Democrats feel helpless on recall ballot's second question
LA Times, JULIA WICK: "Lauren Wilmore, a 23-year-old actress, dance teacher and master’s student, has largely built her TikTok following with content referencing the “Avatar: The Last Airbender” franchise.
But sometimes inspiration strikes when it’s least expected, such as when she opened the official voter information guide for California’s gubernatorial recall election.
Wilmore had intended to pick a “backup candidate” to go along with her “no” vote on the effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom. But with no prominent Democrats to choose from, the task proved harder than expected — and far more chaotic."
As Caldor Fire smoke chokes Lake Tahoe, a Northern California paradise reels
The Chronicle, DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA/MICHAEL CABANATUAN: " Smoke and ash pouring into the Lake Tahoe basin from the Caldor Fire turned this alpine paradise Tuesday into a place not to be enjoyed but endured.
The skies, typically as blue as the lake, were a yellowish gray and the normally pine-scented air reeked.
Campgrounds and beaches were closed, boats were banned from the lake and even the signature gondola that carries visitors from the Stateline area to Heavenly’s mountaintop resort was shut down. Brewfest, a craft beer tasting fundraiser slated for the coming weekend was called off along with a pair of Eric Church concerts in the outdoor Lake Tahoe Amphitheater behind Harvey’s casino."
President Biden approves wildfire major disaster declaration in California
GREGORY YEE, LA Times: "President Biden late Tuesday approved a major disaster declaration for areas affected by the Dixie and River fires in Northern California, opening up federal funding for grants, temporary housing, repairs and other relief efforts as multiple blazes continue to sweep across the Golden State.
The action makes federal funding available to affected residents in Lassen, Nevada, Placer and Plumas counties, according to a statement by the White House. The assistance will include grants to help individuals and business owners recover from the fires.
Federal funding is also available to state, tribal and eligible local governments, as well as to some nonprofit organizations, for emergency protective measures, according to the statement. Money will also be available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures across California."
California recall candidates gather Wednesday for debate before television audience
Sacramento Bee, ANDREW SHEELER: "California voters will get to see several gubernatorial recall candidates take the stage Wednesday in a televised debate hosted by Sacramento’s KCRA 3 and the San Francisco Chronicle.
The debate, as reported by KCRA, will feature Republican candidates John Cox (a businessman who unsuccessfully ran against Gov. Gavin Newsom in the 2018 election), Kevin Faulconer (the former mayor of San Diego), and Kevin Kiley (a California state assemblyman). It will also be the first debate to feature Democrat and YouTube star Kevin Paffrath.
KCRA reports that Newsom was invited to the debate but declined to attend. Republican frontrunner Larry Elder and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner also declined."
SCOTT RODD, Capital Public Radio: "California lawmakers indefinitely postponed a planned oversight hearing last week that was intended to examine Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration’s track record on wildfire prevention, as the state continues to burn.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers called for the hearing after an investigation from CapRadio and NPR’s California Newsroom revealed the Newsom administration had nixed a planned $500 million increase in wildfire prevention funding and overstated — by 690% — the number of acres treated through his “priority” wildfire prevention projects.
Democratic lawmakers said they are putting off their oversight efforts until after the wildfire season, in the fall or winter. In an emailed statement, Assemblyman Richard Bloom — who chairs the budget subcommittee that was to conduct the hearing — said he did not anticipate “the number and severity of wildfires that CalFire would be battling” now. The change also puts the hearing after the Sept. 14 election on whether to recall Newsom."
California housing department mismanaged COVID-19 funds for the homeless, audit says
AP: "The California Department of Housing and Community Development did not properly distribute federal relief funds meant to help homeless residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the mismanagement was so prolonged that local organizations might lose the money because of missed deadlines, auditors said Tuesday.
After receiving $316 million under the federal CARES Act to reduce the effect of COVID-19 on unhoused people, the department “did not take critical steps to ensure those funds promptly benefited that population,” the state auditor’s office said in a report.
The department was in charge of distributing the funds to local groups that collaborate on homeless services and prevention under the so-called continuum of care. It took so long to finalize contracts that the local entities did not have access to much of the funding during the height of the pandemic, auditors found."
California’s gig worker fight is back in the courts
DAN WALTERS, CalMatters: "The high-stakes conflict over whether those who drive for Uber, Lyft and other delivery and rideshare companies are employees or independent contractors entered a new phase last week in an Alameda County courtroom.
Judge Frank Roesch declared that Proposition 22, a 2020 ballot measure sponsored by Uber, etal, to overturn a state Supreme Court decision and a state law, is unconstitutional.
