Alarmed by spiking coronavirus numbers? Here's why officials insist they aren't worried
L.A. Times's ALEX WIGGLESWORTH: "Bartenders over the weekend began mixing drinks, gyms turned on elliptical machines and nail salons began polishing away as Los Angeles County reopened more of its economy even as coronavirus cases continued to rise.
The county, a hotbed of COVID-19 in California, now has reported more than 3,000 deaths and 80,000 confirmed cases. The rising case numbers have sparked some worry about whether the economy is reopening too quickly and that easing stay-at-home orders could cause new outbreaks.
But health officials continue to discount those concerns, saying total new cases is not the best measure of community spread because of aggressive levels of new testing. They point to other metrics they say show that the local outbreak has stabilized — even though the number of new cases increased by nearly 20,000 in the last two weeks and by more than 3,600 just over the weekend."
READ MORE related to Pandemic: Record number of Californians hospitalized with COVID-19 -- The Chronicle's MATT KAWAHARA; Coronavirus tests are easy to get now, but not always where people need them most -- The Chronicle's CATHERINE HO/CYNTHIA DIZIKES; 'There's no way we can go back to what we were before': The Bay Area is learning to live with the coronavirus -- The Chronicle's ERIN ALLDAY; Mysterious deaths of infants, children raise questions about how early coronavirus hit California -- LA Times's PAIGE ST JOHN/ANNETTE CHOI
State's largest worker union accepts two furlough days in pay cut deal with Newsom
Sac Bee's WES VENTEICHER: "State workers represented by California’s largest public employees union will take two furlough days per month for two years under an agreement with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration, according to details posted online Friday night.
In exchange for the two furlough days, workers represented by SEIU Local 1000 will receive two paid personal leave days every month that they can use when they want or cash out when they separate from state service.
A 9.23 percent pay reduction will be partially offset by suspended payments to retirement health care, according to a summary of the agreement."
Police unions see their clout crater amid protests, but for how long?
L.A. Times's ANITA CHABRIA: "For decades, law enforcement unions in California have held powerful sway over local and state politicians, wielding the cash and clout to punish those who crossed them and to reward those who didn’t.
Their often pugnacious style of politics was on display in Los Angeles recently, when officers, including a union board member, berated Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez over proposals to redirect some law enforcement funding and threatened to take their anger to the ballot box.
In San Francisco, a union leader suggested that city bus drivers, who rely on police when safety issues arise, “lose our number” after the transportation agency said it would no longer carry officers to protests against police brutality."
READ MORE related to Floyd Protests + Criminal Justice Reform Efforts: As Floyd protests swept the country, so did George Soros conspiracy theories -- AP; 'Heightened state of alert' after Golden Gate Park statue takedowns -- The Chronicle's RITA BEAMISH/MATT KAWAHARA/MATTHIAS GAFNI; Floyd protests continue around Bay Area for fourth weekend -- The Chronicle's RUSTY SIMMONS; California spent $900,000 protecting state buildings during BLM protests -- Sac Bee's MATT KRISTOFFERSEN
California's bullet train project faces unprecedented woes
The Chronicle's DUSTIN GARDINER: "Even before the coronavirus pandemic, it wasn’t clear how California would pay for its dream of running 220 mph bullet trains from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
Now, the project is as close to the precipice as it’s ever been. The California High-Speed Rail Authority faces two new threats: Its largest source of funding is evaporating and state legislators have attempted to derail the agency’s plans en masse.
The culmination of woes has cast new doubt on the viability of the rail plan and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s strategy to focus on building the system’s Central Valley segment first."
Lawmaker apologizes after extramarrital affair comes to light
Sac Bee's ANDREW SHEELER: "Assemblyman Phil Ting, who chairs the Assembly Budget Committee, issued an apology to his fellow lawmakers and constituents on Saturday for having an extramarital affair.
The San Francisco Democrat’s affair first was reported in Communities Digital News, a conservative online news outlet that ran a story Friday titled “Did CA Budget Chair Phil Ting use an extramarital affair to craft legislation?”
The article reported that Ting had an extramarital affair with a woman named Carmel Foster, whom the article alleged he met on a dating website called What’s Your Price."
Adam Schiff drops endorsement of Jackie Lacey in LA County DA's race
LA Times's JAMES QUEALLY: "Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) has withdrawn his endorsement of Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey ahead of a contentious November election, when she will seek a third term in office.
In a tweet Saturday morning, Schiff alluded to recent protests and calls for criminal-justice reform after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody.
“This is a rare time in our nation’s history,” Schiff wrote. “We have a responsibility to make profound changes to end systemic racism & reform criminal justice.”
