Rare September rainstorm batters Bay Area after grueling heat, drought
The Chronicle, MATTHIAS GAFNI/SAM WHITING/RACHEL SWAN: “Rain battered the Bay Area on Sunday, moving from the northern valleys toward the south, upending street events in San Francisco and bringing fears of blackouts and toppled trees.
A storm that generated days of tantalizing forecasts had finally arrived.
For residents recovering from a record heat wave, in a season typically marked by grueling wildfires and protracted drought, the rain brought surprise and relief, some panic, and a little disappointment. Forecasts show the storms will probably persist at least through Tuesday.”
‘Starting to look a lot better’: Rain aids Mosquito fire battle, but brings flood, mudflow risk
LAT, LAURA NEWBERRY: “Rain showers that started Sunday afternoon are bringing welcome moisture to the Mosquito fire, but also an increased risk of mudflows and floods in a heavily forested corner of Northern California.
The storm system — which brought with it cold temperatures and high humidity — is forecast to last through early Wednesday morning, said Scott Rowe, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Sacramento. A flash flood watch will be in effect for the burn area of the Mosquito fire, California’s largest blaze this year, from noon Tuesday until 12 a.m. on Wednesday.
Already, the rain has aided in the firefighting effort. As of Sunday evening, the fire had charred 76,290 acres in El Dorado and Placer counties and was 38% contained — up from 20% on Saturday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.”
Voters push to take local redistricting from politicians
SAMEEA KAMAL, CalMatters: "California’s independent redistricting commission has received generally good reviews for its new maps that voters are using to elect legislators and members of Congress in November.
Voters who say they are disenfranchised want similar panels to draw their local districts — and they’ve gone to the Legislature to make that happen.
On Sept. 18, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he has signed three bills to overrule local officials and require independent redistricting commissions in Fresno, Kern and Riverside counties, respectively. These panels will work on districts for the boards of supervisors in those counties, starting after the next Census in 2030."
California school organizations urge veto of latest bill to remove lead in school water
EdSource, JOHN FENSTERWALD: “A 2017 state law led schools across California to have their faucets tested for lead in a program to reduce lead in school drinking water.
A new bill that proposes to remove lead from schools and state buildings, awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature, now faces opposition from school groups.
Public employee unions and organizations representing school districts, school boards and school business officers are pitted against each other on legislation spelling out how to protect students and school adults from lead in water.”
California’s dead will have a new burial option: Human composting
LAT, MELODY GUTIERREZ: “California will begin allowing an alternative burial method known as human composting in 2027, under a bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday.
Assembly Bill 351 by Assemblymember Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) will create a state regulatory process for natural organic reduction, a method in which human remains naturally decompose over a 30-to-45-day period after being placed in a steel vessel and buried in wood chips, alfalfa and other biodegradable materials. The nutrient-dense soil created by the process can then be returned to families or donated to conservation land.
Supporters say it’s an eco-friendly alternative to traditional end-of-life options. Cremation, for example, is an energy-intense process that produces carbon dioxide emissions, while traditional burial uses chemicals to embalm bodies and a nonbiodegradable coffin to store them.”
UCSF’s Dr. Bob Wachter says he’s ready to dine indoors as Biden declares pandemic ‘over’
The Chronicle, CLAIRE HAO: “The careful and data-driven UCSF chair of medicine Dr. Bob Wachter has reached a new pandemic milestone: He’s ready to dine indoors and ditch his mask in uncrowded indoor settings.
In a characteristically lengthy Twitter thread Sunday afternoon, Wachter broke down his reasoning, calculating that his chances of dying from an indoor maskless dinner are about 1 in 200,000 - “consistent with other risks we all take to do some things we enjoy.”
Just three weeks ago, Wachter, who has garnered a huge social media following for his COVID-19 advice, tweeted that he was not ready to lose his mask or dine indoors. That he now feels ready to take both steps signals that the local COVID-19 situation has improved to the point where even some of the most cautious feel comfortable re-engaging in pre-pandemic pastimes.”
As California braces for severe flu season, doctors urge shots — with or without a COVID booster
The Chronicle, CATHERINE HO: “It’s more critical than ever to get a flu shot this year, say Bay Area infectious disease experts. Two-plus years of the COVID-19 pandemic have created conditions — including lower influenza vaccination rates and less natural immunity than in the pre-pandemic period — that could make the upcoming flu season one of the worst in recent years.
Influenza vaccination rates in California and nationwide dipped for the 2020 to 2021 flu season compared with 2019 to 2020, which experts attribute in part to COVID lockdowns or because many people delayed nonemergency medical visits, including some vaccinations. Meanwhile, widespread COVID masking, which was mandatory in most Bay Area public spaces in 2020 and most of 2021, tamped down overall levels of flu transmission — which means fewer people now have some recent natural immunity.
“Those last couple years did not have a lot of flu,” said Dr. Jeffrey Silvers, medical director of pharmacy and infection control at Sutter Health. “Last season, we had some, but we can anticipate there’s a real possibility we could have a significant flu season this year and that it may be bigger than what we’re used to.””
