State reopening met with mixture of hope and hesitation
The Chronicle, ERIN ALLDAY: "California shrugged off 15 months of pandemic restrictions Tuesday and emerged into an appropriately sunny day to take a celebratory — if cautious — collective leap toward a post-COVID normal.
The day could not have been more distinct from the grim, surreal start to the stay-at-home order that settled over the Bay Area last March 17 on a dismal gray morning. As shockingly unprecedented as that order was, the lifting of restrictions was equally historic: Tuesday marked the first day when life could return to some semblance of what it used to be, a future bolstered by vaccines that will likely forestall another deadly surge.
The mood on the reopening day was enthusiastically hopeful across much of the state. At Universal Studios theme park near Los Angeles, Gov. Gavin Newsom gave out $1.5 million prizes to 10 winners of a lottery for people who have been at least partially vaccinated. San Mateo County threw a reopening party."
READ MORE on Reopening: What day one of 'normal' looked like -- The Chronicle, STAFF
California may call to conserve power as heat wave strains grid
The Chronicle, DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA: "As one of this year’s first major heat waves blankets the West, Texas’ electric grid operator has asked Texans to conserve energy “as much as possible” through Friday as increased demand strains the state’s supply — and similar concerns began rising Tuesday in California.
And the summer hasn’t even officially started yet.
As of now, consumers in California are not being asked to conserve electricity, according to the state’s power grid operator. But the excessive heat might stress the grid, so consumers should be on the lookout for a potential Flex Alert calling for reduced energy use on Wednesday or Thursday, the California Independent System Operator said in a news release."
Newsom sees his political fortunes rise as California reopens
LA Times, TARYN LUNA/PHIL WILLON: "As Californians streamed into Universal Studios behind him, an unmasked and unusually jovial Gov. Gavin Newsom declared Tuesday that the state was reopened and finally ready to “turn the page” after a tough year.
And as he ends COVID-19 restrictions, Newsom is doing his best to shut the book on the recall months before the election.
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Newsom was praised for his health-first approach to governing. But muddled policies, school closures and his own damaging missteps, such as his French Laundry dinner during the state shutdown, frustrated even some of his staunchest supporters and inflamed an angry bloc of voters who had grown tired of his emergency use of executive powers."
Why training California bilingual teachers just got harder
EdSource, ZAIDEE STAVELY/BETTY MARQUEZ ROSALES: "A program that prepares bilingual teachers for the growing number of dual-language classrooms in California is set to end this month, potentially worsening a chronic bilingual teacher shortage.
School districts in California have struggled for years to hire teachers with bilingual credentials. That’s a major obstacle to achieving the state’s goal, under the Global California 2030 Initiative, to enroll half of all K-12 students in “programs that lead to proficiency in two or more languages” by 2030. The same initiative has set a goal to increase the number of new bilingual teacher credentials from 700 in 2015-16 to 2,000 in 2029-30. In 2019-20, 1,075 bilingual credentials were issued, according to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
A survey of California districts in 2017 found that more than half reported a shortage of bilingual teachers and that most teachers who had bilingual credentials were teaching in English-only classrooms. That was largely because voters had passed an initiative in 1998 that limited bilingual education in the state. Though the state has since increased the number of bilingual teachers, in a fall 2020 survey of officials from eight of the largest school districts and nine small, rural districts in the state, the Learning Policy Institute found that most districts still needed more bilingual teachers."
California needs 1.2M charging stations for electric vehicles
Sac Bee, ISABELLA BLOOM: "California wants to eliminate the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035, but consumers worry about how far they can drive on a single charge with an electric car.
Chief among drivers’ concerns is range anxiety, a fear that your vehicle will run out of range before you reach your destination, according to a survey by Consumer Reports. Drivers also worry about finding an electric charger on road trips and long commutes.
Many electric vehicles today have a range of over 200 miles. The Tesla Model 3 has a range of 353 miles and the Chevy Bolt can go 259 miles on a single charge, according to each manufacturer."
Cheapest CalPERS health insurance plans cost 23% more according to next year's projections
Sac Bee, WES VENTEICHER: "Prices are going up 23% next year for California public employees enrolled in some of CalPERS’ cheapest health insurance plans, according to preliminary rates published Tuesday.
The price hikes for the 110,000 people enrolled in PERS Select PPO plans come as the retirement system moves to a new rate-setting system that officials say will stabilize prices over time and align plan prices more closely with their true value.
In addition to managing public employees’ pensions, CalPERS provides health insurance for more than 1.5 million people, including about 740,000 public employees and retirees and about 770,000 dependents."
Social media star eyeballs gubernatorialship
The Chronicle, LAUREN HERNANDEZ: "Of the 40 or so Californians who have filed statements of interest to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom as the state’s governor in the upcoming recall election, Kevin Paffrath is the only one with 1.65 million followers on YouTube.
But when the Southern California real estate broker showed up in San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza on Saturday, around 150 people huddled in front of a stage where a sign urged voters to “Meet Kevin Paffrath” and “Vote YES on Recall.” Many of the attendees told The Chronicle they are followers of Paffrath’s popular YouTube channel, “Meet Kevin.”
