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Stuck between allies in tech and labor, Newsom won’t weigh in on Uber-backed Prop. 22 -- Statewide polls suggest California voters are having a difficult time picking sides on Proposition 22. And so is their governor. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/20
Why President Trump’s attacks on voting by mail could backfire for California GOP -- Republican political operatives aren’t accustomed to chasing down last-minute voters this close to Election Day. But, in yet another reflection of what a strange year 2020 has been, they are. And they aren’t happy about it. Ben Christopher CalMatters -- 10/30/20
Bay Area braces for protests on Election Day and beyond -- In the Bay Area, where protests over the May death of George Floyd devolved into looting and police fired tear gas and injured demonstrators with rubber bullets, tensions are still running high. Now, as the election approaches, residents and law enforcement officials are prepared for people to take to the streets no matter who wins. Marisa Kendall, Robert Salonga, Martha Ross in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/30/20
In red California, election tests friendships, worsens divisions. ‘You can feel the tension’ -- Victor Castellanos says the presidential election feels a lot like this: a choice between a raw jalapeño and a snow-cone. Two radically disparate things he’s not really in the mood for. Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/20
San Diego health pros use trust, relationships to build voter turnout -- The “My Vote. My Health.” campaign, spearheaded by the health clinic AltaMed in Los Angeles, leverages the trust that nurses, health care staff and doctors enjoy in communities, to provide non-partisan voting information and assistance through clinic visits, door-to-door canvassing and phone banks. Andrea Lopez-Villafaña in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/30/20
Open anyway
Santa Clara County sues San Jose church to stop holding indoor services -- Santa Clara County is suing a San Jose church to stop hosting indoor services and violating social distancing protocols, alleging that the church has flagrantly flouted basic requirements aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus for months. Fiona Kelliher in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/30/20
Virus
To avoid a surge, San Francisco halts reopening as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations rise -- San Francisco is pausing its reopening plans due to increasing coronavirus case and hospitalization reports, early signs that the surge that has swept over most of the United States is starting to seep into the Bay Area. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/30/20
What Cal/OSHA has — and hasn’t — been doing for workers? -- During the pandemic, the short-staffed California Occupational Safety and Health Agency has raced to triage a mounting tsunami of about 7,300 workplace complaints and investigations into hundreds of illnesses and deaths related to the virus. Jackie Botts and Manuela Tobias CalMatters -- 10/30/20
From weddings to dinner out, how wholesome gatherings could bring next COVID-19 wave -- Officials have been desperately trying to keep infection rates down as the fall and winter holiday season approaches. On Thursday, the county announced its highest one-day increase in cases not connected to a reporting backlog since August. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/20
Disneyland is more than a job for some workers. A wave of layoffs will hit Sunday -- On top of that, she is wrestling with dark feelings of loss of a workplace that to her felt more like a home. And then there is the anxiety about when she might return to the job she once hoped would carry her until retirement. Hugo Martín in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/20
COVID-19 forced women to leave their jobs. Can California help them get back to work? --The pandemic and stay-at-home orders decimated industries such as hospitality that had employed a large number of women. Thousands more working mothers quit their job or reduced their working hours to care for their children as schools went online. Jeong Park, Hannah Wiley, and Kim Bojorquez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/30/20
Just Wash It
People, not candy, seen as the biggest risk for trick-or-treaters this year -- Household dishwashing detergent used to clean the candy for one minute or less reduced the risk significantly, with only one sample coming back positive from any group. The findings make it clear that candy is a manageable risk even on Halloween even when handled by people who have active coronavirus infections. Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/30/20
Also . . .
