Updating . .   

California COVID-19 lockdown measures are met with skepticism but may offer the best hope -- With coronavirus cases surging to unprecedented levels in California, state and local officials are rapidly adding new restrictions in hopes of slowing the infection rate. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/23/20

L.A. County restaurant owners fear they won’t survive another COVID-19 shutdown -- For Jacob Shaw and other restaurant owners in Los Angeles, the holiday season was going to be a welcome boost to business. Matt Hamilton, Jenn Harris, Garrett Snyder, Alex Wigglesworth, Gale Holland in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/23/20

Outdoor-dining ban and late-night restrictions: Here are the latest COVID rules for L.A. County -- In the latest effort to slow the unprecedented rise in COVID-19, Los Angeles County officials said outdoor restaurant dining would be temporarily restricted beginning Wednesday. It’s just the latest in a string of new orders issued in the last week as coronavirus infections have raged. Alex Wigglesworth, Luke Money, Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/23/20

Sacramentans are flying to Thanksgiving meals despite dire COVID-19 warnings. Here’s why -- The Simpermans are among perhaps hundreds of thousands in California this week who are doing exactly what national health officials have been asking them not to do - travel long distances to gather with extended family for days of holiday visits amid a national surge of COVID-19 cases. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/23/20

S.F. study could bring U.S. closer to fast, reliable coronavirus tests that report results in minutes -- A small study by San Francisco researchers could bring the U.S. a step closer to having reliable and fast coronavirus diagnostic tests that generate results in minutes, instead of hours or days. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/23/20

As coronavirus cases surge again, ICE leaders push to detain more immigrants -- At a federal court hearing last week, Moises Becerra, a top official with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, discussed a plan to safely repopulate the Mesa Verde immigrant detention facility in Bakersfield. Last summer, a COVID-19 outbreak spread to more than half of the detainees and a quarter of the staff. Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/23/20

San Francisco’s empty hotels have little to celebrate during coming holidays -- To see the sorry state of San Francisco’s once dynamic hospitality industry right now, just pay a visit to the lobby of the Hotel Nikko near Union Square — you’ll need to ring a bell to get in, and when you step into the lobby, it’s empty. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/23/20

Policy & Politics 

Apple exec indicted for alleged role in Santa Clara pay-to-play gun permit scandal -- The head of global security for Apple was indicted Monday for what prosecutors said was his role in an alleged bribery scheme to obtain gun permits in exchange for political donations, the Santa Clara District Attorney’s office said. Nora Mishanec in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Robert Salonga in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/23/20

Newsom’s French Laundry dinner shows how lobbyists get access to power in Sacramento -- When he dined at the French Laundry in Yountville this month, Gov. Gavin Newsom enjoyed not only fine cuisine at a three-star Michelin restaurant but also the company of several influential figures with regular business before his administration. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/23/20

French Laundry snafu reignites longshot Newsom recall drive -- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pandemic group outing to the French Laundry and his decision to send his kids to in-person private school are reigniting talk of a recall that was once relegated to the fringes of conservative groups in deep blue California. Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/23/20

GM flips to California’s side in pollution fight against Trump -- General Motors says it will no longer support the Trump administration‘s legal efforts to end California’s right to set its own clean-air standards. Tom Krisher Associated Press -- 11/23/20

Divided Washington will test House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s prowess next year -- Next year could put House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s reputation as a master legislator to the greatest test of her career, with Washington poised to enter one of its most sharply divided periods in a generation. Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/23/20

Will state stick ‘Team Biden’ firm with $35 million tab after Yee balks at Padilla vote contract? -- Documents obtained by CalMatters reveal a behind-the-scenes look at a controversial no-bid contract — and a showdown between two of California’s most ambitious politicians. Emily Hoeven CalMatters -- 11/23/20

Biden picks Alejandro Mayorkas for Homeland Security secretary -- President-elect Joe Biden on Monday named Alejandro Mayorkas as his Homeland Security secretary, a move that could make the Cuban American and former federal prosecutor in California the first Latino to serve in the Cabinet post. Molly O’Toole in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/23/20

A 40-year conflict over a state park: Has it finally reached a breaking point? -- Enjoying nature while preserving it is an age-old conflict in California, but nowhere is it more fraught than at Oceano Dunes. Can off-roading and endangered species coexist? Julie Cart CalMatters -- 11/23/20

Policy & Business  

The fossil fuel industry wants you to believe it’s good for people of color -- The letter to Mexico’s energy minister offered a glowing review of a fossil fuel project in Baja California. Sammy Roth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/23/20

Fox: Business and Jobs Task Force Quits Ahead of Likely Additional Business and Job Closures -- It is more than ironic that the governor’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery closed down just as businesses and workers face the prospect of more restrictions and closures with a surge of the coronavirus. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 11/23/20

Education 

Coronavirus outbreak at Concordia University infects 49 students, 16 employees -- A coronavirus outbreak at Concordia University in Irvine has infected more than 60 students and employees, prompting campus officials to cancel athletic practices and urge against out-of-state travel for Thanksgiving. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/23/20