The measure exempted the companies’ drivers from being classified as employees but Roesch said that it violates the state constitution by interfering with the Legislature’s ability to make the drivers eligible for worker’s compensation benefits. Thus, he said, “the entirety of Proposition 22 is unenforceable.”
Is 'close contact' still 6 feet for 15 minuted? Experts say COVID guidance may be outdated
The Chronicle,ANNIE VAINSHTEIN: "The delta variant has forced a quick pivot on key pandemic public health recommendations, including the return of universal indoor masking and the green light for vaccine booster shots.
There’s another long-standing core guideline, however, that experts say could use new scrutiny: the definition of “close contact” with an infected person, which dictates at what point someone exposed to the coronavirus should get tested or self-isolate.
For most of the pandemic, the standard has been “6 feet for 15 minutes,” but experts say that since the highly transmissible delta upended the pandemic picture, a new understanding is needed as people make choices about their behaviors and risks."
California epidemiologist ‘hopeful’ virus surge is abating
DON THOMPSON, AP: "A summer coronavirus surge driven by the delta variant is again straining some California hospitals, particularly in rural areas, but the trend shows signs of moderating and experts predict improvement in coming weeks.
The pattern is similar to the infection spikes California experienced last summer and much more severely over the winter when intensive care units were overflowing. But this time the moderation is coming without the shutdown orders that previously hobbled California’s economy, businesses and schools.
“We’re hopeful, definitely,” Dr. Erica Pan, the state epidemiologist, said Tuesday."
ICE poised for reform as Biden nominee heads to Senate for confirmation vote
LA Times, MEENA VENKATARAMANAN: "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could get its first Senate-confirmed leader in nearly five years this fall — laying the groundwork for change at an agency long criticized for its treatment of immigrants in detention.
ICE faces mounting pressure to enact reforms as the Senate prepares to vote on President Biden’s nominee, Texas Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, who has long worked with ICE but has also taken a moderate approach to immigration enforcement. While the Biden administration has already announced new guidelines for the agency, implementing them and others will fall to the new director.
The question of what ICE can and should change is complicated. Calls for reform of the nearly two-decade-old agency have come from across the political spectrum and range from more targeted detentions, to abolition of the agency itself. The Los Angeles Times spoke with more than a dozen advocates, experts, former detainees, current law enforcement officers, and former ICE officials to hear what kind of changes they would like to see."
Newsom's grassroots work against recall showing success -- but it's still early
The Chronicle, JOE GAROFOLI: "After facing criticism from some Democrats for spending too much money on TV ads and not enough time on face-to-face campaigning, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s anti-recall campaign has kicked into high gear with what officials boast is the largest organizing outreach in the state’s history. And it’s producing dividends, although it’s still very early in the race.
Newsom operatives say that the early field work they quietly began in March to reach out to their base voters is resulting in ballots being returned at a faster pace than in the bitterly contested 2020 presidential election — and that Democrats are returning more of them — a lot more.
Of the nearly 1.1 million mail-in ballots that have been returned, 56% have been returned by Democrats, according to Political Data, a California firm that provides voter information to campaigns and pollsters in both parties. The firm found that 22% of the ballots have been returned by Republicans. The company compiles public information on the ballot returns, noting the party, ethnic, age and geographic breakdown as the ballots are received by election departments."
and shared their hopes, concerns and expectations about the academic year ahead."
Al Capone's heirlooms have been in Placer County for 20 years. They're up for auctionq
Sacramento Bee, MOLLY SULLIVAN: "An unlikely treasure has been in the foothills of Placer County for the last 20 years: the belongings of Al Capone.
For the first time in history, Capone’s grandchildren are putting the heirlooms to auction, allowing the public a glimpse into the private life of the famed American gangster and businessman.
“We decided to do it because we’re getting older,” said Diane Patricia Capone, Al Capone’s oldest granddaughter and Placer County resident. “And we just decided that we know the stories, we lived with these things, we’ve lived with these stories and if something happened to any of us no one else would know not only who they belonged to but the stories that went with some of these items. And so we better do it while we’re all still here.”"
SCOTUS rules Biden may not end Trump's 'Remain in Mexico' policy
LA Times, DAVID G SAVAGE: "The Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Tuesday upheld a Texas judge’s order that would require the Biden administration to follow President Trump’s so-called Remain in Mexico policy.
That program sought to deter Central American migrants from seeking asylum in the United States by requiring them to stay in Mexico until their cases were heard in the U.S.
The justices by a 6-3 vote rejected an appeal from Biden’s lawyers who said the Texas ruling conflicted with the principle that the executive branch has leeway on how best to enforce the immigration laws."