Updating . .   

California pulls ‘emergency brake’ on coronavirus pandemic reopenings -- California is “pulling an emergency brake” on its strategy to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, forcing most counties to retreat to the most restrictive tier on the state’s scale for reopening their economies. “We are sounding the alarm,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Adam Beam and Brian Melley Associated Press Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/20

California faces new wave of restrictions and business limitations amid coronavirus surge -- With coronavirus again surging across California, officials are faced with a narrowing number of options to slow the spread. Luke Money, Alex Wigglesworth, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/20

Daily California coronavirus cases nearly double in 2 weeks -- Over the seven-day period ending Sunday, the state averaged 7,985 cases per day, up 89.7% from just two weeks ago, according to The Times’ coronavirus tracker. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/20

Bay Area hospitals gear up for coronavirus surge as Thanksgiving holiday looms -- As the coronavirus comes roaring back, California hospitals are bracing for a surge of patients and urging people not to gather over the Thanksgiving holiday in a bid to keep already worrisome numbers from soaring even higher. Emily DeRuy in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/16/20

Homelessness is on the rise in Placer County. Will COVID-19 closings make it even worse? -- California’s homeless crisis, long a fixture of the state’s urban centers, is spreading more and more into rural and suburban communities. Molly Sullivan in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/16/20

2nd virus vaccine shows striking success in US tests -- A second experimental COVID-19 vaccine — this one from Moderna Inc. — yielded extraordinarily strong early results Monday, another badly needed dose of hope as the pandemic enters a terrible new phase. Lauran Neergaard Associated Press -- 11/16/20

Policy & Politics 

Rep. Mike Garcia holds razor-thin lead in hotly contested 25th congressional race -- Republican incumbent Mike Garcia’s razor-thin lead over Democratic Assemblywoman Christy Smith in the race for the 25th Congressional District has narrowed yet again, according to the latest data from the Los Angeles and Ventura county registrars’ offices. Stephanie Lai in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/20

After California’s ‘blue wave’ to Congress in 2018? A GOP red riptide in 2020 -- Two years ago, Democratic newcomers across the state were swept into Congress atop a frothing “blue wave” of anti-Trump fervor — a result that only became apparent late in the vote count. This year’s election has been playing out a little like 2018 in reverse. Ben Christopher CalMatters -- 11/16/20

Californians prepare to descend on Georgia to fight for Democrats in Senate races -- Joseph Killian and his friends donated a collective $50,000 to a dozen Democratic Senate candidates this fall, and most of them lost. Now, with the Senate and Joe Biden’s agenda on the line, the San Francisco resident wants to move to Georgia to volunteer for the two Democrats running to unseat a pair of Republicans in January. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/20

Shyong: As Trump leaves office, we talk about ‘bridging divides.’ Is that really possible? -- When concentrations of hydrogen sulfide in the Salton Sea exceed 30 parts per billion, toxic compounds from agricultural and manufacturing runoff sometimes interact to produce a chemical reaction that is best described as a fart. Frank Shyong in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/20

Foreign Students Drought  

Pandemic has led to steep decline in international student enrollment, report says -- California remains a popular destination for foreign students, but international student enrollment at colleges and universities nationwide declined sharply this fall amid the pandemic, according to data released Monday. Paloma Esquivel in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/20

Landlords & Tenants  

Pandemic cuts Los Angeles-Orange counties rent hikes to 8-year low -- While the region’s homebuying enjoys a pandemic-era rebound, local landlords are watching their pricing power tumble to an eight-year low, according to the Consumer Price Index. Jonathan Lansner in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 11/16/20

Wildfire  

How one Bay Area state park benefited from this summer’s big fires -- Wildfires this summer devastated California’s historic first state park, Big Basin Redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains. But just 35 miles away, where another blaze burned a state park in the Bay Area, the results were dramatically different. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/16/20

Hundreds of towering giant sequoias killed by the Castle fire — a stunning loss -- The towering trees had grown on this Sierra Nevada ridge top for well over 500 years. They had lived through many wildfires and droughts. But they could not survive the Castle fire, which swept into the Alder Creek Grove in the early hours of Sept. 13. Bettina Boxall in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/20

Pensions  

As public pension costs soar, some Southern California agencies turn to controversial borrowing to fill deep holes -- The little agency responsible for killing mosquitoes and rats in the Coachella Valley will see its bill for worker pensions nearly triple over just four years. Teri Sforza in the Orange County Register -- 11/16/20

Also . . .   