California is still debating ethnic studies in public education. Can the state finally get it right? -- After more than a year of roiling controversies over how to teach ethnic studies in K-12 through college classrooms, discord erupted anew last week over course content and how to meet legal requirements, with many wondering: Can California get it right this go-round? Nina Agrawal in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/23/20

Distance learning stokes fears of excessive screen time -- Christine Whalen has a spirited 5-year-old who started kindergarten in the fall. It’s not going well. Ella gets so bored on Zoom that she quickly squirms, wiggles and tries to flee. Karen D'Souza EdSource -- 11/23/20

Landlords & Tenants  

Rent is falling in Los Angeles. Head east, you’ll find the opposite -- Estimated rent for a vacant apartment has fallen 5.3% since the beginning of the year in Los Angeles County, according to one measure, as landlords try to fill vacant units in a down economy. In the Inland Empire, apartment hunters are encountering a stark difference. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/23/20

Street  

In a first for San Francisco, DA Chesa Boudin will charge police officer who shot Keita O’Neil with homicide -- San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin will announce on Monday that he is filing manslaughter charges against the police officer who fatally shot 42-year-old Keita O’Neil during a chase in 2017 — the first time in modern history that the city's top prosecutor has charged a police officer with homicide. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/23/20

San Diego police mandate solid-colored masks with no logos to appease concerns -- The order comes after some community members raised concerns over masks that depict the thin blue line flag. David Hernandez in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/23/20

Killings in L.A. spike dramatically, leaving families shattered, communities reeling -- Beneath a highway overpass in South Los Angeles on Saturday night, a detective clicked his flashlight on and off as he carefully placed a yellow evidence marker in the middle of the street and then another closer to the curb, near the pooled blood of a 17-year-old boy. Kevin Rector, Nicole Santa Cruz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/23/20

 

California Policy and P  olitics Monday Morning  

California Gov. Gavin Newsom in quarantine after children exposed to COVID-19 -- Gov. Gavin Newsom is quarantining for two weeks after three of his children were exposed to a California Highway Patrol officer with COVID-19, Newsom’s office announced Sunday night. His office says he will continue to act as governor while he quarantines. Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ Kate Galbraith in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/23/20

L.A. County suspends outdoor dining at restaurants as coronavirus surges -- In a devastating blow to Los Angeles’ struggling restaurant industry, L.A. County public health officials on Sunday announced they will suspend outdoor dining at restaurants amid a surge of new coronavirus cases. Alex Wigglesworth, Matt Hamilton, Gale Holland in the Los Angeles Times$ Ryan Carter in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 11/23/20

Protesters demonstrate in Huntington Beach in defiance of coronavirus curfew -- A couple hundred protesters, many donning bright red caps and waving American flags, gathered Saturday night at Huntington Beach Pier in defiance of the state’s coronavirus curfew that went into effect at 10 p.m. Rosanna Xia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/23/20

At SFO, travelers take coronavirus risk in stride during Thanksgiving rush -- Tommy Cooper waited just 15 minutes at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday to get the results of his coronavirus test. Tatiana Sanchez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/23/20

Sacramento State to reduce in-person classes as COVID-19 cases spike across California -- Additionally, Sacramento State students living in dorms will be given the choice to stay or to leave the residence halls and receive a refund. All faculty and staff who are able to are being asked to work from home and avoid visiting the campus. Molly Burke in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/23/20

More than 200 workers test positive for coronavirus at Golden Gate Fields -- The coronavirus has raced through Golden Gate Fields in the past week, infecting more than 200 people despite a shutdown of all racing at the Bay Area’s only horse track. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/23/20

Knight: S.F. was flattening the curve — until our urge to gather spiked it. Now we need to reverse the surge -- San Francisco loves to bask in how wonderful it is, and just last month, it had good reason to feel smug about nearly quashing coronavirus transmission. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/23/20

Policy & Politics 

Newsom faces pressure to fill Harris seat with woman of color instead of presumed favorite -- As speculation grows that Gov. Gavin Newsom is leaning toward California elections chief Alex Padilla to fill the U.S. Senate seat of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, a crowd of top Democratic donors and former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown are launching an aggressive campaign to argue that another woman of color should fill that seat instead. Carla Marinucci Politico -- 11/23/20

Skelton: Who should Newsom choose as Kamala Harris’ successor? Himself, Willie Brown says -- Maybe Gov. Gavin Newsom should just choose himself to replace Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in the U.S. Senate. That’s the thinking of Willie Brown, a fellow former San Francisco mayor and Democratic elder statesman. It’s not a bad idea. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/23/20

Walters: Why are taxpayers footing Klamath River dam removal cost? -- Decades of political conflict over the fate of four obsolete dams on the Klamath River reached a turning point last week with a multi-party, two-state “memorandum of understanding” to remove them in hopes of restoring salmon runs. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 11/23/20

Also . . .   

