California’s top court weighs overturning hundreds of death penalty sentences
MAURA DOLAN, LA Times: "For decades, California’s highest court has left it up to individual jurors to decide whether certain circumstances increase the severity of a crime and thereby warrant the death penalty in murder cases that qualify for the ultimate punishment.
On Wednesday, the state Supreme Court heard arguments on a change to that long-standing practice, which could potentially overturn hundreds of death penalty sentences in California.
At issue is how juries review “aggravating” factors — such as whether a crime was gang-related or involved multiple victims. Defense lawyers in the case argued that to ensure equal application of the death penalty, state law and the state Constitution require juries to be unanimous in their reasoning on each factor."
Census data shows CA voter participation up across the board
Capitol Weekly, SCOTT SORIANO: "The U.S. Census Bureau’s voter survey of the November 2020 election shows that, once again, California saw increased participation in general and across nearly all demographics.
A startling finding in the recently released data: In 2020, African American participation hit 64%, very close to 2008’s record 65.2%, when Barack Obama ran for president for the first time.
Of California’s 25.9 million eligible voters, 65.1% hit the polls, up from 2016’s 57.9%. California’s 2020 participation also topped 2008’s presidential election, when 63.4% of eligible voters turned out to vote for Barrack Obama or John McCain."
10% of world's giant sequoias killed in California's 2020 Castle Fire
The Chronicle, KURTIS ALEXANDER: "At least one-tenth of the planet’s giant sequoia trees are believed to have been wiped out by a single wildfire last year, researchers at Sequoia National Park said Wednesday.
The shocking figure, which underscores the increasing threat to California’s iconic conifer in a warming, fire-prone world, comes as research teams begin to survey the massive burn area of the Castle Fire in the southern Sierra Nevada.
The scientists suspect that between 7,500 and 10,600 mature sequoias were lost in the blaze, including the globe’s ninth largest sequoia — the King Arthur tree —based on estimates derived from satellite images and forest modeling. Researchers have had to wait to confirm the numbers on the ground because of the area’s harsh, winter conditions."
SF schools see enrollment drop as families flee the district
The Chronicle, JILL TUCKER: "San Francisco’s public schools are facing an exodus of families during a crisis-filled and difficult pandemic year, which could mean long-lasting fallout for city schools, potentially pitching the district into deeper financial distress in years to come.
More than 1,700 San Francisco students left the city’s public schools over the past year, a decline in enrollment that could get worse in the fall, resulting in an estimated $20 million loss in state funding.
As the school year rolled to a close in recent weeks, the district counted 50,955 students in its schools, the lowest enrollment in decades and a 3% drop compared with the end of the 2020 school year, according to a report prepared for a school board budget committee meeting Wednesday."
California reparations task force begins review of racist policies, how to make amends
Sac Bee, HANNAH WILEY: "A California task force charged with studying the generational effects of slavery and historically racist policies convened for the first time on Tuesday, beginning a state-backed dialogue on reparations for Black Californians.
The nine task force members, appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders, are expected to spend the next two years collecting data on the long-term effects of slavery and laws that led to sharecropping, education inequalities, criminal justice discrepancies, eminent domain and housing segregation.
The task force, created by a 2020 law written by Secretary of State Shirley Weber, will then publish reports that include its findings and recommendations."
Only 4 states are now in COVID 'high risk' level. Here's how they compare to California
The Chronicle, KELLIE HWANG: "With the country increasingly opening up and air travel hitting its highest levels since the pandemic broke out, the U.S. showed continued signs of progress toward normalcy over Memorial Day weekend — bolstered by data from the coronavirus infection front.
According to nonprofit data website COVID Act Now, nearly the entire country is in the second-lowest “medium risk” category, just one away from the lowest risk tier.
COVID Act Now uses six key metrics to determine the five levels of risk, including daily new cases, positive test rate and infection rate, which is the estimated number of new people each COVID-19 positive person will infect."
Freedom from masks is coming for the vaccinated. Will it push skeptics to get their shots?
LUKE MONEY and RONG-GONG LIN II, LA Times: "It’s never been easier to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Clinics are plentiful and increasingly mobile — and so many doses are available that California is even offering cash prizes of more than a million dollars in hopes of enticing holdouts.
But with the state now less than two weeks away from fully reopening, one more incentive is on the horizon: freedom from wearing a mask.
