Climate change is rapidly accelerating in California, state report says
LAT, HAYLEY SMITH: "Wildfires, drought, extreme heat and other effects of climate change are rapidly accelerating and compounding in California, according to a report from state scientists.
The fourth edition of “Indicators of Climate Change in California,” released Tuesday, paints a stark picture of the escalating climate crisis and documents how global reliance on fossil fuels has had wide-ranging effects on the state’s weather, water and residents.
Since the last update in 2018, weather extremes have intensified and become more erratic, officials said, and human health indicators such as heat-related illness, valley fever and wildfire smoke have gotten worse. Some of the changes are irreversible."
California launches site to track results of rape kits after police backlogs
LAT, MACKENZIE MAYS: "California on Tuesday launched a website that allows victims of sexual assault to track the status of the results of their medical exams — an effort to address widespread complaints about wait times due to backlogged cases at local police departments.
The online portal, hosted by the California Department of Justice, allows victims to search for results of rape kits completed after 2018.
Sexual assault forensic exams are completed in hospitals and sent to local law enforcement departments, which are tasked with linking DNA to perpetrators. But in California and nationwide, the evidence has sat on shelves at police and sheriff’s departments, in some cases going untested for years."
David DePape planned attacks on other politicians besides Pelosi, prosecutors allege
LAT, RICHARD WINTON: "David DePape, who was charged with attempted murder and other crimes in connection with a violent attack against Paul Pelosi, was on a suicide mission and had additional targets in mind when he broke into the Pelosis’ home last week, San Francisco prosecutors said Tuesday in court documents.
DePape, 42, appeared briefly in court and pleaded not guilty to a host of charges in connection with Friday’s hammer attack on Pelosi. Federal authorities said DePape had plotted to take House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, wife of Paul Pelosi, hostage and break her kneecaps.
In a motion seeking to deny bail, the San Francisco district attorney’s office said DePape told officers and medics at the scene, “I’m sick of the insane f—ing level of lies coming out of Washington, D.C."
U.S. Capitol Police security cameras caught break-in at Pelosi home, report says
The Chronicle, JOEL UMANZOR: "Cameras at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home which feed security footage to U.S. Capitol Police 3,000 miles away caught the moment David DePape broke into the home with a hammer, but no one was watching, according to the Washington Post.
The Post cited three anonymous sources familiar with how Capitol Police learned of the attack who recounted how Capitol officers watching 1,800 live feeds noticed flashing lights from San Francisco police outside the Pelosi home in San Francisco and began backtracking footage. Surveillance from the scene allegedly showed a man with a hammer breaking a glass panel and entering the speaker’s home.
Pelosi — who has received the most violent threats against her than any other lawmaker — had much of her security detail leave with her back to D.C. and Capitol Police not monitoring video feeds of outside her home, the Post said."
Democratic star Katie Porter fights against a conservative resurgence in O.C.
LAT, MELANIE MASON: "Katie Porter had a lot to cover in a short speech, so she pared down her biography to just a few quintessential details. She is a single mom with three “lightly supervised” kids, a congresswoman whose love of oversight extends to her minivan vanity plate (OVRSITE), and a very big fan of whiteboards.
“People on the internet call it the whiteboard of justice,” said Porter, as her audience at a Huntington Beach retirement community applauded in approving recognition, nearly drowning out her punchline. “It’s just a whiteboard from Target.”
The crowd, along with two-thirds of California’s 47th Congressional District, had never seen Porter on a ballot before, so the introduction was obligatory. But it was also somewhat unnecessary. After four years of besting CEOs in viral congressional hearing exchanges and building a fundraising juggernaut, Porter has become what was once unimaginable: a national Democratic star from Orange County, the onetime conservative bastion."
California election 2022: It’s a puzzle
CALMatters, BEN CHRISTOPHER/JEREMIA KIMELMAN: "Everyone knows the California election ballot can be puzzling. Now it gets its own puzzle.
If you’re looking to bone up on the 2022 ballot measures — or are just desperate to make the subject of kidney dialysis regulation fun — for the second general election in a row CalMatters has packed some prop-themed clues, other election knowledge and other assorted trivia into 86 clues.
This puzzle is for serious California election nerds: Can you fill it out in less than 15 minutes?"
Your voting guide to the 2022 California midterm election
LAT, STAFF: "The California midterm election is Nov. 8 and in-person voting has started.
The deadline to register by mail or online has passed, but even if you missed the deadline, you can still cast a ballot. Visit a county elections office or voting center to complete a conditional voter registration through election day.
Learn more about the key races from our voter guides below."
Orange County declares health emergency due to viruses
The Chronicle, AIDIN VAZIRI/ANNA BUCHMANN/NANETTE ASIMOV: "A health emergency has been declared in Southern California’s Orange County due to rapidly spreading viral infections that are sending more children to the hospital, health officials said Tuesday. The county health officer issued the declaration Monday due to record numbers of pediatric hospitalizations and daily emergency room visits, the county’s health care agency said in a press release, according to the Associated Press.
