Updating . .   

New stay-at-home order for L.A. County coming within weeks if COVID-19 continues to surge -- In an ominous sign of how rapidly COVID-19 is spreading across Los Angeles County, officials on Tuesday warned that a new stay-at-home order would be imposed if coronavirus cases and hospitalizations continue to spike over the next few weeks. Rong-Gong Lin II, Luke Money, Jaclyn Cosgrove, Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/20

Why the third wave of coronavirus could be the most difficult for California -- Faced with a third COVID-19 wave just as we enter the holiday season, it would be fair for Californians to pose some existential questions. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/20

California will soon see a rise in COVID-19 deaths. How bad will it be this time? -- Here’s where we are: California is seeing a seven-day average of more than 8,000 new daily cases, up from just slightly more than 4,000 at the end of October. Hospitalizations are also starting to tick up, to more than 4,500 from fewer than 4,000 a week ago. Emily DeRuy, Harriet Blair Rowan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/18/20

California hospitalizations are surging with no sign of slowing -- California’s coronavirus surge continues to intensify, and the impact on hospitals is becoming more severe by the day. The state has suffered a net increase of 1,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in just the past week. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/18/20

Could California’s psych hospitals be ordered to admit inmates with COVID? -- The Department of State Hospitals is facing pressure in federal court to speed up admissions of mentally ill inmates from the COVID-riddled state prison system. Lee Romney CalMatters -- 11/18/20

Most of California is back in the purple COVID-19 tier. What does that mean again? -- Everything in the time of COVID-19 can seem fuzzy — even rules that govern our daily existence — which is why it’s worth revisiting exactly what the state’s tiers mean and how counties can progress to less restrictive ones. And it’s worth noting that counties can impose stricter rules than the state’s standards. Lila Seidman, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/20

LAX opens three rapid coronavirus testing sites — at a price -- The three testing centers are located one each at Terminal 2, Terminal 6 and Tom Bradley International Terminal, costing travelers $150 per test. Operated by Clarity Lab Solutions, the tests are standard PCR nasal swab tests that provide results within 24 hours. David Rosenfeld in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 11/18/20

Newsom’s French Laundry dinner raises question of what counts as outdoor dining -- With winter approaching and bringing with it chilly, wet weather, restaurants already struggling to survive what seems like a never-ending pandemic say the guidance hasn’t been clear. Emily DeRuy, Linda Zavoral in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/18/20

Back to School  

In California, science guides whether to reopen hair salons — but not always schools -- Ten months into the pandemic, California school districts are struggling with whether to reopen classrooms as public health experts warn that the risks of returning students to class might be outweighed by the harms of keeping classrooms closed. Jill Tucker and Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/18/20

Could surge mean some Bay Area schools won’t return to classroom until next school year? -- For public school parents anxious about their kids’ struggles with online distance learning at home, the recent coronavirus case surge is a dispiriting sign likely to further delay a return to the classroom. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/18/20

How one Northern California school district got teachers and students back in the classroom -- There was little debate in Manteca about reopening schools. The district’s 25,000 students needed to get back into classrooms with their teachers, officials and parents argued. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/18/20

Policy & Politics 

California lost $2.7 billion it could have spent on affordable housing, audit says -- California’s absence of a coordinated plan led to the state mismanaging and losing $2.7 billion that could have gone toward building more affordable housing, according to a report released by the California State Auditor on Tuesday. Jeong Park in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/18/20

California budget analyst predicts temporary $26 billion surplus, then rising long-term deficits -- California could see $26 billion in one-time surplus funds that will help balance the budget next year, but moving forward will face rising deficits, according to a new report from the Legislative Analyst’s Office. Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/18/20

California’s food banks will get a shake-up on Jan. 1. Will it interrupt supply? -- Come Jan. 1, many of California’s food banks will get food distributed from a new organization, which promises cost savings that could result in more supplies for the facilities, more frequent delivery and a “produce mobile” with fresh fruits and vegetables. But Sacramento-based California Emergency Foodlink, the current entity in charge of distributing the food, is asking the federal government to stop the change. Jeong Park in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/18/20

Pelosi renominated for speaker in drama-free vote, but real test lies ahead -- Unlike her nomination vote in 2018, when Pelosi faced an organized opposition for her speakership, Wednesday’s vote was only a voice vote, not a roll call, meaning there’s no record of how many Democrats didn’t support her renomination. Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/18/20

