Families mourn indirect, ‘forgotten’ deaths from Camp Fire. At least 50 indirect deaths appear in vetted claims against PG&E
CAMILLE VON KAENEL, Chico Enterprise-Record: 'Donovan James Iverson’s family says he died because of the Camp Fire. But he does not appear in the only official accounting of the disaster’s victims, the Butte County coroner’s list of 85."
"The 24-year-old, who lived with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, passed away shortly after a harrowing evacuation. His story is one example of how official statistics are under-estimating the spiraling death toll of the disaster, which is already the deadliest wildfire in state history. And it’s not over: 15 months later, people are still dying from complications from the fire, including mental and emotional anguish and respiratory issues from the smoke, according to interviews with family and friends."
"This newspaper has identified at least 50 additional deaths medical experts and lawyers have linked to the Camp Fire."
California is dry with no rain in sight. Should we start worrying about drought and wildfire?
Sac Bee's DALE KASLER: "California’s alarmingly dry winter continues, with no meaningful snow or rain in sight. Although it’s far too soon to predict a drought, experts said wildfire risks could worsen this summer as a result of the shortage of precipitation."
"And while the rainy season still has more than two months left, a persistent high-pressure ridge over the Pacific is keeping wet weather at bay, just as it did during the five-year drought, said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA. Swain said it’s possible parts of Northern California “could go completely dry in the month of February."
"Private weather forecaster Jan Null said there’s only a 15 percent chance of precipitation levels hitting normal levels. “That’s not where I’m going to put my money on the table,” said Null, founder of Golden Gate Weather Services in Half Moon Bay."
Bay Area's temps break records, soar above 80 degrees
The Chronicle's ANNA BAUMAN: "The Bay Area got an early taste of summer Tuesday afternoon, with record-breaking temperatures toasting much of the reigon."
"Five places tied or broke high temperature records for Feb. 11, according to the National Weather Service."
"Officials recorded a balmy 81 degrees around 4 p.m. at the Santa Rosa airport — the hottest recorded temperature of the day throughout the Bay Area. Downtown Santa Rosa registered 80 degrees Tuesday, shattering the previous record of 74 degrees for the same date, set in 1994, according to NWS meteorologist Anna Schneider."
Harvey Weinstein defense flips the script: Accusers are opportunists, not victims
From the LAT's LAURA NEWBERRY: "As Harvey Weinstein’s attorneys interrogated a key accuser in the film producer’s rape trial last week, they repeatedly nudged the jury to consider what the aspiring actress stood to gain from her on-again, off-again relationship with Weinstein."
"They pointed to the numerous invitations to Hollywood awards show parties Jessica Mann received from the producer, which she accepted. They showed the jury emails that demonstrated how Mann turned to Weinstein for help several times over their four-year correspondence. And they noted that as Mann struggled to establish an acting career, Weinstein got her an audition for the 2014 film “Vampire Academy.”
"While cross-examining Mann and other accusers, Weinstein’s attorneys have worked to upend the narrative of abuse the prosecution has built. They have asserted that not only were the alleged encounters with Weinstein consensual, they were part of a calculated effort by the accusers to siphon connections, acting roles and other favors from the former Hollywood titan."
How some of Newsom's ambitious budget proposals for education will be spent
EdSource's DIANA LAMBERT: "California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s bold plans for recruiting and preparing teachers, revealed in his budget proposal last month for the coming fiscal year, were widely acclaimed by teachers and other education advocates."
"Newsom made recruiting and training teachers the biggest education priority of his proposed 2020-21 budget, allocating more than $915 million for staff development and recruitment — more than was spent in the previous five years combined, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office."
"Now his administration has released more details about what he has in mind. They are contained in a “trailer bill” published on Jan. 31 that provides a roadmap to the Legislature on how to fund the proposals."
Ordering DoorDash? Proposed California law would share your information with restaurants
Sac Bee's ANDREW SHEELER: "Food delivery platforms like DoorDash would be required to share customer information with the restaurants they order from under a new California bill."
"The lawmaker behind the bill says it will “level the playing field” between food delivery apps like DoorDash, Grub Hub, Postmates and Uber Eats and California restaurants, 60 percent of which are owned by people of color, according to the California Restaurant Association and the U.S. Census."
"Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, is the sponsor for Assembly Bill 2149, which authorizes food delivery platforms to share customer information with the restaurants from which they order. That information includes the customer’s email address, phone number and delivery address."
