New blackouts: 2M+ could lose power Tuesday in NorCal
Sacramento Bee's DALE KASLER/HANNAH WIILEY: "Almost 2 million Northern California residents are bracing for the fourth planned power shut-off this month, as Pacific Gas & Electric Co. warned customers Monday that it expects another wave of deliberate blackouts to start Tuesday."
"The warning came even as PG&E issued the all-clear Monday to start restoring power to the bulk of the 970,000 customers whose electricity was shut down over the weekend as part of the utility’s wildfire prevention efforts. As of Monday evening, PG&E had restored power to 375,000, or roughly 39% of those customers; progress varied greatly, from none in Alpine and Yuba counties to 95% in Colusa County, according to PG&E."
"Because it takes up to 48 hours to restore power, some people who lost power over the weekend may not have it restored until Friday."
Kincade fire crews brace for more high winds, PG&E plans another massive power shutdown
From The Mercury News: "After the Kincade Fire swelled to more than 74,000 acres Monday, calmer winds brought some relief — even if short-lived — in the fight against the blaze that has seared through Sonoma County."
"The same welcome conditions that aided firefighters allowed some of the 185,000 residents who evacuated to return home as power began to be restored in parts of Northern California. By 10 p.m. Monday, PG&E said power was restored to 57 percent, or 556,400 of the 970,000 customers affected by its latest shutdown."
"But even as lights began to flicker back on after PG&E’s largest power shutdown yet, the California Public Utilities Commission on Monday announced it will open an investigation into the public safety power shutoffs and re-examine the current rules for shutoffs in order to minimize their impact."
READ MORE related to Fire Season, Blackouts & Energy: Where's the rain? NorCal fire risk continues -- with no precipitation in sight -- Sacramento Bee's MICHAEL MCDOUGH; Smoke from wildfires a greater risk to kids and seniors than first thought, scientists say -- Sacramento Bee's GABBY FERREIRA/MONICA VAUGHAN; PG&E cut power to a California prison 2 days ago. The lights are on, but no one can visit -- Sacramento Bee's WES VENTEICHER; Getty fire spreads in L.A.'s elite enclaves, a celebrity-studded spectacle of city’s inherent dangers -- LAT's BRITTNY MEJIA/MATTHEW ORMSETH/HANNAH FRY/JOE MOZINGO; Two big California wildfires erupted. Now L.A. and the Bay Area are breathing the smoke -- LA Times's TONY BARBOZA: Live updates: Tuesday power outages begin at 7 a.m. in North Bay, 11 p.m. for rest of Bay Area -- The Chronicle's STAFF; Smoke from wildfires a greater risk to kids and seniors than first thought, scientists say -- Sacramento Bee's GABBY FERREIRA/MONICA VAUGHAN; PG&E incorrectly warns Monterey County of possible blackout, officials say -- Sacramento Bee's JAARED GIOLS; Exhaustion, frustration set in as evacuees flee fires and blackouts -- The Chronicle's KEVIN FAGAN/MALLORY MOENCH/DOMINIC FRACASSA
Democrat wants to make PG&E pay more taxes if it gives executive bonuses
Sacramento Bee's KATE IRBY: "A California congressman wants to hit PG&E with heavy financial penalties the next time it tries to give executive bonuses while subjecting Californians to blackouts."
"Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock, announced on Monday he’d submit a bill in response to the blackouts PG&E initiated across California as a precaution against wildfires."
"Harder’s bill would revive a tax called the alternative minimum tax for utilities that offer executive bonuses but have failed to invest in climate-resilient infrastructure. The bill is written to specifically target PG&E, which has not paid federal income taxes in the past decade due to tax loopholes on depreciation, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy."
READ MORE related to PG&E: PG&E shares plunge 24% as Kincade Fire destruction escalates -- The Chronicle's JD MORRIS
Wildfires and Wine Country: How the industry is adapting to new realities
The Chronicle's ESTHER MOBLEY: "Alice Warnecke Sutro lives on a ranch in Alexander Valley that has been home to her family since 1911. For most of that time, wildfire wasn’t something that the Warneckes had to think about often."
