A Trump promise could be ‘catastrophic’ to California’s wine industry
The Chronicle's JESS LANDER, MOLLY BURKE: "During the COVID-19 pandemic, Anabel, a Sonoma County farmworker who has worked in vineyards for over 15 years, said her husband, also a farmworker, was battling cancer. But because he was considered “essential,” he continued to show up to work every day in the vineyards. He couldn’t afford not to.
Now, Anabel, who moved to California from the Mexican state of Michoacan in 2002, fears that she and her husband — alongside many of her fellow undocumented farmworkers — could soon face another life-altering event: deportation."
Who are young voters supporting for president? Poll finds shift between Trump, Harris
Sacramento Bee's BRENDAN RASCIUS: "Vice President Kamala Harris has made significant inroads with young voters in recent months, new polling reveals.
In the latest CNBC/Generation Lab survey of Americans between 18 and 34 years old, 60% said they were voting for Harris, while 40% said they were voting for former President Donald Trump."
In Kamala Harris’ Berkeley, political activism is part of growing up
LAT's MACKENZIE MAYS: "Wearing a T-shirt that reads “First but not the last” — a phrase Kamala Harris has used to describe herself as the country’s first female vice president — a 9-year-old named Violet stood outside her elementary school, one the Democratic nominee once attended, and worried about the future if former President Trump is elected next month.
“It’s scary how abortion could not be a thing anymore,” said Violet, who won’t be eligible to vote for nearly a decade."
Ads allege California congressman wants to ban abortion without exceptions. Here’s his record
Sacramento Bee's GILLIAN BRASSIL: "Does Rep. David Valadao want to ban all abortion without exceptions for rape or to save the parent’s life?
That’s what his opponent’s campaign says."
Why so few employers are using a U.S. program to screen out undocumented workers
The Chronicle's DON LEE: "For all of Donald Trump’s railing against immigrants and Democrats’ insistence on creating a better pathway to citizenship, one thing almost no one ever talks about is a computer-based federal program that makes it easy for prospective employers to spot and reject unauthorized immigrants seeking jobs.
The program, known as E-Verify, is highly reliable and involves relatively little red tape. If fully utilized, many experts say, it could significantly curb the flow of undocumented immigrants by effectively removing one of the biggest reasons so many come to the United States illegally to begin with — getting a job."
The obscure earthquake flaw in California homes, and how to know if you have it
LAT's RONG-GONG LIN II: "There could be hidden earthquake flaws in your single-family home in California — enough to be ruinous and possibly deadly in the next big earthquake.
One of the dangers may come as a surprise to homeowners, as even relatively newer homes may have this defect."
Evacuating Tahoe’s largest city could take 11 hours in a wildfire, study says
The Chronicle's JULIE JOHNSONL"An evacuation of Tahoe’s biggest city, South Lake Tahoe in El Dorado County, in the event of a wildfire could take between 8.5 to 11 hours.
The estimate came from the second half of a study, released Wednesday, estimating evacuation times during worst-case wildfire scenarios in the Lake Tahoe basin — raising concerns the growing popularity of the Sierra Nevada jewel comes with risks."
How an ancient California lake became a ‘death trap’ for birds
The Chronicle's KURTIS ALEXANDER: "When the birds touch down, they have no idea of the danger that lurks in the water.
But soon they feel weak. Their eyes may close. They struggle to hold up their wings, then their heads. Eventually, they drown."
Bay Area stays warm while U.S. is on track for driest October in decades
The Chronicle's GREG PORTER: "The Bay Area’s slow and quiet weather week will continue on Wednesday. A weak ridge of high pressure has developed over the region, keeping storm activity away and locking in lots of sunshine and comfortable temperatures in the 70s and low 80s.
No substantial precipitation has fallen across much of California in weeks, and the forecast for the final days of the month looks dry as well."
San Francisco schools must avoid state takeover at all costs, education veteran warns
EdSource's LOUIS FREEDBERG: "San Francisco must do everything it can to avert a state takeover of its schools.
That’s the stark message brought by Carl A. Cohn, the only outside educator to be brought in to help the team of city administrators set up by Mayor London Breed to help the school district overcome multiple crises, including a looming budget shortage, declining enrollment, and the departure of its superintendent, the second in two years."