Why fallout from coronavirus hits Bay Area so hard
The Chronicle's TATIANA SANCHEZ/ANNA BAUMAN: "Ties to China are stronger in the Bay Area than anywhere else in the United States, with flights shuttling more than half a million Chinese tourists to and from the region each year, local tech giants building their goods there, and 1 in 5 residents of San Francisco claiming Chinese heritage."
"Because of that, the impact of the coronavirus spreading out of China — named COVID-19 on Tuesday — goes well beyond a health scare in the Bay Area. Last year, Chinese visitors spent $1.3 billion in San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo counties. Shuttered factories in China, vanished customers from local Chinatown restaurants and stores, and canceled flights all have bruised this region’s tourist attractions and scrambled family plans."
"We’re checking the news every hour” for virus updates, said San Francisco resident Edith Kwong, 41, whose uncle lost his chance to visit the Bay Area after airport officials in Hong Kong repeatedly canceled his flights."
Sanders expands lead in March 3 primary
Capitol Weekly's JOHN HOWARD: "The final Capitol Weekly tracking poll is out. And it is finishing off with a bang."
"Last month’s leader in California’s Democratic presidential primary, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, is extending his lead, now up to 29%. The surge is seemingly drawing straight out of Massachusetts Sen.Elizabeth Warren who drops to 16%, just above the all-important 15% threshold."
"The poll was conducted Feb. 6-9."
Largest school bond in California history would throw $15B at fixing schools
The Chronicle's JILL TUCKER: "The largest school bond in state history, at $15 billion, is going to voters in March as supporters try to put a dent in a $100 billion backlog of failing boiler rooms, leaky roofs and new construction projects needed at K-12 schools and universities."
"Proposition 13 — unrelated to the same-numbered 1978 tax measure — was placed on the ballot by the Legislature with bipartisan support."
"Supporters, which include the education establishment as well as the construction industry, would allocate $9 billion to K-12 schools, $4 billion for California’s public universities and $2 billion for community colleges."
Inside Giants' multimillion dollar upgrade: Spring home gets a makeover
The Chronicle's HENRY SCHULMAN: "The baseball folks with those Harvard and MIT degrees on their walls need to devise a new metric called WORB: Wins Over Replacement Buildings."
"The Giants and the city of Scottsdale could crunch the numbers to see whether the tens of millions they spent to build a 40,000-square-foot clubhouse, office and training complex at Scottsdale Stadium might translate into a win or two during the regular season."
"As pitchers and catchers reported for their physicals Tuesday, workers were still applying cosmetic touches to a building that was designed not just for comfort — although the new locker area rivals that of many big-league ballparks — but also to foster communication."
Everything you need to know about the 'Matrix 4' filming in San Francisco
The Chronicle's PAM GRADY: "First spotted eating a Baskin-Robbins ice cream cone in Alameda in January, Keanu Reeves has become a recent fixture in the Bay Area. In the past week alone, he was spied at San Francisco’s House of Nanking and on Columbus Avenue by Happy Donuts, just down from Mr. Bing’s."
"But unlike during that first encounter in Alameda, Reeves was not just getting some food. Rather, he was on the clock, surrounded by camera crews. Warner Bros. is keeping the project directed by Lana Wachowski close to the vest, but it is understood that the film shoot dubbed “Project Ice Cream” (any reference to Reeves’ culinary adventure in Alameda is strictly coincidental) is, in reality, “The Matrix 4."
"This fourth film in the series — and the first since 2003 — about the human rebellion against the machines imprisoning them in “the matrix” is expected to shoot in the Bay Area through early March before heading to other locations."
Sanders edges Buttigieg in NH, giving Dems 2 front-runners
AP's STEVE PEOPLES/KATHLEEN RONAYNE/HUNTER WOODALL: "Bernie Sanders won New Hampshire’s presidential primary Tuesday night, edging moderate rival Pete Buttigieg and scoring the first clear victory in the Democratic Party’s chaotic 2020 nomination fight."
"In his win, the 78-year-old Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, beat back a strong challenge from the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana. The dueling Democrats represent different generations, see divergent paths to the nomination and embrace conflicting visions of America's future."
"As Sanders and Buttigieg celebrated, Amy Klobuchar scored an unexpected third-place finish that gives her a road out of New Hampshire as the primary season moves on to the string of state-by-state contests that lie ahead."
