Updating . .   

California prepares for energy shortfalls in hot, dry summer -- California likely will have an energy shortfall equivalent to what it takes to power about 1.3 million homes when use is at its peak during the hot and dry summer months, state officials said Friday. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 5/6/22

Governor, legislators won’t budge in high-speed rail dispute -- California Democrats are locked in one of the most consequential disputes in modern state history over the future of the Los Angeles-to-San Francisco high-speed rail project after a decade of troubled construction. Ralph Vartabedian CalMatters -- 5/6/22

Abortion  

California measures aim to protect women who travel here for abortions from prosecution, subpoenas in their home states -- California lawmakers are working to shield women who travel to the Golden State for abortions from legal liability if their home states ban the procedure, part of an effort to make the West Coast a safe haven for people seeking abortions and the doctors who help them. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/6/22

As women react to Roe v. Wade news, their ages color their outlooks -- Growing up during America’s deeply polarizing and increasingly vitriolic debates about Roe v. Wade, Emma Dauplaise, 27, a law student at Santa Clara University, always had a lingering fear that abortion rights could be revoked. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/6/22

COVID  

‘If I get something from you I could die’: Some immunocompromised Cal State students feel left behind as COVID safeguards loosen -- They can’t afford to take off their masks: Immunocompromised students and campus staff are highly susceptible to COVID-19, and with mask mandates dropping, some believe their schools don’t value their safety. Julian Mendoza CalMatters -- 5/6/22

Bill advances to let California teens get vaccinated without parental consent -- California kids 12 and older are one step closer to being able to get vaccinated without parental consent after a key legislative committee on Thursday passed a controversial bill on a 7-0 vote despite hundreds of people expressing fierce opposition. Emily Hoeven CalMatters Lindsey Holden in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/6/22

California COVID numbers hit highest point since February; Bay Area sees worst rates -- Coronavirus infections have continued a steady climb in California since early April, and while the curve of new cases remains less steep than winter’s omicron variant surge, the rising spread of two contagious subvariants is still prompting concern about a fresh wave of virus cases. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/6/22

COVID in California: These 4 Bay Area counties are in the CDC’s ‘yellow’ coronavirus tier -- San Francisco, Santa Clara, Marin and San Mateo counties had all fallen within the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “yellow” tier as of Friday morning, signaling that more than 200 cases had been reported in the last week out of every 100,000 residents. Aidin Vaziri, Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/6/22

COVID-19 infections are spiking after high school dances in Sacramento. Is prom safe? -- Will you go to prom with me? Not if you have COVID. At least six Sacramento-area schools have reported significant upticks in COVID-19 infections within two weeks of holding large school dance events. Michael McGough and Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/6/22

More than 32,000 kids lost parents to COVID in California -- Across the nation, more than 200,000 children have lost at least one parent or caregiver to COVID since the pandemic started. Californian kids make up 32,500 of those losses. The unimaginable loss of a parent is one thing. Economists say another difficulty is the loss of household income to take care of the kids. Gwendolyn Wu in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/6/22

Here’s how many San Francisco police officers have been fired for refusing to get COVID vaccines -- Ten San Francisco police officers have been fired to date for failing to receive COVID-19 vaccines, and 13 others may soon follow, according to records provided by the city’s Department of Human Resources. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/6/22

There’s a lot at stake for the CDC in the mask mandate appeal -- About the only thing that’s clear so far is that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s mask requirement for people traveling on planes, trains and buses is not likely to make a comeback anytime soon. The Department of Justice’s appeal of the Florida judge’s decision to the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals could take weeks or months. Julie Appleby Kaiser Health News in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/22

In China, if You’ve Got Mail, It Might Arrive With a Whiff of Sanitizer and a Covid-19 Test -- Chinese authorities are putting packages through an extensive cleansing process as a part of the country’s zero-Covid regime. Wenxin Fan in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/6/22

