Meet the Walz-Vance debate moderators: Margaret Brennan and Norah O’Donnell
LAT's STEPHEN BATTAGLIO: "CBS News is presenting the only debate between the 2024 presidential running mates on Tuesday. Gov. Tim Walz, the Democrat from Minnesota, will face off against Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) starting at 6 p.m. (Pacific).
The candidates will be questioned by “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan, who queries Washington power players each week on the Sunday public affairs program “Face the Nation.” The event at the CBS Broadcast Center on Manhattan’s West Side will mark the first time two women have moderated any general election presidential or vice presidential debate."
Play along during the Vance-Walz faceoff with the Chronicle’s vice presidential debate bingo card
The Chronicle's TONY BRAVO, ZARA IRSHAD: "It’s a vice presidential matchup made for television, where a small-town coach goes toe-to-toe against a venture capitalist.
For the first time in the shortened, albeit heated, presidential campaign season, Democratic candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will go up against Ohio Republican Sen. J.D. Vance on Tuesday, Oct. 1. Based on what we’ve seen so far, it’s likely about to get — as Walz has called Vance and running mate Donald Trump — “weird.”"
Column: Harris’ economic plan is a grab bag of targeted subsidies. Trump’s is nonsense on stilts
LAT's DOYLE MCMANUS: "The presidential campaign produced plenty of noise last week, but the race still appears mired in a virtual electoral-college tie.
Polls show Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of former President Trump by about three points in the national popular vote, but that’s not enough to guarantee a majority of the electoral votes she needs to win. President Biden won the popular vote by about 4.5% in 2020 and barely squeaked through the electoral college. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by about 2.1% in 2016 and lost.
Careful not to stifle innovation, Newsom hesitates on major tech bills
LAT's TARYN LUNA, WENDY LEE: "Backstage at one of the largest artificial intelligence conferences in the world, Gov. Gavin Newsom listened to two leaders in the field debate opposite views of a high-profile bill on his desk to protect Californians from the technology.
“Honestly, I take advantage of opportunities like this,” Newsom said recounting the exchange later during an interview at the Salesforce conference in San Francisco in mid-September. “I just watched them, and I was like, ‘Here we go. Should I sign it, or should I not?’ Then ‘absolutely,’ ‘absolutely not’ and back and forth.”"v
Newsom vetoes California’s bold bid to regulate AI
CALMatters's KHARI JOHNSON: "California Gov. Gavin Newsom today vetoed the most ambitious — and contentious — bill approved by the Legislature this year to regulate artificial intelligence.
The legislation, Senate Bill 1047, would have required testing of AI models to determine whether they would likely lead to mass death, endanger public infrastructure or enable severe cyberattacks."
Special Episode: Propositions 33 & 34 – Rent Control and AIDS Healthcare Foundation Rules
Capitol Weekly's STAFF: "On Wednesday, September 11, 2024, Capitol Weekly hosted the California Ballot Forum: 2024 Election Preview. Through spirited discussion and reasoned debate, proponents for each side explored the strengths and weaknesses of the proposals in a conversation moderated by a journalist."
The Micheli Minute for September 30th
Capitol Weekly's STAFF: "Lobbyist and author Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week in Sacramento."
PG&E power outages: Northern California shutoffs begin as wildfire risk grows
The Chronicle's DOMINIC FRACASSA: "Dry, blustery weather conditions across parts of Northern California prompted Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to preemptively cut power to a cluster of customers in Butte and Shasta counties, according to the utility company’s outage maps.
You can keep track of Bay Area power shutoffs by address with the Chronicle’s PG&E outage map."
Water security for Californians means protecting source waters
Capitol Weekly's REDGIE COLLINS: "Many Californians are familiar with the water infrastructure that connects our state. We’ve driven over canals and enjoyed activities on or near the many reservoirs that supply water to our crops and homes. Yet, many of us are unfamiliar with the incredible places where our water originates.
In far Northern California lies one such place where water begins its journey as snow that seeps into deep aquifers, and eventually emerges on the surface as springs. This place is known as Sáttítla to the Pit River Tribe. In the world of conservation, we call these places where water originates source water areas. In times of recurring droughts and rising temperatures, these aquifers and spring systems are becoming even more essential to our state’s water future – but they are in danger. If we don’t protect these places, California’s water security, natural landscapes, and iconic species are at risk."
