California, Oregon will take over dams controlled by Warren Buffett – and tear them down
DALE KASLER and RYAN SABALOW, Sacramento Bee: "Gov. Gavin Newsom and his Oregon counterpart signed a landmark deal Tuesday to take control of four aging dams targeted for removal on the Lower Klamath River, an agreement designed to push the controversial $450 million plan over the finish line.
Newsom and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown committed their states to replacing PacifiCorp — a utility company controlled by financier Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate — as co-licensees of the dams, which have been blamed for ruining salmon runs considered vital by California Indian tribes.
The agreement “ensures that we have sufficient backing” to get the four dams demolished, said Chuck Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife."
Newsom, legislators face angry backlash over French Laundry party, Hawaii trip during COVID-19 surge
LA Times's JOHN MYERS: "No politician escapes the heightened scrutiny that comes with running for office. And most, if not all, have been criticized for not doing enough to align their actions with their words.
But few see their missteps lead so quickly to white-hot anger as did Gov. Gavin Newsom, after admitting that he joined several other couples at a birthday dinner less than two weeks ago, or members of the California Legislature currently enjoying a trip to Hawaii while schmoozing with interest groups that may have underwritten the cost of the event.
In both cases, the personal decisions of the elected officials involved gave the impression that their privilege led them to believe they are immune to the pandemic, ignoring the safety precautions they have asked Californians to take."
READ MORE related to Pandemic: California clamps down: Governor announces new restrictions to curb surging coronavirus -- CALMatters' BARBARA FEDER OSTROV/ANA B IBARRA; Could California's psych hospitals be ordered to admit inmates with COVID? -- CALMatters' LEE ROMNEY; These state workers were used to solving crises, but COVID-19 took it to a new level -- Sac Bee's CATHIE ANDERSON/YESENIA AMARO
As anxieties rise, Californians buying hundreds of thousands more guns
PHILLIP REESE, California Healthline via Capitol Weekly: "Handgun sales in California have risen to unprecedented levels during the COVID-19 pandemic, and experts say first-time buyers are driving the trend.
The FBI conducted 462,000 background checks related to handgun purchases in California from March through September, an increase of 209,000, or 83%, from the same period last year. That’s more than in any other seven-month period on record.
People who study gun ownership think the increase means more people are buying guns for the first time. Handguns, as opposed to rifles and shotguns, are often the first firearm purchase made by someone looking for protection."
Pfizer says further data shows its COVID-19 vaccine is 95% effective, works in older people
AP: "Pfizer said Wednesday that new test results show its COVID-19 vaccine is 95% effective, has no serious side effects and protects older people most at risk of dying of the disease — the last data needed for the company to seek approval for emergency use.
The announcement, just a week after Pfizer first revealed promising preliminary results, comes as the company is preparing within days to formally ask U.S. regulators to allow emergency use of the vaccine.
Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, also have begun “rolling submissions” for the vaccine with regulators in Europe, Britain and Canada, and soon will add this new data."
READ MORE related to Vaccine/Testing: FDA authorizes first at-home test kit for COVID-19 -- LA Times's STAFF
NorCal rapist jury reaches verdict after day of deliberations; hearing set for Wednesday morning
Sac Bee's SAM STANTON: "After only one day of deliberations, a jury has reached a verdict in the NorCal Rapist case, and Sacramento Superior Court Judge Judge James Arguelles is scheduled to reveal it Wednesday in a 9 a.m. hearing.
The jury began deliberations mid-morning Tuesday following a closing argument from prosecutor Keith Hill, and shortly after 4 p.m. court officials announced jurors had come to a decision.
Jurors spent nearly a month listening to evidence about whether suspect Roy Charles Waller is responsible for raping nine women over a 15-year period."
In California, science guides whether to reopen hair salons -- but not always schools
The Chronicle's JILL TUCKER/ERIN ALLDAY: "Ten months into the pandemic, California school districts are struggling with whether to reopen classrooms as public health experts warn that the risks of returning students to class might be outweighed by the harms of keeping classrooms closed.
Frustrated parents, politicians and health experts say that too frequently, politics rather than science determines which children are now in classrooms learning in person and which are still sitting in front of a computer.
So far, federal and state officials haven’t dictated when and how schools should reopen, passing the call to local county health officials."
READ MORE related to Reopening/Economy: Haven't gotten your first stimulus check? Here's what to do by Nov. 21 -- Sac Bee's JEONG PARK
Some states cut pay, others offered raises. How California state worker pay reductions stack up
Sac Bee's WES VENTEICHER: "Michigan lawmakers imposed weekly state worker furloughs. Florida’s employees got a raise.
Maryland paid front-line workers double at the start of the pandemic. Pennsylvania temporarily stopped paying some state employees altogether.
A look around the country shows the broad range of approaches government leaders have used to manage workforces during a public health crisis that has also hit state budgets."
Winning reelection as House speaker should be easy this time for Pelosi. What follows may not be
LA Times's SARAH D WIRE: "With no challenger in sight, Speaker Nancy Pelosi should breeze through her reelection bid in Wednesday’s House leadership vote and move closer to what is expected to be her final two-year term in the high-profile post.
It’s what she faces on the other side that could be the real challenge: a narrower House majority than she’s ever had due to the unexpected loss of seats to Republicans; a long to-do list following four years under President Trump; and a renewed intraparty battle between moderates and progressives tussling over how best to govern.
