Updating . .   

Edison reports ‘circuit activity’ at time of Coastal fire that destroyed 20 homes in Laguna Niguel -- Authorities on Thursday were trying to determine the cause of a brush fire that burned at least 20 homes in Laguna Niguel, fueled by winds and dry conditions caused by California’s intense drought. The probe is still in its early stages, but Southern California Edison issued an initial report to state regulators saying that “our information reflects circuit activity occurring close in time to the reported time of the fire.” Hannah Fry, Luke Money, Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/22

COVID  

When will the surge in COVID cases peak? Here’s why the BA.2 curve will be harder to predict -- For much of the pandemic, the trajectories of the Bay Area’s COVID-19 surges have been just behind those of other major areas like New York and the United Kingdom — helping medical experts predict when cases would reach a height before coming back down. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/12/22

Report shows Foster Farms tried to bully Merced County to keep plant open amid COVID -- Major meatpacking companies, including the San Joaquin Valley’s Foster Farms, worked with Trump administration officials to keep workers in unsafe conditions at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a congressional report released on Thursday. Gillian Brassil in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/12/22

Policy and Politics  

Budget battles intensify amid competing priorities -- Everyone wants a piece of California’s surplus pie — one that could be worth as much as $68 billion — and Gov. Gavin Newsom, state lawmakers and advocates all have different ideas for how it should be split up. Emily Hoeven CalMatters -- 5/12/22

How many California lawmakers will pick their own successors? -- In a year of unprecedented turnover in the California Legislature, several lawmakers are trying to bequeath their seats to relatives and staff members. Critics say they’re trying to game the system. Ben Christopher CalMatters -- 5/12/22

Who would replace S.F. District Attorney Chesa Boudin if he’s recalled? Here’s who could be on the short list -- In less than a month, San Francisco voters will decide whether to oust San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, a progressive prosecutor who is facing a viciously polarized recall election on June 7. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/12/22

Do the rich see inequality as a zero-sum game? -- But when presented with proposed policies to boost resources for disadvantaged groups, even liberals show reluctance to reduce inequality after all, according to a new study co-authored by researchers from UC Berkeley and released last week. Eanne Kuang CalMatters -- 5/12/22

Skelton: Newsom is smart to attack his fellow Democrats. Presidential run or not, it’s good politics -- Gov. Gavin Newsom was smart to attack fellow Democrats for being wimps in the culture wars, including the fight over abortion rights — whether he was all wet or not. It was good party politics. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/22

Welcome to Portugal, the new expat haven. Californians, please go home -- Jamie Dixon landed in this hilly seaside town nine months ago, ditching her luxury trailer in Malibu for a two-floor rooftop apartment that’s twice the size for a fraction of the rent. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/22

Water  

Amid drought, California desalination project at crossroads -- For more than two decades, California’s Orange County has debated whether to build a seaside plant to convert the Pacific Ocean’s salt water into drinking water in hopes of buffering against droughts like the one now gripping the nation’s most populous state. Amy Taxin Associated Press -- 5/12/22

Street  

VTA razes building where shooter killed 6 coworkers -- Nearly a year ago, Building B on the western edge of Guadalupe rail yard transformed from an anonymous off-white structure to the site of the Bay Area’s deadliest mass shooting. Eliyahu Kamisher in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/12/22

Education  

San Francisco school district picks new superintendent who seeks to end divisive politics -- The superintendent of Hayward schools has emerged as the top pick for San Francisco’s new superintendent, ending a months-long national search for a leader to take over the struggling district as it emerges from more than two years of controversy and upheaval. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/12/22

Substitute teacher shortage hits California’s low-income students harder -- California schools with large numbers of high-needs students — low-income, English learners and foster youth — have always struggled to find substitute teachers, but this year’s COVID-19 omicron surge brought them to a breaking point. Joe Hong CalMatters -- 5/12/22

Are four-year colleges worth the cost? More Californians question the value of a degree -- Three in four state residents say a four-year college degree is valuable, but many are skeptical about whether higher education will pay off with better opportunities and economic success, according to a new statewide poll. Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/12/22

Ukraine  

Barabak: In Ukraine, using an anti-Trump playbook to go after Putin -- Over the last two decades, Mike Madrid has battled Democrats, Republicans, Donald Trump and a pesky family of squirrels that assumed residence in the eave of his Midtown Sacramento home. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/22

Also . . .   

