Updating . .   

California braces for extreme 2021 wildfire season - it's very dry out there -- California is barreling toward its driest and most fire-prone months, with many locations around the Bay Area and Central Coast having seen about 50% or less of their average precipitation levels for this time of year. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/11/21

Rich Californians have most to gain if Congress lifts cap on local tax deductions, report says -- California’s rich will get a lot richer next year if the cap on state and local income deductions from federal income tax is lifted, a new study has found. But the bottom 40% of taxpayers, those earning less than $51,700 would see no benefit. David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/11/21

California’s COVID-19 death toll surpasses 60,000 -- The COVID-19 death toll in California has exceeded 60,000, according to a Times tally of fatalities reported by county. The death toll represents roughly 10.7% of COVID-19 deaths nationwide. California is home to about 12% of Americans. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/11/21

Opening  

Latino areas devastated by COVID-19 are reopening slowly, with caution and fear about future -- The nearby tamale and burger restaurants are gone. On the strip that was once a hub of Latino shopping life, there are more storefronts shuttered by iron gates than open ones inviting customers. Dominguez is one emergency away from closing. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/11/21

San Francisco students poised to return to classrooms after year at home -- The first wave of students — preschool through fifth graders, special education students and vulnerable older groups — will be returning to schools on Monday. Emma Talley in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/11/21

California’s reopening plan includes no equity benchmarks for hard-hit communities -- California began a 10-week countdown to a full reopening last week, with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s bold proposal to lift nearly all coronavirus restrictions by June 15. But the ambitious plan contains no specific protections for vulnerable populations, sparking fears the state is about to repeat mistakes that devastated the Latino community last year. Fiona Kelliher in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/11/21

Vaccine  

Thousands disappointed as San Francisco vaccine sites run out in 90 minutes -- San Francisco vaccine sites quickly ran out of shots Saturday after the city announced it was expanding eligibility to a number of ZIP codes. Katie Dowd in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/11/21

How churches, community-based organizations have stepped up to vaccinate communities of color -- Roxana Ramos went to church Saturday, but more for physical health than the spiritual solace typically associated with houses of worship. Along with about 400 other people, the 36-year-old Richmond domestic worker was able to get her coronavirus vaccination at Iglesia Fuente de Salvacion in San Pablo. Jessica Flores in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/11/21

McManus: No shoes, no shot, no service. Why vaccine ‘passports’ are a good idea -- After a year of angry battles over lockdowns, mask mandates and vaccinations, a new front has opened in the coronavirus culture war: vaccine “passports.” Doyle McManus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/11/21

Policy & Politics 

A Teacher Marched to the Capitol. When She Got Home, the Fight Began -- Word got around when Kristine Hostetter was spotted at a public mask-burning at the San Clemente pier, and when she appeared in a video sitting onstage as her husband spoke at a QAnon convention. People talked when she angrily accosted a family wearing masks near a local surfing spot, her granddaughter in tow. Matthew Rosenberg in the New York Times$ -- 4/11/21

Street  

Lawsuits prompt questions about civilian oversight of San Diego Sheriff’s Department -- When the volunteer board that investigates complaints against the San Diego Sheriff’s Department looked into what killed Paul Silva, the panel found that no jail policies were violated and closed the case. Jeff McDonald, Kelly Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 4/11/21

As protesters on left and right target public servants at home, one city pushes back -- For government officials from Los Angeles to Seattle and beyond, 2020 was the year that political protests literally came home to roost. James Rainey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/11/21

Mother arrested in death of three children was embroiled in custody dispute -- A woman arrested in connection with the slaying of her three children at their San Fernando Valley apartment was embroiled in a tense child custody dispute, according to the children’s father and court documents. Richard Winton, Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/11/21

Climate  

A California county, despite the state’s climate goals, further embraces fossil fuels -- Two hours inland from the Pacific Ocean, the arid terrain is peppered with petroleum and gas wells. The black gold that lies underground became the region’s lifeblood after it was discovered in 1899, and Kern County is still responsible for more than 70 percent of oil and 80 percent of natural gas produced in California. Miranda Green in the Washington Post$ -- 4/11/21

California Policy and P  olitics Sunday Morning  

L.A. opens up COVID-19 vaccine appointments for everyone age 16 and up -- People who are seeking shots at city-run vaccination sites must provide valid identification and be a resident of Los Angeles County. City-run sites are open from Tuesday through Saturday. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/10/21

