Newsom defeats recall election in historic vote
Sacramento Bee, SOPHIA BOLLAG: "California voters rejected an effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom in early returns Tuesday as the state decided its second-ever gubernatorial recall election.
News outlets, including CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC and the Associated Press, called the race for Newsom shortly after polls closed, as early returns showed the no vote with a commanding lead. Nearly 66% of voters opposed the recall, with 34% in support.
“No is not the only thing we said tonight,” Newsom said, speaking at state Democratic Party headquarters in Sacramento. “We said yes to science. We said yes to vaccines. We said yes to ending this pandemic. We said yes to people’s right to vote without fear of fake fraud or voter suppression.”"
As California Votes, It Rethinks Its Tradition of Direct Democracy
THOMAS FULLER, MAGGIE ASTOR and CONOR DOUGHERTY, NY Times: " As Californians went to the polls on Tuesday to determine whether Gov. Gavin Newsom would be removed from office, the recall election had already spawned another campaign: to recall the recall.
In a state famous for its acts of direct democracy, whether banning affirmative action or legalizing cannabis, detractors of this year’s special election say the recall process is democracy gone off the rails, a distraction from crises that require the government’s attention, and a waste of hundreds of millions of dollars.
California’s forests are on fire, with wildfire smoke sending thousands of residents fleeing. Towns are running out of water from severe drought. And some rural hospitals are packed with coronavirus patients.
READ MORE RECALL NEWS --- How Republicans blew their opportunity to recall Newsom -- The Chronicle, JOE GAROFOLI; It's now Larry Elder's California GOP. What's his next move? -- LA Times, JAMES RAINEY; Elder speaks after losing gubernatorial recall -- Sacramento Bee, STAFF; Newsom crushed the recall campaign. Now Democrats want to change the rules -- Sacramento Bee, LARA KORTE/HANNAH WILEY; The recall lost. Will these candidates take Newsom on again next year? -- Sacramento Bee, LARA KORTE; Trump falsely calls recall 'rigged' on Election Day. Why did he stay out of Newsom race? -- Sacramento Bee, GILLIAN BRASSIL/DAVID LIGHTMAN
KNP Complex Fire threatening Sequoia National Park grows fivefold, forcing residents to flee
LA Times, LILA SEIDMAN: "A pair of lightning-sparked fires raging in Sequoia National Park more than quintupled in 24 hours, burning ever closer to groves of the largest trees on Earth and forcing the evacuations of park employees and nearby residents.
The Paradise and Colony fires — collectively called the KNP Complex — exploded to 5,861 acres by Tuesday afternoon, a leap of more than 4,800 acres from the day prior. Flames from the blaze, which has no containment, were lapping a little bit closer to dense areas of towering giant sequoia trees, according to Mark Ruggiero, a spokesperson for the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
An inversion layer over the fire lifted, causing it to pick up and tear through intense fuels, including drought-stricken trees further destroyed by bark beetles, and into drainage areas in the rugged terrain, said Ruggiero, who added that “the fire has intensified tremendously.”"
California's poor air quality from wildfire smoke raises COVID-19 risk. Here's why
Sacramento Bee, BRIANNA TAYLOR: "Natomas resident Alice Montes, a senior legislative aid at the state Capitol, started experiencing chest pain and coughing spells two weeks ago, making it difficult for her to get work done. So like many people during the pandemic, she thought it was COVID-19 and rushed to get tested at her job.
But when Montes tested negative for the virus, she realized she was experiencing wildfire smoke symptoms from the Caldor Fire. After being out of work for a couple of days and then housebound for a week, she now double-masks at work — not out of fear for the coronavirus, but for the many minute particles brought to the region by wildfires.
“I’m not typically one that gets sick often so my employer asked if I can get tested just to be sure because of the breathing problems and I did, I tested negative,” Montes said. “I called my doctor and was, like, ‘I don’t know what’s going on.’ I didn’t feel good and all of a sudden the fires are picking up more, and the air quality is so bad.”"
California coronavirus cases dropping, CDC says
LA Times, RONG-GONG LIN II/LUKE MONEY: "California’s coronavirus transmission rates are dropping, a hopeful sign amid a summer surge fueled by the Delta variant, according to new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The state’s coronavirus transmission level has fallen from “high” to “substantial,” the second-highest tier as defined by the CDC.
As of Tuesday night, California is the only state that has fallen into this category, as has Puerto Rico. The CDC’s scale evaluating coronavirus transmission levels categorizes states as being in one of four tiers: the worst — high — is color-coded as red; followed by substantial (orange), moderate (yellow) and low (blue)."
California's 2022 midterm election could have nationwide consequences. What voters should know
Sacramento Bee, DAVID LIGHTMAN/GILLIAN BRASSIL: "Get used to it.
California voters watched the recall election results roll in Tuesday, determining which governor will lead them for the next year. Those ballots are just a precursor to the next election that will shape the state’s and nation’s future out of Washington, D.C.
The upcoming 2022 midterms have thrown U.S. congressional representatives quickly back into campaign mode. They are counting their money and votes now."
READ MORE MIDTERM ELECTION NEWS --- California's 7 tightest House of Representatives elections to watch in 2022 -- Sacramento Bee, GILLIAN BRASSIL
Why some kids are testing positive for COVID for weeks and even months in the delta surge
The Chronicle, ANNIE VAINSHTEIN: "People who test positive for the coronavirus can continue to do so long after they are no longer contagious, especially if they are not vaccinated — a pandemic wrinkle magnified during the delta surge that has created some confusion and concern for parents of unvaccinated school-age children who have returned to Bay Area classrooms.
When an initial test comes back positive, federal and California health guidelines recommend staying home and isolating for 10 days. In cases involving schoolchildren, officials communicate with families on next steps to determine when the child is allowed to return to the classroom — but a subsequent negative test is not among the requirements.
Policies posted online for large districts in the Bay Area, including San Francisco Unified and Oakland Unified, are in line with that guidance."
CalPERS issued pension checks to more than 20,000 dead people over several years, audit says
Sacramento Bee, WES VENTEICHER: "CalPERS hadn’t recovered about $42 million in pension overpayments made to about 22,000 dead people by the middle of last year, according to a newly public internal audit report.
The audit report, posted to the California Public Employees’ Retirement System’s website ahead of a Tuesday board meeting, detailed shortcomings in the $490 billion pension fund’s efforts to track retiree deaths and recover overpayments.
About 1,800 CalPERS beneficiaries die each month, according to the pension fund. CalPERS often does not learn about deaths right away."
Could the Bay Area see rain this weekend? Here's what to expect
The Chronicle, DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA: "Following last week’s showers, North Bay residents might see a few drops of rain over the weekend — but that forecast could quickly change, the National Weather Service said Tuesday.
Systems bringing heavy rain to the Pacific Northwest this week might dip down towards the North Bay on Saturday and Sunday, according to NWS meteorologist Jeff Lorber, but any rain we do see is unlikely to be significant.
Some of that rain might move towards areas affected by the Dixie Fire late Saturday, according to NWS, but not much more than a few drops."
Americans without college degrees and immigrants saw steep income declines in 2020
Sacramento Bee, KIM BOJORQUEZ: "Non-Hispanic whites, Hispanics and Asian Americans saw their median household incomes decline significantly in 2020 amid the COVID-19 health crisis and economic upheaval spurred by the pandemic, according to a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday.
Overall, the nation’s median household income decreased by 2.9% from $69,560 to $67,521 in 2020 compared to 2019. The findings mark the first time the U.S. median household income declined this drastically since 2011.
While the median household income of Black Americans remained about the same between 2019 and 2020, non-Hispanic whites, Hispanics and Asians saw their median household incomes decline by -2.7%, -2.6% and -4.5%, respectively."
Hundreds of Sacramento State students blocked from campus after missing vaccine deadline
Sacramento Bee, ROSALIO AHUMADA: "More than 4,300 California State University, Sacramento students were denied access to the campus on Tuesday after failing to meet the school’s deadline for submitting proof of their COVID-19 vaccination.
Ed Mills, vice president for Student Affairs at Sacramento State, indicated in a memo on Tuesday that 4,306 students failed to meet the vaccine self-certification deadline on Monday. The university had 31,451 enrolled students as of fall 2020.
Self-certification means students are declaring they have been vaccinated, qualify for an exemption or will not be going to campus this fall. Medical or religious exemptions might require additional steps for students."
READ MORE EDUCATION NEWS --- Mills College trustees cement merger that will end women-only education in Oakland after 170 years -- The Chronicle, NANETTE ASIMOV
Army to require active duty soldiers be fully vaccinated against COVID by mid-December
Sacramento Bee, BAILEY ALDRIDGE: "Active-duty members of the U.S. Army are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by mid-December.
The Army announced Tuesday that all active-duty units are expected to be fully vaccinated by Dec. 15 while Reserve and National Guard units are expected to be fully vaccinated by June 30, 2022.
Soldiers will be able to request an exemption if they have a “legitimate medical, religious or administrative reason.”
America wants parents back at work. Is it ready to help foot the bill for childcare?
LA Times, SARAH D WIRE: "Spurred by the pandemic, Democrats are proposing a foundational shift in how the nation pays for childcare — placing responsibility largely on taxpayers rather than parents.
It’s a transition dozens of wealthy countries already have made. But despite repeated attempts by Congress, the idea has failed to catch on in the U.S.
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed just how critical affordable, accessible childcare is to the economy. When schools and day-care facilities closed, businesses saw on a large scale the difficulty of retaining or hiring employees with nowhere to send their children."