Newsom 

Newsom, legislators face anger over party and Hawaii trip -- No politician escapes the heightened scrutiny that comes with running for office. And most, if not all, have been criticized for not doing enough to align their actions with their words. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/20

Unmasked: Doctors’ association execs joined Newsom at lobbyist’s birthday bash -- The dinner party Gov. Gavin Newsom apologized this week for attending — saying it was a mistake to dine with so many people amid the coronavirus pandemic — included two guests who lobby on behalf of California doctors, the very profession that has been imploring people to refrain from social activity that could hasten the virus’ spread. Laurel Rosenhall CalMatters Jeremy B. White and Victoria Colliver Politico -- 11/18/20

Education 

Community college enrollment falls as students grapple with job loss, online learning -- David Lewis was just a few credits shy of earning his associate’s degree in journalism from Long Beach City College when the pandemic hit. Emma Hall and Tess Kazenoff CalMatters -- 11/18/20

UC Berkeley to remove names of LeConte and Barrows halls due to ‘controversial legacies’ -- Two halls at UC Berkeley will have their names removed Wednesday in response to growing awareness of their namesakes’ controversial legacies, campus officials said. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/20

Street  

9 arrested at Fairfield City Council meeting after protesting cop’s hiring -- Nine people were arrested Tuesday night after disrupting a Fairfield City Council meeting to protest the appointment of a police officer who was involved in two fatal shootings while working as an officer in Vallejo. Nora Mishanec in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/18/20

‘You’re a Black person in a white neighborhood,’ woman tells Discovery Bay family in racist rant -- A neighborhood dispute about dogs in Discovery Bay took a racist turn on Monday, when a white woman approached a Black man and told him, “You’re a Black person in a white neighborhood — and you’re acting like one.” Michael Williams in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/18/20

Taylor: Policing Blackness: It happened again. This time it was in Discovery Bay -- The most recent incident of policing Blackness for innocuous behavior happened in Discovery Bay, an unincorporated area on the eastern edge of Contra Costa County. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/18/20

Real Estate  

Southern California’s median home price rose sharply in October -- The Southern California median home price rose sharply in October compared with a year earlier, as buyers rushed to take advantage of rock-bottom interest rates. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/20

PG&Eeal  

PG&E names Michigan utility chief as new CEO -- PG&E Corp. on Wednesday named Patti Poppe, a Midwest utility executive, as the San Francisco energy company’s next CEO starting Jan. 4. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/18/20

California Policy and P  olitics Wednesday Morning  

Orange County to provide thousands of free in-home kits to test spit for coronavirus -- Orange County leaders announced a new initiative Tuesday, Nov. 17, to hand out do-it-yourself kits to test saliva for the coronavirus in a push to curb spread at inevitable holiday gatherings. Ian Wheeler, Alicia Robinson in the Orange County Register -- 11/18/20

FDA authorizes first at-home coronavirus test -- The test, developed by Lucira Health, can be used by people who are at least 14 years old when their health provider suspects they have Covid-19, the FDA said late Tuesday. The test can be used on younger people, but in that case a health care provider must collect the sample. David Lim Politico -- 11/18/20

L.A. County sets curfew for restaurants, wineries, limits size of gatherings -- With coronavirus surging, Los Angeles County Public Health officials tightened restrictions on Tuesday, Nov. 17, including curfews on restaurants, wineries, bars and cardrooms, while ordering new caps on social gatherings, officials said. Ryan Carter in the Los Angeles Daily News$ Jaclyn Cosgrove in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/20

Orange County officials cry foul after state imposes sweeping COVID-19 restrictions -- In a sign of the continued political polarization surrounding COVID-19, officials in Orange County are expressing frustration following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to move the region into the most restrictive reopening tier amid a dangerous new surge in coronavirus infections statewide. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/20

Seniors Making It Through Pandemic With a Little Tech and a Lot of Wisdom -- On the rare occasion she leaves her room, Diane Evans uses a walker to gingerly navigate San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood. Most days, the 74-year-old wears a multicolored head scarf, extra large T-shirt and plaid pajama pants. Lesley McClurg KQED -- 11/18/20

Hiltzik: Column: Private firms keep stranglehold on COVID vaccines, though you paid for the research -- The biotech company Moderna injected a new dose of optimism into the fight against COVID-19 on Monday by announcing that its vaccine candidate had shown a success rate of 94.5% in clinical trials. Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/20