Bay Area economy reshaped by 100 days of shelter in place
The Chronicle's CAROLYN SAID: "“STAY AT HOME.”
The all-caps banner headline in the March 17 San Francisco Chronicle said it all. Officials were telling nearly 7 million people to shelter in place immediately in a desperate effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus. All nonessential businesses had to close.
Overnight, the Bay Area was transformed. From Union Square to the Googleplex, from Sather Hall to Santana Row, places that ordinarily bustled with activity became virtual ghost towns."
H-1B work visas, vital to Bay Area tech, in crosshairs of Trump clampdown
The Chronicle's CAROLYN SAID: "The United States is poised to clamp down on several types of immigrant work visas, including H-1Bs, the skilled-work visas heavily used by tech companies, according to multiple press reports. While President Trump has long sought to limit immigration, the latest moves come against a background of unprecedented layoffs caused by the pandemic and shelter-in-place orders.
Trump wants to issue an executive order as soon as this week to suspend new visas for skilled and seasonal workers from overseas, the New York Times and others reported. The prospective order, which could start Oct. 1 and last into the next fiscal year, would not affect people already in the country.
The ban could affect Optional Practical Training, a program that allows international students to work in the U.S. for up to three years after graduation. The program, which is heavily tilted toward graduates with degrees in science, technology, engineering and math, often serves as a gateway to H-1B visas."
California ghost town with a bloody past suffers a new calamity
LA Times's LOUIS SAHAGUN: "The smell of scorched wood and melted wiring lingered in the air Thursday as Brent Underwood surveyed the damage to this 19th century mining town perched 8,500 feet above the Owens Valley floor.
The marketer and his partners bought the Cerro Gordo ghost town for $1.4 million in 2018 with the goal of transforming it into a remote tourist attraction. Visitors would enjoy gourmet meals, hikes to scowling mine shafts and overnight stays in a rickety bunkhouse and hotel.
But that dream suffered a fiery setback last week. Underwood said he was awakened at 3 a.m. June 15 by the stuff of nightmares: furious winds driving flames that were leaping like demons and scorching unpredictable paths up slopes dotted with historic mining structures. Then came the explosions of propane tanks as flames engulfed the hotel."
Lawmakers send CSU ethnic studies bill to Newsom
Sac Bee's THEODORA YU: "A bill requiring college students to complete an ethnic studies course to graduate from the California State University system has been approved by the state Senate.
Following the 30-5 vote Thursday, the bill heads to the desk of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has not indicated on whether he would sign the bill.
Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego and chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, introduced AB 1460 in February of last year."
READ MORE related to Education: Movement to sever ties with school police builds across California -- The Chronicle's JILL TUCKER; California universities prepare for possible return of affirmative action in admissions -- EdSource's LARRY GORDON
NorCal to see full week of triple digit weather
Sac Bee's VINCENT MOLESKI: "Much of Northern California’s Sacramento Valley will experience severe heat this week in excess of 100 degrees, prompting the National Weather Service to issue an excessive heat watch.
Sacramento-area weather service forecasters predicted at least five days of triple-digit weather, with the potential to reach up to 110 degrees.
The excessive heat watch, which is set to take effect Monday at noon and will last through Friday night, indicates potentially dangerous health risks given prolonged exposure to the searing heat."
Calls to defund the police spread to LA's transit system
LA Times's LAURA J NELSON: "As calls to defund police have grown into a chorus in the wake of the George Floyd protests, some Los Angeles County activists are turning their attention to the sprawling transit system.
The cost to police the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s 1,433-mile service area, including 93 rail stations and nearly 14,000 bus stops, is nearly $650 million over five years.
Activists and community groups argue that, on a system where violent crime is relatively low, the money could be better spent: on free fares, on better and more frequent service, on homeless outreach workers."
Did TikTok teens and K-pop fans punk Trump's comeback rally?
AP: "Did teens, TikTok users and fans of Korean pop music troll the president of the United States?
For more than a week before President Trump’s first campaign rally in three months on Saturday in Tulsa, Okla., these tech-savvy groups opposing the president mobilized to reserve tickets for an event they had no intention of attending. While it’s unlikely they were responsible for the low turnout, their antics may have inflated the campaign’s expectations for attendance numbers, which led to the disappointing show.
“My 16-year-old daughter and her friends in Park City, Utah, have hundreds of tickets. You have been rolled by America’s teens,” Steve Schmidt, a veteran strategist for Republican campaigns, tweeted Saturday. The tweet garnered more than 100,000 likes and many responses from people who say they or their kids did the same."