East Bay school board member recalled over Pride flag ban could win his seat back in November
The Chronicle's ERIN ALLDAY: "One of the two board members recalled from a tiny East Bay school district earlier this year after it banned Pride flags on campus could win back the seat he was ousted from in November. His opponent, meanwhile, says she’d prioritize keeping the school out of the headlines.
Ryan Jergensen, the former board member, and Erin Choin, a substitute teacher, are vying for an open seat on the Sunol Glen Unified School District board, which oversees a single K-8 school with about 270 students. The district came under a national spotlight last September when Jergensen led a 2-1 vote to ban display of any banners except the state and U.S. flags; the move was largely seen as an effort to ban Pride flags."
UCLA students and faculty raise alarm on antisemitic and anti-Palestinian hate amid ongoing protests
New UC website part of effort to attract transfer students
EdSource's DIANA LAMBERT: "The University of California has launched a new website to offer one-stop academic planning and financial aid information for community college students who plan to transfer to a UC campus. The UC Transfer Hub is part of an effort to increase the number of community college students who enroll at UC campuses, according to the university.
The website also includes resources that explain the various pathways and programs available to transfer students."
LAT's JAWEED KALEEM: "To one group, UCLA has become a hotbed of antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias, a campus led by an administration that has not taken enough action to address pro-Palestinian demonstrations that violate university rules and veer into anti-Jewish tropes and slogans.
To another, the university has become a site of repression against Muslim, Arab and Palestinian American voices, with excessive security patrols and strict free expression rules that clamp down on pro-Palestinian protesters and their demands that the university divest from ties to Israel’s military."
How to help kids and teens use the internet safely
EdSource's VANI SANGANERIA: "Not all screen time is created equal, and how kids spend it, whether creatively or passively, can make all the difference.
For instance, young children who watch a “Bluey” episode or play a memory game with their parents can build new cognitive and social-emotional skills early in their development. Also, teenagers can and have used their online networks to engage with social media-based mental health resources before they feel confident enough to reach out to a counselor or therapist."
For years, she raised alarms about her apartment. When the city finally acted, she ended up homeless.
LAT's PALOMA ESQUIVEL: "As she stuffed her clothes and papers into a suitcase and prepared to walk out the door of 5700 S. Hoover St. for the last time, Daviell McKinley had no idea where she would live.
She’d been complaining about living conditions at the residential complex for years, writing increasingly desperate messages to city officials to try to get them to do something about the lack of hot water, the broken fire alarms, the electrical wires that hung from the ceiling, the pervasive mold and the overall neglect that made it feel as if the building was falling apart in front of her eyes."
Do voters want to close S.F.’s Great Highway? New Chronicle poll shows where they stand
The Chronicle's KO LYN CHEANG: "A contentious November ballot measure to close a 2-mile stretch of San Francisco’s Great Highway is running neck-and-neck, according to a new poll commissioned by the Chronicle.
The measure would permanently ban private motor vehicles from a portion of the city’s westernmost coastal boulevard between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard, also known as Upper Great Highway. About 46% of respondents said they would vote yes on Proposition K. Meanwhile, 44% of respondents said they would vote no and 10% said they were not sure. Proposition K needs a simple majority to pass."
L.A.’s promise of “car free” Olympics running short on time and money
LAT's RACHEL URANGA: "With Los Angeles Olympics four years away and no detailed transportation plans yet, officials are concerned about a lack of money and time to create the “car free” Games that Mayor Karen Bass has promised.
Local officials have a litany of projects they want to complete ahead of 2028, from adding charging infrastructure to improving Metro stations close to venues, but so far attempts to secure federal funds have been hit-and-miss."
D.A. says he will make decision on Menendez brothers by week’s end
LAT's CLARA HARTER: "L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascón announced thathe would make a decision on the possible resentencing of the Menendez brothers by the end of the week.
Erik and Lyle Menendez have spent 34 years behind bars after being convicted of the 1989 slaying of their parents, but evidence recently surfaced supporting the brothers’ claims that they were sexually abused by their father, prompting a reexamination of the case."
