Nonwhites are now a majority among the nation's youngest, census shows
AP: "For the generation of Americans not yet old enough to drive, the demographic future has arrived.
For the first time, nonwhites and Hispanics were a majority of people under age 16 in 2019, an expected demographic shift that will grow over the coming decades, according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday.
“We are browning from bottom up in our age structure,” said William Frey, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “This is going to be a diversified century for the United States, and it’s beginning with this youngest generation.”
READ MORE related to Race & Equality In The US: Black and brown tech workers share their experiences of racism on the job -- LA Times's JOHANA BHUIYAN/SAM DEAN/SUHAUNA HUSSAIN
Charts show the hot spots driving California's 'sobering' coronavirus surge
The Chronicle's KELLIE HWANG/MIKE MASSA: "California reported record new daily coronavirus case counts this week and a surge in hospitalizations, as the state continues to reopen businesses and allows for more outdoor and indoor activities. But what about in the Bay Area?
Cases here have nearly doubled in the past month, and sharp spikes this week indicate an alarming trend. But Chronicle analysis of county-by-county data shows that the Bay Area has not been among the biggest contributors to the statewide surge thus far, with cases-per-capita remaining below the state average for the past 14 days and well below the hot spots driving the surge.
Across the state, increases in case counts can be partially attributed to more widespread testing, but other factors appear to be at work. Outbreaks continue to be a problem at prisons and nursing home facilities. Activities on Mother’s Day and Memorial Day may also account for some spikes, as well as reports of large social gatherings, increased meetings among friend and family groups, workplace outbreaks, and weeks of protesting against police brutality."
READ MORE related to Pandemic: Dr. Fauci praises Gov. New som, stresses face masks in Sacramento Press Club chat -- Sac Bee's MATT KRISTOFFERSEN; UC health experts: San Quentin coronavirus outbreak could post threat to entire Bay Area -- The Chronicle's JASON FAGONE/MEGAN CASSIDY; How an Indian slum became an unlikely COVID-19 success story -- LA Times's PARTH M N/SHASHANK BENGALI; If 95% of people wear masks, tens of thousands of lives could be saved, model shows -- Sac Bee's BROOKE WOLFORD; 'It is our behaviors that are leading to these numbers;' Newsom announces increase in COVID-19 positive rate -- California Governor's Office
California unemployment claims rise as job losses show little signs of easing
The Chronicle's CAROLYN SAID: "Layoffs continue across America with 1.48 million people filing for unemployment last week, the Department of Labor said Thursday. The figures show that job loss is spreading into new areas even while some restaurants and retailers are cautiously reopening.
New filings for the week ended June 20 bring the number of new claims filed since the coronavirus pandemic and shelter-in-place orders to 47.2 million. In addition, 728,120 workers last week sough Pandemic Uemployment Assistance, a new federal program for self-employed people, who otherwise would not have received any unemployment benefits.
An even more telling measure: The people who remained on unemployment now number 19.5 million, slightly down from 20.3 million the prior week. That figure, which lags new claims by a week, was for the week ended June 13."
READ MORE related to Economy & Unemployment: 1.5M laid-off workers seek US jobless aid, a 12th straight weekly drop -- AP; Disneyland reopening delayed beyond July 17th -- LA Times's TODD MARTENS
Rep. Devin Nunes can't sue Twitter over statements by fake cow, judge rules
Tribune News Service: "A judge has ruled that Rep. Devin Nunes has no right to sue Twitter over statements made by a fake Internet cow, someone parodying his mother and a Republican strategist.
Judge John Marshall said in a decision Friday that Twitter was “immune from the defamation claims of” the Republican from Tulare due to federal law that says social media companies are not liable for what people post on their platforms.
Nunes “seeks to have the court treat Twitter as the publisher or speaker of the content provided by others based on its allowing or not allowing certain content to be on its internet platform,” Marshall wrote. “The court refuses to do so."
California's consumer privacy law could get stricter under new November ballot measure
Sac Bee's MATT KRISTOFFERSEN: "California legislators approved a landmark internet privacy law two years ago. Now, privacy advocates hope they can convince voters to pass an even stronger measure.
Known as the California Privacy Rights Act, the initiative would add more teeth to existing legislation by creating a new, $10 million state agency dedicated to protecting online consumer privacy. It would also restrict the use of sensitive data — like someone’s sexual orientation, Social Security number or union membership — and would make location tracking less precise, among other changes.
Proponents say these additions would make California the forerunner for strict privacy laws around the globe. In a state that’s home to some of the biggest names in tech, the initiative would make it harder to collect and sell consumer information."
Initiative to restore voting rights to Californians on parole heads to November ballot
Sac Bee's HANNAH WILEY: "Voters will decide this November whether to restore voting rights for Californians on parole after state lawmakers approved a proposal Wednesday to place that question on the ballot.
On a 28-9 initial vote, the state Senate sent Assembly Constitutional Amendment 6 to the Nov. 3 ballot, opening a possibility for more than 40,000 formerly incarcerated residentsto regain their voting ability before they finish their probationary period.
State Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, said ACA 6 would allow people on parole to reintegrate into and become a “contributing member to society."
Voters will be asked whether to repeal Prop. 209 ban on affirmative action
The Chronicle's DUSTIN GARDINER/ALEXEI KOSEFF: "California voters will be asked whether to reverse the state’s prohibition on affirmative action, allowing public universities to consider race in admissions and government to give preference to businesses owned by women and people of color when awarding contracts.
The state Senate voted Wednesday to place a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot to reverse Proposition 209, which voters approved in 1996. That initiative’s proponents said making the state color-blind was a question of fairness. Repeal advocates argue that it has limited diversity at University of California campuses and cost businesses owned by women and people of color billions of dollars.
If approved by voters, the amendment would strip language from the state Constitution that prohibits public universities, schools and government agencies from using race or sex in their admissions criteria, hiring and contract decisions."
California seeks court order against Uber & Lyft, saying the companies violate state labor law
Sac Bee's MACKENZIE HAWKINS: "California on Wednesday filed for a court order to require Uber and Lyft to stop classifying workers as independent contractors — a designation that Attorney General Xavier Becerra says illegally deprives drivers of workplace protections.
That motion builds on an earlier lawsuit in which Becerra and the city attorneys for San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego alleged that Uber and Lyft are skirting California’s landmark labor law, AB 5, which limits companies’ ability to use independent contractors and requires in most cases that they be treated as employees and provided benefits.
“Misclassifying your workers as ‘consultants’ or ‘independent contractors’ simply means you want your workers or taxpayers to foot the bill for obligations you have as an employer — whether it’s paying a legal wage or overtime, providing sick leave, or providing unemployment insurance,” Becerra said. “That’s not the way to do business in California. We’re seeking a court order to force Uber and Lyft to play by the rules."
'Mind-blowing.' Eastside residents, community leaders react to Jose Huizar case
LA Times's DAVID ZAHNISER/RUBEN VIVES: "As she watched the TV coverage of the FBI arrest of Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar, Isela Gracian felt her heart sink.
Gracian, a former executive with the nonprofit East Los Angeles Community Corp., spent a decade working with Huizar on efforts to build affordable housing, adopt anti-pollution measures and make life better for sidewalk vendors. On Tuesday, Spanish-language Univision was talking about bribes and showing stacks of cash seized from the councilman’s home.
“I can’t find a deeper word than disappointed,” she said. “It’s just mind-blowing — the depth and extent of it."
District police eliminated from Oakland schools: Board votes to abolish agency
The Chronicle's BRETT SIMPSON: "The Oakland school board voted unanimously to eliminate the district’s police department Wednesday in a historic vote following nationwide protests that have pushed education officials to end their agreements with police.
The measure, the George Floyd Resolution to Eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department, redirects $2.5 million in funding from the police department to students. It aligns with similar efforts in school districts throughout the nation to terminate contracts or other agreements with the police, including in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and in West Contra Costa County.
Calls for law enforcement reform have grown in weeks of global protests against police brutality following the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man, in Minneapolis on Memorial Day."
READ MORE related to Education: San Francisco schools sever ties with city police -- The Chronicle's JILL TUCKER
Covered California extends time for uninsured residents to sign up for health coverage
Sac Bee's CATHIE ANDERSON: "Covered California announced Tuesday that it would extend a special enrollment period to July 31 to give Californians additional time to sign up for health insurance. It had been set to end June 30.
As cases of COVID-19 surged in California, the agency’s board voted to give all uninsured Californians the opportunity to sign up for coverage. Typically, after open enrollment ends in January, only people who have a qualifying life event such as a job loss are eligible to get coverage.
COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus, has killed roughly 5,600 people in California and has sickened more than 183,000. After a brief decline in the number of cases, infections are once again on the rise."
Everything you need to know about camping in California this summer
The Chronicle's DAVID FERRY: "Travel in pandemic times can carry a whiff of menace.
Hotels? Too many doorknobs to paw at and elevator buttons to elbow. Airbnb? Why trust a stranger to Clorox the faucets when they can’t even remember to leave out clean towels?
What’s left for travelers desperate to escape three months of shelter in place?"
Oscar Grant's mother wants BART police to train in deescalation, prevention, and non-biased policing
The Chronicle's RACHEL SWAN: "BART is looking into what could be an unprecedented chapter in the police reform movement: bringing in the mother of someone killed by its own officer to train its department in implicit bias.
Although BART staff are only beginning their search for a possible trainer, Board President Lateefah Simon has someone in mind. She’d pick the mother of Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old man shot to death by a BART police officer in 2009.
The training is among a string of reforms announced Friday, as protests against racism and police brutality jolted the Bay Area and cities throughout the nation. With emotions still raw from the widely viewed, slow-motion killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, many cities are contemplating plans to defund or even dismantle their police departments."
READ MORE related to Criminal Justice Reform & Defund Police Movement: Sheriff asks AG to monitor shooting while stonewalling inspector general -- LA Times's ALENE TCHEKMEDYIAN; Navy vet who died 8 days after Alameda arrest was pinned, tased multiple times -- The Chronicle's SARAH RAVANI; Oakland City Council. approves budget with $14.6M cut to police dept. -- The Chronicle's RACHEL SWAN; Sacramento police, sheriff say shootings surging: 60 incidents, 11 killed in 30-day span -- Sac Bee's ROSALIO AHUMADA
Former Supervisor Harry Britt dies -- helped solidify LGBT political power in SF
The Chronicle's JOHN WILDERMUTH: "When Harry Britt was appointed to replace the assassinated Harvey Milk on San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors in 1979, he never tried to be the same type of charismatic gay leader as his friend and mentor.
But during his 14 years on the board, Britt, who died Wednesday at the age of 82, helped to solidly entrench the gay and progressive communities into the mainstream of the city’s politics, pushing issues and leading causes that resonated across a changing state and country.
“Harry Britt was a pioneer in the LGBTQ community’s entry into electoral politics,” said San Francisco Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener. “He deeply understood that while our allies are essential, we must have our own seat at the table. Harry helped create political space for people like me to serve in elected office."
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces new indictment in US
AP: "WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange sought to recruit hackers at conferences in Europe and Asia who could provide his anti-secrecy website with classified information, and he conspired with members of hacking organizations, according to a new U.S. Justice Department indictment announced Wednesday.
The superseding indictment does not contain additional charges beyond the 18 counts the Justice Department unsealed last year. But prosecutors say it underscores Assange’s efforts to procure and release classified information, allegations that form the basis of criminal charges he already faces.
Beyond recruiting hackers at conferences, the indictment accuses Assange of conspiring with members of hacking groups known as LulzSec and Anonymous. He also worked with a 17-year-old hacker who gave him information stolen from a bank and directed the teenager to steal additional material, including audio recordings of high-ranking government officials, prosecutors say."
Trump's planned July 4th visit to Mt. Rushmore draws fire
AP: "President Trump’s plans to kick off July 4th celebrations with a showy display at Mount Rushmore are drawing sharp criticism from Native Americans who view the monument as a desecration of land violently stolen from them and used to pay homage to leaders hostile to native people.
Several groups led by Native American activists are planning protests for Trump’s July 3 visit, part of his “comeback” campaign for a nation reeling from sickness, unemployment and, recently, social unrest. The event is slated to include fighter jets thundering over the 79-year-old stone monument in South Dakota’s Black Hills and the first fireworks display at the site since 2009.
But it comes amid a national reckoning over racism and a reconsideration of the symbolism of monuments around the globe. Many Native Americans activists say the Rushmore memorial is as reprehensible as the many Confederate monuments being toppled around the nation."