‘One pill kills’: Student’s overdose death prompts urgent action among educators, police
LAT, HOWARD BLUME/SUMMER LIN/RICHARD WINTON: “Melanie Ramos, a 15-year-old student who died of a drug overdose this week at Helen Bernstein High School in Hollywood, loved to travel, dreamed of one day joining the Army and was best friends with her sisters.
“Full of life,” is how a family member described her — and as far as they knew, Melanie did not use drugs.
“You can tell when a kid struggles in any sense. They shut themselves out and they don’t want to be social, not even with family members, but that wasn’t the case here,” said Gladys Manriques, a family member who spoke on their behalf. “She was very respectful, and she made sure she let her mom know where she was at all times.””
The Chronicle, KURTIS ALEXANDER/YOOHUN JUNG: “When it comes to wasting water amid historic drought, Californians are good at pointing fingers.
Last month, criticism was showered on Hollywood’s elite, including Sylvester Stallone, Kim Kardashian and Kevin Hart, who were accused of using water excessively. Some celebrity households consumed thousands of gallons of water per day during particularly dry times, bolstering Southern California’s reputation for recklessly indulging in big lawns, pools and shiny, clean cars.
But given the bad rap that Southern California gets, is the Bay Area really that much better at stewarding its water? Well, it depends on how you look at the issue.”
Prop. 27 would rake in millions for homelessness. So why don’t homeless advocates support it?
The Chronicle, JOE GAROFOLI: “Proposition 27, which offers to both legalize online sports gambling in California and deliver millions of dollars for homeless services, is on life support.
Not only did a nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California poll released last week show that only 34% of likely voters would support it while 54% would oppose it, the ballot measure is losing the support of key early enthusiasts.
And it never gained widespread support among many in an audience you’d think would be thrilled to have hundreds of millions of dollars raining on them: California’s homeless service providers and low-income housing builders.”
One demographic has the harshest views of S.F. institutions — and its influence is growing
The Chronicle, JUSTIN PHILLIPS: “People of multiple races or ethnicities represent one of San Francisco’s fastest growing demographics. They also happen to be the most critical of the city’s government, education and policing institutions, according to the in-depth SFNext survey conducted for The Chronicle, signaling deep dissatisfaction in a group that is poised to grow more influential in the coming years.
The SFNext poll randomly selected over 1,650 San Francisco residents reflecting the city’s demographics to answer more than 90 questions about life here. Eight percent — 132 respondents — identified as mixed race. These respondents tended to be younger, and younger respondents overall gave lower approval ratings of city institutions, according to SFNext project data.
Only 9% of mixed-race respondents believed city government was doing an excellent or good job of helping people stay healthy and housed, keeping the city clean and aiding businesses, while nearly half — 48% — thought the city was doing a poor or very poor job.”
BART sees major disruptions in Transbay Tube from equipment problems and disabled trains
The Chronicle, JESSICA FLORES: “An equipment problem on the track in the Transbay Tube and two disabled trains in Oakland led to major delays on BART across the Bay Area on Sunday, transit officials said.
BART temporarily stopped service from San Francisco’s Embarcado station to Oakland’s Lake Merritt station at 11:11 a.m., directing riders to find other modes of transportation. Crews recovered limited service through the tube roughly an hour later, with the blue line from Dublin/Pleasanton to Daly City and the yellow line from Antioch to the San Francisco International Airport sharing one track, according to Alicia Trost, a BART spokesperson.
By 1:15 p.m. the transit agency had restored full service.”
The Chronicle, HEATHER KNIGHT: “Everything in life, it seems, has gotten more serious, more complicated and more difficult in the past few years — even all-day transit adventures that only the nuttiest journalists would attempt.
Loyal readers may remember #TotalMuni2018, the day when Chronicle pop culture critic Peter Hartlaub and I rode every Muni line — all 60 buses, trains, streetcars and cable cars — in just over 18 grueling yet strangely delightful hours.
We thought about embarking on another transit challenge, but by the time we got down to real planning, the pandemic struck, turning us into shut-ins and taking many transit vehicles off the road. But now it’s time. Gulp.”
In Ohio, Trump mocks Senate candidate J.D. Vance as he rallies for him
LAT, FREDDY BREWSTER: “Former President Trump drew more than 6,000 fans for a rally Saturday evening in this industrial northeast Ohio city — and mocked venture capitalist J.D. Vance, his pick in the state’s surprisingly tight U.S. Senate race, in the process.
“J.D. is kissing my ass. Of course he wants my support,” Trump told the crowd.
“The entire MAGA movement is for J.D. Vance,” he added.”
Hurricane Fiona knocks out power in Puerto Rico
AP, DANICA COTO: “Hurricane Fiona struck Puerto Rico’s southwest coast on Sunday as it unleashed landslides, knocked out the power grid and ripped up asphalt from roads and flung the pieces around.
Hundreds of people were evacuated or rescued across the island as floodwaters rose swiftly. Rushing rivers of brown water enveloped cars, first floors and even an airport runway in the island’s southern region.
Forecasters said the hurricane threatened to dump historic levels of rain on Sunday and Monday, with up to 30 inches possible in eastern and southern Puerto Rico.”