How campaign funds and charitable donations help Big Oil wield power in Sacramento
LAT's LAURA FITZGERALD, MAX HARRISON-CALDWELL: "In the weeks before California lawmakers left Sacramento for their summer recess, more than a dozen environmental bills died amid heavy industry opposition in a Legislature overwhelmingly controlled by Democrats.
One would have held oil companies liable for respiratory illness in children who live near their drilling sites. Another would have asked voters to declare a “right to clean water and air” in California. Others would have divested public employee retirement funds from fossil fuels, or stopped state agencies from purchasing plastic bottles."
Harris mobilizes grassroots activists, sorority sisters. But not all Black women are on board
LAT's JENNY JARVIE: "Black women have long been celebrated as the Democratic Party’s most loyal and steadfast voting bloc. Even so, their votes can’t be taken for granted, and if you want to understand the opportunities and challenges Kamala Harris faces in her run for the White House, consider two Black women: Robyn Donaldson and Shaquita Jones.
Donaldson embodies the energy and hope many Black women felt when President Biden announced he would not seek reelection and endorsed Harris to lead the Democratic ticket. When she heard the news, she screamed and ran around her mom’s house in Chicago."
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. struggles for relevance as presidential campaign is remade
LAT's JAMES RAINEY: "A faltering debate performance, an assassination attempt and a dramatic exit from the presidential race all had one thing in common — they put Robert F. Kennedy Jr. even farther from the spotlight in the race for the White House.
Kennedy insists that his time is still coming and that President Biden’s decision to bow out in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris has driven a surge of interest in his independent campaign. But experts said they see this month’s historic events doing the opposite, pushing the independent candidate farther from relevancy."
The Micheli Minute for July 29, 2024
Capitol Weekly's STAFF: "Lobbyist and McGeorge law professor Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week under the Capitol Dome."
Senate hopeful Adam Schiff reinforces support for AAPI communities in Oakland outreach
The Chronicle's JESSICA FLORES: "U.S. Senate candidate Adam Schiff visited Oakland’s Chinatown on Sunday, meeting potential voters and doubling down on his support for the AAPI community.
During a meet-and-greet at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center in the morning, Rep. Schiff, D-Burbank, told a crowd of about 60 people that he intends to create new funding streams to provide grants for community organizations that provide resources to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders."
Here are all the ballot measures expected in S.F.'s November election
The Chronicle's ALDO TOLEDO: "San Francisco is notorious for its long ballots that frequently ask voters to weigh in on a dizzying array of issues, and this year is no different.
So far over a dozen charter amendments, bonds and local initiatives have qualified for the November ballot, including measures that would fund affordable housing, public safety, youth and family services, create a new inspector general position and institute several government reforms."
‘Unprecedented’ lawsuit could roll back farmworker union wins from 2023 California law
Sacramento Bee's MATHEW MIRANDA, MELISSA MONTALVO: "A Kern County decision handed down earlier this month could be the first step in an industry-wide effort to overturn a 2023 California law making it easier for farmworkers to unionize.
The ruling temporarily halts United Farm Workers’ recent organizing efforts at Wonderful Co. — one of the largest agricultural companies in the world. It is the latest twist in a monthslong, powerful battle between the historic labor union and Wonderful."
Jaw-dropping satellite video shows Park fire burning from space
LAT's SANDRA MCDONALD: "A view of the Park fire from space is showing the explosive impact of the largest California brush fire of the year.
The video, taken over several hours from Friday into Saturday morning by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite, shows dramatic plumes of smoke originating from the spreading blaze in Butte, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama counties. At the time, authorities reported the fire had claimed 239,152 acres."
38,000-acre Borel fire destroys historic Kern County mining town of Havilah
LAT's HAYLEY SMITH, ROBERT GAUTHIER: "The 38,000-acre Borel fire in Kern County has leveled the tiny, historic mining town of Havilah.
“We lost everything — it’s all gone,” Havilah resident Sean Rains told The Times on Sunday. “This whole town burned down. Multiple people, friends that I know — everybody lost everything.”"
