The Chronicle, KURTIS ALEXANDER: "Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday visited the flooded fields of the San Joaquin Valley where the long-dry Tulare Lake has stunningly re-emerged, pledging support for the rural towns taking in floodwater.
The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and other state agencies have been in Fresno, Kings, Kern and Tulare counties for more than a month to help with cleanup from storms that sent high water from rivers and creeks over roads, farms and even neighborhoods."
Ahead of ‘big melt,’ lawmakers ask Newsom to pay up for flood response
Sac Bee, ARI PLACHTA: "Lawmakers want Gov. Gavin Newsom to devote an additional $200 million to flooding in the San Joaquin Valley as their districts recover from flood damage and face down the new threat of rapidly melting snow in the southern Sierra Nevada.
A group of 12 bipartisan members of the state assembly requested the funding for disaster relief in a letter Tuesday, citing the need for greater emergency response to flooding and more investment in protection efforts long term.
“We’re looking into the future and seeing that we have a massive amount of water coming into our communities with this snowpack. We have to be ready and time is of the essence,” said Kern County Assemblymember Vince Fong, who spearheaded the ask."
California faces rapid snowmelt from heat wave; flood fears in Yosemite, elsewhere
LA Times, HAYLEY SMITH: "After weeks of uncertainty, forecasters say an incoming California heat wave will trigger rapid snowmelt on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada and cause more flooding in portions of the San Joaquin and Owens valleys this week.
Temperatures in Central California are forecast to climb into the high 80s and mid-90s beginning Wednesday and into the weekend, with the potential for some areas to approach daily records.
Nighttime temperatures are also expected to be warmer than usual — around 40 degrees — meaning Sierra snowmelt could start to happen 24 hours a day, UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said."
Yosemite Valley to close due to flood risk from melting Sierra snowpack
BANG*Mercury News, PAUL ROGERS: "In the latest impact as California’s massive Sierra Nevada snowpack begins “the Big Melt,” much of Yosemite National Park will close from Friday night until at least Wednesday morning due to flood risk.
The Merced River, which flows through the middle of Yosemite Valley, is rising and is expected to peak Monday at about 2 or 3 feet above its flood stage. At that level, vehicles won’t be able to drive on Northside or Southside Drive in and out of Yosemite Valley. A warm-up this week, with temperatures expected to hit the 80s and 90s in much of California, will accelerate the melting Sierra snow.
“Its a difficult decision and we understand that people are disappointed. But the health and safety of visitors is our primary concern,” said park spokesman Scott Gediman. “We’ve had our biggest snowpack on record. We’ve needed it here in California. We’re thankful for that. But it inevitably leads to snow melt.”"
Tsunami maps for California's central coast show an unusual risk
The Chronicle, TARA DUGGAN: "Off the coast of Monterey lies stunning underwater terrain: an abyss whose walls soar higher than those of the Grand Canyon.
The abyss, called Monterey Canyon, is mysterious and dark but also a place where scientists regularly discover new species and where bizarre-looking deepwater fish carve out an existence in its cold depths. One of the deepest underwater canyons on the Pacific Coast, Monterey Canyon begins off the eastern edge of Monterey Bay and drops 2½ miles by the time it twists and turns down to the flat expanse of the abyssal plain."
EV sales are booming in California. Charts show how Tesla is quickly losing market share
The Chronicle, AMY CHEN, YURI AVILA, DUSTIN GARDINER: "Sales of electric vehicles in California soared to a new high in early 2023, accounting for more than 21% of all new vehicles sold in the Golden State so far this year.
The portion of the new vehicle market composed of EVs — which include fully electric, hydrogen fuel cell and plug-in electric hybrid models — has more than doubled over the last two years. Electric models were less than 8% of the state’s new car market in 2020, according to vehicle registration data from the California Energy Commission.
California has long dominated the electric car market in the United States due to aggressive tailpipe regulations designed to phase out emissions that are known to harm human health and drive global climate change by trapping heat in the atmosphere."
Across the aisle: Can bipartisan caucuses change the California Legislature?
CALMatters, SAMEEA KAMAL: "Every other week, the 21 members of the Problem Solvers Caucus gather for lunch to hear presentations on different policies. This session, they’re focusing on clean energy and homelessness — issues they say impact every legislative district in California.
