Updating . .   

Some L.A. County residents should wear masks at home to slow virus spread, officials say -- With the coronavirus spreading rapidly and pushing hospitals to a crisis point, Los Angeles County officials are recommending further safety measures — going so far as to urge some residents to wear masks inside their homes. Rong-Gong Lin II, Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/12/21

Coronavirus surges up the coast: Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara now hit hard -- Three counties northwest of Los Angeles are experiencing alarming spikes in coronavirus cases, further heightening the level of infections in already hard-hit Southern California and triggering fresh fears about potentially overtaxing local healthcare systems. Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II, Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/12/21

UCSD says new strain of coronavirus found in Japan also likely present in U.S. -- A new variation of the coronavirus discovered in Japan is “very likely already in the U.S.” as well, according to Davey Smith, director of infectious diseases at UC San Diego. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/12/21

Trump to prioritize older adults for Covid vaccines, release all doses -- The Trump administration will no longer hold back second doses of coronavirus shots and is asking states to start vaccinating older adults and people with high-risk medical conditions in an effort to accelerate vaccinations. Rachel Roubein Politico -- 1/12/21

California has the most vaccines of any US state; it has used only 27% of them -- This makes sense, as California is the most populous state in the country with about 40 million residents. But what doesn't make sense is the Golden State is getting its allotment into the arms of citizens more slowly than other states. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/12/21

Surprising number of frontline workers skeptical of vaccine. Can the state force them? -- Pat Withrow, the San Joaquin County sheriff, survived a bout with COVID-19 last summer. Dozens of inmates and staff at the county jail also have tested positive. So it was with a good deal of alarm that Withrow reported last week that many of his deputies are reluctant to take the new coronavirus vaccines. Ryan Sabalow and Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/12/21

We asked all 9 Bay Area counties for their vaccine plans. Here's what they shared -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said the end of the coronavirus pandemic is in sight with the rollout of vaccines. But with multiple hurdles delaying distribution, the process has moved more slowly than expected, and the question on everyone's mind is: When can I get the COVID-19 vaccine? Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/12/21

Can a common childhood vaccine protect against coronavirus? Here’s what experts say -- New research suggesting that a common childhood vaccine may help protect against COVID-19 has caught the attention of some at the back of the line for coronavirus vaccinations hoping to reduce their pandemic risk. Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/12/21

Mill Valley officials call for outdoor dining exemption from COVID order -- Mill Valley is the first municipality in California to seek an exemption from the outdoor dining ban under Gov. Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home order designed to curb spread of the coronavirus. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/12/21

Gig Work    

Prop. 22 faces first legal challenge as SEIU, ride-share drivers plan to file suit -- One of the nation’s largest labor unions and several ride-share-app drivers in California plan to file a lawsuit with the state Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 22. The California law, approved by voters in November, allows gig companies to continue treating their workers as independent contractors rather than as employees. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ Jeong Park in the Sacramento Bee$ Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/12/21

Education 

California schools would get more money than ever in Newsom’s budget, but can they open? -- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new budget proposal would send more money than ever to California schools, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be ready to reopen this academic year. Hannah Wiley, Sawsan Morrar, and Lara Korte in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/12/21

Berkeley parents to stage 'sit-in' for reopening schools at Kamala Harris' old elementary school -- A group of Berkeley parents are preparing to stage a sit-in at Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' elementary school to demand that schools reopen "as soon as public health officials deem it safe," according to a news release. Joshua Bote in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/12/21

Sacramento-area school district identifies employee who died from COVID-19 as coach -- San Juan Unified School District identified the employee who died from COVID-19 over winter break as Bella Vista High School cross country coach Tom Laythe. Laythe was also a substitute teacher in the district. Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/12/21

These mentors see the ‘collective trauma’ of pandemic-hit teens. Here’s how they help -- Sometimes it’s karaoke. Sometimes it’s multiplayer games like skribbl or Among Us. Whatever it is, middle-school student Tiggerina Virgen never skips her after-school program — even though it means more time on Zoom. Julia Barajas in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/12/21

Biden’s debt forgiveness plan would help millions of California students -- Both President-elect Joe Biden and Congressional Democrats want to forgive some amount of federal student loan debt. The question is, how much — $10,000 or $50,000 — and is it even a good idea? Mikhail Zinshteyn CalMatters -- 1/12/21

Homeless 

COVID-19 job losses will worsen L.A. homelessness by 2023, new report says -- Massive job losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic nationwide will leave tens of thousands of low-wage workers without homes over the next three years, a report published Tuesday by a Los Angeles-based research group forecasts. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/12/21