Heading into the election, House Democrats had a majority of 232 to 197, with one Libertarian and five open seats. The split for the new year now stands at 219 Democrats to 204 Republicans, with twelve contests too close to call. That could leave Pelosi (D-San Francisco) with one of the smallest majorities in decades. To control the House, 218 seats are needed."
California could get boost in race for top job on House Agriculture Committee
The Chronicle's TAL KOPAN: "A Californian has not chaired the powerful House Agriculture Committee since just after the Civil War. Rep. Jim Costa is hoping to change that.
The San Joaquin Valley Democrat is making a bid for the post after the longtime top Democrat on the committee lost his re-election race this month. If Costa succeeds, it will be a victory for California, which leads the U.S. in agricultural production but draws less attention in farm policy-making than smaller, mostly Midwestern and Southern states whose congressional representatives have long dominated the committee.
But Costa is an underdog in the race and will have to win the votes of his Democratic colleagues over Georgia Rep. David Scott, who holds more seniority on the panel and has been endorsed by its outgoing chair. Lawmakers, staffers and lobbyists watching the contest say Costa nevertheless has a shot."
SF sales tax receipts sag, cannabis is riding high
The Chronicle's PHIL MATIER: "Because of the pandemic shutdown, San Francisco’s local sales taxes have been hit hard and are expected to continue the downturn in the coming year, except those for one product: cannabis.
“It’s the only locally imposed tax doing better than we projected,” said Michelle Allersma, an analyst in the city controller’s office. A recent controller’s report projected the local cannabis excise tax generating $4.9 million for fiscal year 2020-21 — exceeding the budgeted amount by $700,000.
“People have more time to smoke and more time to consume,” said Johnny Delaplane, president of the San Francisco Cannabis Retailers Alliance. “Cannabis can also help with anxiety and with people who have trouble sleeping.”"
Activists criticize eviction of midtown Sacramento renters in the middle of a pandemic
Sac Bee's THERESA CLIFT: "About a dozen midtown Sacramento renters are being evicted and a prominent tenants rights group is urging the landlord to allow residents to stay at least until the coronavirus pandemic eases.
University Art Center Inc. and Nielsen Property Management sent eviction notices to tenants on July 27, informing them they needed to be out by the end of November, in anticipation of demolition.
“Pursuant to the City of Sacramento Tenant Protection and Relief Act ... we are required to give you at least 120 days notice of the intent to withdraw the property from the rental marketplace,” the letter read. “Accordingly, please be advised that your lease will be terminated, and you are required to vacate the property, on November 30, 2020.”"
The Chronicle's NANETTE ASIMOV: "A tweet by President Trump’s coronavirus adviser that was widely seen as an incitement to violence is prompting several Stanford University professors to speak out against their campus’ cozy relationship with the conservative Hoover Institution.
Dr. Scott Atlas sent the tweet Sunday in response to news that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer halted reopening in her state. “The only way this stops is if people rise up. You get what you accept,” he tweeted. His call for people to “rise up” came about five weeks after the FBI arrested 14 paramilitary members on suspicion of trying to kidnap Whitmer and overthrow the state government.
“Dr. Atlas has expressed views that are inconsistent with the university’s approach in response to the pandemic. Dr. Atlas’s statements reflect his personal views, not those of the Hoover Institution or the university,” Stanford said in an unsigned statement that said the university had been asked to comment on the issue."
Sacramento County health chief calls Asians 'yellow folks,' says racism was not intended
Sac Bee's ASHLEY WONG: "Sacramento County health chief Dr. Peter Beilenson used the term “yellow folks,” considered a racial slur, to refer to Asians during a Board of Supervisors meeting declaring racism a public health crisis.
As first reported by Capital Public Radio, Beilenson used the phrase while speaking in support of Tuesday’s resolution declaring racism a public health crisis in Sacramento County.
“It’s a crucial thing we need to be doing to address the issues of the African American, and brown, and yellow folks, as well as the white folks,” Beilenson said, according to Capital Public Radio."
FAA clears Boeing 737 Max to fly again
AP's DAVID KOENIG/TOM KRISHER: "After nearly two years and a pair of deadly crashes, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has cleared Boeing’s 737 Max for flight.
The nation’s air safety agency announced the move early Wednesday, saying it was done after a “comprehensive and methodical” 20-month review process.
Regulators around the world grounded the Max in March 2019, after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet. That happened less than five months after another Max flown by Indonesia’s Lion Air plunged into the Java Sea. A total of 346 passengers and crew members on both planes were killed."
In a stunning reversal, US drops charges against Mexico's ex-defense chief
LA Times's PATRICK J MCDONNELL/KATE LINTHICUM: "The U.S. government moved Tuesday to drop drug trafficking and money-laundering charges against a former Mexican defense secretary, a stunning turnaround in a case that had deeply angered Mexican authorities.
The surprise move came a month after retired general Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda was arrested Oct. 15 at Los Angeles International Airport.
In a joint statement, Atty. Gen. William Barr and his Mexican counterpart, Alejandro Gertz Manero, said that the U.S. Justice Department would ask a judge to dismiss the case and that Cienfuegos would face justice in Mexico instead."
Iraqi military says four rockets land in Baghdad near US Embassy
AP: "Four rockets struck inside Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone on Tuesday, Iraq’s military said, wounding at least two people and signaling an end to an informal truce announced by Iran-backed militias in October.
The rockets were fired from the al-Amin al-Thaniyah neighborhood of Baghdad, according to the military’s statement.
Two Iraqi security officials said the rockets struck just 2,000 feet from the U.S. Embassy and were intercepted by the C-RAM air defense system installed by the U.S. earlier this year."