World alarmed by violence in US; thousands march in London
AP: "Nations around the world have watched in horror the days of civil unrest in the United States following the death Monday of a black man being detained by police. But they have not been surprised.
Racism-tinged events no longer startle even America’s closest allies, though many have watched coverage of the often-violent protests with growing unease. Burning cars and riot police in the U.S. were featured on newspaper front pages around the globe Sunday — bumping news of the COVID-19 pandemic to second-tier status in some places.
George Floyd died on May 25 in Minneapolis after a white police officer pressed a knee into his neck for eight minutes. It was the latest in a series of deaths of black men and women at the hands of police in America."
READ MORE related to George Floyd Murder: Trump defers to states after protests over George Floyd's death spread across nation -- Sac Bee's FRANCESCA CHAMBERS/MICHAEL WILNER/TARA COPP; Why rage over George Floyd's killing is more explosive this time -- The Chronicle's KEVIN FAGAN; Unrest overshadows peaceful US protests for another night -- AP's ASHRAF KHALIL/AARON MORRISON/TIM SULLIVAN; Trump took shelter in White House bunker as protests raged -- AP's JONATHAN LEMIRE/ZEKE MILLER; San Leandro mall ransacked as George Floyd unrest in Bay Area intensifies -- The Chronicle's RACHEL SWAN; Shots fired at Oakland Police headquarters -- The Chronicle; Tensions high in SF, Oakland in George Floyd protests; looting spreads to Walnut Creek -- The Chronicle's LIZZIE JOHNSON/TRISHA THADANI/KEVIN FAGAN; Looting hits Long Beach, Santa Monica as countywide curfew goes into effect -- LA Times; LA, wracked by looting and upheaval, turns yet again to the National Guard -- LA Times's DAVID ZAHNISER/MONTE MORIN/THOMAS CURWEN; LA County courts ordered closed Monday due to protests -- LA Times's LAURA NEWBERRY; Breonna Taylor death fuels call to end 'no knock' warrants -- AP; NBA players and coaches plead as loud as ever against racial injustice -- LA Times's DAN WOIKE; Peaceful Sacramento protests drowned o ut by looting, vandalism that continued through night -- Sacramento Bee; 'Outside agitators.' Sacramento activists critical of violence after George Floyd protests -- Sac Bee's ROSALIO AHUMADA/DARRELL SMITH
SCOTUS votes 5-4 to let Gov. Newsom restrict attendance at religious services
The Chronicle's BOB EGELKO: "With a deciding vote from Chief Justice John Roberts, the Supreme Court late Friday allowed Gov. Gavin Newsom to restrict attendance at religious services in California to 25% of the capacity of a house of worship because of the coronavirus.
The justices voted 5-4 to reject a challenge by a Pentecostal church in Chula Vista (San Diego County) and its bishop, who said the state is discriminating against religious institutions by setting undue limits on attendance.
In his first round of reopenings in early May, Newsom allowed some previously closed businesses to resume limited operations, such as curbside pickups, but refused to allow in-person religious services. After a divided federal appeals court upheld his decision on May 22, the governor announced new rules three days later allowing congregations to meet in person but limiting attendance to 25% of the building’s capacity, with a maximum gathering of 100."
PG&E could become a nonprofit someday under California bill
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The Chronicle's J.D. MORRIS: "California lawmakers may still create a path to overhaul PG&E Corp.’s structure even though the company is poised to remain an investor-owned business after its expected emergence from bankruptcy this year.
State Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, is carrying legislation that could make the utility subsidiary Pacific Gas and Electric Co. owned by a new nonprofit public benefit corporation called Golden State Energy. But it would only happen if the PG&E’s bankruptcy implodes or state regulators take the drastic step of revoking the company’s operating license.
While the bar for such a revocation is high, it is an option that the California Public Utilities Commission enshrined in a new enforcement process when it approved PG&E’s bankruptcy reorganization plan Thursday. Regulators at the commission could reconsider the license if the company causes more disasters and other enforcement measures prove insufficient."
Voters could change California's landmark property tax law after measure qualifies for ballot
Sac Bee's MATT KRISTOFFERSON: "California voters this November will likely see an initiative that would undo part of a landmark law that has capped property tax increases for decades.
The so-called “split-roll” initiative would change how California taxes properties, retaining a limit on tax increases for residential properties but allowing new assessments of commercial sites worth more than $3 million.
California voters enshrined a strict limit on property tax in 1978, when they passed Proposition 13. It allows reassessments only when a property changes hands or undergoes redevelopment. It also restricts annual tax increases."
READ MORE related to Economy: SF's top money man grapples with dire forecasts as budget scenarios 'keep getting worse' -- The Chronicle's HEATHER KNIGHT
Why do some people refuse to wear masks? Defiance, misguided thinking
The Chronicle's MATT KAWAHARA: "In February, as awareness of the coronavirus grew, Stanford behavior scientist BJ Fogg took a precaution traveling through Los Angeles International Airport: He wore a mask.
“I was one of like three people in the whole airport that was wearing one, and I felt really odd,” Fogg said. “Now, I think it’s flipped. The norm, at least there, has probably shifted.”
In a few months, masks went from a rare to routine sight in much of the U.S. Health officials now recommend their use in public settings: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, wearing a cloth face covering may slow spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 by preventing droplets from infected people from being transmitted to others."