LAX launches on-site coronavirus testing for fliers -- Los Angeles International Airport is rolling out on-site coronavirus testing, as officials urge against unnecessary travel amid a spike in cases across Southern California. Lila Seidman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/20

Covid and Restaurant Fees  

California restaurant owners plan to sue the state over permit fees -- A San Francisco restaurant owner just filed a claim against the city, seeking refunds for permits, licenses and other annual fees. Janelle Bitker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/18/20

Back to School  

S.F. school board sets date for reopening amid criticism from union, parents -- San Francisco’s public school students would start returning to classrooms by Jan. 25 under a timeline approved unanimously by the school board Tuesday night. But the date is not a given. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/18/20

School Quarantine  

Classes in two Sacramento County schools in quarantine days after campuses reopened -- In-person instruction in Folsom Cordova Unified resumed just last Thursday, bringing nearly 5,000 students back to 20 campuses. Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/18/20

Covid Workplace  

Telecom employees in Tustin required to return to office hit with COVID -- Much has changed. Now, the 150 men and women who provide customer service pause for temperature checks before entering – no more “honor system” of self-evaluations. And they must wear face masks, even while speaking with customers on the phone. Susan Christian Goulding in the Orange County Register -- 11/18/20

COVID Overload  

Bay Area postal workers rally to highlight ‘over-the-top’ workload as holidays approach -- With the crush of holiday shopping and shipping fast approaching, some Bay Area postal workers rallied Tuesday to draw attention to what they called chronic understaffing and widespread fatigue after a year of sustained demand for delivery services. Nora Mishanec in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/18/20

Policy & Politics 

Winning reelection as House speaker should be easy this time for Nancy Pelosi. What follows may not be -- With no challenger in sight, Speaker Nancy Pelosi should breeze through her reelection bid in Wednesday’s House leadership vote and move closer to what is expected to be her final two-year term in the high-profile post. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/20

S.F. transit agency grapples with ‘history of racism’: Black staff disproportionately disciplined -- San Francisco’s transit agency introduced a racial equity plan at an emotional meeting Tuesday to grapple with what its director Jeffrey Tumlin called “a very long history of racism, sexism and discrimination.” Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/18/20

Ventura County declares racism a public health crisis -- Spurred by the recent killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd — and by a nationwide history of discrimination and oppression against Black people, Indigenous people and other people of color — the resolution was the result of a months-long collaboration between county officials and community groups. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/20

California could get boost in race for top job on House Agriculture Committee -- A Californian has not chaired the powerful House Agriculture Committee since just after the Civil War. Rep. Jim Costa is hoping to change that. Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/18/20

California, Oregon will take over dams controlled by Warren Buffett – and tear them down -- Gov. Gavin Newsom and his Oregon counterpart signed a landmark deal Tuesday to take control of four aging dams targeted for removal on the Lower Klamath River, an agreement designed to push the controversial $450 million plan over the finish line. Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/18/20

Walters: French Laundry flap spotlights Capitol insiders -- California Gov Gavin Newsom’s mea culpa over attending the birthday party of a lobbyist spotlights how insiders work the Capitol. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 11/18/20

Fox: Emergency Brake Pulled for Business Re-openings and Also for Government Revenue -- This effort to stall the spread of the Covid-19 virus will also serve as an anchor on job and economic growth as well as revenue collection by state and local governments. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 11/18/20

Election  

Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, backer of guaranteed income, loses re-election bid -- The 30-year-old Democrat conceded Tuesday to Republican Kevin Lincoln, the executive pastor of a local church, becoming the fourth consecutive single-term mayor of the San Joaquin Valley city of 310,000. Tubbs trailed 56% to 44%, a gap that had grown steadily since election night. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Cassie Dickman in the Stockton Record-- 11/18/20

Hawthorne men accused in voter fraud plot to attain 8,000 mail ballots for “nonexistent or deceased” persons -- As judges around the U.S. continue to dismiss claims of voter fraud by President Trump and his supporters, prosecutors and election officials in Los Angeles County said Tuesday that they had uncovered evidence of an actual attempt to fix an election — albeit a small, local one. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/20

Street  

LAPD bars use of third-party facial recognition systems, launches review after BuzzFeed inquiry -- The Los Angeles Police Department has barred officers and detectives from using outside facial recognition platforms in their investigations after uncovering a handful of detectives had used a powerful commercial software platform known as Clearview AI without permission. Richard Winton, Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/20

Two LAPD officers sue over ‘Blue Flu’ discipline after calling out sick over July 4 holiday -- Two Los Angeles police officers have alleged in separate lawsuits that they were illegally disciplined by LAPD commanders after being wrongly accused of faking an illness as part of a “Blue Flu” protest action over the July 4 weekend. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/20

Police Commission approves stricter rules for some LAPD searches -- The Los Angeles Police Commission approved a new policy Tuesday that requires LAPD officers to more carefully document instances in which people give them permission to search them on the street. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/20

Education 

California State University faculty, administrators remain at odds over ethnic studies requirement -- California State University took another step Tuesday toward requiring students to take an ethnic studies class as part of their lower-division coursework, a move that would also have significant implications for the state’s 115 degree-granting community colleges. Michael Burke EdSource -- 11/18/20

‘Roadschooling’ families give new meaning to distance learning -- Families dissatisfied with distance learning and being cooped up in their homes during a pandemic are loading up RVs and buses with textbooks and computers and heading out to see the country. Diana Lambert EdSource -- 11/18/20

Climate  

We May Have A Colder Winter, But Experts Say The Climate Is Still Warming -- This winter may seem colder than previous warmer winters Californians have experienced in recent history, because a moderate to strong La Niña is forming over the pacific. Ezra David Romero Capital Public Radio -- 11/18/20

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos gives Salk Institute $30 million to help fight climate change -- An ambitious effort by La Jolla’s Salk Institute to find ways to get plants to capture and store atmospheric carbon has received a $30 million boost from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos as part his new $10 billion campaign to fight climate change. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/18/20

ICE   

Judge Bars Immigration Arrests at San Diego’s Federal Courthouse -- U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw granted a temporary restraining order this week barring the Department of Homeland Security from making immigration arrests at the federal courthouses in San Diego and El Centro. Maya Srikrishnan Voiceofsandiego.org -- 11/18/20

Housing  

Bay Area home prices hit another record and sales surged in October, defying seasonal slowdown -- Bay Area single-family home prices hit another record high in October and sales were up 19% over last year, defying the usual slowdown that hits the real estate market in fall, according to a California Association of Realtors report out Tuesday. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/18/20

Oakland’s Moms 4 Housing mark movement’s anniversary with march to foreclosure auction -- A year after a group of homeless Oakland moms grabbed hearts and headlines by seizing a vacant West Oakland house, Moms 4 Housing and some supporters marked the anniversary Tuesday by marching on the René C. Davidson Courthouse to disrupt a foreclosure auction in the rain. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/18/20

Water  

Outsiders Are Wary of San Diego’s Multibillion-Dollar Pipeline Plan -- Opposition is building against San Diego’s dream of erecting a $5 billion pipeline to the Colorado River in the name of resource independence. MacKenzie Elmer Voiceofsandiego.org -- 11/18/20

Wildfire  

PG&E sued by 8 Sonoma County bodies over 2019 Kincade Fire -- Eight Sonoma County cities and local government agencies have sued Pacific Gas and Electric Co. over the 2019 Kincade Fire, which destroyed 374 buildings and forced widespread evacuations. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/18/20

POTUS 46

Biden builds White House team and tries to show dangers of Trump’s intransigence -- President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday named top aides who will work in his White House, rewarding loyal supporters and longtime advisers as he builds his administration-in-waiting while keeping a spotlight on the Trump administration’s refusal to assist his transition into office. Sean Sullivan in the Washington Post$ -- 11/18/20

Biden’s DIY transition proceeds without Trump assistance -- President Donald Trump’s refusal to cooperate with his successor is forcing President-elect Joe Biden to seek unusual workarounds to prepare for the exploding public health threat and evolving national security challenges he will inherit in just nine weeks. Steve Peoples, Deb Riechmann and Zeke Miller Associated Press -- 11/18/20

POTUS 45  

Trump fires agency head who vouched for 2020 vote security -- President Donald Trump fired the nation’s top election security official, a widely respected member of his administration who had dared to refute the president’s unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud and vouch for the integrity of the vote. Ben Fox Associated Press -- 11/18/20