Jahi Turner was 2 when he vanished in San Diego in 2002. His mother still searches for answers -- For more than a decade, Tameka Jones held onto the idea — a fantasy, really — that her son would come home one day. Dana Littlefield in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/16/20

 

California Policy and P  olitics Monday Morning  

Weekend COVID-19 surge alarms L.A. officials amid talk of curfew, more actions -- A fresh surge of coronavirus cases on Saturday and Sunday has alarmed Los Angeles County officials, who say they may consider imposing a curfew and other health measures in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19. Alex Wigglesworth, David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/20

San Diego County reports record 1,087 new COVID-19 cases -- The number of COVID-19 cases reported in San Diego County skyrocketed to 1,087 on Sunday, blowing past — by a few hundred cases — the daily record set just a day earlier. David Hernandez, Teri Figueroa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/16/20

Public’s patience wearing thin 10 months into coronavirus pandemic -- Right about now, in a “normal” year, students and workers would begin to check out from their everyday duties as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches. They’d think about eating big turkey dinners and sitting around with relatives from all over. Elliott Almond, Aldo Toledo, Shomik Mukherjee in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/16/20

Policy & Politics 

Biden and the Bay Area: Where does president-elect stand on local issues? -- A Joe Biden presidency could mean big changes for the Bay Area and the state, from new support for coronavirus testing to restored freedom to manage pollution levels. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/20

DACA will live on under Biden. Will he give ‘Dreamers’ a path to citizenship? -- When Joe Biden won the presidential election, Vanessa Mejia said she felt hope again. Tatiana Sanchez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/20

Skelton: With the COVID-19 pandemic and a battered economy, California voters said no to more taxes -- California voters rejected an ambitious state ballot initiative to substantially raise business property taxes. But they approved many local tax and bond measures. Why the distinction? George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/20

Walters: More high-dollar ballot measures in 2022 -- Much has been said and written about the hundreds of millions of dollars spent for and against the dozen statewide measures on this month’s ballot. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 11/16/20

Trump supporters rally in Poway, claim that he won election -- “Clearly Trump won,” said Amy Lee, a San Diego resident at the Poway rally who wore a Make America Great Again hat and poster signs saying “Biden = socialist” and “Stop the steal.” Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/16/20

Garcetti ‘Not Waiting' On Phone Call to Join Biden Admin. -- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has not ruled out taking a position with the incoming administration of President-Elect Joe Biden but says he’s “not waiting for the phone to ring.” Conan Nolan NBC4LA -- 11/16/20

Education 

Work on new ‘cradle to career’ data system accelerates, amid concerns about continuing state financial support -- Organizers of an ambitious “cradle to career” education data system for California are preparing to wrap up an intensive year-long effort and send key recommendations for its design to Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature for the next phase of its development — one that could take another five years and millions more dollars to complete. Matt Krupnick EdSource -- 11/16/20

School   

School through a screen: how two San Diego County students are coping with virtual learning -- On a recent morning, Citlali Medina Cruz logged onto her iPad to take a test for her 12th grade government class, sitting at a desk in her bedroom surrounded by family photos and images of Christ and the Virgin Mary. In the kitchen, her mother prepared quesadillas for lunch, while her grandmother listened to telenovelas. Deborah Sullivan Brennan in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/16/20

Disaster Workers to Inspect Schools Before January Reopening -- Twenty disaster service workers are helping the district assess school buildings to make sure they’re ready to open safely. That includes checking every classroom for proper ventilation and making sure every sink for handwashing is available. Marco Siler-Gonzales KQED -- 11/16/20

Covid on Campus  

San Diego universities will increase testing for COVID-19 after Thanksgiving -- A new surge of coronavirus infections is sweeping the nation, just as San Diego colleges prepare to send students off for the Thanksgiving holiday. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/16/20

Also . . .   