Inspired by a similar group in Congress, the caucus is an experiment — made up of both Democrats and Republicans, Assemblymembers and state senators — with the goal of creating a “neutral space” that puts policy before politics.
Launched in 2021 by then-Assemblymembers Adam Gray, a Democrat from Merced, and Jordan Cunningham, a Republican from San Luis Obispo, and Chad Mayes, the only independent legislator last session, the caucus includes equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats, as well as proportional Assembly and Senate representation, according to Sen. Josh Newman, a co-chairperson and Democrat from Brea."
S.F. repeals its boycott of 30 states that passed conservative laws. Here’s why
The Chronicle, J.D. MORRIS: "San Francisco will no longer boycott 30 states that passed conservative laws after city officials determined that the restrictions were too costly and had little impact other than adding more bureaucracy.
The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to repeal a local law that prevented city employees from traveling to or doing business with companies based in states that had passed laws limiting LGBTQ rights, voting rights and abortion access."
Invest in Equity, Invest in Local Libraries (OP-ED)
Capitol Weekly, GREG LUCAS: "The most cost-effective instrument of equity is a library card. Library cards offer 24-hour-a-day access to opportunity to any Californian who wants one. Anyone, regardless of circumstance, is eligible for a library card, which are provided at no cost.
Here’s just some of what a library card in California connects you to, either in person or online:
All kinds of books, of course, on every subject imaginable. Magazines, newspapers, manga, graphic novels. All in multiple languages that reflect California’s wonderous diversity."
California’s lowest paid health workers want a pay boost. Why industry leaders are pushing back
CALMatters, ANA B. IBARRA: "Supporters of a proposal to raise the minimum wage for California health workers point to Inglewood, where last fall voters approved a wage hike that primarily applied to staff at dialysis clinics and at the city’s only hospital. But the implementation of that local measure has been bumpy, signaling potential problems for the larger effort.
Inglewood’s ordinance went into effect Jan.1, raising the minimum wage for those workers to $25 an hour. Then in March, Centinela Hospital Medical Center, a 362-bed acute care facility owned by Prime Health Care, laid off 48 workers and reduced hours for others, according to a complaint filed earlier this month by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West. The local union led Inglewood’s measure and its parent organization, SEIU California, is sponsoring the statewide bill.
The union alleges hospital administrators made the cuts in retaliation to the newly implemented wage increase, even though the city ordinance prohibits health facilities from funding the pay increase by laying workers off or reducing their benefits."
What you need to know about COVID variant arcturus — and a new, odd symptom
South Florida Sun Sentinel, CINDY KRISCHER GOODMAN: "A new omicron subvariant is spreading across the country with an odd potential symptom: conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye.
Helix, a surveillance company that tracks emerging variants across the nation for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, discovered the variant known as XBB.1.16 or arcturus makes up as much as 5% of new COVID cases in Florida. Arcturus appears to be more contagious than other subvariants, and doctors are reporting the strain may be linked to a rise in red itchy eyes.
Health experts say it’s unlikely conjunctivitis would be the only symptom associated with a COVID-19 infection, and note that allergy season is here, too. However, doctors are reporting that along with cough and cold symptoms associated with COVID, children are coming in with “itchy conjunctivitis with sticky eyes, not seen in earlier waves.”"
California's next community colleges chief pushed key reforms and now faces new challenges
EdSource, MICHAEL BURKE: "Sonya Christian, the chancellor-select of California’s community colleges, already has had a significant influence on the system over the past decade — even though she won’t assume her new role for another month. And that experience could help her tackle the stubborn problems facing the 116-college system.
Christian, who will take over the system’s top job on June 1, is credited with making big strides in improving graduation and transfer rates at Bakersfield College, where she became president in 2013. She did it in part by launching the college’s Guided Pathways program, which overhauled student counseling and clarified which courses students need to graduate as quickly as possible and avoid taking unneeded classes.
She then helped apply that approach at community colleges across California, spearheading a statewide committee on Guided Pathways and helping to secure hundreds of millions of dollars in state investments for that effort."
