Is it tax day in California? Here’s when the deadline is for all counties
The Chronicle, JESSICA FLORES: "Tuesday is tax day for most of the country — but not for much of California and a handful of other states affected by winter storms and other natural disasters.
Residents and businesses in 51 of California’s 58 counties, including all nine in the Bay Area, have until Oct. 16 to file and pay their federal and state taxes for the 2022 calendar year, according to the Internal Revenue Service."
Court strikes down Berkeley’s first-in-the-nation ban on natural gas in new construction
The Chronicle, BOB EGELKO: "A federal appeals court overturned Berkeley’s first-in-the-nation ban on natural gas lines in new buildings Monday, agreeing with restaurant owners that the ordinance conflicts with federal laws on energy efficiency.
The measure, which took effect in 2020, was intended to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. It required new residential and commercial buildings to use entirely electrical lines and infrastructure unless a building could not be constructed without natural gas piping, or the city granted an exemption in the “public interest.”"
Mayor Bass seeks $250-million expansion of homelessness program in first State of the City speech
LA Times, JULIA WICK, DAVID ZAHNISER, DAKOTA SMITH: "In her first State of the City speech, Mayor Karen Bass announced a dramatic expansion of her signature program to move homeless people indoors, while also pledging to create “a new L.A.”
Bass said she intends to propose $250 million for Inside Safe, which has been moving unhoused residents off sidewalks and into hotel and motel rooms, as part of a $1.3-billion investment in housing and homelessness programs — an amount she called “unprecedented.”
The mayor’s full spending plan, which will cover the fiscal year that starts July 1 and still requires City Council approval, will be unveiled Tuesday morning."
Sens. Eggman and Niello: Reforming Lanterman-Petris-Short (PODCAST)
Capitol Weekly, STAFF: "The landmark Lanterman-Petris-Short Act of 1967 was intended to to “end the inappropriate, indefinite, and involuntary commitment of persons with mental health disorders” by setting strict guidelines for handling the involuntary civil commitment of individuals to mental health institutions. While lauded by civil rights advocates, critics contend the law is actually an impediment to care for those suffering from severe mental illnesses, often leading to them being homeless or incarcerated.
On this episode of the Capitol Weekly podcast, Rich Ehisen and Dan Morain welcome Sens. Susan Talamantes Eggman and Roger Niello, two of the three primary sponsors on SB 43, a bill that would add new criteria to the definition of what constitutes someone being considered “gravely disabled,” the standard by which a person can be involuntarily held for treatment."
Maps show why the Bay Area’s spring weather is like nowhere else in U.S.
The Chronicle, JACK LEE, JANIE HASEMAN: "In many places across the United States, spring is marked by the arrival of warmer weather. But in San Francisco there isn’t necessarily a clear trend around March, April, or May. When seasonal plants sprout leaves and bloom is a better measure — and that happened slightly later than usual this year.
“A lot of our plants have woken up slower,” said Ryan Guillou, director of collections and conservation for the Gardens of Golden Gate Park. “But they're lasting longer, especially in terms of blooms.”
The USA National Phenology Network estimates when spring’s first leaves will appear throughout the country, based on a mathematical model that combines historical data and this year’s weather. The model is based on the leaf timing of three plants found across the United States — a type of lilac plant and two types of honeysuckle plants."
NOAA investigates viral video showing man harassing S.F.'s Pier 39 sea lions
The Chronicle, JOEL UMANZOR: "A viral video shared on social media this weekend showing a man jumping into the water at Pier 39 and harassing sea lions has prompted an investigation by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, according to the Marine Mammal Center.
The video – which was shared on various Instagram accounts and viewed over a million times – was forwarded to NOAA Law Enforcement, the nonprofit confirmed on Monday night. It shows an unidentified man backflipping into the water off the pier, swimming to the docks where sea lions were resting, climbing onto the docks and chasing the mammals off the docks into the water. From the moment the man hits the water the sea lions begin barking, seemingly startled. All the while, another person videoing the incident is laughing."
Rare COVID symptom reported as latest omicron subvariant hits the U.S.
The Chronicle, AIDIN VAZIRI: "A new COVID-19 subvariant “threatens to shatter” hopes to stave off a new coronavirus surge in the U.S. before next winter, and some experts worry it could be linked to the rise of a previously rare pandemic symptom.
XBB.1.16, which reached reportable levels in the U.S. last week, could be behind an uptick of conjunctivitis, especially in children, reports from India suggest, alongside the more common symptoms of fever, cough and fatigue."
California districts see more chronic absenteeism than before pandemic
EdSource, ALI TADYON: "California students are back in school, but many are still slow to return from the pandemic, forcing districts to try special strategies to bring students back.
Absenteeism for this school year appears to be a nagging problem, according to data collected by School Innovations & Achievement, a software company that contracts with districts to collect and analyze their attendance data.