Lori Loughlin surrenders to prison, but COVID-19 will keep daughters away -- Lori Loughlin is finally facing the hard consequences of her role in the college admissions scandal by reporting to the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin Friday to begin her two-month sentence. Martha Ross in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 10/30/20
California Policy & Politics Friday Morning
First known case in Bay Area of dual coronavirus-flu infection found in Solano County man -- The first known case in the Bay Area of a dual coronavirus-influenza infection was confirmed Thursday in Solano County, prompting health officials to urge residents to hurry up and get flu shots and double down on social distancing and mask wearing. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/30/20
35-year-old San Diego man among four COVID-19 deaths announced Thursday -- Though most of the deaths so far under 40, including the latest, have also been diagnosed with other underlying health conditions in addition to confirmed coronavirus infections, three have not. Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/30/20
East Oakland is Bay Area's worst coronavirus hot spot -- Data compiled by Alameda County health officials show that the coronavirus has hit predominantly low-income communities of color in East Oakland harder than any other place in the Bay Area. Josh Koehn in the East Bay Express -- 10/30/20
New coronavirus spike in L.A. County brings new alarms -- There were new alarming signs that COVID-19 was spreading again in Los Angeles County, with officials announcing the highest one-day increase in cases not connected to a reporting backlog since August. Andrew J. Campa, Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/20
Policy & Politics
California auditors criticize $800,000 in state spending on contracts, millions for retirement bonuses -- California auditors investigating dozens of whistleblower complaints against state agencies have found more than $800,000 in inappropriate expenditures and millions of dollars more that the state will wastefully spend unless it takes corrective action, according to a report released Thursday. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/20
California drivers 70 and older allowed to skip DMV visit and renew licenses online -- Californians who are 70 years or older will be able to renew their driver’s licenses online or by mail beginning Dec. 6, bypassing the need to visit a Department of Motor Vehicles office during the coronavirus pandemic. Vanessa Arredondo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/30/20
Silicon Valley chamber’s president resigns after ‘blatantly racist’ ad posted on website -- The head of Silicon Valley’s chamber of commerce abruptly resigned Thursday after the organization posted a political advertisement to its website that its board members Executive Committee of the Board of Directors later called “blatantly racist.” Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Maggie Angst in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/30/20
Another pandemic blow: S.F.’s ambitious plan to redesign Market Street -- Bicyclists long dreaming of turning San Francisco’s main drag into Amsterdam may not get promised protected bike lanes as the Better Market Street project gets scaled back in yet another pandemic hit. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/30/20
Election
L.A. County’s second wave of Vote Centers to open as turnout swells -- A new wave of polling places across Los Angeles County will open Friday, Oct. 30, giving voters hundreds of more places to vote in a general election in the county that has already seen more than half the total turnout of four years ago. Ryan Carter in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 10/30/20
California may “shatter the total vote record” -- As the final weekend before Election Day approaches, approximately 40 percent of California’s electorate, or 8.5 million voters, have already cast their ballots—about double the number a week ago. As more in-person polling places open, experts say the state is on track to have more votes cast than ever before. Zachary Fletcher CalMatters -- 10/30/20
Mayor and LAPD chief assure voters that L.A. is election-ready and voting is safe -- “I don’t want to buy into a narrative that there’s going to be chaos during our election,” Garcetti said Wednesday. He said there is “no intelligence” suggesting any sort of plot to carry out violence or voter intimidation at L.A. polls, but the city is “very prepared” to protect voters who will be casting ballots. Kevin Rector, Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/20
Huntington Park to get two new voting centers after community outcry -- Huntington Park is set to receive two new mobile voting centers after local leaders complained that the existing options hampered voting access for the city’s residents. Faith E. Pinho in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/20
California judge: Uber’s Prop. 22 ads in driver app are not coercive -- A San Francisco Superior Court judge rejected arguments that Uber is bullying drivers with in-app ads over Proposition 22, a ballot measure that would keep gig workers as independent contractors. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/30/20