Policy and Politics  

Prosecutors decline to file charges against 2018 Villanueva donors -- Los Angeles County prosecutors have declined to file charges against donors to Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s 2018 campaign, saying there was insufficient evidence to prove that contributions were illegally orchestrated. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/22

Chabria: A Texas woman needed an abortion. Here’s how far California went to help her -- The first sign of Stephanie’s pregnancy was nausea, as it so often is — that particular debilitating queasiness that knocked her off her feet, sometimes all day, days at a time. Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/22

Gas  

Newsom: Gas rebate would be delayed until October under Legislature plan -- After a flurry of proposals from Sacramento in March to send money back to Californians, a rebate check could still be nearly five months away under plans promoted by legislative leaders, Gov. Gavin Newsom warned, as he argued that his contentious plan linking financial relief to car ownership is the quickest alternative to landing money back in wallets. Eliyahu Kamisher in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/6/22

Water  

A drought so bad it exposed a long-ago homicide. Getting the water back will be harder than ever -- As a metaphor for the uncomfortable truths this drought has laid bare, the body in the barrel is grimly apt. Corinne Purtill in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/22

At California’s second biggest lake, the latest fallout of drought is gruesome -- At California’s second biggest freshwater lake, the latest fallout of drought is gruesome: dead fish in nearby stream beds that have run dry. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/6/22

Workplace   

A bid to stop freeway expansions in California hits a roadblock: Organized labor -- After more than 60 years and 15,000 miles of highway and interstate construction in California, momentum is growing to end the state’s freeway expansion era. Liam Dillon, Ben Poston, Rachel Uranga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/22

Street  

Records reveal most detailed account of Dave Chappelle attack, but motive a mystery -- Records from the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office reveal new details about the chaotic moments Tuesday night when a man with a replica gun and knife leapt onto the stage at the Hollywood Bowl and attacked Dave Chappelle. Richard Winton, Gregory Yee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/22

A U.S. agency will stop selling target dummies that resemble Black men. An Oakland artist is the reason why -- Later this month, police agencies and the U.S. military will no longer be able to buy a target dummy resembling a man of African descent through a federal government website. Justin Phillips in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/6/22

Clean Slate  

Online stories can haunt people forever. Sacramento Bee launches ‘Clean Slate’ program -- Beginning Friday, people who have committed minor criminal offenses or who have had charges dropped against them can request to have articles published about them reviewed. A team of Bee journalists, after investigating the case, will assess what changes may be warranted. Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks and Ryan Lillis in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/6/22

Cannabis  

Are pot consumption lounges coming to Sacramento? The City Council will hear a proposal -- Sacramento’s cannabis manager is recommending that the City Council consider allowing dispensaries to operate pot consumption lounges, saying that the spots could be popular both with tourists and locals who want to smoke outside their homes. Randy Diamond in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/6/22

Homeless  

San Clemente looking at prohibiting bike repair in public areas to combat thefts -- San Clemente city officials are looking to regulate the repair and sale of bicycles and bicycle parts in public areas as a way to address bike thefts and growing homeless encampments with reported chop shops. Erika I. Ritchie in the Orange County Register -- 5/6/22

Environment  

City of L.A. to test for possible toxic waste near Lincoln Heights housing development -- In response to community outcry, the Los Angeles City Council has ordered that additional testing for potential toxic waste be performed outside the boundary of an embattled housing and retail development in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood. Jonah Valdez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/22

Also . . .   