An analysis of 30 districts statewide, that the company says demographically represents the state, shows that nearly a third of public school students were chronically absent — meaning that as of late March, they had missed 10% or more of the school year. That’s slightly lower than the same point last year. Before the pandemic, only 13.5% of students were counted as chronically absent at that time of year."
Former Stanford University employee arraigned on charges of lying about rapes that shook campus
BANG*Mercury News, JAKOB RODGERS: "A former Stanford University employee was arraigned Monday on charges that she repeatedly lied about being viciously raped as part of a revenge plot against a co-worker — fabricated claims that sparked widespread panic about a sexual predator stalking women across the campus.
Jennifer Ann Gries, of Santa Clara, appeared solemn and did not speak Monday while making her first appearance in court on two felony counts of perjury and two misdemeanor counts of making a false crime report. She was ordered to return to enter a plea on June 21; in the meantime, she allowed to remain free on supervised release.
Prosecutors say Gries, who works for housing services at the university, lied about being raped to in a vendetta against a co-worker, whom she felt had romantically spurned her."
Who's on the team: A guide to the latest federal actions about transgender athletes
EdSource, CAROLYN JONES: "Rights and protections for transgender students are constantly evolving, as the culture wars play out and politicians, lawyers, families and students themselves grapple with what it means to be transgender in different contexts, particularly sports.
Recently, two federal actions brought some clarity to policies and laws related to the right of transgender students to play on sports teams that align with their gender identity. The decisions, by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Supreme Court, are not the final word on trans athletes, but they are important milestones in the debate.
Here’s a guide to those decisions and where the law stands now for young people who want to play on the single-sex teams that they believe match their gender identity, rather than the team that matches the sex they were at birth."
Writers Guild members vote to authorize strike by record margin as contract deadline nears
LA Times, ANOUSHA SAKOUI: "Leaders of the Writers Guild of America secured a strong showing of support from members on Monday, moving the union closer to a possible work stoppage that would disrupt Hollywood production and ripple across Southern California’s economy.
WGA members voted by a historic margin — 98% to 2% — (among 9,218 ballots cast) in favor of a strike authorization, which allows union leaders to call a walkout if they are unable to negotiate a new film and TV contract."
Bay Area tech bust emerges after yearslong regional hiring boom
BANG*Mercury News, GEORGE AVALOS: "The Bay Area tech sector is shedding jobs in a big way after a prolonged pandemic-era hiring boom, an ominous turn for an industry that has spent decades as the primary engine of the region’s economy.
Throughout its history, the tech industry has been known for its cycles of cataclysmic hiring downturns followed by equally dramatic upswings. But job losses in the early months of 2023 have unleashed warning signs, and even some soul-searching, in a sector that once again seems to have overstaffed for conditions.
“The best way to make sense of this is to understand that tech is having a ‘moment,'” said Russell Hancock, president of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, a San Jose-based think tank. “If you’ve been around long enough, you know that Silicon Valley goes through downturns like this, usually about every eight to 10 years.”"
Only 15% of Bay Area cities have met California’s housing plan deadline. What are the consequences?
The Chronicle, DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA: "More than two months after the deadline for Bay Area cities to submit housing plans to the state, the vast majority — 85% — have not come to an agreement with California officials over how to realistically build more homes in the next eight years, a sign of how long and fraught the state-mandated process can be despite the urgency of the housing crisis.
In a recent example, California housing officials in early April sent San Mateo’s state-required housing plan back to the drawing board for the second time, saying it lacked detail on how the Peninsula city would get around local zoning and density restrictions, as well as local policy that slows down development, in order to actually build the nearly 7,000 units it said it would."
The LAPD has lost nearly 1,000 officers. Now, Mayor Karen Bass wants to rebuild the force
LA Times, DAVID ZAHNISER, LIBOR JANY: "Ten years ago, the Los Angeles Police Department celebrated a historic hiring milestone, announcing the city had reached a target sought by at least two mayors and multiple police chiefs: 10,000 officers.
That achievement was the culmination of an expensive seven-year campaign waged by then-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, much of it during a global recession that ravaged the city’s finances.
Now, within a three-year span, those gains have been erased. The LAPD is hemorrhaging officers, with more leaving the force than are joining it. Police Chief Michel Moore reported last week that sworn staffing had fallen to 9,103, down nearly 1,000 from 2019, the year that preceded the outbreak of COVID-19."
Putin visits Russian troops in occupied Ukraine
AP: "Russian President Vladimir Putin visited headquarters of the Russian troops fighting in Ukraine early Tuesday, his second trip to the Russian-held territories there since March.
A video released by the Kremlin and broadcast by state television showed Putin visiting the command post for Russian forces in the southern Kherson region. It showed Putin arriving by helicopter to receive reports from the top military brass about the combat situation.
The Russian leader then moved by helicopter to the headquarters of the Russian National Guard of the eastern Luhansk region to hear report from commanders."