S.F.-led scientists unveil ‘groundbreaking’ map of most cells in the human body -- A global team led by San Francisco researchers unveiled Thursday the first draft of a “human cell atlas” — a groundbreaking endeavor to identify and map every cell type in the body, and thus provide a reference tool that could transform scientists’ grasp of molecular biology, including how they think about and treat disease. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/12/22

Viral video explores a ‘time machine’ tunnel under the Bay Bridge. Here’s the story behind it -- A mysterious-seeming tunnel stretching beneath the Bay Bridge toll plaza has captivated the internet this week after a Bay Area resident posted a video of his visit to the subterranean walkway on TikTok. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/12/22

California Policy and Politics Thursday Morning  

At least 20 homes destroyed as wind drives fire through drought-parched Laguna Niguel canyon -- A fire fueled by intense ocean winds barreled into a gated community overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Laguna Niguel on Wednesday, burning at least 20 homes in the latest sign of the drastic effects that climate change and drought are having on California fire danger. Gregory Yee, Hannah Fry, Anh Do, Alejandra Reyes-Velarde, Christopher Goffard, Wally Skalij in the Los Angeles Times$ Eric Licas, Caitlin Antonios and Erika I. Ritchie in the Orange County Register -- 5/12/22

‘I knew those houses were gone’: What it was like as fire consumed Laguna Niguel community -- Sonia Moser, 52, stood on her deck, looking up at the sky since about 3 p.m., helicopters whirring above her house in the El Niguel Country Club golf course community. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde, Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/22

Policy and Politics  

California would subsidize abortion services for uninsured, out-of-state patients under Newsom plan -- California would set aside $40 million for abortion service providers to help cover uninsured residents and an expected influx of women from other states seeking care if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the landmark ruling in Roe vs. Wade, under a plan unveiled Wednesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Melody Gutierrez in the Los Angeles Times$ Victoria Colliver Politico Adam Beam Associated Press Lindsey Holden in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/12/22

Newsom announces plan to lure businesses to California from states that ban abortion -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom previewed a plan to lure businesses to California from states that ban abortion on Wednesday, as well as new proposed spending on abortions. Newsom said his plan aims to “solidify California’s leadership on abortion rights.” Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Shawn Hubler in the New York Times$ -- 5/12/22

Chairman of Bay to Breakers race operator donated to conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene -- The founder and executive chairman of the company that will put on this weekend’s iconic Bay to Breakers footrace in San Francisco has donated money to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who has spread false, bigoted and dangerous information about topics ranging from mass shootings to COVID vaccines to the 2020 election. Tal Kopan, Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/12/22

Vivian Villanueva — wife and confidant — holds sway in L.A. Sheriff’s Department, officials say -- When Carl Mandoyan inexplicably turned back up at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to apply for a job, he should have set off alarms. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/22

Los Angeles Mayor’s Path to U.S. Ambassadorship Is Constricting -- Mayor Eric Garcetti’s political future is unclear after a Senate report determined that he “more likely than not” knew about sexual harassment accusations against a top aide. Jill Cowan in the New York Times$ -- 5/12/22

COVID  

Two Sacramento-area counties return to high COVID transmission, CDC says. What it means -- Sacramento and Yolo counties recently returned to high community transmission rates for COVID-19, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, leading local health officials to reiterate calls for residents to mask up indoors and stay “up-to-date” on vaccines and boosters. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/12/22

California again faces rising anxiety about coronavirus spread as summer approaches -- California is reporting about 8,000 daily coronavirus cases in the last week, up 18% over the previous week’s tally of 6,800 cases a day. The statewide test positivity rate has climbed to 4%; a week ago it was 3%. Coronavirus-positive hospitalizations also have started to tick upward, but the number of patients needing intensive care has remained relatively stable, hovering near record lows for the pandemic. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/22