A widow, a warehouse, an urban farm: Questions of justice flare in Bay Area land dispute -- For more than half a century, Satoko Nabeta has lived in a small, well-kept house at the edge of plant nurseries on a breezy, forlorn block in North Richmond. Jessica Garrison in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/22

Feds move to seize $63-million L.A. mansion linked to corruption scandal involving Armenian politician -- For sale: a French chateau-style mansion in one of Los Angeles’ most exclusive neighborhoods, Holmby Hills, complete with 11 bedrooms, 27 bathrooms and an asking price of $63.5 million. Matt Hamilton, Jack Flemming in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/22

California Policy and Politics Friday Morning  

L.A. city attorney charges suspect in Dave Chappelle attack at Hollywood Bowl -- Hours after Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón’s office declined to file felony charges against a man who tackled comedian Dave Chappelle onstage at the Hollywood Bowl, City Atty. Mike Feuer announced late Thursday afternoon that his office had filed four misdemeanor counts against the suspect. Richard Winton, Gregory Yee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/22

COVID  

L.A. County workplaces and schools seeing rising coronavirus cases -- The additional infections documented in these settings reflect what’s been a steady, weekslong increase in coronavirus activity countywide. But officials say schools and worksites can be at higher risk of transmission, as both are typically places where people gather indoors in close proximity for hours at a time. Rong-Gong Lin II, Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/22

How to get more people vaccinated? ‘You stop talking and you listen,’ Walensky says -- Just after receiving a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, 7-year-old Allan Fernandez turned around for a hearty high-five. The recipient was a surprise guest at the impromptu inoculation: Dr. Rochelle Walensky, one of the nation’s leading public health officials. Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/22

Policy and Politics  

California’s Supreme Court already declared a constitutional right to abortion. So why are state leaders pushing for a ballot measure? -- The California Supreme Court ruled in 1981 that Medi-Cal must pay for abortions, because the insurance program for low-income residents already paid childbirth costs if women chose to give birth. The basis of the ruling was the court’s conclusion that the right to abortion was protected by California’s Constitution. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/6/22

Judge who overturned California’s Prop. 8 blasts draft Roe v. Wade opinion: ‘It makes the justices look like politicians’ -- Walker, who famously overturned California’s Proposition 8 in a 2010 ruling that struck down a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, said a leaked version of the draft opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito has many flaws, but the most obvious is its lack of a clear rationale to undo a 50-year established legal precedent of a woman’s right to obtain an abortion. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/6/22

California Democrats lean into abortion rights as ‘defining issue’ -- Gov. Gavin Newsom and other California Democrats are counting on abortion rights to drive their voters to the polls. But some may still care more about crime, homelessness and inflation. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/6/22

‘Roe’ under threat, California leans in as abortion refuge -- California Democrats have accelerated their plan to make the nation’s most populous state a sanctuary for women seeking abortions, propelled by the release this week of an early draft of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that has ignited a surge of activism among the state’s vast network of providers and advocacy groups. Adam Beam Associated Press -- 5/6/22

This San Fernando Valley state senate district is poised for a fresh face -- But how fresh is a sore point, with critics noting a potential "hand-off" from Bob Hertzberg to his son, as Caroline Menjivar competes for the now-majority Latino voter district. Ryan Carter in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/5/22

S.F.’s Tenderloin has a new supervisor. Can Dean Preston tackle the district’s homelessness and drug crisis? -- Dean Preston walked the streets of the Tenderloin on a recent morning and spotted a few familiar sights: a residential hotel where he helped tenants sue their landlord two decades ago, the school where he got his law degree, the bus route he sought to preserve during the pandemic. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/6/22

Street  

Berkeley council votes to reimagine public safety by creating new department -- Berkeley city leaders took a big step Thursday to reimagine policing by creating a new community safety department and expanding the city’s effort to divert nonviolent 911 calls away from police. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/6/22

Why did federal police square off with abortion rights protesters in L.A. streets? -- An abortion rights protest had been going on peacefully for hours in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday when a “help call” suddenly went out over police radios about 9 p.m. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/22

Hidden Hills socialite Rebecca Grossman to face murder trial in crash that killed 2 boys -- A Hidden Hills socialite must stand trial on murder charges in the deaths of two boys, a judge decided Thursday after hearing testimony that Rebecca Grossman struck the pair in a crosswalk while going more than 70 mph and continued driving. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/22