The move allows the county of 3 million people to access state and federal resources and enlist assistance from non-pediatric hospitals to help care for sick children, said Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, the county’s health officer.
“Our concern here is that it is reaching even record levels,” Chinsio-Kwong told reporters. “We want to make sure we are prepared to care for any sick child in the county who falls ill and requires hospital care.” The county has seen a growing number of children with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), while flu cases are also starting to rise. The situation is similar in much of the country where doctors are bracing for the possibility that RSV, flu and COVID-19 could combine to stress hospitals."
The Chronicle, NANETTE ASIMOV: "Hopes were high in early fall that the new double-barreled COVID-19 booster shot — the first to target both the earlier coronavirus and newer omicron variants — would be a holiday gift like no other, and protect everyone this year.
But very few people have gotten the new shot. And some of those who have are still getting breakthrough infections, bolstering the findings of two small, preliminary studies that suggest the new shot is no magic shield after all and may give no greater protection than the previous booster shot.
Still, both studies support earlier findings that the new booster provides as much crucial protection against the deadly virus as the first booster."
Is California holding on to your money? State has $12 billion in unclaimed checks, rebates
Sac Bee, ANDREW SHEELER: "Need some extra spending money for the holidays? Check with the State of California.
The Golden State has more than 70.4 million unclaimed properties worth a total of $11.9 billion, according to the State Controller’s Office.
“Nearly one in three visitors to our website finds property in their name, the average payout was $433 last year,” Controller Betty Yee said in a statement. “It is well worth the few minutes it takes to check if we are safeguarding any property for you.”
Oakland could create a new tax district to fund affordable housing. Here’s what that means
The Chronicle, SARAH RAVANI: "Oakland officials are looking at whether to create a new tax district to pay for affordable housing and infrastructure upgrades — a program that could siphon money from the city’s general fund, which, among other things, pays for police and fire department services.
The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to start looking into creating an enhanced infrastructure financing district over parts of East and West Oakland. The vote directs the city administrator to return to council in December with a report and timeline on creating the tax district, which would capture existing and new property tax.
Enhanced infrastructure financing districts set aside a portion — determined by the council — of property tax revenue. By creating an EIFD, cities can then issue bonds, which are government loans, to pay for different projects. The bonds are paid back with the property tax revenue collected through the EIFD, not the general fund. But that means the property tax revenue taken by the EIFD doesn’t go to the general fund, potentially creating revenue shortfalls elsewhere."
S.F. Toiletgate: Experts offer cheap solutions to bathroom fiasco. Will red tape get in the way?
The Chronicle, HEATHER KNIGHT: "After officials expressed outrage over the $1.7 million pricetag and extended timeline for one San Francisco public toilet, building experts around the country have plunged into the debate over how the city can deliver a cheaper, faster alternative.
Now, two men who run pre-fabricated building companies plan to lift the lid Wednesday on a potential solution to San Francisco’s over-priced toilet travails: a modular bathroom they say they’ll give to the Noe Valley Town Square for free that can be installed using local union labor.
The only catch is San Francisco officials must agree to a streamlined approval process considering the city’s own plan for installing a hand-crafted $1.7 million bathroom was expected to take a gut-busting two to three years to permit and build. After this column detailed the startling cost of just one toilet in 150-square-feet of space, Gov. Gavin Newsom froze state funds tagged for the project and demanded a cheaper solution."
Nearly a third of southern Sierra forests killed by drought and wildfire in last decade
LAT, HAYLEY SMITH: "As climate change continues to transform California’s landscape in staggering and often irreversible ways, researchers have zeroed in on yet another casualty of the shift: the forests of the southern Sierra Nevada.
Between 2011 and 2020, wildfires, drought and bark beetle infestations contributed to the loss of nearly a third of all conifer forests in the lower half of the mountain range, according to a recent study published in the journal Ecological Applications. Eighty-five percent of the southern Sierra’s high-density mature forests either lost density or became non-forest vegetation.
The losses could have grave consequences for California wildlife, including protected species such as spotted owls and Pacific fishers that rely on mature tree canopies for their habitats. Researchers said the findings not only are another indication of the state’s shifting climate regime, but also offer new insights that could help guide forest management and conservation strategies."
Light rain coming to Southern California, with much colder temps and mountain snow later this week
LAT, GRACE TOOHEY/GREGORY YEE: "A cold front moving into Southern California will bring gusty winds, rain and snow to Los Angeles County and surrounding areas over the coming days, marking the first storm system of the season.
The system moved into San Luis Obispo County on Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service in Oxnard. Most areas received less than a 10th of an inch of rain.
The front was expected to move into Santa Barbara and Ventura counties Tuesday evening before arriving in L.A. County between 10 p.m. and midnight, meteorologists said."
First significant snowstorm of the season hits Tahoe. Has winter come early?