Sale of SF’s Bank of America building, part-owned by Trump, put on hold -- Efforts to sell the famed Bank of America Building at 555 California St. in San Francisco have been put on hold amid an uncertain market, a move than could at least temporarily hurt the finances of the cash-strapped Trump family, which owns 30% of the property, according to the Wall Street Journal. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/23/20

Veterans in need receive support at annual event despite pandemic complications -- Veterans Village of San Diego, along with many partner organizations, hosted a scaled-back, socially-distant version of its annual ‘Stand Down’ event Sunday morning. Kate Morrissey in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/23/20

Unresponsive, elderly patient spent two hours in Loma Linda VA waiting room before death -- An unresponsive patient who was at least 90 years old sat for two hours in the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Hospital emergency department waiting room last year before having vitals taken and then quickly dying in an examination room, federal officials say. Scott Schwebke in the San Bernardino Sun$ -- 11/23/20

No doggies in the window as S.F. Christmas tradition goes virtual at Union Square -- Instead, when the SPCA’s annual Holiday Windows exhibit opens Tuesday, people pressed against the glass will see orphan pets doing what they always do — but on video monitors. Sam Whiting in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/23/20

POTUS 46  

Biden picks Antony Blinken as secretary of state, emphasizing experience and the foreign policy establishment -- President-elect Joe Biden has selected Antony Blinken, one of his closest and longest-serving foreign policy advisers, as secretary of state as he prepares to unveil a slate of new nominees this week that will emphasize a deep well of experience in the foreign policy and national security establishment. Annie Linskey, Matt Viser and John Hudson in the Washington Post$ -- 11/23/20

POTUS 45  

A noisy president goes (relatively) quiet in wake of election defeat -- The president who likes to put on a show is mostly offstage these days. Josh Dawsey in the Washington Post$ -- 11/23/20

-- Sunday Updates

Daily California coronavirus cases triple as pandemic dramatically worsens -- The coronavirus is now infecting more Californians daily than at any previous point in the COVID-19 pandemic, raising concerns about a new peak in coronavirus-related deaths by Christmas. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/22/20

Bay Area county hits a record as California coronavirus cases surge -- San Mateo County recorded the most coronavirus cases it has logged since the start of the pandemic on Saturday as California and the Bay Area experienced a surge just days before major holiday traveling begins for many. Aldo Toledo in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/22/20

Hospitals brace for holiday COVID surge, fearing staff shortages and burnout -- Since the middle of October, doctors and nurses at Loma Linda University Medical Center had been warily watching news reports of a spike in COVID-19 patients in the Midwest. They knew that, sooner or later, their own hospital would be hard hit. They just didn’t know when. Maria L. La Ganga, Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/22/20

Bay Area sees racial shift in coronavirus: Positive tests down for Latinos, up for whites -- For the first time since the pandemic hit in full force, coronavirus cases among Latino residents — who for many months have borne the brunt of COVID-19 — are decreasing, while cases among white residents are increasing in parts of the Bay Area. Tatiana Sanchez, Catherine Ho and Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/22/20

We’re closer than ever to a COVID-19 vaccine. That has some San Diegans of color concerned -- Those conversations revealed many people of color are concerned that science has been polluted by politics and isn’t being explained to them clearly. Others worry their communities are being used for clinical trials without an assurance they’d have access to an approved vaccine. Jonathan Wosen, Andrea Lopez-Villafaña in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/22/20

The third wave of coronavirus is washing over the Bay Area. How will we weather the storm? -- A third, formidable wave of the coronavirus pandemic is crashing over the Bay Area, and it’s likely to be the most demanding test yet of the regional resolve that has never tamed the virus, but so far has prevented much of the deadly devastation most feared. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/22/20

COVID-19 outbreak at Concordia University infects almost 50 students, 16 employees -- Nearly 50 students and 16 employees have tested positive for COVID-19 at Concordia University in Irvine, the school’s coronavirus dashboard for active cases showed on Saturday, Nov. 21. Dan Albano in the Orange County Register -- 11/22/20

Arellano: ‘Scared like crazy’: Going viral saved Burritos La Palma from the ravages of COVID-19 -- In early June, Albert Bañuelos took stock of his finances and came to the same conclusion that too many restaurateurs have had to make in this coronavirus year: Maybe it was time to close for good. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/22/20

Will Prop. 19 substantially increase home inventory in California? -- California voters narrowly approved Proposition 19, allowing older homeowners to bring tax benefits with them if they move. Phillip Molnar in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/22/20

Street  

L.A. hits 300 homicides for first time in a decade -- The milestone comes amid growing concerns about spikes in violence this year, not just in Los Angeles but also other big cities across the nation. From Saturday into Sunday morning, there were four killings, among other shootings, the Los Angeles Police Department said. Much of the violence occurred in South L.A. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/22/20

School   

New uniforms, more training on the way for San Diego school police amid scrutiny of law enforcement -- San Diego Unified will increase training for school police and principals and change school police uniforms in an effort to improve interactions between students and school police. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/22/20

One year after a pledge died, SDSU still struggles to control its fraternities -- It should have been a momentous night, the kind a fraternity pledge remembers forever. Gary Robbins, Lyndsay Winkley in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/22/20

Also . . .   

San Pedro’s Ports O’ Call was torn down. A new waterfront is finally taking shape -- On the main channel of Los Angeles Harbor where the city’s shipping industry was born more than a century ago, a kitschy imitation of a New England fishing village called Ports O’ Call opened in 1962. Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/22/20