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California voters reject new rules for dialysis clinics -- California voters have rejected a ballot measure to require a doctor or highly trained nurse at each of California’s 600 dialysis clinics. Olga R.Rodriguez Associated Press -- 11/3/20
Uber, Lyft carry lead over opposition in early Prop. 22 results -- The $200-million Proposition 22 campaign led by Uber and Lyft was ahead in early election results as of Tuesday evening, but it remains too early to tell if the companies will succeed in their effort to seek an exemption from California employment law and continue treating workers as independent contractors. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ Brian Melley Associated Press -- 11/3/20
Effort to revamp California property taxes may fall short -- No votes on Proposition 15 were ahead by about 2.5 percentage points with 11 million votes counted. It could take days or even a week or more to count enough remaining votes to determine a winner. Elliot Spagat Associated Press -- 11/4/20
Prop. 25, which would abolish California’s cash bail system, trails in early returns -- Proposition 25 would replace the use of money bail as a condition for getting out of jail while awaiting trial with a system allowing release by judges based on a determination of public safety or a defendant’s flight risk. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/3/20
California votes to keep criminal justice changes -- California has upheld several criminal justice changes, endorsing recent efforts to ease mass incarceration by reducing penalties and allowing for earlier releases. Voters on Tuesday defeated Proposition 20, rejecting supporters’ pleas to address what they called the “unintended consequences” of two previously approved ballot measures. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 11/3/20
California initiative to expand rent control trails in early returns -- Should the results hold and Proposition 21 fails, it would mean that once again landlord groups have convinced voters that stricter limits on rent hikes are not a solution to California’s housing affordability problems. A statewide ban on most new forms of rent control would remain in effect. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/3/20
Proposition 16 to allow government affirmative action programs too close to call in early returns -- The proposition, placed on the ballot by the Democrat-controlled California Legislature, would repeal Proposition 209, a highly controversial measure approved by voters in 1996 that barred affirmative action programs in the state. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/3/20
Prop. 17, which would allow felony parolees to vote, jumps out to lead in early election returns -- Californians convicted of felonies but who are on parole would be allowed to vote in future elections under a ballot measure, Proposition 17, that was garnering support from voters in early election returns on Tuesday. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/3/20
Measure RR: Caltrain winning bid for crucial tax increase -- Caltrain, hemorrhaging money during the pandemic, on Tuesday was comfortably winning a bid for a temporary lifeline and long-term financial future with the support of voters in three counties for a sales tax raise. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/3/20
Republicans struggle in key US House fights in California -- In the Central Valley, Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, a strong Trump ally, had only a narrow lead over Democrat Phil Arballo. Republican former Rep. Darrell Issa, another prominent Trump supporter, was in a tight fight in his attempt to return to Congress. And in the 48th District in Orange County, Republican Michelle Steel was trailing in her bid to oust first-term Democratic Rep. Harley Rouda. Michael R. Blood Associated Press -- 11/3/20
California House races: Democrats holding onto most of 2018’s gains -- In the most closely watched battle, GOP Rep. Mike Garcia of Santa Clarita (Los Angeles County) was losing to Democratic Assemblywoman Christy Smith, in a seat that swings from the high desert towns of Lancaster and Palmdale west to the Ventura County city of Simi Valley. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/3/20
Newsom: California could permanently mail ballots to all voters -- Gov. Gavin Newsom raised the possibility Tuesday that California could permanently move to its pandemic-driven approach of mailing all voters a ballot after the state saw record early turnout for the November election. Carla Marinucci Politico -- 11/3/20
How not to freak out: A user’s guide to California’s election night results -- If you were looking for the best advice on how to spend the hours after the polls close on election night, here’s the best we have to offer: Go do something else. Turn off your TV, close your computer, put away your phone. Ben Christopher CalMatters -- 11/3/20
Judge orders sweep of postal facilities for leftover ballots -- A federal judge has ordered U.S. Postal Service inspectors to sweep postal facilities on Tuesday in several locations — including in six battleground states — to ensure that any mail-in ballots left behind are immediately sent out for delivery. Maya Lau, Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/3/20