The Chronicle, GERRY DIAZ: "After a week of will-they-won’t-they, the global weather models finally locked in on the track of California’s first substantial storm of the wet season. The storm’s cold front will ride an atmospheric river of moisture as it sends round after round of heavy rain showers to Humboldt, Del Norte and Mendocino counties. These rains will then turn to snow as they climb the steps of the southern Cascades.
By Tuesday afternoon, the cold front will sweep south and east and bring rain to most of the Bay Area. As for the Sierra, snow showers will roll into the Tahoe area and eventually make it as far south as Yosemite. The stage is set for a wintry mix of weather from this upcoming storm. Its effects will be felt across Northern California today and Wednesday.
Heavy snow showers will stream into the Sierra Nevada this afternoon and persist through Wednesday."
Your guide to the L.A. school board candidates on the 2022 California midterm ballot
LAT, HOWARD BLUME: "Two seats are on the Nov. 8 ballot for the seven-member Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education.
In District 2, which covers downtown and adjacent neighborhoods, especially to the east, Rocio Rivas and Maria Brenes are vying to replace longtime incumbent Monica Garcia, who cannot run again because of term limits.
In District 6, which takes in most of the east San Fernando Valley, incumbent and school board President Kelly Gonez was pushed into a runoff by high school Spanish teacher Marvin Rodriguez."
L.A. schools have a plan to reverse enrollment woes: Recruit newborn babies
LAT, HOWARD BLUME: "It’s not every day that the superintendent of the nation’s second-largest school district can be heard touting blankies and onesies. But on Tuesday, Los Angeles schools chief Alberto Carvalho launched a student recruitment campaign beginning just about as early as possible — targeting newborns in maternity wards, starting with L.A. County-USC Medical Center.
In a school system confronting troubling enrollment projections — a 30% decline over the next decade — the “Born to Learn” campaign is part inspiration and perhaps part desperation.
Carvalho is out to pitch an L.A. Unified School District education to the parents of prospective students — even before the babies have lost their umbilical cords."
The Chronicle, SARAH RAVANI: "Oakland officials urged Mayor Libby Schaaf’s administration Tuesday to do a better job tracking which homeless services are helping people, after a recent audit raised questions about the effectiveness of the city’s programs for the unhoused.
The comments come nearly two months after City Auditor Courtney Ruby released a 140-page audit that revealed that Oakland spent $69 million on homeless services providers over three years that had mixed results in placing unhoused residents into permanent housing. The audit also found that the city needs to do a better job of tracking whether people remain housed after receiving services.
The audit released in September is the second on the city’s homelessness response. Ruby released one in April 2021 that showed Oakland lacked an effective strategy in dealing with a growing number of unsheltered residents living on city streets, and failed to give policy directions and adequate funding to handle the crisis."
How Hollywood turned a ‘blind eye’ to Emmett Till: Inside a troubled 67-year history
LAT, GREG BRAXTON: "Mention “The Twilight Zone,” and the image of host and creator Rod Serling almost automatically comes to mind. The hit anthology series, which ran from 1959 to 1964, firmly established Serling as a visionary who wove social commentary and an astute understanding of human foibles into his tales of fantasy, science fiction and horror.
Before his breakthrough, Serling had tried, and failed, to tackle the issues of the day even more directly: While working on another anthology series, ABC’s “The U.S. Steel Hour,” he wrote “Noon on Doomsday,” based on the brutal 1955 killing of Emmett Till in the Jim Crow South.
After turning in his initial script, however, Serling was told to change the race of the Black and white characters to suggest “an unnamed foreigner,” and to shift the setting from the South to New England."
Russian journalists defy Putin to report on casualties in Ukraine
LAT, MARKUS ZIENER: "Soldiers from Buryatia, a small Republic in Siberian Russia, were among the first to be sent to the front lines in Ukraine. And they were among the first to die there.
When journalist Yelana Trifonova heard about a memorial service for the fallen, she immediately bought a ticket for the eight-hour trip from her home in Irkutsk to Ulan-Ude, the capital of Buryatia. “I wanted to know what was going on there,” said the 46-year-old who works for the online platform Lyudi Baykal. “I wanted to feel the atmosphere, and I wanted to look into the faces of the relatives.”
Trifonova and fellow reporter Olga Mutinova, 44, reported the story of the funeral; Trifonova wrote it, and it was published on April 28 on the landing page of Lyudi Baikala, with photos and video."
Exit polls suggest a Netanyahu victory in Israeli election
LAT, LAURA KING/LEILA MILLER: "Is Bibi back?
Exit polls late Tuesday from Israel’s fifth national election in less than four years suggested that former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right allies might have secured enough parliamentary seats — barely — to engineer his return as the country’s leader.
If borne out by the official tally, the outcome would mark the latest sea change in the political fortunes of Netanyahu — universally known by his nickname, Bibi — a polarizing but charismatic figure who is on trial for corruption and was pushed from power last year."