"My aunt sometimes talked about a fire that came near in 1976,” Sutro said."
"Now, Sutro, who owns Sutro Wine Co., thinks about wildfire all the time. In 2017, the Tubbs Fire came within 4 miles of her home at Warnecke Ranch and Vineyard. Last week’s Kincade Fire forced her out again. On Friday afternoon, she left town with her children to get them out of the smoke-filled air, and far away from Healdsburg ahead of the weekend’s forecasted powerful wind."
Reeps say they have a way to prevent PG&E shutoffs: Halt this Dem law
Sacramento Bee's BRYAN ANDERSON: "California Gov. Gavin Newsom is not the only one fed up with PG&E’s latest round of power shutoffs."
"Republicans representing the area affected by last year’s deadly Camp Fire are calling on the utility to spend more money to harden its grid and buy better equipment."
"But the mechanism for their proposal is unique: Temporarily halting a popular state law Democrats passed last year requiring California to get 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2045."
An Assembly battle in the wide-open spaces
BRYNDON MADISON in Capitopl Weekly: "A husband and wife team in the Legislature — again?"
"On Nov. 5, voters in California’s sprawling 1st Assembly District will choose between Republican Megan Dahle and Democrat Elizabeth Betancourt in a special election."
"Sen. Brian Dahle, Megan’s husband, represents the equally sprawling 1st Senate District. He was elected in June after his predecessor, Republican Sen. Ted Gaines, termed out and opened up the seat. Dahle immediately was named the Senate’s new GOP minority leader."
California has $9B in unclaimed paychecks, refunds
Sacramento Bee's ANDREW SHEELER: "The State of California might be holding some of your money."
"The state is holding $9.3 billion in unclaimed property, according to a statement from the office of California State Controller Betty Yee."
"In September alone, more than 38,000 people were reunited with $23 million worth of property, according to Yee’s office."
Lawmakers see a bipartisan immigration fix for farm workers. Does the White House?
McClatchy's EMMA DUMAIN/MICHAEL WILNER: "The White House is dismissing a fresh effort from a bipartisan group of House lawmakers to address the status of undocumented immigrants working in the U.S. agriculture industry."
"Lawmakers led by California Democrat Zoe Lofgren and Florida Republican Mario Diaz-Balart — two veterans of immigration overhaul efforts — plan to introduce a bill this week that would provide a pathway to legal status for those farm workers, their spouses and minor children, congressional sources told McClatchy."
"Diaz-Balart, who confirmed his involvement, said three other GOP lawmakers have been involved in quiet negotiations over the past several months and that roughly 100 farm labor groups were supporting the effort and nearly 20 House Republicans had expressed interest in signing on as co-sponsors."
Frail nursing home patients told to relocate as their Medi-Cal plans cut off payment
CHL's JOCELYN WIENER: "Some of California’s most vulnerable nursing home residents, many of whom have nowhere else to go, are receiving letters from their health care plans saying they are no longer eligible for long-term care."
"In one notable example, three dozen nursing home residents in San Luis Obispo County were informed on the same day that their Medi-Cal managed care plan was cutting off payment for nursing home care, said Karen Jones, the county’s long-term care ombudsman."
"The residents included a 68-year-old amputee with diabetes, memory loss and kidney disease who required dialysis three times a week, and an 82-year-old man with congestive heart failure and diabetes who wasn’t strong enough to transfer himself from his bed to a wheelchair, Jones said."
Hundreds of trees and branches are down. Here's what to do if you see a downed tree
Sacramento Bee: "Hundreds of trees and limbs were toppled this week as a result of heavy winds that swept through the Sacramento region at more than 50 mph."
"City crews are still cleaning up the mess the wind left behind and preparing for more strong winds in the forecast, said a city spokeswoman. City of Sacramento crews responded to 250 calls of downed trees Sunday, and received an additional 40 calls by Monday afternoon,"
"Sacramento County cleaned up debris much of the day Sunday after receiving 48 reports of downed trees and branches, said Matt Robinson, spokesman for the county."