Councilman Kevin de León wants 25,000 housing units for homeless by 2025 -- When the Los Angeles City Council opens its 2021 term on Tuesday, Councilman Kevin de León will introduce a range of motions with the goal of creating 25,000 new housing units for homeless people by 2025. Benjamin Oreskes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/12/21

Housing Scams 

Scam artists are using San Francisco’s coronavirus safety rules to trick renters looking for a good deal -- The plunge in San Francisco’s apartment market fueled by the coronavirus pandemic has been a blessing for thousands of tenants who have successfully haggled with their landlord for lower rents or moved into units that are at least 25% less expensive than they were a year ago. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/12/21

Exodus   

California exodus intensifies as retirees, teachers, musicians seek cheaper, less-crowded pastures -- The California dream has been fading for a long time, and people have been voting with their feet. In the last few years, the exodus has accelerated, with tens of thousands more people leaving than moving in. Stephanie Lai in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/12/21

Street    

Did secret Sacramento City Council discussion of Sac PD’s protest response break state law? -- The Sacramento City Council gathered last week behind closed doors to discuss the police department’s response to downtown demonstrations attended by white supremacist groups, a move that watchdogs said potentially violated a state law requiring most meetings about city business to be public. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/12/21

Climate   

King tides swelling across Bay Area coasts -- Tides above 7 feet — some of the highest of the year — are expected to swell across the Bay Area coast Tuesday and inundate the lowest-lying areas of the coastline, forecasters said. Vanessa Arredondo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/12/21

Why so many people are getting swept to sea along California's coast -- Three were pulled from the sea during difficult rescue attempts and pronounced dead shortly thereafter. Four are still missing and presumed dead. One — the still unnamed man who was searching for mussels — is in the hospital. Ashley Harrell in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/12/21

Also . . .   

State bullet train delays ‘beyond comprehension,’ contractor says in blistering letter -- One of the state’s top bullet train contractors has sent a scorching 36-page letter to California high-speed rail officials, contradicting state claims that the line’s construction pace is on target and warning the project could miss a key 2022 federal deadline. Ralph Vartabedian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/12/21

California Policy and P  olitics Tuesday Morning  

L.A. County announces first expansion of COVID-19 vaccine eligibility list -- In the first major expansion of the vaccine eligibility list, Los Angeles County announced on Monday that all healthcare industry workers can now receive vaccinations, including staffers at urgent and primary care clinics, research laboratories, pharmacies and dentist offices. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/12/21

COVID-19 vaccines to be administered at Disneyland, Orange County’s first ‘super’ distribution site -- In a statement Monday night, county supervisors said Disneyland will be one of five large “point-of-dispensing” sites that collectively would be able to vaccinate thousands of residents each day. Arrangements for the other sites are being finalized, the statement said. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ Alicia Robinson in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 1/12/21

Vaccine sites opening at Cal Expo, Dodger Stadium. How California plans to speed up rollout -- California is taking steps to ramp up its lagging vaccination efforts, including setting up sites at Sacramento’s Cal Expo, Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium and San Diego’s Petco Park, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday. Jeong Park and Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Maggie Angst in the San Jose Mercury$ Don Thompson Associated Press -- 1/12/21

First day of mega vaccine clinic delivers thousands of doses -- San Diego County’s first large coronavirus vaccination clinic put more than 2,500 doses in arms during its first full day of operation Monday as local coronavirus activity appeared to be riding a plateau. Paul Sisson, Jonathan Wosen in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/12/21

How will the self-employed get vaccinated? There’s no clear answer -- As a midwife, Tania McCracken spends hours with pregnant women and their families inside their homes, helping deliver newborns. The essential hands-on work puts McCracken and other California midwives at risk of COVID-19. Melody Petersen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/12/21

Medical workers say Culver City hospital denied them COVID-19 vaccines in favor of employee relatives -- When word leaked out last month that Southern California Hospital in Culver City would share its extra doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine over three days with the local medical community, frontline workers flocked to the 450-bed facility. What they found when they got there was troubling. Scott Schwebke in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 1/12/21

When Can I Get A COVID-19 Vaccine? How Will I Find Out? Answers To Your California Vaccine Questions -- While California started vaccinating health care workers and other high-risk residents in December, there are still a lot of questions about who will get vaccinated when. Here's what we know so far. Sammy Caiola Capital Public Radio -- 1/12/21