‘None of these people needed to die’: S.F. ceremony honors people killed by cars -- The steps of San Francisco’s City Hall were lined with 187 pairs of shoes Sunday afternoon, each pair representing a Bay Area resident whose life ended in a traffic crash. J.K. Dineen and Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/20

San Francisco sees nearly 7 foot king tides Sunday, more coming Monday -- The tides, which are caused by stronger gravitational pulls from the moon and sun, delivered high tides of 6.9 feet at 10:44 a.m. Sunday in San Francisco. Tides of the same height are forecast again for 11:26 a.m. Monday, according to the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office. Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/20

POTUS 46  

Biden seeks window on vaccine plans as Trump stalls handoff -- President-elect Joe Biden’s scientific advisers plan to meet with vaccine makers in coming days even as a stalled presidential transition keeps them out of the loop on government plans to inoculate all Americans against COVID-19. Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Will Weissert Associated Press -- 11/16/20

POTUS 45  

Trump, Trying to Cling to Power, Fans Unrest and Conspiracies -- Before going to play golf at his club in Virginia for the second day in a row on Sunday, the president once again lashed out at the news media and Mr. Biden’s supporters, retweeting reports of a university professor who said that anyone who voted for the Democrat was “ignorant, anti-American and anti-Christian.” In his tweet, Mr. Trump called that “Progress!” Michael D. Shear in the New York Times$ -- 11/16/20

Trump campaign jettisons major parts of its legal challenge against Pennsylvania’s election results -- President Trump’s campaign on Sunday scrapped a major part of its federal lawsuit challenging the election results in Pennsylvania. Jon Swaine and Elise Viebeck in the Washington Post$ Josh Gerstein Politico -- 11/16/20

-- Sunday Updates

Coronavirus: A month-by-month look at our path forward -- Even in this dark moment, as coronavirus cases surge to even more alarming levels and new lockdowns are imposed, there is a path forward to guide us out of this pandemic, experts say. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/15/20

How to make sure winter is welcoming in the time of COVID -- With temperatures dropping and the days growing short, the Bay Area’s new landscape of parklets and shared outdoor spaces needs to be adapted to the realities of the season. John King, Santiago Mejia in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/15/20

The coronavirus pandemic is hitting Black-owned businesses especially hard -- Walter Wilson co-founded the Minority Business Consortium to create more economic opportunities for people sidelined by institutionalized racism. Emily DeRuy in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/15/20

Policy & Politics 

Making history: Three Korean American women, two representing California, win seats in Congress -- By text, by phone and by social media, they trumpeted the news from California to Asia: Late Friday, Young Kim had joined her “sister” Michelle Steel in making history as two of the first three Korean American women ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Anh Do in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/15/20

Without Trump in the White House, what’s next for California Republicans? -- California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson will be the first to tell you that, before last year, state Republicans were losing steam. Lara Korte in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/15/20

Republicans made gains in California but missed San Diego County: Where does the local GOP go from here? -- While not quite the resurgence they may have hoped for, California Republicans made significant gains around the state in this election and are on pace to pick up three of the state’s 53 congressional seats, putting them at 11. Unfortunately for local Republicans, San Diego County was not part of that trend. Charles T. Clark in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/15/20

Harris’s allies wonder anxiously: Will she have real clout? -- But while Black activists remain excited about Harris’s ascent, many now worry that the administration will not deliver much beyond her historic election — a fear sharpened by Democrats’ disappointing performance in congressional races, which has dramatically limited Biden’s maneuvering room. Chelsea Janes and Sean Sullivan in the Washington Post$ -- 11/15/20

Trump actually increased his vote total in San Francisco over 2016 -- As of Friday, President Trump had gotten 56,321 votes in San Francisco — 18,633 more votes than he got in 2016, according to results from the San Francisco Department of Elections. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/15/20

Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election with this coalition -- The former vice president held on to Barack Obama’s vaunted coalition of college-educated liberals, young people and Black voters. He slightly narrowed the gap with the white working class, particularly women. Among Latinos, well, it’s complicated. Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/15/20

Education 

Charter schools could find it tougher to win approval in San Diego -- San Diego Unified is proposing adding dozens of standards for new and expanding charter schools after a new state law gives districts more leeway to deny charters. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/15/20

San Diego universities will increase testing for COVID-19 after Thanksgiving -- A new surge of coronavirus infections is sweeping the nation, just as San Diego colleges prepare to send students off for the Thanksgiving holiday. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/15/20

Cheers and Applause   

Wayne Thiebaud turns 100 today: Sacramento celebrates its best-known artist -- The influences on Wayne Thiebaud, the legendary Sacramento artist who marks his 100th birthday Sunday, are vast: there’s Willem DeKooning’s abstract expressionism, Richard Diebenkorn’s figurative works as well as commercial and comic art. But don’t forget the Sacramento region where Thiebaud made his home and his name in the art world. Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/15/20