New signs that coronavirus restrictions are here for the long haul in California
LA Times's PATRICK MCGREEVY/COLLEEN SHALBY/NINA AGRAWAL: "Even as officials laid out more tentative plans to reopenCalifornia’s battered economy, there were growing signs Tuesday that life would not be getting back to normal any time soon.
The 23-campus California State University system plans to all but cancel in-person classes in the fall and instead will offer instruction primarily online, with some limited exceptions that allow for in-person activity. The decision comes as schools throughout the country grapple with how long to keep campuses closed amid the coronavirus crisis.
“Our university when open without restrictions and fully in person … is a place where over 500,000 people come together in close and vibrant proximity,” Chancellor Timothy White said at a meeting of Cal State’s Board of Trustees. “That approach sadly just isn’t in the cards now."
READ MORE related to Pandemic: Newsom's COVID-19 pandemic orders are holding up in court -- Sac Bee's ANDREW SHEELER; Lost Spring: How the coronavirus crisis changed our lives -- Can you catch coronavirus swimming? What about 5G? Debunking bizarre myths -- The Chronicle's SAM WHITING; New protocols outline future for California restaurants -- The Chronicle's JANELLE BITKER; Bay Area was California's first coronavirus hot spot. These charts show how LA became the epicenter -- The Chronicle's KELLIE HWANG
Trump is fuming about California water. A federal judge just gave him another reason to vent
Sac Bee's DALE KASLER/RYAN SABALOW: "President Donald Trump has been an eager fighter in California’s water wars. As a presidential candidate, he vowed to bring more water to San Joaquin Valley farmers during a rally in Fresno. He gave final approval to such a plan in February before a cheering crowd in Bakersfield.
Last week, he even interrupted a discussion with congressional Republicans on the coronavirus pandemic to deliver a fresh tirade on water, blaming the state’s leaders for prioritizing Delta smelt and other endangered species over the rights of humans.
“We throw billions of gallons a day of water into the Pacific Ocean,” he said, sounding incredulous. “So you have a delta smelt that’s not doing well. It’s getting no water, and it will do a lot better if it had water. But they send millions and millions of it — is that seriously — is that the only reason? That’s the reason they send it out there?"
READ MORE related to Environment/Climate: California Fish and Wildlife Department spent a half-million dollars on boat it barely uses --Sac Bee's WES VENTEICHER
Republican Mike Garcia leads in race to fill Democrat Katie Hill's seat
LA Times's ARIT JOHN: "Republican Mike Garcia jumped to an early lead Tuesday over Democrat Christy Smith in the runoff for a House seat in the Los Angeles suburbs, raising GOP hopes of flipping a blue California Congressional District for the first time since 1998.
Early results in the election to fill the remainder of Rep. Katie Hill’s first term showed Garcia, a defense industry executive, ahead of Democratic state Assemblywoman Smith of Santa Clarita by 12 percentage points, with 76% of precincts reporting.
The final tally in the nearly all mail-in ballot contest won’t be available for several days — ballots postmarked by Tuesday and received by end of day Friday will be counted. But Garcia’s lead suggests the 25th Congressional District, which includes Palmdale, Porter Ranch, Santa Clarita, Simi Valley and part of Lancaster, is within his party’s reach."
(Ed's Note: Click here for official count, updated.)
Feds charge ex-SF building commissioner with fraud
The Chronicle's BOB EGELKO: "Federal prosecutors charged a former San Francisco building commissioner on Tuesday with cheating clients of his engineering firm out of $478,000 by pocketing money that they were trying to send to city agencies.
The newly unsealed criminal charges of bank fraud against Rodrigo Santos follow a civil suit by City Attorney Dennis Herrera’s office, made public in March, accusing Santos and his firm of stealing money from clients and evading city building-permit requirements for residential housing, endangering construction workers in the process. Santos denied those allegations.
Prosecutors said he was arrested Tuesday morning, appeared before a federal magistrate and was released on $100,000 bond. Santos and his lawyer were not immediately available for comment on the charges."
California cut schools and raised taxes in its last recession. What will Newsom do now?
Sac Bee's ADAM ASHTON: "Heading into a new recession, California has one big thing going for it that it lacked the last time a sudden downturn sent the state’s economy reeling: A stockpile of money built up in reserves and various accounts that can be put to use in a crisis.
California during the Great Recession ran out of cash while lawmakers battled over budget fixes. The state issued IOUs because it couldn’t pay its bills, furloughed public employees and delayed payments to schools and nonprofits to buy time.
After all of that, it slashed billions of dollars in education funding, cut billions more from health care, seized local redevelopment funds and adopted temporary tax and fee increases."
Most California voters say pandemic is increasing inequality
LA Times's SARAH PARVINI: "A strong majority of California voters believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased inequality in the United States, with many noting that the crisis has had the greatest impact on black people, according to a new poll.
