New poll finds California voters resoundingly oppose cash reparations for slavery
LA Times, TARYN LUNA: "alifornia voters oppose the idea of the state offering cash payments to the descendants of enslaved African Americans by a 2-to-1 margin, according to the results of a new poll that foreshadows the political difficulty ahead next year when state lawmakers begin to consider reparations for slavery.
The UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, co-sponsored by The Times, found that 59% of voters oppose cash payments compared with 28% who support the idea. The lack of support for cash reparations was resounding, with more than 4 in 10 voters “strongly” opposed."
Most California voters oppose cash reparations for Black residents, UC Berkeley poll finds
The Chronicle, JESS LANDER: "The majority of California voters oppose reparation payments to Black residents who are descendants of enslaved people, a poll out of UC Berkeley shows
The August survey, completed by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies, suggests that empathy for Black residents probably wouldn’t result in a favorable vote for financial restitution if put on a ballot — even among California liberals."
SEE ALSO: Nearly 60% of California voters oppose reparation payments for Black residents -- BANG*Mercury News, ELISSA MIOLENE
Newsom talks up S.F., shoots down a presidential bid on ‘Meet the Press’
The Chronicle, JESS LANDER: "California Gov. Gavin Newsom, in an interview Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” called San Francisco “a remarkably resilient city” and emphasized the work he’s doing to reform two of the state’s most contentious issues: homelessness and insurance.
It was Chuck Todd’s final interview as the program’s host."
Blame Tropical Storm Jova in Pacific Ocean for Southern California’s humid conditions
LA Times, KEVIN RECTOR: "Tropical Storm Jova was about 1,000 miles away and headed in the opposite direction from Los Angeles on Sunday, but Southern California was still feeling its effects.
Moisture kicking off the former hurricane, which was downgraded to a tropical storm Saturday, is being steered this way by winds in the upper atmosphere — leaving drizzly rain and high humidity across the region, according to the National Weather Service."
BANG*Mercury News, JOHN WOOLFOLK: "Undercover inspections of garbage dumpsters at Kaiser hospitals in the Bay Area, Central Valley and Southern California discovered a lot more than just routine trash bound for the local landfill.
They uncovered drugs, syringes and medical tubing filled with potentially pathogen-laden body fluids. There were batteries, aerosols, cleansers, sanitizers and electronic waste. And there were more than 10,000 paper records containing medical information of more than 7,700 patients."
Sacramento County’s COVID-19 hospital patient total jumps 48% in a week as uptick continues
Sac Bee, ROSALIO AHUMADA: "The number of hospital patients with COVID-19 in Sacramento County jumped nearly 50% in one week, reaching its highest level in five months, as the gradual increase in spread of the virus has yet to wane in California.
There were 1,722 total hospital patients with COVID-19 in California as of Sept. 2, according to the most recent state data. That’s the same number of patients statewide as one week earlier, according to a weekly update Friday from the California Department of Public Health."
When is the best time to get a flu shot? And what kind should I get?
LA Times, RONG-GONG LIN II: "Flu season is just around the corner, and the time is fast approaching for residents to consider getting their annual vaccine.
While the flu is often relatively mild, infection can carry dangerous — and even deadly — consequences for some. And that risk is one of the major reasons health officials encourage most everyone to roll up their sleeves and try and stymie the spread."
West Contra Costa superintendent seeks to raise reading scores
EdSource, ALI TADAYON: "Turning the tide on years of lagging elementary school reading scores at West Contra Costa Unified has become Superintendent Chris Hurst’s “No.1 priority.”
Hurst, in his third year as the district’s superintendent, says he is committed to improving elementary reading test scores by 5% each year, having reached the same goal during the 2022-23 school year. That goal is one of several in the strategic plan Hurst and his Cabinet have been developing to improve outcomes at the school."
Los Gatos: 9/11, Flight 93 hometown heroes remembered 22 years later
BANG*Mercury News, GRACE HASE: "The names of the 40 passengers and crew members killed on Sept. 11, 2001, when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field in Pennsylvania, were read out on the eve of the 22nd anniversary of the terrorist attack — making special mention of two local men who for years have been hailed as hometown heroes for their actions on that day.
The Flame of Liberty Memorial, situated among the redwoods next to the Los Gatos Civic Center, served as a backdrop for Sunday’s Remembering 9/11 ceremony, where a crowd of veterans and local residents paid their respects as a 21 gun salute rang out."
Oakland Pride photos: Thousands show their true colors, in every shade of the rainbow
The Chronicle, STAFF: "Thousands came out to celebrate the LGBTQ community Sunday as Oakland Pride turned the city’s streets into one big party.
The annual event began with a parade down Broadway at 14th Street and ended with a festival Uptown featuring entertainment, vendors and information booths from groups serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities."
BANG*Mercury News, PAUL ROGERS: "It was arguably the most dramatic image from the powerful storms that battered Northern California’s coastline in January: The Capitola Wharf, an 855-foot-long landmark that dates back to 1857, torn in half by pounding waves.
Photos of the damage to the popular Santa Cruz County waterfront attraction went around the world."
Can pickleball cure what’s ailing Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade?
LA Times, CARLY OLSON: "Could pickleball be the answer to America’s big-box retail crisis? In Santa Monica, it may be a start.
Pickle Pop, an indoor pickleball venue where players can reserve court time, opened its doors on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade, one of the city’s popular shopping areas, on Saturday. Part sports club, part clothing retailer, part restaurant, Pickle Pop positions itself as an inviting space for serious athletes and social picklers alike, offering a relatively affordable alternative to waiting in line to play at public parks."
S.F. home prices are projected to rise at one of the slowest rates in the U.S. Here’s why
The Chronicle, CHRISTIAN LEONARD: "Home values across the country could start climbing again over the next year, according to real estate listing site Zillow, following a market slowdown in recent months. But the San Francisco metro area may be a bit left out.
The price of a typical home is projected to rise nationally by 6.5% between July 2023, the most recent month for which Zillow has data, and July 2024. But values in the San Francisco metropolitan area, which includes parts of the East Bay, North Bay and Peninsula, are only expected to increase by 2.5% over the same period. That’s the second lowest growth among the 100 most-populated metros included in Zillow’s data."
Competing crime rallies illustrate Oakland’s political divide
The Chronicle, MICHAEL CABANATUAN: "The hall at Genesis Worship Center in East Oakland and a nearby street were uncommonly busy Saturday — not for religious services but for two events to discuss Oakland’s public safety problems.
A rally organized by Neighbors Together Oakland, a group formed by political activist Seneca Scott — a former mayoral candidate known for controversial statements — drew more than 200 people to Hillside Street to decry what they consider a growing crime problem in Oakland and a failure of city leaders to address it."
BART starts a new schedule this week. Here’s what you need to know about the trade-offs
The Chronicle, RICARDO CANO: "BART will roll out a new service schedule this week that agency officials hope will draw more riders and pave the way for smoother transfers to Muni and other transit systems.
The new schedule is BART’s first major service change since it restored pre-pandemic weekday service in August 2021 and arrives as the transit service inches closer toward recovering 50% of its 2019 weekday ridership numbers. The financially imperiled rail agency expects to save $12 million annually in operating costs with the new schedule."