Walters: Newsom’s vaccination plan bogs down -- As a deadly surge of COVID-19 began hammering California late last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom imposed new restrictions on personal and economic activities and repeatedly promised that massive vaccinations would soon stop its spread. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 1/12/21

L.A. County faces ‘worst disaster’ in decades as coronavirus rages unchecked -- The coronavirus is continuing to rampage through Los Angeles County, infecting thousands of people every day and hammering already overworked hospitals with a deluge of new patients — a devastating double blow with deadly consequences. Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/12/21

Bay Area ICU availability plummets to 0.7% as California tops 30,000 deaths -- Intensive care availability in the Bay Area plummeted to 0.7% on Monday, an alarming drop over the weekend that was somewhat tempered by hospitalizations for COVID-19 showing signs of leveling off across the state and region. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/12/21

L.A. is overwhelmed. How Sacramento hospitals are trying to avoid their own COVID crisis -- Intensive care unit space at Sacramento hospitals has dropped to 10%, and officials say they are now girding for a potential “surge upon a surge” stemming from infections likely spread during Christmas and New Year’s gatherings. Tony Bizjak and Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/12/21

Weeks before Christmas outbreak, Kaiser San Jose fined $85,000 for violations -- A month before Kaiser Permanente came under fire for failing to report a deadly Christmas Day coronavirus outbreak at its San Jose medical center, the health care giant was fined more than $85,000, in part for keeping quiet when one of its employees was hospitalized for a week with COVID-19 early in the pandemic. Julia Prodis Sulek in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/12/21

Gorillas contract coronavirus at San Diego Zoo Safari Park -- Multiple gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park have contracted the coronavirus in the first known instances of natural transmission to great apes, the zoo announced Monday. Alex Wigglesworth, Jonathan Wosen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/12/21

Covid and Stimulus  

Unemployed Californians to get extra $300 weekly from COVID stimulus. What you need to know -- Millions of Californians are due to get $300 a week added to their weekly unemployment payments — but some will get the extra benefit sooner than others. David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/12/21

Covid and Office Market  

S.F. office market hits worst slump in decades as coronavirus pandemic rages on -- San Francisco’s office market had its weakest year in at least three decades in 2020, with the coronavirus pandemic bringing business expansion to a near standstill. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/12/21

Covid and Layoffs  

Layoffs jolt tech, hotel, restaurant, retail sectors -- The latest round of planned and upcoming job cuts in and near the Bay Area indicate that the region’s workers must brace for fresh bouts of unemployment, a tough blow that arrives on the heels of 10 months of coronavirus-linked business shutdowns. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/12/21

Policy & Politics 

Kevin McCarthy's fight for survival -- The California Republican had been ready to vault out of the minority at the 2022 midterms. But now he finds his fundraising challenged, his links to President Trump toxic and a tricky impeachment environment to navigate. Alayna Treene Axios -- 1/12/21

McCarthy says Trump accepted some responsibility for Capitol riot -- GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy told House Republicans Monday that President Donald Trump bears some blame for last week’s deadly Capitol riots and has accepted some responsibility, according to four Republican sources on a private call. Melanie Zanona and Olivia Beavers Politico -- 1/12/21

As dust settles on chaos in D.C., accounting begins in Southern California -- Even as the House of Representatives laid the groundwork Monday for a second impeachment of President Donald Trump, one of his supporters, Jessica Martinez, took heavy political fire 3,000 miles away in her role as a member the Whittier City Council. Ryan Carter, Pierce Singgih, David Downey, Brooke Staggs in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 1/12/21

Fresno County school trustee who attended Capitol riot won’t resign. Critics pledge recall -- A mountain community school board trustee who was part of the group that stormed the U.S. Capitol last week refused to resign from his position on Monday night, despite calls that he does not deserve to hold the seat. Ashleigh Panoo in the Fresno Bee -- 1/12/21

Airbnb, Facebook, Google press pause on political donations after Capitol siege -- Facebook, Google, Airbnb and Lyft are among Bay Area companies freezing some political donations in the wake of last week’s U.S. Capitol rampage by a mob incited by President Trump. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/12/21

California Republicans in battleground districts face no-win vote on impeachment -- If the California Republican Party has a future statewide, it will likely be in office-holders like Reps. Mike Garcia and Young Kim — relatively young people of color who were elected in battleground districts by playing up their moderate positions rather than tying themselves to President Trump. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/12/21

California Assembly impeachment vote puts Republicans in bind -- The choice presented to them: Either castigate a president still wildly popular within their own party or take a vote that might be construed by moderate and independent voters as, if not pro-insurrection, then at least insurrection-tolerant. Ben Christopher CalMatters -- 1/12/21