Yes on Prop. 16 has big fundraising lead in effort to restore affirmative action in California -- Backers of a statewide ballot measure which would allow the return of affirmative action in California’s public agencies have dwarfed their opponents in fundraising by nearly a 14-1 margin, campaign finance records show. Thomas Peele EdSource -- 10/30/20
Proposition 25: Future of cash bail system in voters’ hands -- The fate of California’s controversial cash bail system is in the hands of voters, but disagreements over what could take the place of bail has divided those who have long fought to bring it to an end. Sean Emery, Brian Rokos in the Orange County Register -- 10/30/20
For Native Americans, voter outreach is by both wi-fi and radio -- Although California is home to the largest Native American population in the United States, voting has always been problematic. This year, the pandemic — and the state’s decision to mail ballots to every California voter — has created new issues for tribal lands, whose residents often lack traditional mailing addresses. Freddy Brewster CalMatters -- 10/30/20
What if a state can’t agree which presidential candidate won? -- This year, as millions of Americans mail their ballots or stand in line well before election day, Nov. 3, to make sure their votes get counted, few may be aware of the legal machinery that exists to select the next president if things go wrong at the ballot box. Matt Pearce in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/20
Fed up with the election? Science explains how politics got so awful -- One year ago, a report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security assessed the readiness of 195 countries around the world to confront a deadly disease outbreak. Topping the list of most-prepared nations was the United States of America. Karen Kaplan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/20
Republican Laurie Davies favored in 73rd Assembly District race with Democrat Scott Rhinehart -- In a typical year, the most Republican legislative district in Orange County wouldn’t be considered in play for Democrats. Of course, 2020 is anything but typical. And southern Orange County’s 73rd Assembly District has been through a particularly unusual election cycle. Brooke Staggs in the Orange County Register -- 10/30/20
Unemployed
California workers file one-fifth of all U.S. jobless claims -- California workers filed fewer first-time claims for unemployment benefits during the most recent reporting week — yet those claims accounted for one-fifth of all the jobless claims filed in the U.S., federal officials reported Thursday. George Avalos in the Orange County Register -- 10/30/20
Masking
Community backs Southern California yogurt shop owner after lawsuit threat over masks -- Mariana Tabla, co-owner of a Mission Viejo yogurt shop called Frapys, has become a rock star at least among people in the community who believe in wearing face coverings, which are recommended by county and state health officials. Erika I. Ritchie in the Orange County Register -- 10/30/20
Street
LAPD investigating double fatal shooting at Dodgers celebration in Sylmar -- Two people were fatally shot during an outdoor celebration in Sylmar after the Dodgers’ World Series win Tuesday night, spurring calls from Los Angeles police for the public’s help in identifying suspects. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/20
‘I would have given up’: Man thanks officers who rescued him from San Diego Bay -- A National City police corporal and two Harbor police officers were awarded medals Thursday for rescuing a man who fell off a Jet Ski and nearly drowned in San Diego Bay. Jeff Jarvis, 48, shed tears as he thanked Cpl. Javier Cornejo and Officers Michael Sabbagh and Janel Seney for saving him from choppy waters the afternoon of Oct. 12. David Hernandez in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/30/20
Back to School
Students getting in-person instruction at accelerating pace in California -- California school districts are showing a clear momentum toward re-opening for some version of in-person instruction. That’s according to an EdSource survey of the 58 county offices of education. Louis Freedberg EdSource -- 10/30/20
Education
San Diego Foundation provides $1 million to bridge ‘digital divide’ -- The San Diego Foundation has announced it is providing another $1 million to provide internet access to students across the county, adding to an effort that already has significantly helped bridge the digital divide caused by economic inequities this year. Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/30/20
With test scores out, college essays count more -- For generations, high school seniors have fretted over writing their essays for college applications, worrying how to make their personal stories stand out in the crowd and avoid hurting their acceptance chances with mediocre compositions. This year’s seniors have even deeper worries as the college application season begins. Larry Gordon EdSource -- 10/30/20
Wildfire