This is how police are preparing for possible election unrest in L.A. -- Law enforcement agencies across California are on heightened alert. Officials stress they are not aware of any election-day plots to disrupt voting or create chaos, but they say they are prepared for protests and other unrest. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/3/20
Boarded-up stores across L.A. reflect an anxious, unprecedented election day -- In this historic year of plague, fire and unrest in California, the notion that the United States electoral process could devolve into disarray and violence has cranked up the anxiety even more, with people hoarding food, some buying their first guns, others stocking up on ammunition. Joe Mozingo, Lila Seidman, Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/3/20
Metro offers free bus, rail and bike fares on election day -- In an effort to encourage voter turnout, Los Angeles Metro is offering free fares on public transit all day on election day. Riders can ride any Metro bus or train free of charge until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/3/20
Virus
11 dead as California senior facility fights second coronavirus outbreak since July -- Nearly 100 combined residents and staff at Alderson Convalescent Hospital in Woodland have tested positive for COVID-19 in two waves of infection occurring three months apart, according to Yolo County health officials. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/3/20
Stranded Workers
California offered a lifeline when their hours were cut — then payments froze -- Delays at the Employment Development Department’s Work Sharing layoff-prevention program have left some struggling workers out thousands of dollars. Economists say that fixing the problems fast could help ease the state’s jobs crisis. Lauren Hepler CalMatters -- 11/3/20
Online Ed
Online cheating surges during the pandemic; universities struggle to find a solution -- Like students everywhere during the pandemic, Aguilar, a junior at San Francisco State University, was attending school and taking a test from home under the watchful eye of no one. It would have been easy to Google the answer, and Aguilar admits he was tempted. But he didn’t. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/3/20
H1B
Silicon Valley braces for new Trump H-1B rules that set $208,000 salary floor -- The Trump Administration’s latest restrictions on workplace immigration will fall on people already working in Silicon Valley and elsewhere on H-1B visas, not just those seeking to enter the country via the prized work permits and pursue new jobs. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/3/20
Policy & Politics
Walters: Incompetence could be GOP’s opportunity -- California’s ever-shrinking Republican Party will receive little, if any, good news from this year’s elections. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 11/3/20
Wildfire
Hiker airlifted out of fire zone arrested on suspicion of starting Fontana blaze -- Mondragon was booked on suspicion of unlawfully causing a fire that causes inhabited structures or land to burn, said Fontana Police spokesman Kevin Anderson, noting that the charge is different from arson because officials do not think the fire was set intentionally. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/3/20
Homeless
‘Losing control.’ Why homelessness is more visible than ever in downtown Sacramento -- Work from home orders that emptied office buildings have helped lay bare just how bad Sacramento’s homeless problem is and how little the city, state and social service organizations have succeeded – despite a decade of attempts to address one of Sacramento’s most vexing social issues. Tony Bizjak, Theresa Clift, and Phillip Reese in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/3/20
California Policy & Politics Tuesday Morning
What you should know about how and when California counts ballots -- The task facing election officials in California’s 58 counties is daunting: Collect, verify and count the votes on as many as 22 million ballots; don’t start counting until the polls close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday; and quench the thirst of the public for final results as soon as possible. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/3/20
Here’s what record early returns mean for speed of California’s vote tally -- More than 11 million ballots had been returned to California elections departments as of Saturday. Many already have been processed, and are ready to be quickly totaled on election night. Look for early returns by 8:30 p.m. Lewis Griswold and Aaron Leathley CalMatters -- 11/3/20
Bay Area election day’s big mystery: How many people will vote in person? -- More than 60% of the region’s nearly 4.5 million registered voters had already cast ballots by Monday morning, with more dropping their ballots in the mail and at polling places as the day went on. Ballots postmarked by election day will be counted if they arrive by Nov. 20. Trisha Thadani and John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/3/20
In Norman Rockwell country, everyone votes by mail -- As of Sunday night, 70 percent of voters in Plumas County had returned their ballots. The figures were similarly high in Alpine and Sierra Counties, hovering near 65 percent and dwarfing the statewide average of 49 percent. Robin Estrin in the New York Times$ -- 11/3/20
Huge turnout as California finally reaches Election Day -- The coronavirus pandemic has transformed Election Day into election month for many places in California after the state mailed ballots to all active registered voters for the first time, encouraging them to vote early and skip in-person polling places to avoid spreading the virus. Adam Beam Associated Press -- 11/3/20