The gathering was billed as Paffrath’s “FIRST BIG CAMPAIGN RALLY!!!” on his YouTube account, which was created in 2010 and until recently has emphasized mostly financial topics."
See VP Harris' surprise visit to Pride rally in D.C.
The Chronicle, JESSICA FLORES: "Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise visit at a Pride event this weekend in Washington, D.C.
Harris joined the Capital Pride walk and rally Saturday while wearing a T-shirt that read “love is love” and greeting marchers, according to social media posts. The vice president walked about a block toward the Capital Pride rally at Freedom Plaza, which is near the White House, reported NBC 4 Washington.
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who wore a T-shirt that read “Love first,” also joined Harris and the marchers."
New contract for prison doctors offers large bonuses to psychiatrists
Sac Bee, ANDREW SHEELER: "California prison psychiatrists could claim $10,000 bonuses as a perk for seeing patients in person under a proposed contract their union negotiated with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration.
The bonuses are part of an agreement for the Union of American Physicians and Dentists that ends temporary pay cuts Newsom and the Legislature demanded from public employees last year, when state leaders anticipated a $54 billion budget deficit that never materialized.
Under the proposed agreement, bargaining unit employees would have their full salaries restored, and also receive a 5.06% pay raise, as soon as the contract is ratified. They would receive a further 2% pay increase on July 1, 2022."
Many restaurants are setting their own masking rules despite reopening
The Chronicle, JANELLE BITKER: "June 15’s reopening is bringing a host of changes to Bay Area restaurants this week — but masks are likely to remain a common sight.
At some restaurants, owners say they’ll continue requiring masks for employees to make diners feel more comfortable. At others, workers will soon get to decide whether to mask up. Many restaurants will no longer expect diners to wear masks — but people should keep a mask in their pocket, just in case they wander into a spot that still mandates face coverings.
The mixed plans show that the state’s June 15 reopening won’t be a simple return to normalcy. Plus, there’s widespread confusion in the industry about the state’s rules for employees, which currently still require masks for workers."
Congressional earmarks return. What that could mean for Sacramento roads.
Sac Bee, DAVID LIGHTMAN: "An I Street bridge replacement in Sacramento and West Sacramento. Help for Modesto’s dangerous 7th Street bridge. A new four-lane road with bicycle lanes on a part of White Rock Road east of Rancho Cordova Parkway.
They’re all part of a $547 billion bill headed for a House vote this month, after approval by its House transportation committee.
For the first time in 10 years, the legislation contains “earmarks,” or local projects that members of Congress can include in legislation. About $5.66 billion is designated for a total of 1,473 projects."
Amid inflation worries, Fed may be looking at an earlier increase in interest rates
LA Times, DON LEE: "The Federal Reserve is likely to signal Wednesday that it may nudge up interest rates sooner than expected in response to sizzling economic growth and a spike in prices that has sparked inflation fears.
The Fed and many private economists continue to think that higher prices are a temporary result of a pandemic-stifled economy suddenly free to go full-throttle. But others warn policymakers not to underestimate the danger of a longer-lasting problem.
“The Fed is making a big mistake if they think they can look the other way with the price of goods and services jumping,” said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at Fwdbonds, a financial market research firm in New York."
Senate votes to make official holiday of Juneteenth
AP, KEVIN FREKING: "The Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would make Juneteenth, or June 19th, a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
The bill would lead to Juneteenth becoming the 12th federal holiday. It is expected to easily pass the House, which would send it to President Joe Biden for his signature.
Juneteenth commemorates when the last enslaved African Americans learned they were free. Confederate soldiers surrendered in April 1865, but word didn’t reach the last enslaved Black people until June 19, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to Galveston, Texas. That was also about two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in the Southern states."
Biden backs bill to end Iraq war military authorization
The Chronicle, TAL KOPAN: "President Biden on Monday formally endorsed a bill from Oakland Rep. Barbara Lee to repeal the bill that authorized the U.S. invasion of Iraq, marking a sea change in politics on the issue of military engagement.
The East Bay Democrat’s bill to terminate the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force is set for a vote in the House later this week.
In a statement of administration policy, the vehicle through which presidents telegraph their position on legislation under consideration in Congress, the White House supported the bill’s passage in the House, saying it would not jeopardize any current military operations because none is solely based on that authorization."
Biden goes head to head with Putin as tensions rise between US and Russia
LA Times, ELI STOKOLS: "President Biden traded the warm welcome of European allies Wednesday for his first sit-down as head of state with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a time when relations between Washington and Moscow are arguably at their worst since the Cold War.
But both leaders opened the meeting with gestures of respect. Putin, notorious for late arrivals intended to make his rivals wait, pulled into the driveway of the summit site first and ahead of schedule.
Biden, whose armored limousine pulled up 15 minutes later at the front door of the picturesque 18th century villa where talks are occurring, stood with Putin as Swiss President Guy Parmelin welcomed them. And Biden was the first to reach out his right arm as the two men stepped toward one another and shook hands, later gesturing for Putin to enter the villa ahead of him."