Cancel your holiday travel plans, or plan on self-quarantining, California officials urge
Sac Bee's ANDREW SHEELER: "If you were planning to travel for Thanksgiving, the state of California is asking you not to do so.
But if you must, the state Department of Public Health has issued a travel advisory urging travelers to the state to observe a 14-day self-quarantine upon arrival.
The advisory, which applies to California, Oregon and Washington, states that people traveling should limit their interactions to just those within their immediate household. The recommendation does not apply to those engaging in essential travel, such as those traveling for work, critical infrastructure support or for immediate medical care."
Californians prepare to descend on Georgia to fight for Dems in Senate races
The Chronicle's JOE GAROFOLI: "Joseph Killian and his friends donated a collective $50,000 to a dozen Democratic Senate candidates this fall, and most of them lost. Now, with the Senate and Joe Biden’s agenda on the line, the San Francisco resident wants to move to Georgia to volunteer for the two Democrats running to unseat a pair of Republicans in January.
“I can’t just sit home and raise money,” said Killian, 38, a project manager for a tech company. “When you look at some of those races where (we donated and) we didn’t win, this is our chance to hopefully go there and fix that. We want to be there and help.”
Killian is not alone. California Democrats are peppering political organizers with questions about how to travel to Georgia to volunteer for Democrat Jon Ossoff in his race against Republican Sen. David Perdue and for the Rev. Raphael Warnock in his contest against GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler. Both seats went to a Jan. 5 runoff when no candidate won a majority in this month’s elections."
The Chronicle's PETER FIMRITE: "The worldwide search for a coronavirus cure has inspired tens of thousands of young people to volunteer to be infected with the coronavirus during human trials of experimental vaccines — a growing movement that critics fear will have dire consequences.
More than 38,000 people mostly in their 20s or early 30s from all over the world have signed up to be part of an operation known as 1DaySooner, which supports “human challenge trials” to test experimental drugs and speed up the process of finding effective vaccines for the coronavirus.
Such trials, in which the immune system is “challenged” by deliberate exposure to an infectious disease, have been used in the past to test vaccines for malaria, dengue fever and other conditions that, with standard drug treatments, usually clear up. The trials typically involve only 100 to 200 people compared to 30,000 in a standard phase 3 trial."
This Democrat wanted to take Kevin McCarthy and Devin Nunes down a peg. How did he do?
Sac Bee's KATE IRBY: "A Democratic political group raised $8 million in its efforts to bring Republican candidates down this year, rejecting the typical political wisdom that calls for investing only in swing
districts.
Instead, it used its capital in an effort to defeat Republicans like Rep. Kevin McCarthy in deep red districts.
Andrew Janz, a Fresno prosecutor, founded the Voter Protection Project after he lost to Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, by a competitive five points in 2018."
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine boasts a nearly 95% effective rate in early data
ASSOCIATED PRESS: “Moderna said Monday that its COVID-19 vaccine is proving to be highly effective in a major trial, a second dash of hope in the global race for a shot to tame a resurgent coronavirus that is now killing more than 8,000 people a day worldwide.
Moderna said its vaccine appears to be 94.5% effective, according to preliminary data from the company’s ongoing study. A week ago, competitor Pfizer announced its own COVID-19 vaccine appeared similarly effective — news that puts both companies on track to seek permission within weeks for emergency use in the U.S.
Dr. Stephen Hoge, Moderna’s president, welcomed the “really important milestone” and said that having similar results from two different companies is what’s most reassuring.“That should give us all hope that actually a vaccine is going to be able to stop this pandemic and hopefully get us back to our lives,” Hoge told the Associated Press.”
Weekend COVID-19 surge alarms L.A. officials amid talk of curfew, more actions
ALEX WIGGLESWORTH and DAVID ZAHNISER, LA Times: “A fresh surge of coronavirus cases on Saturday and Sunday has alarmed Los Angeles County officials, who say they may consider imposing a curfew and other health measures in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19.
New cases topped 3,000 for two consecutive days over the weekend. County public health officials recorded 3,780 new cases of the virus Saturday, the highest one-day total since the peak of the crisis in mid-July. On Sunday, officials reported 3,061 new cases and three deaths.
Amid the increase, the county Department of Public Health is expected to submit a series of recommendations to the Board of Supervisors this week.”
Column: With the COVID-19 pandemic and a battered economy, California voters said no to more taxes
GEORGE SKELTON, LA Times: “California voters rejected an ambitious state ballot initiative to substantially raise business property taxes. But they approved many local tax and bond measures. Why the distinction?
One reason is that voters are suspicious of Sacramento politicians. The public may not especially trust local officials either, but they’re closer and can be better watched and held accountable.
Another reason is that voters this year are very anxious about the economy as the pandemic takes a toll on businesses, jobs and retirement savings. They didn’t want to unleash a major new property tax hike that might further cripple the California economy.”
Fauci says 'it would be better' if health experts could start working with Biden team
Sac Bee's BAILEY ALDRIDGE: "Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said Sunday on CNN that “it would be better” if public health officials could start working with President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team.