Butterflies and binge watching: Bay Area is stressed out and exhausted on eve of election -- Stress and anxiety crossed party lines around the Bay Area Monday, as Democrats and Republicans alike were losing sleep, binge watching cable news and hitting the refresh button on political polls on the eve of Election Day. They said they feared for the fate of their country as the election raises anxiety levels to nearly unbearable heights. Jill Tucker, Kurtis Alexander and Nora Mishanec in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/3/20
On Election Day, Bay Area parents and teachers help kids deal with stress of presidential race -- On the eve of a historic presidential election, Sarah Isaacs, of Emeryville, worried about what the next four years may look like. But her 10-year-old daughter, Miriam, had her own anxieties about Election Day. “I’m very scared,” Miriam told The Chronicle Monday. Tatiana Sanchez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/3/20
Prop. 25: Everything you need to know about ending cash bail in California -- The referendum qualified for the ballot as the bail industry attempts to overturn a 2018 state law that would replace the current cash bail system with one allowing pretrial release from jail based on a determination of public safety or a defendant’s flight risk. The law also would restrict pretrial detention for most misdemeanors. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/3/20
Affirmative action effort in California faces uphill battle -- A national awakening on race has driven a well-funded campaign in California to reinstate affirmative action in public hiring, contracting and college admissions, with voters deciding Tuesday whether to allow the nation’s most populated state to grant preferential treatment based on race and gender. Janie Har Associated Press -- 11/3/20
Voters decide employment fate of state’s app-based drivers -- California voters are behind the wheel as they navigate the employment future for Uber, Lyft and other app-based delivery drivers in the most expensive ballot measure in state history. Brian Melley Associated Press -- 11/3/20
Prop. 23: What you need to know about the dialysis measure -- Proposition 23 would require dialysis clinics across California to employ at least one doctor who is on-site whenever patients are receiving treatment. Here is a rundown of the ballot measure: Melody Gutierrez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/3/20
Fight for US House includes GOP comeback hopes in California -- The Republican Party is trying to reclaim some of its old turf in California on Tuesday, after losing a string of U.S. House seats in 2018 that helped Democrats reclaim control of the chamber. Michael R. Blood Associated Press -- 11/3/20
How Facebook and Twitter plan to handle election day disinformation -- A man in the Atlanta suburbs was scrolling Facebook in late October when an ad popped up claiming his polling place had changed. At first glance, the change didn’t seem to align with official records. Sam Dean in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/3/20
Plywood
Sacramento businesses board up windows amid fears of Election Day unrest downtown -- Several downtown storefronts and office buildings were boarding their windows Monday, echoing similar action taken in major cities around the country as one of the most divisive presidential campaigns in modern history comes to an end. Jason Pohl and Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/3/20
Plywood covers Bay Area storefronts as threat of election unrest looms -- Buildings in Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Walnut Creek and elsewhere are boarding up ground-level windows and doors, hoping to avoid smashed glass, looting and vandalism if post Election Day-demonstrations take a destructive turn. Marisa Kendall, Martha Ross, Linda Zavoral, George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ Megan Cassidy, Janelle Bitker and Shwanika Narayan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/3/20
Local Gun Stores Still Seeing Record Sales During Pandemic, Contentious Election Year -- In March the coronavirus pandemic spurred record gun sales across the nation. That trend is continuing, but now gun store operators say fears of riots and the contentious election cycle are driving sales. Matt Hoffman KPBS -- 11/3/20
Newsom is worried about what comes after Election Day as US braces for late results -- “I worry more about what happens Wednesday,” Newsom told The Sacramento Bee during a visit to campaign for former Vice President Joe Biden in Reno on Sunday. “I’m worried about people not trusting the outcome. I’m worried about the outcome being politicized.” Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/3/20
Wildfire
PG&E fire victim trust will start paying out bankruptcy settlement funds -- Survivors of wildfires caused by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. in 2015, 2017 and 2018 may soon start receiving up to $25,000 they’re owed because of the company’s recent bankruptcy case. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/3/20
Policy & Politics
Gov. Newsom rebuked by Sutter County court for use of executive power amid COVID-19 pandemic -- A Northern California judge on Monday tentatively ruled that Gov. Gavin Newsom overstepped his authority when he issued an order in June requiring vote-by-mail ballots to be sent to the state’s 21 million registered voters. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ Jeremy B. White Politico -- 11/3/20