As the coronavirus fades, there is a growing belief among even the most cautious health experts that it’s fine for those who are fully vaccinated to shed their face coverings almost entirely — though it’s still essential for the uninoculated to adhere to mask-wearing and physical distancing rules."
Defying the public, Windsor appoints insider to replace scandal-ridden Foppoli as mayor
The Chronicle, ALEXANDRIA BORDAS and CYNTHIA DIZIKES: "One after another, for more than an hour, residents of Windsor told the town’s leaders that they had lost trust in them over the sexual assault scandal that had engulfed the town and resulted in Mayor Dominic Foppoli’s resignation.
In three-minute missives delivered at Wednesday’s Town Council meeting, citizens overwhelmingly demanded that Rosa Reynoza — elected to the council just four weeks ago — be appointed the new mayor, a stunning rebuke of how the council’s more senior members handled the Foppoli scandal. The town also received 70 emails advocating for Reynoza, more than three times the amount of supportive messages that any other council member garnered.
Yet the Town Council was defiant, instead selecting Vice Mayor Sam Salmon, the council’s longest serving member, to be its next mayor."
Folsom residents asked to voluntarily reduce water use amid California's drought
Sac Bee, MOLLY SULLIVAN: "Folsom officials asked its residents to voluntarily reduce their water usage by 10 percent Wednesday as California settles into another severe drought.
The request comes less than a month after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency executive order to mitigate the effects of the drought in 41 of California’s 58 counties.
“While Folsom has the water supply needs of our community, we are calling on our water customers to do their part and conserve amid drought conditions across much of California,” Folsom Mayor Mike Kozlowski said in a statement. “I’m confident our community will be responsive to the call to conserve.”"
Slammed by COVID-19 shutdown, San Luis Obispo boosts Newsom recall
FAITH E. PINHO, LA Times: "Though in-person service came and went at the Paso Robles winery Paix Sur Terre during the pandemic, alcohol consumption skyrocketed, making for winemaker Ryan Pease’s “best year ever.”
But despite personal gains, Pease couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt when talking to neighbors who struggled to run restaurants and small businesses throughout San Luis Obispo County. When the opportunity came to back a recall petition to oust Gov. Gavin Newsom, the lifelong Democrat signed his name.
“Our mindset here is, because we’re so isolated from other metropolitan areas, we take care of each other. We create our own economy,” said Pease, 37. “Even though I’m a Democrat and blue, we don’t like to be told what to do here.”
Top CA Dems push Newsom to spend more on health, citing rosy tax projections
Sac Bee, SOPHIA BOLLAG: "Top Democratic lawmakers announced Tuesday they want to rely on high tax revenue estimates to spend more on public health, undocumented immigrant health care, early learning and child care than Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed.
The plan budget committee chairs Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, and Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, unveiled aligns in many ways with the governor’s $268 billion spendng proposal.
But lawmakers and Newsom will need to haggle over some key differences between the two plans ahead of a June 15 deadline."
CA's existing solar power system favors the wealthy
Capitol Weekly, Commentary, BOB DEAN: "Over the past few weeks, we have seen an increase in activity and misinformation from opponents of AB 1139, California Solar Equity and Ratepayer Relief legislation, authored by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego).
AB 1139 reduces rates for 91 percent of energy ratepayers, increases access to rooftop solar for those at the lower end of the economic ladder and creates thousands of good prevailing wage green solar jobs. We all want to see an increase in California’s renewable energy infrastructure, but it shouldn’t be built on the backs of California’s working families.
Opponents would have you believe this legislation is all about utility company profits, when in actuality, it’s focused on equity by lowering bills for the majority of California ratepayers who are currently subsidizing the solar rooftops of a wealthy few."
Bay Area air quality board delays vote on controversial anti-pollution rules
The Chronicle, JOE GAROFOLI: "After hearing five and a half hours of public commentary, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District postponed its scheduled vote Wednesday on whether to require refineries to install technology that would greatly reduce the amount of pollution they emit.
Board chair Cindy Chavez asked the board to reschedule its vote so the panel could have a “thoughtful discussion” of the proposals before it. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on June 16.
The issue before the board involves fluid catalytic cracker units, commonly known as “cat crackers,” which are a major source of industrial pollution. The proposal would require refineries to install technology that reduces particulate emissions from the units by 70 percent, according to the air district."
Can't get through to California's unemployment office? Experts offer ways to get answers
Sac Bee, DAVID LIGHTMAN: "Have a problem with unemployment benefits? The first thing to do is NOT call the Employment Development Department.