Wine Country, Fire Country -- Since 2015, California’s famous wine-making region has been stuck in a cycle of burning and rebuilding, the area's bounty of opportunity colliding with rising danger and inequity. Welcome to the climate crisis. J.D. Morris, Esther Mobley, Santiago Mejia in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/30/20
PG&E facing ‘significant’ new losses from California wildfires, utility tells investors -- Four months after exiting bankruptcy, PG&E Corp. is facing mounting financial headaches from wildfires again. California’s largest utility warned shareholders Thursday that it could face a “significant liability” in connection with the Zogg Fire, one of a series of wildfires that blew through Northern California this year. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/30/20
Firefighter appears to have been ‘burned over’ by El Dorado fire, Forest Service says -- The San Bernardino County coroner’s office confirmed that the burns were Morton’s official cause of death. Morton was a squad boss on the interagency hotshot crew, which is composed of highly skilled and specially trained firefighters who are assigned to work the most challenging and remote portions of fires. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/20
Homeless
Bay Area wins more money for homeless housing under Project Homekey -- Alameda and San Mateo counties won millions of dollars for homeless housing Thursday, as Gov. Gavin Newsom doled out the last round of state funding through Project Homekey. Alameda County received more than $23 million for two projects totaling 165 units. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/30/20
Environment
Trump removes gray wolf from endangered species list. What that means for California -- The Trump administration’s announcement Thursday that it was removing gray wolves from U.S. Endangered Species Act protections will have significant impacts in California — including its ability to track the species as its population grows and criminally charge people who kill the wild animals. Ryan Sabalow and David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/30/20
New Normal
Tournament of Roses announces two-hour TV event in lieu of Rose Parade -- Even though the 2021 Rose Parade is canceled, viewers will still be able to get their flower fix with a two-hour television special slated for New Year’s Day, the Tournament of Roses said in a Thursday news release. Bradley Bermont in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 10/30/20
Also . . .
Former San Bernardino County Supervisor Jerry Eaves dies at 81 -- Jerry Eaves, whose political legacy in San Bernardino County spanned nearly 30 years, died this week at his Palm Desert home after a brief battle with lymphoma. He was 81. Joe Nelson in the San Bernardino Sun$ -- 10/30/20
POTUS 45
‘People Are Going To Be Shocked’: Return of the ‘Shy’ Trump Voter? -- In 2016, pollsters Arie Kapteyn and Robert Cahaly saw Trump coming. In 2020, they see polls again underestimating his support. Zack Stanton Politico -- 10/30/20
Beltway
Biden’s Call for ‘National Mask Mandate’ Gains Traction in Public Health Circles -- As the nation heads into what public health experts are calling a “dark winter” of coronavirus illness and death, public health experts are coalescing around Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s call for a “national mask mandate,” even as they concede such an effort would require much more than the stroke of a presidential pen. Sheryl Gay Stolberg in the New York Times$ -- 10/30/20
-- Thursday Updates
S.F.’s coronavirus positive test rate is the lowest of all big U.S. cities. Can it stay that way? -- One measure of San Francisco’s sustained success in suppressing the coronavirus pandemic has recently stood out: The city’s positive coronavirus test rate is just 0.8%, according to California’s latest official data. It’s the lowest rate of the 20 most populous cities across the U.S. and the only one to dip below 1%. Kellie Hwang in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/29/20
San Francisco curbs virus but once-vibrant downtown is empty -- As the coronavirus pandemic transforms the workplace, legions of tech workers have left, able to work remotely from anywhere. Families have fled for roomy suburban homes. Janie Har and Jocelyn Gecker Associated Press -- 10/29/20
UC Berkeley researchers testing sewage from millions of Bay Area residents for coronavirus -- Researchers at UC Berkeley are collecting and testing the wastewater of millions of Bay Area residents, with the hopes of being able to spot a possible coronavirus infection cluster before the virus spreads. Michael Williams in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/29/20
Eli Lilly’s monoclonal antibody trial halted, forcing Bay Area coronavirus researchers to seek another path -- A nationwide trial of synthetic antibodies similar to those President Trump touted as “a cure” for the coronavirus was halted this week after it was found to be ineffective, forcing Bay Area researchers to focus on other potential treatments. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/29/20