Newsom fundraising for fellow Dems hit $11.6 million in 2020 -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s highest-profile moments in the 2020 election have featured him effusively praising the work of Donald Trump — or at least declining to lay into the president. But behind the scenes, the leader of the nation’s biggest state — and its unofficial political ATM — has been burning up Zoom calls and raising millions of dollars to oust Trump. Christopher Cadelago Politico -- 11/3/20
Silicon Valley Organization’s PAC dissolved in fallout from racist attack ad -- In a stunning move made less than a day before Tuesday’s election, Silicon Valley’s chamber of commerce has dissolved its political action committee amid the fallout from a racist attack ad it had commissioned last week in a San Jose City Council race. Maggie Angst in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/3/20
Virus
L.A. County’s hope for fast reopening fades as coronavirus cases continue to climb -- Hopes that a wider reopening of Los Angeles County’s economy could come in time for the holidays appear to be fading, as the region continues to see a steady uptick in the average number of daily coronavirus infections. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/3/20
San Diego County needs some serious testing to stay in the red tier this week -- A drop to purple would mean local restaurants, places of worship and other locations would no longer be able to use up to 25 percent of their indoor floorspace, a change that would surely cause more than a little friction, especially as colder weather arrives throughout the region. Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/3/20
S.F. contact tracing reached more than 80% of patients in the spring -- San Francisco’s coronavirus contact tracing team reached more than 80% of patients and their close contacts in the spring as the program was just getting started, but fewer than half of those contacts were tested at the time, according to a study published Monday. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/3/20
At least 96 inmates, staff at one federal jail have COVID-19 -- Lawyers said 86 inmates at Western Region Detention Facility have COVID-19; GEO Group said 10 employees had cases, including one who was hospitalized. Alex Riggins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/3/20
California mayors call on Newsom to reopen Disneyland, Universal Studios and SeaWorld -- A letter from eight California mayors asks the governor to modify state guidelines released as part of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy and allow large theme parks to reopen in the orange/moderate tier 3 rather than the yellow/minimal tier 4. The eight include Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu and San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer. Brady MacDonald in the Orange County Register -- 11/3/20
Coronavirus cancellation: San Francisco’s 2021 Chinese New Year Parade -- One year after San Francisco’s hugely popular Chinese New Year Parade was nearly put on hiatus because of growing concerns over the coronavirus and crowds, the 2021 version has been officially canceled as the pandemic continues. Linda Zavoral in the San Jose Mercury$ Vanessa Arredondo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/3/20
Open anyway
Santa Clara County court orders church to stop large indoor gatherings -- Santa Clara County Superior Court has granted a temporary restraining order against a San Jose church, ordering it to stop hosting large indoor services after months of violations that prompted the county to file an injunction last week. Fiona Kelliher in the San Jose Mercury$ Vanessa Arredondo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/3/20
Education
UC San Diego’s enrollment unexpectedly soars past 40,000 for first time -- UC San Diego’s fall enrollment unexpectedly jumped by 840, pushing the campus past the 40,000 mark for the first time and close to the school’s projected capacity. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/3/20
California school districts revert to A-F grades this fall — with more flexibility for some students -- While many high schools and middle schools adopted pass-fail grading at the start of the pandemic in order to hold students harmless as they adjusted to distance learning, districts have largely reverted back to the traditional A-to-F system. Ali Tadayon EdSource -- 11/3/20
School
What we know so far about school reopenings in California -- Despite limited testing requirements, California schools that have reopened for in-person instruction have largely avoided COVID-19 outbreaks. Still, some teachers and legislators say large scale surveillance testing is necessary to the rest of the state’s schools and that lack of data is a problem. Ricardo Cano and James Bikales CalMatters -- 11/3/20
LAUSD, Long Beach Unified join larger districts in calling for statewide standard to reopen schools -- As more school districts plan for students and staff to eventually return to campus following months of distance learning, some of California’s largest K-12 systems are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature to adopt a set of statewide reopening standards and to provide funding to ensure schools have the means to resume in-person classes safely. Linh Tat in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 11/3/20
Also . . .