READ MORE related to Pandemic: A milestone and a new pop-up program for Sac County's coronavirus testing -- Sac Bee's EMILIANO TAHU GÓMEZ; Protests could cause infection surge; over 4,000 dead in California -- Sac Bee's VINCENT MOLESKI
Newsom allows extension of local eviction moratoriums in California through July 28th
The Chronicle's ANNA BAUMAN: "Evictions could be halted for two more months in California under a new executive order signed Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
The order gives local jurisdictions the authority to extend eviction moratoriums through July 28 to protect renters impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
Newsom authorized local governments to halt evictions with a March 16 order that was followed up on March 27 by a state-wide eviction banin effect through May."
Candidates face uncertainty in Berkeley electoral processes for November election
Daily Californian's CATHERINE HSU: "Starting May 29, candidates running for local office in the Nov. 3 election were able to begin collecting signatures to offset filing fees, but COVID-19 has disrupted parts of the electoral process.
Traditionally, to run for office, candidates can pay the filing fee of $150 or offset this fee by collecting signatures from registered voters. The impracticability of in-person outreach, however, has made it difficult for new campaigns to gain traction and for incumbents to focus on the election.
Leah Simon-Weisberg, vice chair of the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board, said she prefers the tradition of getting in-person signatures."
Californians socked away more money for college at the start of pandemic. Will it continue?
Sac Bee's MACKENZIE HAWKINS: "The first five months of 2020 have featured record numbers: jobless claims, market crashes and — perhaps counterintuitively — college savings.
California’s state-sponsored college savings program, ScholarShare 529, reported a 17 percent increase in account contributions and a 24 percent increase in account openings this year as compared to the same timeframe in 2019.
The pandemic has depressed growth in recent weeks relative to first quarter numbers, but officials say that 2020 is still a record year for college investment."
California school districts forced to move to virtual recruiting -- and it's working
EdSource's DIANA LAMBERT: "Most California school districts were just plunging into their annual teacher recruitment season in March when schools began to close in response to the coronavirus pandemic. One by one districts canceled job fairs, pulled recruiters off the road and shifted to a virtual hiring process.
School districts have spent more staff time and effort recruiting teachers in recent years because of an ongoing state teacher shortage that often leaves schools without enough fully credentialed teachers. The shortage has been especially acute in hard-to-fill areas like special education, world languages, math and science, as well as English language development.
The state’s largest districts, many of which already conduct some online interviewing, quickly galvanized their human resources staff to convert appointments for in-person interviews to virtual ones. But smaller districts, like Konocti Unified, found themselves rushing to set up virtual recruitment programs with human resources staffs of only a few people."
These parks, campsites are reopening across Northern California this weekend
The Chronicle's TOM STIENSTRA: "The delayed summer roll-out for parks, beaches, campgrounds and mountain lakes is starting to get going. This weekend, Northern California will see the reopening of three state parks in the Bay Area as well as Lassen Volcanic National Park in the state’s far north.
Notably, South Lake Tahoe authorities moved to cease issuing $1,000 fines to out-of-towners caught visiting the region.
Many outdoor recreation sites around Northern California could reopen in June, including roughly 800 Forest Service campgrounds across the Sierra, Cascades and Shasta-Siskiyou ranges. Yet no reopening dates - or formal announcements about operational changes — have been announced for many of the state’s most popular parks, including Yosemite, Sequoia-Kings Canyon and Redwood national parks, Point Reyes National Seashore and campgrounds in the Lake Tahoe Basin."
READ MORE related to Environment/Climate: Goats are hard at work clearing Laguna Beach's steep canyon hillsides with more to come -- OC Register's ERIKA I RITCHIE
SpaceX astronaut capsule docks with ISS
LA Times's SAMANTHA MASUNAGA: "SpaceX’s Crew Dragon astronaut capsule successfully docked with the International Space Station a little less than 19 hours after its historic launch from Florida.
After testing the capsule’s manual flight capabilities, NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken settled in Sunday morning for an autonomous docking sequence with the space station.
Around 7 a.m. Pacific time, the capsule began to approach the space station at a speed of 0.98 feet per second with its nose cone open."
Californioa CO dies after testing positive for coronavirus
Sac Bee's WES VENTEICHER: "California correctional officer Danny Mendoza died Saturday after testing positive for the coronavirus, according to a Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation news release.
Mendoza, 53, worked at the California Rehabilitation Center in Riverside County, according to the release.
His death was the first reported by the corrections department among employees who have tested positive."
BART announces 15 steps to ensure patron safety as ridership increases
Daily Californian's ERIC ROGERS: "BART will implement new cleaning regimens to ensure patron safety as the Bay Area reopens in the wake of COVID-19.
While the public transit system has remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, massive ridership decreases forced the agency to reconsider its finances and policies regarding patron and worker safety. BART released a 15-step reopening plan Wednesday, which includes new cleaning procedures and equipment, along with the continuance of a mandatory face mask policy for all patrons 13 or older. Additionally, according to the plan, BART will implement a new infrastructure projects schedule.
According to BART spokesperson James Allison, BART stations have been cleaned with hospital-grade disinfectant since mid-February, especially in spots that are most frequently touched."