Dixie Fire grows by 3.6K acres, now 11th largest in state history
The Chronicle, EMMA TALLEY/SHWANIKA NARAYAN: "The Dixie Fire sprawling across Butte and Plumas counties grew by 3,600 acres Sunday, propelled by an abundance of dry fuel and west winds, but fire crews managed to make progress on containment, Cal Fire said.
Firefighters began to gain a little more control over the blaze, inching up on containment to 33%, from 32%, as of Sunday evening, officials said. Some of the smoke was dissipating also, and the clearer air allowed fire personnel to use aircraft, which they had not been able to do for a couple of days, East Zone operations chief John Goss said in a virtual news conference Sunday evening.
READ MORE WILDFIRE NEWS --- Rash of California wildfires sparked by lightning stresses resources -- LA Times, ALEX WIGGLESWORTH
Newsom's recall thorn: Democratic Party indifference
Sacramento Bee, LARA KORTE: "Earlier this year, it seemed Gov. Gavin Newsom had a lot of advantages heading into the recall election.
COVID-19 vaccines became available and the coronavirus pandemic finally waned. Newsom wielded a state budget flush with a historic surplus and showed off his spending priorities at press conferences all over the state.
The first-term governor and the Democratic party had major donors, a super majority in the Legislature, and almost half of all registered California voters on their side."
CW Podcast: Polls predict tight race for Newsom
READ MORE RECALL NEWS --- Did Newsom fumble the ball? French Laundry isn't the only source of his problems -- Sacramento Bee, SOPHIA BOLLAG
California's complicated history with regulating assault weapons
The Chronicle, ABHINADA BHATTACHARRYA: "The history of California’s assault weapons ban is also the story of a cat-and-mouse game between Sacramento and gun makers and owners. Legislators struggled to implement the ban in a meaningful way for years, modifying it repeatedly, long before a federal judge overturned it this summer.
The ban is so divisive, in part, because the types of firearms it seeks to keep out of the hands of Californians (like the Colt AR-15) are popular among gun enthusiasts, while also being weapons of choice, time and time again, in some of the most high-profile mass shootings in the country. As things stand today, the future of the ban is uncertain.
The tension traces back to January 1989, when a gunman walked into a Stockton schoolyard and fired more than 100 rounds in a span of three minutes, killing five children and injuring 29 others. The gunman, a 24-year-old with an extensive criminal record, used a variant of the AK-47, a semiautomatic rifle first used by the Soviet military."
What does America think of Kamala Harris?
LA Times, MATT STILES/RYAN MURPHY: "The Times is tracking the latest national opinion polls to help gauge how voters view Vice President Kamala Harris. A California native, Harris is the first female, Black, and South Asian American to serve as the nation’s second in command.
As of July 27, 45% of registered voters had a favorable opinion of Harris and 48% had an unfavorable opinion — a net rating of -3 percentage points, according to a Times average. This page will update as new polls arrive.
Since taking office, Harris has been assigned one of the administration’s thorniest issues: stemming the influx of immigrants attempting to cross U.S. borders. Republicans have sought to make her the face of an issue that they believe could help them politically."
Millennials are driving SF's coronavirus surge
The Chronicle, YOOHYUN JUNG: "Coronavirus cases are surging in San Francisco and infections among adults aged 25 to 39 are the main driver of the increase.
In May, 25- to 39-year-olds accounted for just over 35% of monthly new cases, but in July, they’re up to 50%. This surge is part of a general spike in the number of coronavirus cases in San Francisco, which has outpaced the statewide infection rate.
Sacramento Bee, SOPHIA BOLLAG: "Gov. Gavin Newsom campaigned on a wide range of liberal-leaning promises, from enacting universal preschool to phasing out private prisons.
More than halfway through his term, he faces a progress assessment from voters in the form of an upcoming recall election. Californians will evaluate whether he should stay in office, weighing the way he’s handled the pandemic and other crises as well as his record so far.
The Democratic governor is still far from achieving some of his long-term goals, like building 3.5 million new homes and creating half a million apprenticeships to boost California’s workforce."