The poll from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies documents the hardship caused by the pandemic and the economic disruption surrounding it. The survey found that 70% of registered voters in the state somewhat agreed or strongly agreed that COVID-19 is increasing inequality, while less than 1% strongly disagreed and 8% disagreed.
Most of those surveyed also agreed that there were racial disparities in the virus’ effect on different ethnic communities. Some 59% either somewhat agreed or strongly agreed that the coronavirus “impacts black people more than other groups."
Asian American voter numbers are growing, but they often don't get the info they need
Sac Bee's THEODORA YU: "Asian Americans are the fastest-growing group of the nation’s eligible voters, a study shows. Six out of 10 Asians in the U.S. will be able to vote in November’s presidential election. Of those voters, 35 percent live in California.
Experts see the potential for the Asian American and Pacific Islander voter bloc to make an impact in November, but say more outreach is necessary.
The findings were published by the Pew Research Center last week, based on analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data and the 2000 U.S. Census."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal 'concerned' about whether Biden can motivate young progressives
The Chronicle's JOE GAROFOLI: "The co-chair of the House Progressive Caucus is “concerned” about the lack of enthusiasm for Joe Biden among younger voters and hopes a new alliance with Sen. Bernie Sanders will give him a boost of energy.
“I think everybody should be concerned,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., told The Chronicle’s “It’s All Political” podcast. “We need to help Joe Biden establish policy proposals that he really believes in and is convinced about, but that also excite people to believe that government can make a real difference in their lives.”
Jayapal will be a member of task force that Sanders and Biden created when the Vermont senator endorsed the vice president last month. The group, whose full membership is expected to be announced this week, could be a vehicle for the former vice president to broaden his outreach to Democratic progressives by possibly moving left on issues important to them."
Alameda County agrees to let Tesla reopen if certain conditions are met
The Chronicle's CHASE DIFELICIANTONIO: "Alameda County officials said Tuesday they have agreed to allow Tesla to reopen as early as next week if the auto manufacturer agrees to certain safety conditions.
The decision came after the county told Tesla earlier in the day to stop manufacturing at its Fremont plant, the strongest step local government has taken to check the electric car maker’s defiance of health orders.
The Chronicle previously reported that some Tesla production lines had begun running over the weekend. Workers began returning to the plant as early as last week. Alameda County’s shelter-in-place orders, in place since mid-March, do not allow for manufacturing, though Tesla initially defied them before shutting down its lines and furloughing employees in late March."
California tenants could get 10 years to pay back rent under this Democratic plan
Sac Bee's HANNAH WILEY: "California Democrats want to give tenants who’ve lost their jobs or had wages cut during the coronavirus outbreak a decade to repay late rent.
The proposal is part of a broader strategy a handful of Senate Democrats announced Tuesday as a way to keep California afloat in the recession caused by COVID-19. It complements a separate proposal in the Assembly that would give mortgage relief for homeowners struggling with payments and another bill that would suspend evictions.
The rent stabilization proposal, said Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, would use state funds to purchase outstanding rents from tenants. They’d then have 10 years beginning in 2024 to repay the debt, interest free. Repayment plans would hinge on a tenant’s ability to pay and continued hardship can lead to full forgiveness."
You can go back to the office if you can't telework, California Gov. Newsom says
Sac Bee's ANDREW SHEELER: "California office employees can now return to work if they need to, as long as their employers adhere to a strict set of modifications.
“If you cannot telework, we will allow for office modifications and office openings on a statewide basis,” California Gov Gavin Newsom said during his Tuesday coronavirus press conference.
Though the state is still recommending that office workers telecommute if possible, the state website covid19.ca.gov lays out the guidelines for how office workers can return."
To begin to come back from coronavirus, BART, Muni need everyone to wear masks
The Chronicle's PHIL MATIER: "Bay Area mass transit officials are gearing up for what may be the biggest challenge to public transportation ever — masked transit in the the era of coronavirus.
“The very basis of mass transit is in the word ‘mass.’ It only works financially and operationally with big numbers of riders.” Metropolitan Transportation Commission spokesman Randy Rentschler said.
The challenge is that in order to bring back riders in big enough numbers to keep transit systems like Muni and BART running means ensuring that riders feel safe. And in order for buses and trains to fill back up, social distancing will need to take a back seat."
Paul Manafort released from prison due to coronavirus concerns
AP: "Paul Manafort, Donald Trump’s onetime presidential campaign chairman who was convicted as part of the special counsel’s Russia investigation, has been released from federal prison to serve the rest of his sentence in home confinement due to concerns about the coronavirus, his lawyer said Wednesday.
Manafort, 71, was released Wednesday morning from FCI Loretto, a low-security prison in Pennsylvania, according to his attorney Todd Blanche. Manafort had been serving a sentence of more than seven years in prison following his conviction.
His lawyers had asked the Bureau of Prisons to release him to home confinement, arguing that he was at high risk for coronavirus because of his age and preexisting medical conditions. Manafort was hospitalized in December after suffering from a heart-related condition, two people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press at the time. They were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity."