Updating . .   

With holiday, LAX has heaviest passenger traffic of 2021 so far -- Los Angeles International Airport broke a 2021 record for passenger traffic Friday, with more than 78,000 travelers going through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, the airport announced. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/30/21

LAPD after George Floyd: Fewer officers, fewer arrests but hardly defunded -- A year after protesters massed in the streets of Los Angeles chanting “Defund the police!” and “Abolish the LAPD!” the Los Angeles Police Department is a changed organization but hardly in the ways its critics wanted. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/30/21

In wine country, a newspaper war brings down a mayoral ‘prince’ accused of sex abuse -- The front-page shockers began in early April and just kept coming: A young mayor from the San Francisco Bay’s wine country had been accused of sexually abusing and assaulting women. First there were four accusers. Then four more. James Rainey in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/30/21

Policy & Politics 

Recall fever sweeps across North County, targeting city councils and school boards -- Signature drives are in full swing to get recalls on the ballot for city council members in Oceanside and Carlsbad, a political move hardly new but rarely successful in North County. Phil Diehl in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/30/21

Street  

San Francisco's mental health care system fails two men: one killed, the other his alleged killer -- A year ago, two men met by chance in San Francisco’s quiet Glen Park neighborhood — an encounter that within minutes destroyed both of their lives. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/30/21

A killer shadows an L.A. homeless camp. ‘Some people work for the devil’ -- Before the two detectives even sat down, Tracy Walker was talking. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/30/21

Also . . .   

Lawsuits link lapses at S.D. County Child Welfare Services to child death, injuries -- A toddler named Tyler was not quite 2 when San Diego County deputies found drugs in his family’s home in June 2018. Morgan Cook in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/30/21

She tried to cross the border twice. Border Patrol expelled her. On a third try, she died off Point Loma -- Maria Eugenia Chavez Segovia was among three Mexican nationals who drowned at sea when an overloaded trawler-style boat ran aground. Wendy Fry, David Hernandez, Alejandro Tamayo in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/30/21

Marin kayaker embarks on risky journey to Hawaii - alone -- Early Monday morning, Cyril Derreumaux will climb into his kayak and push off the wooden fishing pier at Fort Baker, cross the Golden Gate before sunrise and embark on a two-month wrestling match with the mighty Pacific. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/30/21

Prepare to Pay More for Uber and Lyft Rides -- The companies say they are charging extra because they don’t have enough drivers to match rebounding customer demand. Kate Conger in the New York Times$ -- 5/30/21

 

California Policy and Politics Sunday Morning  

San Jose mass shooter's ex-girlfriend details sexual abuse -- More than 12 years before he shot and killed nine of his coworkers at the Valley Tranportation Authority, Samuel James Cassidy was an emotionally volatile person with a penchant for abusive behavior, according to an ex-girlfriend who filed a restraining order against him in March 2009. Susie Neilson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/30/21

'Paul saved me': VTA employee credited with saving lives during mass shooting -- Paul Delacruz Megia — one of nine Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority workers who was fatally shot by another VTA worker this week — was remembered Friday evening as a loving family man whose last act may have been to save his coworkers. Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/30/21

The San Francisco mass shooting that changed everything … and nothing -- It was 1993. Bill Clinton was president, Kurt Cobain was touring with Nirvana, the first “Jurassic Park” movie had just been released — and people still felt safe going to work. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/30/21

Virus  

How large was the undercount of COVID-19 deaths across California? -- California’s COVID-19 death toll could be far higher than current figures suggest, with up to thousands of additional deaths from the disease hiding behind other causes. New research shows that these additional deaths were particularly concentrated in certain parts of the state. Susie Neilson, Nami Sumida in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/30/21

Open  

Here's why your favorite Bay Area restaurant might not be rushing to reopen its dining room -- The ritzy dining room at Selby’s, a buzzy Silicon Valley restaurant pre-pandemic, hasn’t served a single customer in person for 14 months. And despite California’s plan to lift restrictions on restaurants on June 15, the restaurant doesn’t plan to serve anyone again until September. Elena Kadvany in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/30/21

Policy & Politics 

Walters: California’s Unemployment Insurance Fund is deep in debt -- A single paragraph on Page 180 of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised 2021-22 budget refers to one of the state government’s most vexing dilemmas — an immense debt it owes to the federal government for support payments to millions of Californians who lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 5/30/21

In California, Nursing Home Owners Can Operate After They're Denied A License -- California is home to about 1,200 nursing homes. Those facilities care for 100,000 nursing home patients — the biggest nursing home population of any state. Aaron Mendelson and Elly Yu KPCC via Capital Public Radio -- 5/30/21

Congressman plans legislation to recognize struggling Native American tribe in Mono Lake Basin -- They were expert hunters, gatherers and basket weavers who lived for thousands of years on a trade route over the Sierra Nevada connecting them with the rest of California. Louis Sahagún in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/30/21

Street  

$10.3 million to the police or social services? One Bay Area city will soon decide -- In a month, the size and structure of this East Bay police force could change, as Richmond pursues a bold experiment that other cities have tested following the May 2020 murder of George Floyd. For Richmond, it would mean laying off up to 35 police officers while shifting $10.3 million of the department’s $67.2 million budget to social services. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/30/21

Jailed Southern California BB gun shootings suspect: ‘I didn’t do any of them’ -- Jesse Leal Rodriguez raised his right index finger and held it against the glass partition that separated him from a visitor at Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside. “Not one person has reported that they saw me shoot,” Rodriguez, 34, said as he leaned forward. He repeated that statement, rapping his fingers on the glass for emphasis. Brian Rokos in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/30/21

Police tow cars, issue citations in proactive sideshow detail -- A proactive traffic enforcement detail In Antioch with neighboring agencies netted one arrest, the recovery of two guns and five cars being towed Friday night. With the Memorial Day weekend at hand, Antioch police and others dedicated extra officers to deter any potential sideshow activity, they said. Judith Prieve in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/30/21

Vandal hurls concrete slab at L.A. synagogue, prompting LAPD investigation -- A vandal hurled concrete slabs this week at the windows of a West Los Angeles synagogue and a nearby kosher restaurant in the heart of the city’s Jewish community, the latest in a national surge in antisemitic attacks amid the recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/30/21

Homeless  

Evicted from Echo Park, he wanted to bring a homeless camp to Griffith Park. Things got messy -- Six weeks ago, Los Angeles city park rangers descended on a small group of tents in Griffith Park, arresting a homeless man and at least two community activists who had gone there to show their support. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/30/21

Some housed, some walk away from hotel program for Oceanside homeless -- In the two months since Oceanside began providing temporary hotel rooms for homeless people in the city, an almost-equal number of participants have either found some type of help or returned to the streets. Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/30/21

Education  

Vista Unified promises equal treatment for female high school athletes -- Civil rights groups say some California schools offer inferior facilities, fewer sports opportunities for girls. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/30/21

Fire  

California is still clearing the wreckage from last year's wildfires -- With California wildfire season getting off to an early start, workers are still trying to clear debris left over from last year’s onslaught of flames. Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/30/21