Stanford med student lost two jobs during the coronavirus pandemic. So she picked blueberries to make a living -- Gianna Nino-Tapias’ world as a first-year medical student is a chaotic mashup of virtual classes, anatomy labs and late-night, marathon study sessions. But life for the 24-year-old was drastically different just a few months ago. Tatiana Sanchez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/3/20
POTUS 45
As Election Day Arrives, Trump Shifts Between Combativeness and Grievance -- “Man, it’s going to be embarrassing if I lose to this guy,” Mr. Trump has told advisers, a lament he has aired publicly as well. But in the off-camera version, Mr. Trump frequently exclaims, “This guy!” in reference to Mr. Biden, with a salty adjective separating the words. Maggie Haberman, Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin in the New York Times$ -- 11/3/20
Beltway
What the final polls say about the Trump-Biden race -- The final polls before the election, released on Monday, continued to show Joe Biden ahead in enough swing states to win. Some of the states are close, but the polls would have to be significantly more inaccurate than they were in 2016 for Trump to prevail. Steven Shepard Politico -- 11/3/20
-- Monday Updates
Unemployment soars: L.A.-Orange County No. 2 in U.S., Inland Empire No. 8 -- The pandemic’s economic punch pushed Los Angeles and Orange counties to the second-largest jump in joblessness among the nation’s largest metropolitan areas in the past year — with the Inland Empire at No. 8. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that the L.A.-O.C. region’s unemployment rate soared 9.7 percentage points to 13.6% in the year ended in September. Jonathan Lansner in the Orange County Register -- 11/2/20
Moving toward record turnout, 11.2 million Californians have already voted -- Of the 22 million registered voters this year, 11.2 million ballots — or 51% — had been returned as of 8 a.m. Monday morning, Political Data Inc. reported. The firm, a trusted data source, is a bipartisan voter data company based in California that tracks detailed voter information. Faith E. Pinho in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/20
‘Hostile,’ possibly ‘race-based’ voter intimidation incident reported in Yolo County -- Officials with the Yolo County Assessor, Clerk-Recorder and Elections Office reported the incident involved a note being left on a person’s door, reading: “If you are not a citizen, you are not allowed to vote.” Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/2/20
Young Vietnamese American progressives lead a generational split with conservative elders -- Although most of their parents and grandparents have stayed faithful to the Republican Party — largely because of staunch anti-communist feelings dating to the Vietnam War — many of the younger set say they’re focused on domestic issues, not homeland ones. Anh Do in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/20
Bretón: A different type of mail fraud: The worst political mailers of the 2020 local elections -- The final week before an election is when the worst of political advertising lands in our mail boxes or on our front steps. Marcos Bretón in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/2/20
Prop. 21: Everything you need to know about rent control measure -- Proposition 21 would expand the ability for cities and counties to limit rent increases across California. Here’s a rundown of the issue: Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/20
Prop. 14: Everything you need to know about the $5.5-billion stem cell measure -- Proposition 14 would authorize the sale of $5.5 billion in general obligation bonds for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, known as CIRM, for stem cell studies and trials. Here is a rundown of the ballot measure: Melody Gutierrez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/20
Measure J: A look at the L.A. County criminal justice reform proposal -- Measure J would require that 10% of locally generated, unrestricted Los Angeles County money — estimated between $360 million and $900 million — be spent on a variety of social services, including housing, mental health treatment and jail diversion programs. The county would be prohibited from using the money on prisons, jails or law enforcement agencies. Here is a rundown of the L.A. County ballot measure. Jaclyn Cosgrove in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/20
School
Mid-semester, many L.A. students are drifting, beset with anxiety and struggling in class -- Every day, almost every one of Nicolle Fefferman’s students logs into her virtual classrooms at John Marshall High School in Los Feliz. A significant number do not turn their cameras on. Many don’t respond when she asks questions and don’t turn in work she assigns offline. Paloma Esquivel, Julia Barajas, Laura Newberry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/20
Coronavirus: Failing grades spike in Bay Area schools with distance learning -- The first round of progress reports are being sent home for students caught in California’s experiment with online distance learning this fall, and for many, the grades are not good. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/2/20
Ds and Fs surge, attendance slips among L.A.’s poorest students amid distance learning -- Grades of D and F have increased in the Los Angeles Unified School District among middle and high school students in a troubling sign of the toll that distance learning — and the coronavirus crisis — is taking on the children, especially those who are members of low-income families. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/20
Education
How new law requiring ethnic studies at California State University will affect community colleges -- A new law requiring an ethnic studies class in order to graduate from the California State University will likely have far-reaching implications for the state’s 115 degree-granting community colleges. Michael Burke EdSource -- 11/2/20
Virus
Coronavirus updates: California COVID-19 rates were already on rise before Halloween -- With its raw numbers moderate but trending upward, and a flurry of key moments still to come within the next few weeks, California faces what could be a critical inflection point in the coronavirus pandemic. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/2/20
79th prison inmate in California dies of COVID-19 -- Three inmates in California prisons died of COVID-19 in the past week, state prison officials reported, as coronavirus outbreaks continued to devastate the state’s prison population. The latest death was that of an inmate at Avenal State Prison. He was the 79th incarcerated person in California to die from complications of the illness. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/20
Also . . .
Black employees allege racial bias in hiring, promotions at California prisons -- Inspired by a similar complaint at a state’s air pollution agency, a group of Black employees is airing complaints of racial discrimination at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Dale Kasler and Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/2/20
Taylor: Thanks to Trump, U.S. no longer in denial of racism -- Racism has been a festering wound on America since emancipation. Patchwork policies have haphazardly bandaged that wound — but now, in 2020, the bandage has been ripped off, and the infection is exposed. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/2/20