Rep. Issa: Democrats “overplaying” Trump’s role in Capitol riot, associated deaths -- Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Bonsall, who led several Congressional probes into 2012 Benghazi attack, suggests Democrats are playing politics with Capitol raid. Andrew Dyer in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/12/21

Berkeley considers banning the sale of gas-powered cars by 2027. But is it feasible? -- The City Council is expected to direct the city manager on Jan. 19 to do a feasibility study before considering an ordinance that would phase out 80% of gasoline, diesel and natural gas passenger vehicle sales. The future ordinance would not apply to trucks. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/12/21

Street  

‘High alert’ at California Capitol as police brace for any inauguration unrest -- Law enforcement officials are putting “additional security measures” in place at California’s Capitol in Sacramento amid warnings from the FBI and others that last week’s siege on the U.S. Capitol could be echoed across the country. Kevin Rector, Taryn Luna, Anita Chabria, Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/12/21

LAPD seeks to question ‘people of interest’ in suspected hate crime -- On Wednesday, about the same time a mob of President Trump’s supporters overran the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C., members of a pro-Trump crowd accosted a Black woman, Berlinda Nibo, near Los Angeles’ City Hall, Nibo previously told The Times. Nibo said people in the crowd yelled racial slurs, pulled off her wig, struck her and pepper-sprayed her face. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/12/21

Police say unlawful assembly during Pacific Beach protests applied to counterprotesters only -- When San Diego police declared an unlawful assembly during dueling protests in Pacific Beach on Saturday, Trump supporters stood on one side of a line of officers. Counterprotesters, some of whom identified as anti-fascist, stood on the other side of the police formation. The Union-Tribune reported that both sides had skirmished quite a bit that day. David Hernandez in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/12/21

After reopening Oscar Grant case, Alameda DA won’t charge ex-BART cop Pirone -- The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office will not file charges against Anthony Pirone, the former BART police officer who has been criticized for actions that led to the fatal police shooting of Oscar Grant on New Year’s Day 2009. Michael Williams in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/12/21

San Diego D.A. reclaims cases from Los Angeles in latest fight over George Gascón’s policies -- In an unprecedented move, a judge allowed the San Diego County district attorney’s office to move to reclaim jurisdiction Monday over several charges filed in Los Angeles connected to a violent crime spree that left two people dead, marking one of the strongest rebukes yet of newly elected L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascón’s policies. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/12/21

Education 

LAUSD, labor leaders say state’s COVID school-reopening plan falls short -- Los Angeles Unified School District officials and labor leaders are urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to beef up his proposed “Safe Schools for All” reopening plan to reflect the disproportionate impact months of COVID-19-related distance learning has had on students in low income communities. The item is in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 1/12/21

Newsom’s school reopening plan puts tight deadlines on districts, legislature -- Schools would have to offer in-person learning for primary students starting Feb. 16 in order to get the full funds under the governor’s $89.5 billion education budget. Lawmakers would need to meet deadlines in February and March, far earlier than normal. Ricardo Cano CalMatters -- 1/12/21

San Diego charter school supporters fear losing school’s founding leaders -- Advocates of a popular southeast San Diego charter school, Gompers Preparatory Academy, say a San Diego Unified proposal would force the charter school’s founding leaders to make a difficult choice: stay at Gompers and lose the district’s prime health benefits, or be reassigned to a district school. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/12/21

L.A. students must get COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available for them, Beutner says -- Once COVID-19 vaccines are available to children, Los Angeles students will have to be immunized before they can return to campus, Supt. Austin Beutner said Monday. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/12/21

POTUS 46  

House barrels toward impeachment, and Biden scrambles to ensure it doesn’t hamper his agenda -- The House on Monday barreled toward impeaching President Trump, while President-elect Joe Biden, scrambling to ensure the effort does not bog down the start of his tenure, pressed the Senate on whether it could simultaneously hold a trial of the president and pass urgently needed bills. Seung Min Kim, Annie Linskey and Josh Dawsey in the Washington Post$ -- 1/12/21

POTUS 45  

'Supremely self-absorbed': Isolated Trump unlikely to mount an aggressive impeachment defense -- House Democrats are poised to impeach him on Wednesday. But President Donald Trump is not expected to mount a forceful White House defense against charges he incited last week’s deadly riots inside the U.S. Capitol, according to a White House official. Anita Kumar and Daniel Lippman Politico -- 1/12/21