Contra Costa D.A. Diana Becton had ‘familial ties’ with defendant her office cut plea deal with, victim’s attorney says -- An attorney for a victim who was sexually abused as a minor said this week that the Contra Costa County district attorney should have recused herself from the criminal case against the defendant because her family has ties with him, and her office agreed to a plea bargain that reduced his charges and penalties. Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/6/22

Workplace   

Sacramento taco chain withheld overtime from workers, kept part of their tips, feds say -- The U.S. Secretary of Labor has filed a complaint against the owners of Sacramento’s Garibaldi Mexican restaurant chain, alleging they failed to pay proper overtime, kept part of workers’ tips and pressured employees not to cooperate once federal investigators began looking into problems at the restaurants. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/6/22

Homeless  

Sacramento landlord blocking street where many homeless lived. Will city allow it? -- Rich Eaton, who owns several properties on Railroad Drive in a Old North Sacramento business park, blocked off the street after one of his buildings was burglarized on April 23, he said. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/6/22

Bill would put homeless courts where the unhoused live -- A Southern California beach city took its homeless court outside, near food donation centers, and attendance soared. Nigel Duara CalMatters -- 5/6/22

Housing   

Buying your first home? See if you qualify for a 0% interest down payment loan -- Low-income Californians looking to buy a home have a new tool at their disposal: an interest-free loan to use toward their down payment that, if certain criteria are met, doesn’t have to be paid back. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/22

Good news for Sacramento homebuyers: This key real estate measure is finally improving -- New data from Redfin shows that the number of active listings of homes for sale is on the rise throughout much of the area. Some communities are seeing huge jumps over the same time last year, including the growing suburbs along Highway 70 north of Sacramento. Ryan Lillis in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/6/22

Education  

Sexual harassment audit of CSU system requested by state lawmaker -- A state legislator has requested a sweeping audit of the California State University system’s sexual harassment policies and subsequent settlements paid to alleged harassers in the wake of a recent scandal involving former Chancellor Joseph Castro. Scott Schwebke in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/6/22

How long should kindergarteners be in class? More Sacramento-area schools shift to full day -- Farrah Wood’s two children had very different kindergarten experiences in Folsom Cordova Unified School District based simply on how much time they spent in class. Her older daughter had a full-day program, while her younger daughter is in a half-day program. Wood says the difference is noticeable. Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/6/22

Challenged by Covid, the Class of 2022 looks ahead to better days -- The Class of 2022 didn’t have a typical high school experience. Covid shut down their schools midway through their sophomore year. California’s seniors spent the rest of that year and most, if not all, of their junior year at home on the computer taking remote classes. Diana Lambert EdSource -- 5/6/22

Develop  

Billionaire Rams owner Stanley Kroenke is the new owner of the vacant Promenade mall in Woodland Hills -- After months of speculation over who bought the vacant Promenade mall in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield confirmed to the Los Angeles Daily News that its new owner is billionaire Stanley Kroenke, owner of the Rams. Olga Grigoryants in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/5/22

Also . . .   

Giants great Willie Mays, who turns 91 Friday, is as driven and upbeat as ever -- Willie Mays hasn’t played ball in five decades but remains as much a part of the fabric of the game as he was when he suited up. Most people weren’t born when Mays last played, but anyone who knows anything about baseball history or sports history or American history knows the name. John Shea in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/6/22

Why now may be the absolute best time to go whale watching in Northern California -- Within 10 minutes of arriving at a lookout point in the Marin Headlands this week, I saw two whales. A third appeared six minutes later. It wasn’t just luck. Tara Duggan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/6/22

No, the Stanford Dish Isn't Listening for Aliens — but It Was Built to Spy on Russia -- On the western edge of Stanford University's sprawling, 8,180-acre campus stands a giant satellite dish pointed at the sky. It's known simply as "The Dish," and it stands out among Stanford's rolling hills — green or yellow, depending on the season. Rachael Myrow KQED -- 5/6/22