Prison union gives to Newsom's recall defense
Sacramento Bee, ANDREW SHEELER: "The union representing California’s prison guards cut a $1.75 million check to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recall defense fund last week, kicking in support for the Democratic leader after the union’s new contract took effect.
It’s the single biggest donation to Newsom’s defense from a California state employee union.
Altogether, state worker unions have contributed $4.1 million to Newsom for the recall election with most of the money coming after the state lifted pay cuts it demanded from public employees early in the coronovirus pandemic."
Disability lawsuits hit SF Chinatown and state. Are they helpful or a moneymaking scheme?
The Chronicle, BOB EGELKO/CAROLYN SAID: "Federal courts in California have for years been deluged with suits accusing businesses of violating the rights of disabled customers with ramps, curbs, sales counters and other structures that fail to meet legal standards under the Americans with Disabilities Act. But a series of recent suits filed in San Francisco’s Chinatown is alarming shopkeepers and angering District Attorney Chesa Boudin.
One defendant is Fanly Chen, owner of the GoApple store in Chinatown, which repairs cell phones and sells accessories. Chen, the single mother of a 9-year-old boy, says she is almost a year behind in her rent because of losses during the pandemic. She was recently served with papers from lawyers for a wheelchair-using customer saying her countertop was too high and warning that she faced damages and legal fees for that and other violations of the disability law.
Will corporate diversity laws last? Lawsuit challenges anti-discrimination mandates
Sacramento Bee, KIM BOJORQUEZ: "Two recent California laws directing public corporations to appoint more diverse leaders to their boards of directors are facing tough legal challenges, raising questions about whether they’ll endure.
One law, signed by former Gov. Jerry Brown in 2018, requires a certain number of women to serve on public boards.
The other law, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year, directs corporations to appoint more racial minorities or gay directors to join their boards."
A lobbyist's secret gift to a councilwoman prompts El Monte to consider new ethics rules
LA Times, ADAM ELMAHREK: "Calling for reforms in government accountability, the El Monte City Council has launched an effort to create an ethics commission that would sanction city officials who violate rules on accepting expensive gifts and other conflicts of interest.
The action last week followed a Times article that detailed how Councilwoman Victoria Martinez Muela accepted financial assistance from a lobbyist to help pay for her breast augmentation surgery. The lobbyist, Sigrid Lopez, said in a sworn declaration that she paid $1,100 to a Pasadena cosmetic surgeon in late 2016 to help cover the cost of the procedure.
Martinez Muela didn’t disclose the payment as a gift or loan on her financial interests disclosure form, which council members and other city officials are required to file under state law. At the time, state law limited gifts to public officials to $460 from any single source."
Traffic congestion is making a comebasck in the Bay Area, but in a strange new way
The Chronicled, RICARDO CANO/NAZMI SUMIDA: "Chris Lu was stuck in stop-and-go Bay Bridge traffic entering San Francisco on a Saturday afternoon in early spring when he made the dreaded realization: The Bay Area’s notoriously horrendous traffic congestion had returned.
Before the pandemic, Lu sought to avoid traffic congestion at all costs by taking public transit to get around. When service throughout the region became infrequent and unreliable, he turned to his car and bike. Now, he’s counting the days to when more transit service is restored so he can once again avoid the frustrations that come with being stuck in traffic behind the wheel.
LA Times, ROSANNA XIA/PAUL DUGINSKI/SEAN GREENE: "Along a postcard stretch of Southern California, beneath the geologic grandeur of Point Dume, Sara Cuadra cradled a rake and prodded what seemed like just a patch of white sand.
To the untrained eye, this was just another pretty spot in Malibu — a popular site for film shoots and Instagrams, body surfing and long walks by the sea. But here among the bluffs of Westward Beach, where the shoreline has quietly eroded with each passing year, Cuadra has spent weeks tending, square foot by square foot, a forgotten ecosystem that has long since been destroyed.
“That should do it,” she said, patting the sand with satisfaction. “I think we can start seeding.”"
Crime stats and politics are a deadly mix
The Chronicle, JOE GAROFOLI:"When it comes to crime and politics, statistics don’t really matter. Feelings do.
Just ask San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott. Violent crimes such as homicides are up across California, but most other crimes are down.