Experts recommend you look at EDD’s website and videos, and if that doesn’t help, send a message through its Contact Us feature on its website.
If the question can’t be answered on the website, then try the phone line, advised Ginny Silver, who produces videos to help people deal with EDD. But don’t make that the first step."
California wants to buy nonlethal bear traps and pay ranchers when wolves kill their cows
Sac Bee, RYAN SABALOW: "Freeway overpasses for nomadic animals. More water for coho salmon to survive. Humane traps to relocate bears and mountain lions to safe ground.
Eight years after California removed the word “game” from the Department of Fish and Game and replaced it with “wildlife,” the department that once focused on hunting and fishing licenses now spends the majority of its time on animal protection.
That evolution is reflected in the budget submitted last month by Gov. Gavin Newsom to fund the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which oversees a vast state with 33 million acres of wildland and species that range from humpback whales to endangered condors."
SF police arrest Mohammed Nuru in attempted robbery at a food bank
The Chronicle, MEGAN CASSIDY: "Mohammed Nuru, the former director of San Francisco Public Works at the center of a federal corruption case, was arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery after a report that he brandished a knife at a person Wednesday morning, according to San Francisco police.
At about 11:18 a.m., San Francisco police officers from Bayview Station responded to the 1000 block of Marin Street on a report of a person with a knife, police officials said in an email.
The victim told officers he was approached by a man who produced a knife and demanded his property. The victim said he left the area and contacted authorities."
Landmark Marin County deal with Hog Island will preserve land for oysters, agriculture
The Chronicle, TARA DUGGAN: "Oysters grow in saltwater, but they’re processed and packed on land. That’s where Leali Ranch comes in. The 250-acre parcel of Marin County ranchland will be preserved under a conservation deal that for the first time will include aquaculture.
The Marin Agricultural Land Trust has completed a $1.1 million conservation easement with Hog Island Oyster Co. on the parcel in Marshall the company owns across from its headquarters on Tomales Bay. It’s the first easement involving aquaculture in the history of the land trust, which was established in 1980 and has set aside more than 54,000 acres of Marin County farmland from development.
Hog Island, an oyster, mussel and clam farm that opened in 1983 and has since expanded to include an oyster seed farm in Humboldt Bay and several restaurants, purchased the historic ranch from the Leali family in 2017. The idea was to use the space to support its oyster-growing and packing facility on Tomales Bay and to grow lemons and vegetables for its restaurants, among other uses."
Sacramento apartment rental market more expensive than New York and D.C., report says
Sac Bee, PHILLIP REESE: "The typical apartment in the four-county Sacramento region rented for $1,760 in May, a 14% increase over May 2020, according to new estimates from Apartment List.
Personal finance experts often advise households not to spend more than 30% of income on rent. At that level, a Sacramento household would need to earn at least $70,000 to afford the typical apartment. Almost half of Sacramento’s households don’t make that much, the latest census figures show.
Rent has risen in Sacramento as more people arrive from even more expensive areas like San Francisco."
The Chronicle, HEATHER KNIGHT: "Brian Quan kicked off the month of May with a visit to Arsicault, the Inner Richmond bakery famous for its flaky croissants. He ended the month with a trip to Z Cioccolato, the North Beach candy and fudge shop where he purchased “a bunch of Smarties.”
Nikki Collister enjoyed an equally tasty month — starting off with a fruit scone at Arizmendi Bakery in the Mission and concluding Sunday morning with French toast at Zazie in Cole Valley.
Quan and Collister didn’t know each other until recently connecting on Twitter over their shared, unlikely strategy for completing Mayor London Breed’s Small Business Challenge. Not only would they shop only at small businesses throughout the month of May, but they’d patronize them in alphabetical order."
Carolyn Slobe, matriarch who helpd Old Sacramento secure railroad museum, dies at 91
Sac Bee, MICHAEL MCGOUGH: "Carolyn Dean Johnston Slobe, an understated Sacramento philanthropist and an integral figure in turning the California State Railroad Museum into a reality, died Friday morning. She was 91.
“She was indefatigable,” her son Bob Slobe told The Sacramento Bee by phone. “She cut a broad swath in Sacramento.”
Carolyn Slobe, born Aug. 19, 1929, was a co-founder of the Sacramento Trust for Historic Preservation, which worked to restore Old Sacramento."