreak of COVID-19. Is the same thing about to happen at UC San Diego? The answer will begin to emerge as 7,500 undergraduates start to move into meticulously cleaned dorms on the sprawling La Jolla campus for the start of the fall quarter. Gary Robbins in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/20
California's Deadly Spring Suggests COVID-19 Deaths Are Undercounted -- The first five months of the COVID-19 pandemic in California rank among the deadliest in state history, deadlier than any other consecutive five-month period in at least 20 years. Phillip Reese Kaiser Health News via KQED -- 9/22/20
Orange County could stay in the red tier longer if coronavirus testing doesn’t pick up -- Orange County is half-qualified for the next coronavirus tracking tier, colored orange for “moderate” risk, which would mean more businesses and public sectors could reopen and less occupancy restrictions on those that have. Ian Wheeler in the Orange County Register -- 9/22/20
Back to School
Students of all ages begin in-person instruction at Rocklin district’s 17 schools -- Rocklin Unified School District reopened classrooms Monday, and more than 10,000 students returned to their campuses — the first time since closures were ordered in March. All students from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade are able to return to the district’s 17 campuses in some capacity. Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/22/20
La Jolla Parents Are Opting Out of San Diego Unified -- Back in June, San Diego Unified leaders said they would fully reopen their schools in the fall. Then a month later, everything was suddenly off. District leaders said they would go fully online. That was the moment Ali Murphy, a La Jolla parent, decided to pull her kids out of public school. Will Huntsberry Voiceofsandiego.org -- 9/22/20
New parent group demands that San Diego Unified set a reopening timeline -- Parent Gina Smith said she started the group called Reopen SDUSD last week because she is frustrated that other San Diego County districts have set reopening dates and many private schools are already open with safety measures in place. Meanwhile San Diego Unified, the state’s second-largest district, has no tentative reopening date. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/22/20
Back to school in Orange County: Some confident, some concerned -- Many more Orange County children are heading back to the classroom as early as this week. Some parents and teachers say the time is right. Some don’t think so. Steve Fryer in the Orange County Register -- 9/22/20
Reopen
SF archbishop asks why people can shop at Nordstrom, but not go to church inside -- Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone delivered an impassioned sermon at an outdoor mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption after a march through the streets, calling for the right to worship indoors. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/22/20
Eduction
California schools launch anti-racism plan, flouting Trump's threats -- The California Department of Education announced new anti-racism lessons and teacher training for school districts on Monday, days after President Donald Trump decried the notion of teaching slavery as a founding tenet of the U.S. and called for a more “patriotic education." MacKenzie Mays Politico -- 9/22/20
Fewer students attending California community colleges, early fall numbers show -- California’s community college system is experiencing a systemwide decline of student enrollment this fall, with some campuses reporting double-digit losses. Ashley A. Smith EdSource -- 9/22/20
Wildfire
Firefighter killed in El Dorado blaze identified as a 14-year veteran -- The firefighter killed while battling the El Dorado fire in San Bernardino County was identified Monday as Charles Morton, a 14-year veteran with the U.S. Forest Service who led the Big Bear Interagency Hotshot Squad. Morton died Sept. 17. He was 39. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ Alex Riggins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/22/20
California wildfire threatening more than 1,000 homes --A wildfire scorching its way through brush and timber from the mountains to the desert northeast of Los Angeles threatened more than 1,000 homes on Tuesday as crews across the West battled dozens of other major blazes. Christopher Weber Associated Press -- 9/22/20
To Prevent California Wildfires, We Need to Have Some Uncomfortable Conversations -- The alarming wildfires across the West have got people thinking, once again, how to prevent or at least minimize the catastrophic fire seasons we've been experiencing. KQED -- 9/22/20
No, This Man Wasn’t Arrested For Lighting 32 Wildfires On The West Coast -- Conspiracy theories about the dangerous wildfires burning in California, Oregon and Washington have thrived on social media. A new rumor on Facebook suggests that environmental factors connected to climate change, like severe heat and drought, have nothing to do with the fires. Instead the post pins much of the destruction on one man. Samantha Putterman Capital Public Radio -- 9/22/20
Street
Petition for restraining order alleges unlawful use of force by Sheriff’s Department at protests -- Plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit are seeking a temporary restraining order and injunction to limit the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s use of nonlethal force at protests, claiming it has employed rubber bullets, tear gas and other chemical agents indiscriminately against peaceful protestors, journalists and legal observers in violation of the Constitution. Leila Miller in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/20
Daughter sues L.A. over father’s death following LAPD takedown -- The daughter of a man who died after being detained and taken to the ground by two Los Angeles police officers in Van Nuys last year is now suing the city of L.A. in federal court, alleging it was excessive force that caused his death. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/20
New California law strikes criminal court fees charged by sheriffs, police -- A new California law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed late last week forbids counties from charging criminal defendants a number of fees that can keep people in debt long after they leave the judicial system. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/22/20