Wildfire smoke increases dementia risk more than other forms of air pollution, landmark study finds
LAT's ALEX WIGGLESWORTH: "Exposure to wildfire smoke increases the odds of being diagnosed with dementia even more than exposure to other forms of air pollution, according to a landmark study of more than 1.2 million Californians. The study — released Monday at the Alzheimer’s Assn. International Conference in Philadelphia — is the largest and most comprehensive review of the impact of wildfire smoke on brain health to date, according to its authors.
“I was expecting for us to see an association between wildfire smoke exposure and dementia,” said study author Dr. Holly Elser, an epidemiologist and resident physician in neurology at the University of Pennsylvania. “But the fact we see so much stronger of an association for wildfire as compared to non-wildfire smoke exposure was kind of surprising.”"
Can’t find a doctor? California bill would punish insurers for giving customers outdated info
CALMatters's RYAN SABALOW: "Over the years, licensed therapist Sarah Soroken has heard from her patients again and again about what a miserable experience it can be to find a mental health provider who actually takes their insurance. But one patient stands out.
Soroken said she was working at Kaiser’s Vallejo Medical Center in 2022 when a college-aged woman was admitted to the hospital’s emergency room after she attempted suicide."
COVID surging in California, nears two-year summer high. ‘Almost everybody has it’
LAT's RONG-GONG LIN II: "If it seems like many people around you are getting COVID-19, you’re not alone.
Federal data show coronavirus levels in California’s wastewater are surging to levels not seen in summertime since 2022, indicating a wide and worsening spread of COVID."
Bird flu is spreading around the U.S. Here’s what to know about H5N1 in California
The Chronicle's CATHERINE HO: "In what may feel eerily reminiscent of the early COVID days of 2020, an avian flu outbreak has been spreading globally — most recently in Colorado to clusters of poultry workers who are thought to have contracted the H5N1 virus this month from sick birds.
The workers represent the latest in a handful of human cases that have been detected since March, in three states and bring the total of confirmed or presumptive human cases in the United States to 13."
California added a new grade for 4-year-olds. Are parents enrolling their kids?
CALMatters's CAROLYN JONES, ERICA YEE: "Earlier this month, Gov. Gavin Newsom touted the success of California’ transitional kindergarten expansion, saying enrollment in the $2.7 billion program had doubled over the past two years. His comments echoed those of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, who called the numbers “exciting.”
They both pointed to new data showing that enrollment in the free program for 4-year-olds had gone from 75,000 two years ago to 151,000 last year — a significant recovery after steep declines during the pandemic."
Silicon Valley parents are fuming over ethnic studies in schools. It’s a preview of battles to come across California
The Chronicle's CAROLYN STEIN: "Parents in Palo Alto are fuming about the school district’s plans for an upcoming ethnic studies class, saying they’re worried the curriculum is too political and will push left-leaning political activism on impressionable high school students. The district denies the charge and says it’s working on an inclusive model for the class.
The battle in Palo Alto reflects fights that have played out elsewhere in the Bay Area and are expected to escalate when the state mandate to teach ethnic studies is rolled out at all schools starting in the 2025-26 school year."
California has seen a dramatic rise in the number of young adults living with their parents
LAT''s CHRISTIAN LEONARD: "Parents in California are much less likely to have an empty nest than just a few decades ago.
About 1 in 4 young adults in California live with their parents, a trend that has become more prevalent across the United States as housing has grown more unaffordable."
How California homeowners can assess their risk of nonrenewal
The Chronicle's MEGAN FAN MUNCE: "More and more Californians are receiving the dreaded, but unfortunately increasingly common, call that their insurance company will not renew their policy for the next year.
There are plenty of reasons your insurance company might not renew your policy, some of which are out of your control. Here are some common reasons homeowners have reported losing coverage."
What does Nvidia’s meteoric stock rise mean for Silicon Valley home prices?
The Chronicle's CHRISTIAN LEONARD: "When a four-bedroom home in Campbell sold in 2019, it fetched a solid $1.6 million — a modest bump from the $1.4 million it had sold for in 2015, according to records from real estate brokerage site Zillow. But when it sold again in 2024, the price tag had ballooned to $2.4 million.
What changed over those five years? One major factor appears to be the rise of Santa Clara-based Nvidia as one of the world’s most valuable companies, some real estate agents say, with workers’ newfound wealth allowing them to compete for nearby homes."
