A winter surge in COVID-19 cases seems inevitable. Can we stop it?
DEBORAH NETBURN, LA Times: "Temperatures are dropping, nights are growing longer, the holidays are nearing, and the science is clear: The pandemic is far from over. A long, dark winter awaits.
The number of new coronavirus cases in the United States each day has ballooned from less than 40,000 in early September to more than 100,000 in early November. The U.S. now confirms more cases in a single day than China has reported since the pandemic began.
“We may be turning a corner, but not in a good way,” said Julie Swann, an expert in healthcare systems at North Carolina State University."
As virus cases rise, more of California shuts down
DON THOMPSON, AP: "More areas of California must impose restrictions on businesses to try to curb a resurgence of the coronavirus that has hospitalizations rising as they did in June when the state imposed a statewide mask requirement, state officials said Tuesday.
Three of California’s largest counties are among 11 statewide with sufficiently high numbers of infections to trigger state-mandated limits on business operations. Meantime, San Francisco, which has the lowest virus case rates among California’s major cities, voluntarily imposed new restrictions, including a ban on indoor dining.
San Diego, Sacramento and Contra Costa counties all moved backwards in the state’s four-tiered system for reopening, which is based on virus case and infection rates."
READ MORE on covid and locals : Amid coronavirus surge in California, 11 counties fall backward in reopening plans -- LUKE MONEY, ANITA CHABRIA and RONG-GONG LIN II, LA Times; S.F. reduces movie theater capacity as coronavirus cases surge -- LILY JANIAK, Chronicle; Saying No to a COVID-19 Thanksgiving? How to Break it to Family (or Friends) -- CARLY SEVERN
Riverside introduces no-cost, self-administered oral coronavirus tests
BEAU YARBROUGH, Press Enterprise: "Riverside County has “artificially high” coronavirus case counts and healthy people need to get tested make county and state figures more accurate, according to Riverside’s mayor.
New no-cost tests, available starting Wednesday, Nov. 11, could help.
“When only sick people are being tested, our case counts are artificially high and are currently preventing us from changing tiers,” Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey said at a news conference Tuesday, Nov. 10. “We want our schools, our local businesses, our places of worship and entertainment and our tourist locations to be able to reopen as soon as safely possible. … Increased testing can help us accomplish those goals.”
California went big for Biden. Now its cities, counties and schools are seeking relief
DAVID ZAHNISER, BENJAMIN ORESKES and DAKOTA SMITH, LA Times: "Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn has high hopes for a Joe Biden presidency, saying it could bring the region more money for public transit and an end to overseas trade wars.
For Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, a Biden presidency would put a stop to her city’s battle with President Trump over immigration raids. And for San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, the Biden era could mean financial relief for cities desperately trying to balance budgets and avoid slashing services.
“That’s foremost on a lot of mayors’ minds right now — just, can we get a relief package through,” he said. “Because I think many of us expect that the worst of the economic crisis is still ahead of us.”
Fresno Mayor-elect Jerry Dyer tests positive for COVID-19 after election night dinner
BRIANNA CALIX, Fresno Bee: "Fresno Mayor-elect Jerry Dyer received notice Tuesday morning he tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a dinner with Fresno County Supervisor Steve Brandau on election night.
Brandau announced late last week he tested positive for coronavirus.
Dyer previously had a rapid PCR test which produced a negative result, but Monday morning he experienced a light cough."
Calif. governor faces pressure to choose a Latino to replace Harris in the Senate
SCOTT WILSON, Washington Post: " Since California was carved out of Mexico and joined the union more than a century and a half ago, the state has never had a Latino representing it in the U.S. Senate. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) now has the opportunity to change that amid increasing pressure to do so.
Two Latino politicians have emerged as top contenders for the post to be vacated by Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris, who became the first woman of color to win a U.S. Senate seat here in 2016. A selection process has just begun to balance this state’s peculiar demands of history, geography and race that will shape Newsom’s decision, which may not come until the new year.
But the characteristics surrounding this choice, and what political analysts, advisers and others say will be important to Newsom, suggest that at this early stage California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) and Secretary of State Alex Padilla (D) are the leading candidates. Among their other attributes is one that analysts and political advisers here say is important to Newsom: past success in statewide political contests.
California is prepared to keep suing a lame-duck Trump, state attorney general says
SOPHIA BOLLAG, SacBee: "California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has already sued President Donald Trump’s administration 106 times.
As Trump enters the lame duck phase of his presidency, Becerra says he’s prepared to file even more lawsuits if the president tries to “wreck the train” on his way out.
“Between now and Jan. 20, I don’t think anyone can predict what’s going to happen,” Becerra told The Sacramento Bee in an interview Monday, referencing the last day of Trump’s term. “We may have to launch lawsuits number 107, maybe 108 to protect our resources and our values because we have no idea what President Trump will try.”
San Francisco was the only California county to vote for rent control. Here's why
ANNIE VAINSHTEIN: "San Francisco was the only county in California to support Proposition 21, the Nov. 3 ballot measure that would have rolled back state restrictions on rent control.
California voters decisively rejected the proposition, which would have significantly amended the 1995 Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act limiting local rent control laws.
Statewide, the split for the proposition was 59.6% no and 40.4% yes. San Francisco was the lone outlier, with voters backing the measure 51.7% to 48.3%."
L.A.'s $300-million voting system gets high marks as votes trickle in across California
MATT STILES, LA Times: "Los Angeles County’s $300-million election system is receiving high marks for performing without any serious problems during the recent election, a sharp turnaround from the March primary, when the newly unveiled infrastructure created long lines and significant delays at the polls.
Speaking to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan, the county’s top elections official, pronounced the new system a “success” and earned praise from the same panel that grilled him in March about the problems during the primary.
Logan told the supervisors that his office had worked diligently to fix problems since conducting a review of the technology breakdowns in the primary. He said voter behavior also helped, with many voters opting to vote by mail or vote early at the polls, which relieved the strain on new electronic poll books that caused major delays in March."