Jobs
Status Update: FedEx hiring at least 1,500 in region -- FedEx is hiring across Southern California ahead of the holiday shopping season. The pandemic and related lockdowns have driven many shoppers to online orders, pushing up demand for logistics-related jobs. The item is in the Orange County Register -- 9/22/20
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 via Capital Public Radio -- 9/22/20
Program will provide laptop, weekly pay and digital job skills to Sacramento residents -- The city of Sacramento, the Greater Sacramento Urban League and the Greater Sacramento Economic Council on Monday announced the Digital Upskill Sacramento Program. Started in partnership with General Assembly and Merit America, is intended to provide new job skills to those affected by the coronavirus pandemic through full-time, virtual learning and projects. Molly Burke in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/22/20
Immigration / Border / ICE
How COVID-19 Has Impacted the Search for Separated Families -- Dora Melara, 42, has been searching for people she doesn’t know if she’ll find. She walks through cities and towns in Honduras, sometimes with only a name and a last-known location, searching for parents whose children were taken from them by authorities at the U.S.-Mexico border — and who were returned to their homeland without their kids. Michelle Wiley, Adriana Morga KQED -- 9/22/20
Environment
Bill would create new federal research program for nuclear waste disposal -- In Europe and Asia, spent nuclear fuel is routinely recycled so it can be used again — which cuts down on how much high-level waste must eventually be stored. In the U.S., spent fuel is discarded with more than 90 percent of its usable material still intact, filling up “beachfront nuclear waste dumps” like the one at San Onofre. Teri Sforza in the Orange County Register -- 9/22/20
Homeless
S.F. hotel, Oakland college dorm to be converted to housing for homeless people -- A residential hotel in San Francisco and an unused college dormitory in Oakland will be turned into long-term housing for homeless people under a state program designed to keep people off the streets during and after the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/22/20
POTUS 45
Trump Could Be Investigated for Tax Fraud, D.A. Says for First Time -- The Manhattan district attorney’s office, which has been locked in a yearlong legal battle with President Trump over obtaining his tax returns, suggested for the first time in a court filing on Monday that it had grounds to investigate him and his businesses for tax fraud. Benjamin Weiser and William K. Rashbaum in the New York Times$ -- 9/22/20
Beltway
How the GOP is trying to justify its Supreme Court reversal -- It has been two and a half days since Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death set a political tempest in motion. Four years after Senate Republicans declined to take up President Barack Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland in a presidential election year because they said voters should decide the matter, they’re now casting that standard aside and pressing forward. Aaron Blake in the Washington Post$ -- 9/22/20
-- Monday Updates
Bobcat fire looms large in Antelope Valley as gusty winds create potential for rapid growth -- Fire weather on Monday is threatening portions of the Antelope Valley, where the massive Bobcat fire continues to loom large after forcing evacuations and charring multiple homes. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ Alma Fausto, Ruby Gonzales in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 9/21/20
Fires continue to take a toll on California air quality -- Conditions at one point were considered hazardous Monday morning in the area of Mammoth Lakes, meaning “everyone should stay indoors and reduce activity levels,” according to air quality monitors. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/21/20
Cal Fire posts 'damage map' with homes destroyed in North Complex -- Cal Fire released a preliminary damage assessment map showing homes that were damaged or destroyed in the North Complex, a group of fires burning east of Chico. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/21/20
Newsom wants to step up climate fight as wildfires rage. But will Californians pay up? -- When Gov. Gavin Newsom declared recently that “we have to step up our game” and accelerate California’s fight against climate change, it triggered a question in Chris Rufer’s mind: How much will this cost? Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/21/20
King: California is terrible at fixing large problems. But the climate emergency and housing crisis require big thinking -- The recent plague of smoke-darkened skies over the Bay Area did make one thing clear: We Californians are all in this together. John King in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/21/20
Californians moved to Oregon for affordable housing. Wildfires left them homeless -- Shannon King, a single mother, left the Bay Area a decade ago as housing costs soared, hoping to find an affordable place to live in southern Oregon. Molly Hennessy-Fiske in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/21/20
School
No place to study, hunger, inadequate computers hurting Eastside and South L.A. students -- Los Angeles families with school-age children in Boyle Heights, South Los Angeles and Watts struggled with access to computers and adequate internet throughout the spring semester while facing job losses and food insecurity, issues that hampered online learning amid the coronavirus pandemic, a survey has found. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/21/20
Street
Controversial facial-recognition software used 30,000 times by LAPD in last decade, records show -- The Los Angeles Police Department has used facial-recognition software nearly 30,000 times since 2009, with hundreds of officers running images of suspects from surveillance cameras and other sources against a massive database of mugshots taken by law enforcement. Kevin Rector, Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/21/20