Gas  

How high will California gas prices go next? Experts say cost will keep rising -- Regular gasoline for $6 a gallon everywhere in California, all the time? It’s getting close, experts say. David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/12/22

Street  

‘I hope nobody is bleeding out’: They called 911 in Oakland. They were told they’d have to wait -- Even on a relatively quiet weekday, enough people dialed 911 to overload the city’s fragile emergency-response system, creating backlogs for police and forcing residents to sit and wait. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/12/22

Anthony Avalos’ family and L.A. County reach tentative $32-million settlement -- The family of Anthony Avalos, a 10-year-old Lancaster boy who prosecutors say died of child abuse and torture by his mother and her boyfriend, has reached a tentative $32-million settlement with Los Angeles County. Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/22

Why S.F. might be about to prohibit police from making low-level traffic stops -- San Francisco police may soon be prohibited from stopping drivers for tinted windows, expired license plate tags and other low-level violations as part of a proposed policy overhaul intended to curb racially biased policing. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/12/22

Rocklin PD says driver not at fault in crash that killed teen, won’t release report to public -- The Rocklin Police Department announced the investigation into a fatal pedestrian collision on March 19 that left 18-year-old Anthony Williams dead has been concluded. The driver in the incident — identified by an advocacy group last week at Placer County CEO Todd Leopold — was determined not to be at fault, the department said in a news release Wednesday. Molly Sullivan and Rosalio Ahumada in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/12/22

Staying Afloat   

Bay Area consumer prices skyrocket and remain at 21-year highs -- Consumer prices in the Bay Area skyrocketed in April, but fell just shy of the 21-year high they reached earlier this year, a grim new government report revealed Wedneseday. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/12/22

Border   

Court rejects Biden administration’s attempt to block Bay Area families from suing over family separation -- A federal magistrate says immigrant parents and children who were separated at the U.S.-Mexico border by the Trump administration can sue the government for the harm they suffered. The separations began in April 2018 under the “zero-tolerance” policy announced by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who said all adults crossing the border without authorization would be charged criminally. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/12/22

Education  

What California law requires in teaching about LGBTQ people in public schools -- Gay pride videos shown in a Glendale third-grade classroom have added an intense local chapter to a national debate over how and when lessons on gender identity and sexual orientation should be broached in public schools. Howard Blume, Melissa Gomez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/22

‘There’s a lot of trauma in that’ — mistrust in SJSU, CSU administration lingers after Scott Shaw ordeal -- Eight months after the U.S. Department of Justice ordered San Jose State University to overhaul the way it responds to sexual misconduct, students are demanding the administration rebuild trust with the campus community and make it safe to report harassment and abuse in the wake of the school’s botched investigations of sex assault allegations against its former athletic trainer. Kayla Jimenez in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/12/22

Advocates of major changes to Cal Grant look to Newsom -- For the second consecutive year, a major overhaul to California’s main financial aid program is being proposed by lawmakers who say the current system is overly complex and excludes too many students from getting aid. Michael Burke EdSource -- 5/12/22

Landlords and Tenants  

State Supreme Court rejects a challenge by landlords to S.F. eviction protection law -- The state Supreme Court rejected a challenge by apartment owners Wednesday to a San Francisco law that bars them from sidestepping the city’s limits on evictions by imposing huge rent increases in order to force tenants to leave. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/12/22

Guns  

U.S. appeals court overturns California ban on semiautomatic rifle sales to those under 21 -- In a 2-1 decision, a panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found that the 2nd Amendment “protects the right of young adults to keep and bear arms, which includes the right to purchase them.” Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ Brian Melley Associated Press -- 5/12/22

Environment  

State’s new deal to clean up radioactive Santa Susana Field Lab is slammed by critics -- Now, as Boeing and state officials this week praised their new plan to protect people and the land, a respected expert is among critics who say the company and state moved the goal posts, significantly weakening the promised cleanup. Olga Grigoryants in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/12/22

Cannabis  

Weed consumption lounges not coming to Sacramento for now -- A plan to allow marijuana use in lounges in Sacramento has stalled for now but at least one city council member is pushing to revive the idea. Randy Diamond in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/12/22