People who partied after Dodgers, Lakers victories need to get coronavirus test, mayor says -- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is urging anyone who congregated to celebrate the Lakers or Dodgers championship wins to get tested for the coronavirus. Andrew J. Campa, Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/20
Coronavirus updates: Big challenges ahead as California numbers show problem areas -- Holiday gatherings, trick-or-treating that might proceed despite health officials’ vehement discouragement and in-person voting Tuesday are all likely to present opportunities for the highly contagious virus to spread widely. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/29/20
Coronavirus nearly 7 times more widespread in Orange County than reported, study shows -- While the screening, a collaborative effort between UC Irvine and the OC Health Care Agency, demonstrates that the coronavirus may be far more widespread — though less deadly — than official numbers indicate, researchers said more work is needed to understand the level of protection that antibodies provide and how best to address disparities in how the virus affects different populations. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/20
Is the COVID-19 risk on airplanes really that low? Here’s what experts say -- The airline industry is promoting new studies that suggest the risk of contracting COVID-19 while flying is low. Let’s take a closer look at the assertions. Hugo Martín in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/20
Virus and Jobs
California jobless claims down while Arizona, Michigan, Illinois see increase -- And while jobs in San Francisco and California are slowly coming back, other states where the pandemic is less controlled, like Arizona, Illinois and Michigan are seeing increases in new claims for unemployment benefits, data released by the Department of Labor Thursday shows. Bryan Mena in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/29/20
Bay Area could be worst hit by outward pandemic migration -- Migration rates are expected to be three to four times higher than normal in the coming years as more companies allow employees to work from home. The highest share of movers will be leaving expensive cities for lower-cost cities, and rural communities, a survey by Santa Clara-based Upwork found. Louis Hansen in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/29/20
Election
Federal officials gear up for Election Day in Sacramento area, but not at polling sites -- With tensions running high nationwide as Election Day approaches, Sacramento-area officials say they are prepared for any problems that may crop up at election centers, but that voters shouldn’t expect to see law enforcement out at voting locations. Sam Stanton and Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/29/20
Fewer in-person polling places in California on Election Day -- Most of the state’s in-person polling places — or vote centers — won’t open until Saturday. The state allowed counties to open fewer of them this year because the coronavirus pandemic has made traditional polling places unavailable, like schools and senior centers. Ventura County had 389 polling places in March but will have just 48 vote centers this weekend. Adam Beam Associated Press -- 10/29/20
Policy & Politics
Can L.A. County Supervisors remove Sheriff Villanueva? Experts say the options are limited -- The bitter discord among Los Angeles County’s top elected leaders ramped up a notch this week with a push by two supervisors to explore what it would take to remove Sheriff Alex Villanueva from his elected position. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/20
Taylor: It’s beyond time to make reparations for enslaving an entire race, but commissions aren’t the answer -- Reparations are no longer a fringe topic of discussion. In September, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that directs a task force to study the history of slavery and to develop proposals for reparations — compensation to make amends for enslaving an entire race. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/29/20
Street
L.A.’s surge in homicides fueled by gang violence, killings of homeless people -- Out of nearly 80 homicides in Central Los Angeles through the end of last month, more than half were suspected of being gang-related, and more than 30 involved victims who were experiencing homelessness, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Kevin Rector, Nicole Santa Cruz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/20
Side by Side Taxes
Interactive map shows how much property tax you pay, compared to your neighbors -- It’s no secret that Proposition 13 has created huge disparities in property taxes in California, but seeing it all laid out on a map is an eye-opener. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/29/20
Also . . .
They look like ordinary California news websites. Their backers: Conservative operatives -- Far from being a traditional information source, the Sacramento Standard is part of a nationwide network of nearly 1,300 sites backed by a collection of conservative think tanks, political strategists and public-relations executives. Lara Korte and Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/29/20