President Trump calls injured California cops, one of whom can’t speak and wrote out her responses -- The call was detailed in a Saturday afternoon Facebook post from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Transit Service Bureau. It shows the 31-year-old, who was shot in the face, in bed with a writing pad in her lap. Her arms are heavily bandaged. Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN -- 9/21/20
Armed and Black. How a group of men licensed to carry guns say they are seeking racial justice -- The ad hoc group of about two dozen men — including a retired firefighter, a healthcare worker and a veteran — formed in the days after George Floyd’s killing in response to the local NAACP chapter putting out a call for residents in predominantly Black north Minneapolis to protect small businesses from destruction as fires and unrest engulfed the city. Kurtis Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/21/20
Virus
California surpasses 15,000 coronavirus deaths, just behind Texas -- As of Sunday, California recorded 15,014 deaths, adding 27 Sunday and 77 Saturday — a reminder of the staggering loss even as new cases are falling. Los Angeles County has by far the most deaths from COVID-19 in the state, according to the Los Angeles Times tracker, with at least 6,353 people who have died. Rosanna Xia in the Los Angeles Times$ Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/21/20
COVID-19 then and now: Six reasons why death rates are improving -- The sickest coronavirus patients can live for weeks with a gripping headache, profound nausea, burning lungs, malaise, cough and waves of pain in their bones. They may be tethered to a breathing machine. But eight months into the pandemic, fewer are dying. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/21/20
Orange County could stay in the red tier longer if coronavirus testing doesn’t pick up -- But the rate of new cases each day came in this week at 4.7 cases per 100,000 residents, dashing hopes that Orange County could spend only the minimum three weeks in the red tier and briskly move on to the orange tier by Sept. 29. Ian Wheeler in the Orange County Register -- 9/21/20
Shyong: In the midst of wildfires and a pandemic, domestic workers need protections more than ever -- Sandra Martinez, 45, a housekeeper, used to work three days a week before the pandemic struck. Now she does the same work for one day’s pay, because her employer thought one housekeeping appointment was less risky than three. Frank Shyong in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/21/20
Coronavirus: Is it safe to dine indoors? Bay Area restaurants say their survival depends on it -- There’s a lot more to worry about now as Jean Pierre Iuliano welcomes diners to his Cafe Mare restaurant in Santa Cruz — in one of the few Bay Area counties open for indoor dining. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/21/20
Staying Afloat
Extra $300 unemployment money is gone. How will people survive without it? -- It means hardships for millions all over California, unemployed people who were receiving an additional $300 a week from the federal government for five weeks. But that benefit has ended, and back in Washington, Congress has gone home for a long weekend, stuck in a partisan deadlock over whether to revive it. Jeong Park and David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/21/20
Elections
California’s Proposition 24 would protect data-privacy law from being weakened in Legislature -- Two years ago, California legislators passed the first major statewide digital-privacy law in the country, giving consumers broad new rights to control how their personal information is used and sold. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/21/20
Are Placer and El Dorado counties still Republican strongholds? Here are the latest numbers -- Placer and El Dorado counties have long been Republican strongholds, reliably voting for conservative candidates in presidential elections every year since Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980. But a new wave of voters in the last four years have registered with the Democrats or refused to affiliate with either party, winnowing the registration gap. Phillip Reese in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/21/20
Supreme Court fight could elevate Kamala Harris’ profile -- Kamala Harris is poised to become a leading figure in the Democratic opposition to President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick, with her status as both a lawmaker and vice presidential nominee putting her in the center of the fight. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 9/21/20
Policy & Politics
‘If you’re not counted, you don’t exist’: Census efforts continue in Sacramento County -- On a given Saturday, residents line up to get food assistance from River City Food Bank in Arden Arcade. Though people come for pasta, canned goods and other food, this summer many have walked away with something else: a completed census. Molly Burke in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/21/20
Ginsburg’s death sets up titanic battle over abortion rights -- In a political year dominated by a deadly pandemic and a fight for racial equality, the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg may rocket the abortion question back to the center of American consciousness, with the future of that constitutional right hanging in the balance in the selection of her successor. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/21/20
Fox: The LA Sheriff is Going Nowhere -- In LA County, the new sheriff in town–he’s only been in office 22 months–would surrender the office if some powerful politicians and political entities have anything to say about it. But Sheriff Alex Villanueva says he’s going nowhere and he’s probably right. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 9/21/20
Homeless
Oakland: New proposed rules lay out where homeless residents can and can’t camp -- The new policy would prioritize clearing encampments in certain areas, including spaces within 150 feet of a school, within 50 feet of a protected waterway, residence, business, playground or public park, or within 25 feet of a homeless shelter. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/21/20
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