A Northern California college city says it excels at monitoring pandemic through poop -- The city of Davis says it’s No. 1 when it comes to No. 2. Fifteen new sewage sampling sites have been added to the city’s coronavirus monitoring system, expanding the Northern California college town’s ability to detect any possible spike in infections. Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/11/21

Opening  

Burbank erects fence around restaurant that has repeatedly defied health orders during COVID-19 pandemic -- The city, which received permission from a judge to shut off power to the business last month, secured a preliminary injunction Friday to prevent the restaurant from operating without a county health permit and a city conditional use permit, Burbank Police Lt. Derek Green said. The item is in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/10/21

San Francisco to 'digest' Supreme Court ruling clearing way for indoor prayer groups -- Bay Area religious leaders were waiting to see just how soon prayer groups would move from the video realm to the in-person realm after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that said California could not enforce its ban on such small religious gatherings. Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/11/21

Policy & Politics 

Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli calls sexual assault allegations 'unfounded' in statement -- Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli denied accusations of sexual assault documented in a Chronicle investigation, saying in a statement released Saturday night that the allegations were “unfounded” and driven by politics, and making clear he would fight growing calls to resign. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/11/21

Fifth woman accuses Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli of sexual assault -- Shannon McCarthy, 38, made the accusations Friday in a four-hour video interview from her home in Florida, where she now lives with her husband and three children. Alexandria Bordas, Cynthia Dizikes in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/11/21

'An absolute crisis': Windsor officials want to remove Mayor Dominic Foppoli if he won't resign -- Windsor officials are discussing methods to remove Mayor Dominic Foppoli from office if he refuses to resign, amid swift and growing condemnation of the local leader in response to a Chronicle investigation documenting several women’s allegations of sexual assault. Alexandria Bordas, Cynthia Dizikes in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/11/21

Walters: Pandemic has damaged California’s school children -- A comprehensive history of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on California would surely conclude that the state’s school children have been treated shamefully. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 4/11/21

Street  

Huntington Beach braces for yet another demonstration — a White Lives Matter rally on Sunday -- Huntington Beach is bracing for a white supremacy rally set to take place Sunday at the seaside community’s famous pier, which has become a rallying spot for numerous demonstrations over the last year. Alex Wigglesworth, Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/10/21

California police fire officer who was a Proud Boy, saying they have no tolerance for ‘hate groups’ -- The officer, Rick Fitzgerald, rallied with the Proud Boys last November at a pro-Trump demonstration that devolved into violence — captured in video clips that resurfaced last month as online sleuths dug into Fitzgerald’s history. Announcing Fitzgerald’s termination on Friday, Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama said that he disapproves of “any police officer” affiliating themselves with violent or hateful groups. Hannah Knowles in the Washington Post$ -- 4/11/21

Fresno police union slams investigation that led to firing of cop with Proud Boy ties -- A Fresno police officer identified as a Proud Boy was fired before an investigation into his case was complete, the Fresno Police Officers Association said. Carmen George in the Fresno Bee -- 4/11/21

‘Boogaloo’ extremists destroyed evidence in probe of officer’s murder, feds say -- Four members of an armed right-wing group linked to the anti-government “boogaloo” movement have been charged with conspiring to destroy evidence related to the fatal shooting of a Federal Protective Service officer and the wounding of another in Oakland, Calif., last May, prosecutors announced Friday. Derek Hawkins in the Washington Post$ -- 4/11/21

Mother arrested after three young children found slain in Reseda -- A mother whose three young children were found slain in their San Fernando Valley apartment Saturday morning has been arrested after fleeing the scene, police said. Richard Winton, Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ Nathaniel Percy, Jonah Valdez, Ryan Carter in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 4/10/21

‘An angel shouldn’t ... go that way’: Neighbors in Reseda horrified by killing of 3 young children -- The slaying of three young children at a Reseda apartment complex Saturday left the neighborhood stunned by the violence and in mourning. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/10/21

Ex-Sebastopol mayor held on suspicion of sexual assault crimes against minor, police say -- Jacob’s arrest came just over a week after authorities on March 30 received “information of possible sexual assaults” in the Sonoma County town between December 2019 and March 2021, according to a statement from Sebastopol police. Lauren Hernández, Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/11/21

Housing  

Real estate prices soared in the Bay Area during the pandemic, but stuttered in San Francisco -- From February 2020 to February 2021, the city saw its home values decrease in almost every ZIP code, while home prices in most neighboring cities and suburban areas soared, according to a Chronicle analysis of Zillow data. Susie Neilson, Nami Sumida in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/11/21