The Associated Press and other media outlets named Biden the projected winner of the presidential election last weekend, and Biden’s team has since started planning for his transition of power — last week naming a 13-member coronavirus advisory task force and selecting a White House chief of staff.
But President Donald Trump has refused to concede, and his administration has been slow-walking the transfer of power process."
READ MORE related to Pandemic: Folsom's mayor tests positive for COVID-19 as coronavirus cases surge in California -- Sac Bee's VINCENT MOLESKI; Newsom catches heat for attending birthday party as he urges COVID-19 restrictions -- Sac Bee's LARA KORTE; Walmart reinstates lapsed COVID-19 precautions as US cases surge -- Sac Bee's DON SWEENEY
EdSource's MATT KRUPNICK: "Organizers of an ambitious “cradle to career” education data system for California are preparing to wrap up an intensive year-long effort and send key recommendations for its design to Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature for the next phase of its development — one that could take another five years and millions more dollars to complete.
But some backers worry that the state’s pandemic-induced budget woes might slow, or even derail, the launch of the longitudinal data system championed by Newsom. Among other things, the system would give educators, policymakers, researchers and the public significantly more knowledge about what programs and initiatives have the most success in getting children through school, into college and eventually into the workplace.
Since the beginning of the year, dozens of education and data experts have been meeting, mostly remotely because of the pandemic, to design the system long sought by advocates and researchers. Created by 2019 legislation (AB 75), it would combine information from California’s K-12 schools, colleges and universities, employers and social services into a massive database."
A Black woman should fill Kamala Harris' Senate seat, California caucus says
Sac Bee's LARA KORTE: "Black California leaders are urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to appoint a Black woman as the successor to Kamala Harris’ seat in the U.S. Senate.
At a press conference Friday, members of the California Legislative Black Caucus nominated U.S. Rep. Karen Bass and U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee as candidates for the position.
Bass and Lee represent “two of the most powerful women” in California, said Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D- San Diego and chair of the caucus."
NorCal rapist case expected to go to jury Monday in Sacramento courtroom
Sac Bee's SAM STANTON: "After three weeks of testimony, the case against NorCal Rapist suspect Roy Charles Waller is expected to go to a Sacramento jury Monday that could decide whether the 60-year-old defendant spends the rest of his life in prison.
Waller, a former UC Berkeley safety specialist, is the suspect in a series of break-ins that began in 1991 and victimized nine women in six attacks that spread across Northern California cities until they suddenly stopped in October 2006.
Sacramento police have testified that they interviewed Waller months after that last attack — the rape of two Natomas roommates — but decided he was too old and did not match the composite sketches of the attacker."
The Chronicle's TRISHA THADANI/JOHN BLANCHARD: "San Francisco’s opioid crisis exploded this year, killing people at staggering rates. The painkiller fentanyl — which can be 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine — seeped further into the city's drug supply, and the pandemic isolated people who often rely on others to help save them if they overdose.
The number of overdose deaths has been ticking up the past few years, but 2020 has been far worse than many could have predicted.Seeking to understand more about the epidemic, The Chronicle obtained data revealing the location of every fatal overdose in 2020. Many people died inside homes, their bodies not discovered for hours or even days.
Others died in public spaces — sidewalks, parks, alleyways. While the deaths were clustered in the Tenderloin and SoMa, the tragedies were not limited to those neighborhoods. One person died in a public bathroom in the Rincon Center downtown, another at Patricia’s Green in Hayes Valley, another just a block from Ocean Beach. The epidemic, still growing, has struck nearly every corner of the city."
With more snow coming to NorCal, ski resorts will open with COVID-19 rules
Sac Bee's MOLLY BURKE: "With precipitation reaching Northern California and high elevations in the Sierra Nevada mountains reporting snow, the ski season is just around the corner.
Resorts, however, remain closed for now — but some are still planning to soon.
Alex Hoon, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Reno, said that Truckee reported an inch of snow Friday, while Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows each reported 9 inches at their summits and 2 to 5 inches at their bases. Homewood Mountain Resort reported 2 inches at its base and 3 inches at its summit."
READ MORE related to Air/Climate/Environment: SF sees nearly 7 foot king tides Sunday, more coming Monday -- The Chronicle's LAUREN HERNANDEZ
Boxing event aimed at ending gun violence ends with Sacramento police fatally shooting man
Sac Bee's VINCENT MOLESKI/MOLLY BURKE: "What was meant to be an engaging community event promoting an end to gun violence in a North Sacramento warehouse ended in gunfire and carnage Saturday night, when a police sergeant shot and killed a suspected gunman.
Jacques Houston, the organizer behind an event dubbed “Gunz Down Gloves Up: North Side Edition,” wanted to bring together youth from around the North Sacramento area for a night of boxing. The event, modeled on a trend that has seen popularity across the country, was meant to bring awareness to gun violence and offer a healthy alternative.
But the event erupted into chaos when a gunman opened fire, according to the Sacramento Police Department."