After CalMatters investigation, Newsom signs law to shed light on maternity ward closures
CALMatters's KRISTEN HWANG, ANA B. IBARRA, ERICA YEE: "In the face of rapidly disappearing maternity care, Gov. Gavin Newsom this weekend vetoed a bill that was meant to slow closures of labor wards but signed a law that will give communities more time to plan for the loss of that service.
At least 56 maternity wards have closed across California since 2012, according to CalMatters’ reporting. The closures have happened in both rural and urban areas, resulting in long drive times for patients and overwhelmed obstetrics departments in neighboring communities. At the same time, rates of maternal mortality and complications are increasing."
California expands access to in vitro fertilization with new law requiring insurers to cover it
CALMatters's ANA B. IBARRA: "Having a baby via in vitro fertilization is about to become more accessible for many Californians after Gov. Gavin Newsom today signed a law requiring certain health insurers to cover the fertility treatment.
IVF is a process in which eggs are retrieved from the ovaries and fertilized by sperm in a lab. The fertilized egg, or embryo, is then transferred to the uterus. The process can be stressful and emotional. It’s also expensive. Treatments can run in the tens of thousands of dollars, making it unattainable for some and leaving others in debt."
‘Desperate’ families see potential in S.F.’s new mental health court — but few helped so far
The Chronicle's MAGGIE ANGST, SOPHIA BOLLAG: "A year ago, Tracey Phinney and Albert Lazo were certain their 35-year-old son, who has schizophrenia and uses methamphetamine, would be evicted from his San Francisco apartment.
He rarely took his medications and at times disturbed neighbors and damaged his apartment due to his loud and violent outbursts, according to his parents."
Mosquito-borne virus spreads at ‘unprecedented’ levels in L.A. Climate change may make things worse
LAT's RONG-GONG LIN II: "Climate change is exacerbating the risk of potentially dangerous mosquito-borne diseases in California — threatening to turn more of those annoying-but-harmless bites into severe illnesses, experts say.
California already grapples with West Nile virus, a potentially deadly disease that was first detected in the state about two decades ago. But officials are now warning of a potential new foe: dengue, a viral infection that in the most serious cases can also lead to life-threatening complications."
Use it or lose it: California schools race to spend the last of their pandemic funds
CALMatters's CAROLYN JONES: "Despite the dire forecast for education funding, some California schools may soon find themselves doing something counter-intuitive: returning money to the government.
The deadline for committing federal COVID-19 relief money is Sept. 30, and schools that haven’t planned to spend their money by then or received an extension must send it back to the U.S. Department of Education."
Community college faculty often campus-hop. Newsom vetoed a plan to make their lives easier
CALMatters's DELILAH BRUMER: "Adrian Castillo is not accustomed to job security. He’s a part-time professor who simultaneously teaches media arts courses at three different Los Angeles-area community colleges, while also working as a high school substitute teacher to make ends meet. Castillo often doesn’t know which colleges will offer him classes to teach next, or whether those classes will be online or in person.
“It is stressful just trying to balance everything,” said Castillo, who has taught at the community college level for 10 years."
How expensive private school tuition is in S.F. Bay Area, school by school
The Chronicle's LYDIA SIDHOM, NAMI SUMIDA: "The cost of attending a private school in California just keeps rising. From 1990 to 2020, the average costs more than doubled, even after accounting for inflation. But the tuition and fees of individual schools vary greatly, with some costing upward of $60,000 and others less than $5,000.
So how much does it take to attend each school? With no authoritative and centralized database of tuition costs for the 2024-25 school year available elsewhere, the Chronicle decided to create one. Earlier this year, we compiled private school tuition data for the previous school year."
Intense California heat wave has arrived. Here’s where records could fall
The Chronicle's ANTHONY EDWARDS: "An autumn heat wave will bring temperatures as much as 25 degrees above normal to California this week, likely setting records in many locations.
After temperatures were near normal over the weekend, a high-pressure system is predicted to build throughout the day Monday. The movement of this system is favorable for weak offshore winds that erode coastal fog and allow even San Francisco to warm up beyond midsummer norms."