Oakland teachers vote to strike, but district says a walkout would be illegal
The Chronicle, JILL TUCKER: "Oakland teachers overwhelmingly voted to support a strike, union officials announced Tuesday, but they added they will hold off calling for a walkout hoping for more productive bargaining sessions even as state officials consider whether a strike would be illegal.
District officials have filed for an injunction to prevent a strike, requesting the Public Employees Relations Board grant an injunction, a binding decision that would prevent the walkout. That decision is expected within the next few days."
A 4.0 student beat all the odds. But he can’t afford a UC campus
LA Times, TERESA WATANABE: "The journey to college has tested the resolve of Jonathan Cornejo, a senior at West Adams Preparatory High School in central Los Angeles. The son of a single immigrant mother from El Salvador, he had no home Wi-Fi or working laptop for stretches at a time or a study space in the family’s cramped apartment.
He sometimes felt lost in his college preparatory classes and couldn’t always find the help he needed. Yet Jonathan overcame those challenges to earn a 4.0 GPA while serving as student body president and yearbook editor in chief. His perseverance paid off last month when he received a coveted admission offer from his dream school, top-rated UC San Diego.
But Jonathan is planning to go to a community college. Even with a substantial financial aid offer, he can’t afford to attend the University of California — and he’s not alone."
Don Lemon was the brightest star at CNN. Then he became the story
LA Times, GREG BRAXTON: "The host of “CNN Tonight” had a cryptic message for viewers just before he signed off from his May 14, 2021, broadcast.
“This is the last night [of] ‘CNN Tonight With Don Lemon,’ anchor Don Lemon announced. “It’s been really, really great ... but changes are coming, and I will fill you in.”
The comments sparked a frenzy on social media. Was Lemon, one of the cable news network’s biggest stars, saying goodbye? Was he going to one of its competitors?"
Hundreds more tech and biotech layoffs jolt Bay Area job market
BANG*Mercury News, GEORGE AVALOS: "Hundreds more tech and biotech layoffs have rattled the Bay Area job market, cutbacks that hint the sectors are still wobbly and have yet to shift back into hiring mode.
IBM, Accenture, Amplitude and Myovant Sciences are among the most recent companies to reveal staffing cutbacks in the Bay Area, according to documents on file with the state’s labor agency."
San Francisco Art Institute declares bankruptcy, paving the way to liquidate millions in assets
The Chronicle, SAM WHITING: "The San Francisco Art Institute has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection, a move that will force the 152-year-old institution to liquidate its assets and abandon its legendary campus on the edge of Russian Hill.
The Art Institute filed for bankruptcy on April 19, according to documents reviewed by The Chronicle."
New details surface about Pink Poodle scandal involving San Jose firefighters
BANG*Mercury News, GABRIEL GRESCHLER: "In a bid to quell a deluge of questions swirling around the scandalous video showing a dancer at a San Jose strip club seen exiting an on-duty firetruck in October, Fire Chief Robert Sapien Tuesday offered a few more details about the tawdry episode.
In a memo released to the city council, Sapien said Engine 4’s firetruck traveled to the Pink Poodle on Oct. 5 to drop off a male passenger who was not authorized to be traveling with the crew. Upon their arrival at the strip club, one of the dancers entered the truck, asking for a ride-along.
Sapien said that the fire crew initially refused the request, but eventually relented because the dancer “persisted.” For approximately four minutes, the fire truck drove around the club and dropped the scantily-clad dancer off at 9:10 p.m., a moment that was captured on video and shared widely on social media."
One of the most congested Bay Area highways is set to see huge changes — and a toll
The Chronicle, JESSICA FLORES: "Drivers on Highway 37, the narrow and chronically congested commuter route through fragile North Bay wetlands, could see grinding rush-hour trips between I-80 in Solano County and Highway 101 in Marin County cut at least in half by a project that will widen a key stretch within just a few years.
But the plan includes adding a toll along the expanded part of the 21-mile-long highway to help cover the $430 million price tag — a detail that prompted anger and concern this week from residents who say those who will bear the brunt are those who can least afford it.
The project would expand the 7-mile, two-lane stretch of Highway 37 between Mare Island in Solano County and Sears Point in Sonoma County to four lanes, with one toll lane and one toll-free carpool lane planned in each direction."